The Drawing Room Experts

Episode 116: Al-Baqi & the importance of History

Zaib welcomes back the OG stirrer of storms, Sarosh Jafri, to talk about the importance of history and its restoration in the context of the 100th year marking the demolition and desecration of Al-Baqi Cemetery.
Both try and wrap their heads around why the site itself is so important and how could anyone argue for their desecration and destruction to fulfill such a shallow argument in favor of so-called theocracy. Listen in if you're interested in history!
#jannatulbaqi #albaqi #history #podcast #amazonpodcast #spotifypodcast #googlepodcast #applepodcasts #pakistan #shia #sunni #ahlulbayt #rebuildbaqee #madina #makkah #najaf #karbala #islam

Episode 115: Debunking Cricket Trolls & Ethical Dilemmas

A Podcast of 2 Halves - First up, Zaib has his say on the Sh*tposting that he sees on his socials about Babar Azam, strike rates, "aggressive" cricket & "failures". Does Babar's strike rate/run rate causes Pakistan games? Does aggressive cricket = titles? As #Giannis Antetokounmpo recently put it, is losing always an equal to failure? Hear what Zaib has to say about that.
Lastly, Zaib talks about a recent conversation with a friend about a possible ethical/moral dilemma. 
#babarazam #pakistancricket #pakistan #cricket #pakvnz #worldcup #england #india #newzealand #captaincy

Episode 114: Of Political Identity & Spectrum

Forgoing the "immense quality" of a tiny office desk production, Zaib gets off his high horse to record in a hotel room with a laptop camera (like that makes a huge difference) to get an episode out.
In this one Zaib talks about the political and economic spectrum of ideas (or lack thereof) in Pakistan and how it is set to muddying the water and reduces the discussions to talking points and flashy news articles.
Is there a "Left" or a "Right" in Pakistan? Is there a thing such as social and/or political conservatism and liberation? Listen to find out!
#pakistan #ppp #pti #plmn #politics #left #right #conservatives #liberals #politicalspectrum #economics

Episode 113: Songs of Surrender | Review

A new U2 record comes up and (hopefully) the podcasting wheel starts to churn out some eps in the weeks to come (fingers crossed!) Zaib & Zain dive into U2's latest offering, a reimagining of their cult and unequivocal hits, namely "Songs of Surrender".
The guys share their thoughts on the album, the need for it, whether it goes against the band's POV of not looking back, or whether this starts the age of U2's heritage act phase. All of that and a track-by-track assessment of the 40 songs reimagined!
#u2 #songsofsurrender #bono #theedge #larrymullenjr #adamclayton #surrender #newalbum #music #dublin #reimagined

Episode 112:Philosophy, Relative Morality & Identity

Zaib summons Sarosh back to the podcast to talk about philosophy and that it is constantly at odds with "people of science".
Zaib also explores the idea of relative morality and how it plays a role in the idea of identity in the modern world. Yet another deep and meaningful discussion!
#philosophy #relativemorality #science #identity

Episode 111: Empty Stadiums

This one is from the archives that never made the cut for 2022 for various reasons. Originally recorded around the time Australia was touring Pakistan in early 2022, Zaib rehashes an old EP for, you know, content's sake!
Because here we are... having a similar discussion about why are there empty stadiums for the New Zealand tour of Pakistan. Zaib talks about the value of stadium experiences, and why there seems to be a diluted/muted interest in cricket and/or test matches, especially in the context of Karachiites.
#pakistancricket #karachicricket #nationalstadiumkarachi #newzealandcricket #pakistancricket #testcricket

Episode 110: Iran

Zaib tries and tackles a very complex and nuanced subject talking about Iran and the state of affairs surrounding morality, democracy, theocracy, and hypocrisy.
It's all quite tangled up and abstract so have a listen to figure out what you think!
#Iran #mahsaamini #moralitypolice

Episode 109: Songwriting ft. Shahrukh Aslam

Happy New Year and we're kicking off 2023 with a solid discussion with the member of the Show's favorite band!
Shahrukh Aslam (Bayaan) ‘Tayraaks’ his way back to the podcast to talk about songwriting and what it means in the context of a band having something to say!
We talk about songwriting transcending genres, a Bayaan song structure, and his scathing takes on U2’s music didn’t sit well with Zaib.
We also quickly talk about the new single coming out this week and a possible new album? Let’s see!
 
#bayaan #tayraak #pakistanimusic #songwriting #music #rhcp #hasanraheem #u2

Episode 108: Introducing Inhaler

Zaib & Zain (finally) get together and record a long overdue discussion reviewing a (fairly) new band Inhaler and their new(ish) album which came out in mid-2021.
The quartet is another Dublin-based band that the pair follow and there is an obvious U2 connection to this one as well.
Check out this full review of their debut studio album "It won't always be like this"
 
#inhaler #itwontalwaysbelikethis #dublin #indierock #review #rock

Episode 107: Greatest Sport on Earth! ft. Ishaan Raje

December 18th, 2022 will forever be etched in history as THE most significant day in not just Football history but human athletic history!
#worldcup2022qatar ends in the most EPIC manner by showcasing to the world just why this sport is number 1 through 10 in the world.
Zaib walks through (himself mostly) on how he was feeling, reeling from the aftershocks of a stupendous #fifaworldcup2022 final where club football (and other sports in general) just sat in awe and witnessed majesty and poetic finishes.
For this long and much-needed discussion, Zaib welcomes to the podcast Ishaan Raje (@foodblasster), food blogger, IT extraordinaire, colleague, and fellow LFC supporter! We talk about the #fifaworldcupfinal, the tournament overall, #qatar, and its impact on the region we both belong to.
#lionelmessi #argentina #fifaqatar2022 #fifaworldcup #france #mbappe #qatar #qatar2022 #lusail #football #messi