Tabish Hashmi

Early life and background

Tabish Hashmi was born in Karachi in 1985, in an apartment in Defence, Clifton. His parents migrated to Pakistan in 1984, and his two sisters were born in India. [1][2][3]

His parents studied at Aligarh University in India, and his father studied at Aligarh Muslim University. None of his mother's relatives live in Pakistan. Hashmi has visited India many times, and he has cousins, aunts and uncles there. [1][3]

His family moved to Karachi, where relatives lived in Clifton. His family lived in Malir for about twelve or thirteen years. As a young boy he was the first pupil on his school bus, on a two-hour trip. [3]

In third or fourth class he played a madman role at a school assembly. He says he always wanted to be on stage, from childhood. [2]

Education

Hashmi attended Habib Public School in Karachi. He describes his school as an old all-boys school with a history of sixty to seventy years. He studied at his school for about ten years, from 1990 to 2000. [1][3]

He went to a government college for intermediate. He sat the entrance test for BBA programmes. He was admitted for engineering and, after admission, felt he had no real interest in it. He chose electronics as his engineering field and studied electronics engineering at Sir Syed University in Karachi. He says he completed his engineering for about 30,000 to 40,000 rupees because of scholarships. [1][3]

He prepared only for IBA and was admitted there. After engineering he completed an MBA in marketing from IBA, and he says he completed a full regular MBA. He failed a mathematics supplementary exam. He also failed an exam and sat it again the following year. He says he felt heavy pressure and shame during those failures, and that while he was failing he did not see an opportunity, but he sees one in hindsight. [1][2][3]

At university he started giving speeches. His serious speeches improved and began to win prizes. [2]

Career

He finished engineering in 2007, the same year he began his first job. His first job was in supply chain. He did not plan from childhood to work in supply chain, and he says supply chain became his field through those jobs. He says engineers are usually preferred for supply chain roles. [1][2][3]

He was doing an MBA and a job at the same time. He started his career with a shipping line, and his employers included Maersk, a shipping line. His father warned him that a recession was almost here. He attempted 45 questions in 12 minutes and answered 37 correctly. He says his employer gave him the biggest account after he scored well in a test. He was hired one level higher because he was close to the age limit of 23. [1][2][3]

He told his employer he could not keep up with a job that took 18 hours a day. He applied for a second job fifteen days later because his MBA had already started. During that time he applied for another job and received an offer. At that employer he was one of the first young assistant managers hired, and he spent 14 months at that company before moving to 3M. He also worked at a thread company described as the world's largest thread-making company. [1][2][3]

He spent four years at 3M and calls 3M probably his best employer ever. He says he got bored after four years at 3M. [1]

Global supply chain director

He joined a technology venture company in 2013 and spent about 3.5 to 4 years at that technology venture company. A venture of that company handled global supply chains for companies such as Shell and Halliburton. He was global supply chain director of that company, working virtually from Pakistan, and he built a team of 35 people in Pakistan. The company approached him through someone rather than him applying online. He automated the venture's work over three years until his role became redundant. [1]

He says his biggest achievement was a team member who grew enough to replace him. He says he puts maximum effort into the first three months at any company he joins. He spent almost four years at a software technology venture company. He says his relations with the people at that company soured, and that he had to part ways with that company. [1][3]

TCS and Canada

He received three job offers from large companies at once and selected TCS. His last job in Pakistan was at TCS. He became head of operations of the e-commerce division of TCS and worked at TCS for about 2.5 years. While at TCS he applied for a move to Canada. [1][3]

Before going to Canada, he left a good job and a stand-up scene in Pakistan. He then moved to Canada and worked there for about two and a half to three years. He says he has worked a salaried job for fifteen years, and that when he works for a company, he belongs to that company. [2][3]

Stand-up comedy

He started stand-up comedy around 2008 to 2009 and charged a fee for his stand-up sets. He performed a fifteen-minute set and received a standing ovation. After that first performance, he performed at every IBA event. He also performed at a few Arts Council events and was paid for them. [1][3]

He and a friend screened a film on DVD and sold tickets, and he says they earned about 150,000 rupees in 2006 from the screenings. He and a friend once worked as medical transcriptionists. [2][3]

His stand-up comedy paused from 2011 until 2015. He says he stopped stand-up for about four or five years because of illness, then tried again. Friends urged him to return to stand-up in 2015, and he performed at a show on Tariq Road. He says his stand-up comedy has become less frequent. [1][2]

He has performed twelve shows in twelve cities and now performs stand-up internationally. He says he performed two stand-up shows in one day, and that he and a co-performer do stand-up mainly to enjoy it, not to earn. [2][3]

Approach to comedy

He says he never wrote out his speeches. He says he feels very comfortable speaking in front of thousands of people, and that he loves performing on stage and looks forward to his stand-up gigs. He says the audience is the best teacher for a stand-up comedian, and that no one becomes a good stand-up comedian by learning in a class. [1]

He says earlier stand-up in Pakistan had no written set-ups or routines. He says much of his humour is in a Karachi style and that his comedy reflects what he observes. He says he speaks about corruption in his shows and does not mock anyone's colour, religion or race. He says people compare him with Kapil Sharma, a comparison he has never made himself. [3]

To Be Honest and Geo News

He says Geo took a risk by bringing in a digital creator for television, and that he left the digital world to work on television. He says viewers in neighbouring countries, especially Bangladesh and India, send him messages. He says he did not expect to become famous in Pakistan while living in Canada. [1][3]

Views

He says TV still shapes public opinion, and he estimates that perhaps 75% of people in Pakistan can access TV. He says he wants to go into politics, and that about 80% of National Assembly seats are won on biradari ties. He says India is generally three to five years ahead of Pakistan, and that India now looks more developed than Pakistan, which gives him hope. [1]

He says only a small group of people are doing good comedy right now, that the market for contemporary stand-up is still very small, and that the comedy scene has not grown much yet. He said he wanted to experiment instead of repeating the same format. He says comedy itself is not the challenge for him, and that it is hard to explore many topics in Pakistan. [2][3]

He says he deliberately spends time with people 8 to 10 years younger than him. He says he always tells people that financial independence is very important, and that he did not plan his career and would not have reached here by planning. He says swearing in a public place is wrong and that he calls out body shaming. [1][2][3]

He says he opened a bank account within ten minutes on his first day after landing, and asks why a bank account cannot open within ten minutes in Pakistan. [3]

Personal life

Hashmi married in 2012, and his marriage was arranged. He says his parents supported him. He says his wife was expecting a baby when he lost his job. He says his father has died. [1][2][3]

Timeline

1984

His parents migrated to Pakistan.[1]

1985

Born in Karachi.[1]

2006

He and a friend earned about 150,000 rupees from film screenings on DVD.[3]

2007

Finished engineering and began his first job.[1]

2008

Started stand-up comedy around 2008 to 2009.[1]

2011

His stand-up comedy paused until 2015.[1]

2012

Married.[1]

2013

Joined a technology venture company.[1]

2015

Friends urged him to return to stand-up.[1]

Appearances

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Why Tabish Hashmi quit TBH to go to Geo News . Thought Behind Things , 2022-04-18.
2. Honest Hour with Tabish Hashmi | Junaid Akram's Podcast#137 . Junaid Akram , 2022-12-30.
3. Tabish Hashmi Unfiltered conversation with Daniyal Sheikh | Podcast #92 . Daniyal Sheikh , 2023-11-29.