Our Heritage Magazine-19

ISSUE 19

Stand up for the Champions

Wonder girls of Pakistan

A thing of eternal Beauty

LAKES OF PAKISTAN

Dr. Mohsen Keiany’s

Cultural Identity reaches Pearl-Continental Bhurban

ISSUE 17 / MARCH 2013

FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S DESK

communicating

POSITIVE IMPRESSION Although Pakistan is passing through a recession, confronting some head winds, the country deserves world-wide recognition of its achievements in various fields. We at our end, realize that there is a need to communicate the positive impression of Pakistan, which serves as an ornament in adversity. We are therefore perpetually wielding all the possible sources to keep the readers well informed through this magazine of the developments and heritage of Pakistan.

I am glad that our Hotel Division’s ‘Heritage’ magazine has been instrumental in disseminating knowledge of our countryís heritage.

In fact, we are constantly tracking fresh impressions and approaches, which are presented for the readers. The magazine contains nucleus and cognitive material pertaining to Pakistan.

I would also like to share with the valued readers that we are actively engaged in elevating and expanding our hotel industry for the visitors.

The new feather that has been added to the Hashoo Group Hotels is the Pearl Continental Creek, Dubai and of course the reopening of the Pearl Continental Peshawar.

Some new attractions have been cued in for the visitors planning to visit our Pearl Continental Muzaffarabad and Zaver Pearl Continental Gwadar. These are the places where people can be truly for themselves.

Wishing you happy reading and a pleasant stay.

MURTAZA HASHWANI CHIEF EXECUTIVE, HASHOO GROUP

contents

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A HOME OF RICH HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

ourHeritage

ISSUE 19

features A NEW DAY IN EDUCATION “A few days ago, I went to the Sunday Market in Islamabad to do some shopping, and bought two carpets from a Pathan shopkeeper.

He asked me to write the receipt for the carpets, and he would sign it. PG 39

And the Mountains Echoed BOOK REVIEW

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Lakes of Pakistan

An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else PG 51

Another Feather in the Hat

Pearl-Continental Mirpur

An exclusive interview with the High Commissioner of Australia

Peter Heyward

Pakistan country of resourceful and resilient people PG 33

49 Good Chocolate

THE MARVELS OF MAKLI

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Our Heritage is an in-house magazine of Hashoo Group-Hotel Division. No part of it may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Views expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily those of Editorial Board. Responsibility of the contents of the advertisements lies with advertisers. Our Heritage is published by Pakistan Services Limited for Hashoo Group-Hotel Division.

This magazine has been prepared by Events, Marketing, Media & Communications Department, Pakistan Services Limited For advertisements and articles for this magazine, marketing-related proposals, joint promotions and cobranding etc. with Hashoo Group Hotels, please contact General Manager Events, Marketing, Media & Communications Department NESPAK House, Ground Floor, Ataturk Avenue G-5/2, Islamabad, Pakistan Tel: +92-51-2272890-98 • Fax: +92-51-2274812 Email: tahirkhan@hashoogroup.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Murtaza Hashwani Nadia Hashwani Tahir Mahmood Khan Bilal Safdar Mubashir Aziz Nadia Humayioun Waseem Abbas Saira Zaheer Shafaqat Ali

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

promoting Pakistan Hashoo Group’s awards-winning in-house magazine “our Heritage”, enables the readers to learn about our heritage sites, historical values, traditions and cultures, ecology, and the latest trends of Pakistan. This magazine has been instrumental in promoting Pakistan’s positive image at the international level.

I am very thankful to all my and team, contributors, and the management of Hashoo Group Hotels Division for their outright support.

The readers’ valuable suggestions have also played a pivotal role in improving further the quality of the magazine.

TAHIR MAHMOOD KHAN EDITOR, OUR HERITAGE

Sher Shah Suri

The Lion King By: Dr. Shaukat Mahmood

“Sher Shah, was a visionary ruler and introduced many military and civil reforms. The system of tri-metalism which came to characterize Mughal coinage was introduced by Sher Shah Suri. While the term rupiya had previously been used as a generic term for any silver coin, during his rule the term rupiya came to be used as the name for a silver coin of a standard weight of 178 grains, which was the precursor of the modern rupee. Rupee is today used as the national currency in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Mauritius, Maldives, Seychelles among other countries. Gold coins called the Muhr weighing 169 grains and copper coins called Dam were also minted by his government.�

Sher Shah Suri (The Lion King), was the title of Farid Khan, the founder of the Suri Dynasty. He was one of the eight sons of Mian Hassan Khan Sur, a prominent figure in the government of Bahlul Khan Lodhi .He was born in Punjab in 1472. (Some historians suggest he was born in Sasaram in Bihar of Rohtas district), while yet another account suggests that Sher Shah was born in the present day district of Mahendragarh in south Haryana, earlier part of Hisar district of combined Punjab in India. His grand father Ibrahim Khan Sur was a land lord (Jagirdar) in Narnaul area and represented Delhi rulers of that period. Mazar of Ibrahim Khan Sur still stands as a monument in Narnaul. Tarikh-i Khan Jahan Lodi also confirms this fact.). Sher Shah left his home at an early age and went to Jaunpur, where he joined a religious school and acquired good command over Arabic and Persian languages as well as in administration. He took keen interest in the study of biographies of great philosophers. He is also famously remembered for killing a fully grown tiger with his bare hands in a jungle of Bihar. Due to his sheer excellence in languages, administration and bravery he was able to join the court of Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India. Sher Shah was married to a lady called Rani, not much is known about her. A tomb

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just outside the Rohtas Fort can be seen. Though small, it is a monument of great architectural merit. This is known as the tomb of Khair al-Nisa’. “Is that the tomb of Rani with the nom-de-plume of Khair al-Nisa?” A question worth investigating.

This fort built by Sher Shah Suri served the main purpose of defeating the hostile activities of the enemies both from the west as well as the indigenous elements like the Ghakkars. Rohtas was named after the famous Rohtasgarh Fort in Shahabad district near Baharkunda, Bihar which was successfully won by Suri in 1589, is an impressive feat of military architecture. It covers approximately an area of four square kilometers, had twelve huge gates and no less than 69 bastions. Most of them have been lost. Construction of the fort started in 1541 and took almost nine years to complete.

Traveling on the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) from Lahore to Rawalpindi before reaching town of Dina, one sees a sign indicating the direction of the famous fort. The fort from GT Road is about 13 kilometers. The road is narrow and frequently meandering but negotiable. We enter the fort through the Khawaskhani Gate. The gate is in not a very good shape.

Rohtas Fort is divided into two parts, a wall and a gateway. This gateway is called Shah Chandwali Gate. A passage goes from the parking lot to the west of fort.

On the way towards the left side is the dilapidated Haveli of Raja Maan Singh.

This path leads to Kabuli Gate and the Shahi Masjid. Kabuli Gate is on its last legs as the seasonal torrential flow of river is eroding that side of the fort. To the southwest of the Shah Chandwali Gate is the Phaansi Ghat of the fort. This Ghat where the prisoners, culprits and violators of law were punished, is a very intriguing structure.

Being an administrator of tremendous merit, Sher Shah is also credited for building a grand trunk road from Bihar to Delhi via Peshawar and Lahore. Mughals extended this road westward and extended it to Kabul, Afghanistan, crossing the Great Khyber Pass. The road was later improved by the British rulers of colonial India. It was extended to run from Calcutta to Peshawar. For centuries now this road has acted as a major trade route in the region and facilitated communication of all sort, including the postal system. During the era of Sher Shah, the road was dotted with caravan sarais at regular intervals, and trees were planted on both sides of the road to give shade to the travelers and merchants. The facilities of lodging and messing were provided to travelers gratis. “Today, the Grand Trunk Road remains a continuum that covers a distance of over 2,500 kilometers (1,600 miles).

From its origin in Bihar, it traverses to Sonargaon in the Narayanganj District of central Bangladesh, it reaches India, passing through Howrah (Kolkata), Bardhaman, Panagarh, Durgapur, Asansol, Aurangabad, Sasaram, Mohania, Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Kalianpur, Kannuj, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Panipat, Karnal, Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar.

Within India, the major portion of the road – the stretch between Howrah to Kanpur is NH-2 and Kanpur to Delhi is known as NH-91 and that between Delhi and Wagah, at the border with Pakistan, is known as NH-1. From the Pakistan border the Grand Trunk Road (part of the N-5) continues north through Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Nowshera, Peshawar, Landi Kotal and Torkham. It then enters Afghanistan through the Khyber pass and continues west through Jalalabad, Surobi and ends at Kabul, a large part of the Afghan, leg of Grand Trunk Road is today part of the Jalalabad-Kabul Road.” This Grand Trunk Road is still in use though , at certain points some changes have been made keeping the topography of the terrain in view and also to cut short the distances.

The reign of Sher Shah was short, only five years 1540 to 1545. In May 1545 while he was at Bundelkhnd. He died of a gunpowder explosion. His tomb at Sasaram is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture, it was designed by the architect Aliwal Khan and built between 1540 and 1545, this red sandstone mausoleum (122 ft high), which stands in the middle of an artificial lake is known as the second Taj Mahal of India. The tomb stands at the centre of the lake. Initially there was no bridge to connect the tomb with the land but today it is connected to the mainland through a stone bridge.

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Skiing the Edge Words By: Daniyah Sehar Photos: Niamat Karim and Mansoor Karim

An account of two brothers setting record in Pakistan Mountain Skiing (Alpine Skiing)

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Recently two Pakistani brothers Niamat Karim and Mansoor Karim from Shimshal, Gojal , Hunza made a new record in the Alpine Skiing history of Pakistan . Niamat karim who is 27 years old alongwith his brother Mansoor Karim aged 15 years did the first ever Pakistani Alpine Skiing expedition (6000m). They set a record by summit 4 peaks and by attempting Alpine skiing from these peaks and that too successfully. Mansoor Karim, the younger one also set a new record by becoming the youngest Pakistani to attempt Alpine Skiing.

Imagine yourself standing clipped on a pair of skis on a glaciated peak of the Northern Himalayas. Large flakes swirling down fast, limiting visibility and muffling the sound of distant avalanches. Its a snow world . The surroundings are so quite that you start hearing the silence itself . You look around and get ready to break the silence . Flying in the air at 140km/h down a steep ice slope you flip around 180 degrees and the steep downhill, descent begins. Any single mistake will prove to be your last too. There is a very famous saying about skiing that , “There are really only three things to learn in skiing: how to put on your skis, how to slide downhill, and how to walk along the hospital corridor.” How to tackle danger is one of the basics of Alpine Skiing. Weather goes through drastic swings , with visibility often reduced to a few yards in a matter of seconds. An unstable layer of snow the consistency of tiny ball bearings, known as grapple, increases the chances that the new snow above it will be extremely slippery. But still you keep on pushing because if you aren’t crashing , you aren’t skiing. For people like us it might be too dangerous a sport but for a skier its like flying in the air.

The First Pakistan 6000m Ski Expedition , 2013 started on 10th July . The first challenge for the brothers was to attempt Quz Sar (5,950 m). Summit was done in a time period of three hours despite having worst weather conditions. The hefty descent from the top to the advance base camp, skiing was done in mere 15 minutes.

On the very same day both the brothers attempted Qol Sar peak (6,000 m) too. It is important to mention here that in the initial plan of expedition only three peaks were to be summit which included; Quz Sar, one un-named peak and Manglik Sar . But while summiting Quz Sar, they found that the advance base camps of Qol Sar and Quz Sar were almost adjacent to each other . Hence it was decided on the spot that Qol Sar will be attempted too.

Dawn of 12th July began with them aiming to attempt Manglik Sar (6,050 m). Summit push for Manglik Sar was done in 6 hours and once it was conquered , the descend was done by skiing in only 17 minutes!

After bagging three peaks successfully they took a two day rest and on 15th July challenge was set to summit an unclimbed and un-named peak ( 6,000 m). It was summit in 3 hours and descend was done by skiing downhill to advance base camp in mere 10 minutes!

It was a commendable record set by Niamat and Mansoor Karim . Not everyone can face such tough challenges of an Alpine region . Weather is constantly changing, protection is almost nil , finding a route is quite bewildering , chances of rockfall too frequent and ultimately the descent is way more tiring . You have to do it with agility and precision. Niamat Karim and Mansoor Karim , both the brothers have set their eyes on making many such records in future . Niamat is also a professional mountaineer and has been associated with this profession for last 13 years. Mansoor, who is just 15 started his career as professional skier in 2008. Niamat is very keen to promote Alpine Skiing among the youth of Pakistan and really hopes Government of Pakistan will pave way for such future endeavors. He really hopes that by promoting tourism and mountain adventure sports along with providing reliable tourist infrastructure, we can make a tourist haven here in Pakistan!

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The Terracotta Army By: Dr. Shaukat Mahmood

A foreign writer writing about the mausoleum of Hazrat Yusuf Gardezi in Multan, wrote “Sometime realizing is more impressive than visualizing or imagination.â€? This he wrote after seeing the mausoleum. Surely the writer was deeply impressed by the architecture and the faĂŻence mosaics and tile decoration of the tomb. I believe that sometime contrary to this can also happen.

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China has in its lap many wonders of the world. Pictures and descriptions, films and documentaries and commentaries cannot justify the magnanimity and grandeur of these wonders. Which is the most fascinating place in China? This is a question we can hardly give a satisfactory answer. No one can give a short list of China’s wonders. From north to south and from east to west China is packed with wonders and fascinating places. Each place has its magic and lure. China unfolds magnificent landscape of mountains, rivers, human treasures and magnificence that had remained hidden for centuries.

Administration and after full analysis and research from multi-side participation, in 1976, the Chinese government confirmed the royal identity of these Qin terracotta warriors and horses. The Chinese government also decided to build a museum on the site where they were unearthed. Later, another two pits were discovered. The three pits with massive hangers built over them, along with museums, shops and adjunct facilities today cover an area of over 23,920 square yards. The three unearthed pits have over 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses in total. The site is enchanting with fabulous greenery and intoxicating aroma of verdure.

In Lintong District, Xi’an, Shaanxi province once upon a time there was a small village. The people of the village were all agriculturist. There was greenery all around except a lathe patch of lane which had remained barren for years. In spite of the best efforts nothing grew there. Elders of the village had adjudicated that stretch of land was under some evil spell. “On March 29, 1974, the villagers dug wells in this wasteland. When dug a distance of over seven feet deep, they accidentally discovered the burned earth, even deeper, some cavity potteries which looked like human bodies were appeared, and when reached over sixteen feet deep, they found the floor was covered with a piece of blue bricks above which scattered the pottery pieces of human heads, arms and legs. “Is it a site of ancient temple?” they wondered.”

The three pits are situated less than one mile to the northeast of a pyramid shaped mausoleum of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (259 B.C. – 210 B.C.). His birth name was Ying Zheng and he was born at a time when China was divided into a number of warring states. One of these states, named Qin, was located in the western portion of ancient China and had been expanding for some time. When Zheng’s father, King Zhuangxiang, died in 246 B.C., Zheng took the throne at the age of 13. Over the next three decades he initiated a series of military campaigns that would see Qin conquer the other states and unify China for the first time. The three pits Qin contain an estimated 8,000 life-size terracotta figures of which about 2,000 have been excavated. It is believed that the figures were created to serve the emperor in the eternal life after death, a belief in which the ancient Egyptians strongly believed. The excavated figures include a mix of chariots, cavalry, armored soldiers and archers. There are high ranking officers, including nine generals found so far. Experts maintain that Pit No. 3 actually served as a command post for the army and contained an honour guard and ornate chariot for the force’s chief commander.

The team leader in the village was of the opinion that the terracotta warriors were unusual. This ‘explorer’ Yang Zhifa is still living. He sits in the small museum cum curio shop outside the circarama theatre at the site.

For a small amount of money he can autograph a book for tourists. This explorer immediately reported the case to the China National Tourism

“The details of the warriors are so intricate and individualized that it has been hypothesized that they were based on real soldiers who served in the emperor’s army. Another key feature is that the warriors were decorated in bright colors. Curiously, when the emperor created this army he had its face eastward and not toward the frontiers of his empire but rather toward the territories he had already taken. Why he did this is a mystery, it could be because of the topography around his mausoleum or it could because he felt the real threat came from the lands he had conquered.”

In 1978, the former French president Jacques Chirac visited the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. He called the Qin warriors “the Eighth Wonder of the world.” Eighth Wonder! No doubt but to me it did not look as impressive as it was in the stories I had read about it. It was far less than my imagination. Realization is sometime less than imagination.

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The Story of Rise and Fall of

PAKISTANI

CINEMA and Film Industry By: Ansar Ahmed

In the golden era in the 60’s and 70’s, Karachi and Dacca (former city of East Pakistan, now Dhaka the city of Bangladesh) produced some remarkable films.

Pakistani film production centre is now only in Lahore, Pakistani films industry is also known as “LOLLYWOOD”

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After partition on 7th August, 1948 first feature film Teri Yaad was released, at the Parbhat Theatre in Lahore in the same years Evernew Studios was established in the new born country Pakistan, later studio became a leading film company of the time. Films that was released reached mediocre success until the release of Do Ansoo on 7 April 1950. Do Ansoo became the first film to reach silver jubilee status.

Chanway became the first film directed by a female Director Noor Jehan, released on 29 April 1951. The film “Jagga Daku” was the first production of Syed Faqir Ahmad Shah in 1952, Saqlain Rizvi was the Director, unfortunately this film could not get much appreciation due to violence shown in it. As cinema viewer-ship increased, Sassi released on 3rd June 1954 and reached at golden jubilee status staying on screens for 50-weeks.

Legendary playback singer Ahmed Rushdi started his career in April 1955 after singing his first song in Pakistan “Bander Road Se Kemari”.

Umar Marvi was released on12 March 1956 and became the first Pakistani Sindhi language., An annual award event Nigar Award was launched by film journalist Ilyas Rashidi on July 17, 1958 since then considered Pakistan’s premier awarding event celebrating outstanding performance in various categories of film-making, an annual award event.

In ‘60s the golden age of cinema in Pakistan, several A category stars were introduced in this period ,and they became legends of the silver screen of black-and-white. First first full-length coloured film by Zahir Raihan’s Sangham was released on 23 April 1964 , some that share the status of being firsts are Munshi Dil’s Azra in early 1960s while the first coloured cinemascope film was Mala film Shaheed became an instant hit on the Palestine issue on the silver screen, actress Mussarat Nazir who had reigned the industry for a while left for Canada and settled with her family. Her most famous film Bahadur as Syed Kamal’s debutant acting role in film Tauba to be admired and fill the void.

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In 1962 Pakistan most versatile actor Mohammad Ali debut his acting career by Charagh Jalta Raha. The movie was premiered

by Fatima Jinnah on March 9, 1962 at Nishat Cinema, Karachi.

In September 1965, following an armed conflict between India and Pakistan, all Indian films were taken off the screen from cinemas in Pakistan and a complete ban was imposed on the Indian films. The ban existed since 1952 in West Pakistan and since 1962 in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), but was exercised rigorously after the conflict. Pakistani cinemas did not suffer much from the decision to remove the films and instead received better viewership for their films.

Realizing the potential, Waheed Murad was introduced in the industry. people called him the chocolate hero and in essence, he became the Marlon Brando and Elvis Presley of Pakistan. In 1966, film Armaan was released and became one of the most cherished accomplishments of the industry. The film is said to have given birth to Pakistani pop music introducing playback singing legends – composer Sohail Rana and singer Ahmed Rushdi. The film became the first to complete 75-weeks screenings at cinema houses throughout the country attaining a platinum jubilee.

Another rising star Nadeem (Nazeer Baig) received instant success with his debut film Chakori in 1967. The same year his another film of a different genre altogether. Horror film introduced with the release of Zinda Laash, Meanwhile Saeed Haroon’s Eastern Films Magazine became the most popular magazine for film buffs in Pakistan. The magazine had a questions and answers section titled “Yours Impishly” which the subeditor Asif Noorani took inspiration for from I. S. Johar’s page in India’s Filmfare magazine. Tabloid like these got their first controversial covers with the release of Neela Parbat on 3 January 1969, which became Pakistan’s first feature-film with an adults-only tag. The film ran for only three-to-four days at the box office.

Film Zarqa released on 17 October 1969. The film depicted the activities of the Palestinian guerrilla organization, Al Fatah by the writer, producer, and director Riaz Shahid.

After Dacca Fall in 1971, film industry lost its Dacca wing and influential workers in the industry leave for the newly found Bangladesh. Veterans like Runa Laila departed for Bangladesh and the Pakistani industry was at the brink of disaster yet again, when number of cinemas decreased rapidly Shabnam and Rehman’s the film Dosti, released on 7 February 1971, turned out completed 101 weeks of success at the box office dubbing it

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the first recipient of a diamond jubilee, however it is reported that the first diamond jubilee status was celebrated by the Punjabi film Yakke Wali in 1957.

As political uncertainty took charge of the entertainment industry, filmmakers were asked to consider socio-political impacts of their films as evident by the fact that the makers ofTehzeeb, released on 20 November 1971, were asked to change the lyrics with a reference to ‘Misr’, Urdu for Egypt, that might prove detrimental to diplomatic

The Film Ranking All hit films in the film circuits are mentioned as successful films.

A Diamond jubilee film means a mega box office hit film, in which more than 100 weeks on cinemas continuously in a city. The whole weeks on a single cinema and “combined” is total weeks on all cinemas is called “Solo”. Four Pakistani films reached on “Solo Diamond Jubilees” those are Aaina, Moula Jatt, Sher Khan and Sala Sahib. Zarqa was the first combined diamond jubilee film in Pakistan, released in 1969.

Super hit film is called Platinum Jubilee film, which consisting of minimum 75 weeks shows continuously on cinemas in a city or a super hit film is minimum six months release on its main cinema.

Jeedar was the first platinum jubilee film in Pakistan, released in 1965.

A Golden Jubilee film means is the hit film, which shows 50 weeks continuously on cinemas in a single city. The success measure for a hit Golden Jubilee film is minimum four months on its main cinema.

A Solo Golden Jubilee is always a mega hit film as the first ever golden jubille film Sassi in 1954.

A Silver Jubilee film is an average film, which shows 25 weeks continuously on cinemas in a single city. The success measure for a Silver Jubilee film is minimum 10 weeks on its main cinema. A Solo Silver Jubilee is always a super hit film as film Pheray was in 1949.

relations of Egypt and Pakistan.[16] So vulnerable was the film industry to the changing political landscape that in 1976, an angry mob set fire to cinema in Quetta just before the release of the first Balochi film, Hamalo Mah Gunj, which was to be filmed in the same cinema.

VCR and Indian channel The mid-1970s saw the introduction of Indian Channels and video cassette recorders in Pakistan and instantly films from all over the world were copied onto tape, as a result attendance at cinemas decreased, when people preferred to watch films in the comfort of their homes.

After a span of five years, Pakistan’s first venture into English film by Javed Jabbar’s “Beyond the Last Mountain” was released on December 1976.

The film’s Urdu version Musafir did not do well at the box-office. While the industry was revolutionizing, Pakistan’s government was in a state of turmoil.

Aina, considered the most popular film in the country’s history to date released on 18 March 1977, marked a distinct symbolic break. The film stayed in cinemas for over 400 weeks at the box office, with its last screening at ‘Scala in Karachi where it ran for more than four years.

Maula Jatt in 1979, telling the story of a gandasa-carrying protagonist waging a blood-feud with a local gangster. A sub-culture came know the ‘gandasa culture’ in the local industry. Sultan Rahi and Anjuman, became iconic figure in the Punjabi films. In 1989, The first science fiction film Shaani directed by Saeed Rizvi employing elaborate special effects could save the industry from failing. Studio went towards producing short-plays and television commercials and let the industry astray in the wake of cable television.

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A thing of eternal Beauty

LAKES OF PAKISTAN

By Maria S (Pictures eTC)

The geography of Pakistan is adorned with a multitude of landscapes, which comprises of vast and deep plains, deserts, plateaus, lush forests, jungles, hills and mountains, rivers, waterfalls, majestic mountain ranges, the coastal areas of the Arabian Sea and lakes - one of nature’s most beautiful creations.

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I was foraging in my room to find something that would cure me of my boredom. While looking through my cupboards I retrieve an album with some old photographs of myself as a child. Going through the photographs I couldn’t help but reminisce about the time spent traveling with my family to beautiful places in Pakistan. I vaguely remember the magnificent lake Mahodand as I hold up a picture of myself overlooking the lake, thinking how lucky I was since one year old to have been to such a beautiful place.

A lake is a body of relatively still water localized in a basin surrounded by land, which is fed by river stream or other source of water such as the collection of rainwater and melting of glaciers.

Lakes of Pakistan support diverse ecosystems and serve as a single most appealing tourist spot. Some of the awe-inspiring lakes are blessed with its surroundings that attract wildlife including migratory birds. The lakes and wetland resources of Pakistan consist of various natural and manmade lakes, which are spread out throughout the country. These unique resources include high altitude alpine and glacial lakes, manmade reservoirs and dams, tropical freshwater and saltwater lakes.

Rush Lake Rush Lake is a high altitude lake located near Rush Pari Peak (5,098 m) in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. At over 4,694 meters, Rush Lake is one of the highest alpine lakes in the world. It is located about 15 km north of Miar Peak and

Spantik (Golden Peak), located in the Nagar valley. Rush Lake and Rush Peak can be reached via Nagar and Hopar and via the Hopar Glacier (Bualtar Glacier) and Miar Glacier, which rises from Miar and Phuparash peaks. The trek to Rush Lake provides spectacular views of Spantik, Malubiting, Miar Peak, Phuparash Peak and Ultar Sar. In the heart of the Hunza valley, trek to Rush Lake is rather difficult but much rewarding. This trek will take you to the amazing Karakorum Mountains with a cluster of sky scraping peaks. You will be crossing glaciers, meadows and terraced fields along the terrain. The trek ends at Rush Lake. (4,700 m 15,400 ft) Manchar lake The largest freshwater lake in Pakistan is Manchar lake, which is also one of the largest lakes in South Asia. It is located in the outskirts of Sehwan Sharif, west of river Indus in district Jamshoro, Sindh The lake collects water from numerous small streams that originate from the Kirthar Mountains and it empties into the Indus River. Sadly, because of environmental degradation the water is turning saline.

The lake was once a favorite ground along the Indus flyway for Siberian migratory birds, but recently the numbers have fallen from 25,000 birds 1988 to just 2,800 in 2002, because the Lake no longer provides the bird’s main food: the lake fish. Instead of the birds, the lake now promotes the growth of saline water reed.

Saiful Muluk Lake This Lake is said to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The legend and the air of mystery surrounding it make it all the more intriguing and fantastic. Lake Saif-ul-Muluk, remains one of the widely visited tourist attraction in the country. Each year, thousands of tourists climb up the vintage point to witness this magical glacial lake. According to the Guardian news, Saif-ul-Muluk is rated the top five Tourist site in Pakistan.

Saiful Muluk is an alpine lake that nestle on the northern end of the Kaghan Valley near Naran, located in the North-east of Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The lake is accessible by a 14 km road from Naran (approached by a road from Mansehra via Balakot and

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Kaghan) during the summer months. On foot, the trek from Naran to the lake takes about 4-6 hours. This option is only for those who are fit enough to walk eight kilometers and climb about 3000 feet. A jeep can be rented in the bazaar for an easy approach within a one-hour drive.

At an altitude of 3,224 m (10,578 feet) above sea level it is amongst one of the highest lakes in Pakistan. The depth of the lake has not been measured to this day, the last effort was made apparently in the late 1990s but the measuring chain weighing 5 tons went down and vanished. The water with a slight green tone converts into blue in the summer. The color of the water comes from multiple glaciers all around the high basin, which feed the lake.

The lake can be visited from the beginning of the month of June through mid September. The region enjoys all four seasons during the year. During winter season the lake is completely frozen and blanketed with snow. Even in the summer, it is not possible to swim in the lake due to ice cold-water.

Boating in the lake is now banned thus to maintain tranquility of the Lake.

It has a diverse ecology; inhabited by large brown trout, typically weighing SINDH: • Keenjhar • Haleji

• Dirgh • Manchar Lake

Balochistan: • Hanna Lake Punjab: • Mangla Lake • Kabeki Uchalli, Kallar Kahar • Jhalar and Namal – Soon Valley • Rawal Lake, Simli Lake, Islamabad

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about seven kilograms. About 26 species of vascular plant exist in the area, with Asteraceae (commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) the most commonly found specie. Other species commonly found in the region are: Ranunculaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae, Gramineae, Apiaceae, Leguminosae, Scrophulariaceae and Polygonaceae.

The lake is very popular because of a legend. A fairy tale called Saiful Muluk, written by the famous Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, is associated with the lake. It is the story of the prince of Persia who fell in love with a fairy princess who lived by the lake. The locals believe that even today, fairies exist and come down to the lake on a full moon night. Dr Mujahid Hussain wrote the story of Saiful Muluk in prose depicting the local version.

According to the story Deuo Safaid (the white giant) who lost the battle with Saiful Muluk cried and thus tear lake (Ansoo jheel) was formed, at a distance about 2 miles away from the Lake Saiful Muluk.

A description to each lake would require great volume of words. Following are some of the more popular lakes in Pakistan:

Gilgit-Baltistan: • Borith Lake: Elevation 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) Gulmit, Humza • Karambar Lake: Elevation, 4,272 meters (14,016 ft) Ishkoman Valley • Kachura lake: Elevation, 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) Skardu.

• Rama Lake: Elevation, 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) Astore Valley.

• Rush Lake: Elevation, 4,694 meters (15,400 ft) Nagar Valley.

• Satpara Lake: Elevation, 2,636 meters (8,648 ft) Skardu Valley • Shandoor Lake: Ghizer District.

• Sheosar Lake: Elevation, 4,142 meters (13,589 ft) Deosai Plains Azad and Jammu Kashmir • • • • • • •

Baghsar Lake: Elevation, 975 meters Samahni Valley Bhimber Chitta Katha Lake: Elevation, 3,962 meters (12,999 ft) Shonter Valley Ratti Gali Lake: Elevation, 3,700 meters (12,100 ft) Neelam Valley.

Saral Lake: Elevation, 4,100 meters (13,500 ft) Neelam Valley.

Shounter Lake: Neelum Valley.

Subri Lake: Muzaffarabad .

Banjosa Lake: Elevation 1,981 meters (6,499 ft) Poonch District

Khyber Pakhtunkhwah: • Saiful Muluk Lake Elevation, 3,224 metres (10,577 ft) Kaghan Valley • Ansoo Lake Elevation, 4,126 metres (13,537 ft) Kaghan Valley • Dudibach sar Lake Kaghan Valley • Dudipatsar Lake Elevation, 3,800 metres (12,500 ft) Kaghan Valley • Kundol Lake Elevation, 2,743 metres (8,999 ft) Swat Valley • Lulusar Lake Elevation, 3,410 metres (11,190 ft) Naran Valley • Mahodand Lake Elevation, 9,400 feet (2,900 m) Kalam Valley

THE MARVELS OF MAKLI By: Dr. Shaukat Mahmood

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Makli and Thatta are situated some 108 kilometers north east of Karachi and almost at the same distance in the south west of Hyderabad. Some historians believe Thatta to be the same city as Daybul. Henry Cousens, calls this town “Dewal Thatta” (Daybul Thatta) and very strongly emphasizes that the ancient Daybul and present day Thatta are one and the same metropolis. Thatta, says Cousens, is the land of sepulchers and dust, of holy ‘shams’ and holy humbugs.

Thatta is in Sindh and Sindh has been very fruitful in the production of pirs (holy men).

According to one report, at one stage in history, it had nearly one hundred thousand tombs of saints and martyrs

The Necropolis of Makli has a variety of tombs ranging between multistoried graves, canopies, tombs and tombs mosques. Each monument has excellent stone carvings with infinite variety of motifs. At the same time there are also fine examples of world famous blue, azure and turquoise tiles of Hala, fated trinkets of the past. In place of that insignificant small flagged grave today stands a big mausoleum where hundreds of devotees turn up every day.

Makli and Thatta have some of the most exciting specimens of Indo-Muslim architecture. Although they belong only to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the history of Thatta goes back some two thousand years.

Alexander rested his troops here after a long march from Taxila and Multan via Sehwan. Long before that Thatta was known to the annalist of the Aryan epic Mahabharta, as the scene of a bloody battle between the tribes of Kourvas and Panduas.

During the rules of caliphs ‘Uthman and Ali’, exploratory expeditions were sent to Sindh. During the rule of ‘Abd al-Malik b’, Marwan, a punitive expedition was sent to Sindh under the command of Muhammad b. Qasim.

The earliest mention of Thatta, (and for that matter Makli), is in the works of Amir Khusraw (1253-1325). The Sumras, a local dynasty of chieftains of Sindh, were contemporaries of Amir Khusraw. They ruled over Sindh as protégés of the Ghaznavids and set up their kingdom in about 1052 AD. Though central authority was imposed on them from time to time, during the Ghurids in the 12th century and Sultan Iltutmish in the early 13th century. The semi autonomous rule of the Sumras was finally brought to an end by Sultan ‘Ala’al Din Khilji. At this time the Sammas, who were the old rivals of the Sumras, seized their opportunity and allied themselves with ‘Ali al Din Khilji’, assuming the role of this protégés. Meanwhile Muhammad Shah Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi, also had his eye on Sindh. But he could not conquer Sindh. Firuz Shah Tughlaq, successor and son of Muhammad Shah Tughlaq, launched a major offensive attack against Thatta in 1363, succeeded in his aim of dominating Sind, but after his death Sindh became

independent again under the Sammas, who ruled it peacefully for more than 150 years. The most prominent of their rulers were Jam Tughlaq (ruled 1427-53) and Jam Nizam al Din Nindu (1453-1512) It was during the rule of Jam Nizam al Din that the Portuguese diverted the trade of the sub continent to Portugal; and it was for these mercantile reasons that Jam Nindu developed the inland port of Thatta.

In 1515/16 Shah Beg Arghun of Qandahar, finding the rulers of Thatta involved in internecine conflicts attacked and conquered Sindh. The Arghuns, whose rulers brought further glory and prosperity to Thatta, thus replaced the Jams. Most of the architecture on Makli Hill and in the town of Thatta, is the result of their interest and patronage. Shah Beg’s successor, Shah Hasan Arghun, was also a learned man. By his political sagacity and political acumen he successfully guarded his empire from the expansionist designs of Babur. After Babur’s death he continued to thwart similar dangers from Humayun, but unfortunately, within his own empire, dissensions were growing. Two of his own tribes, the Arghuns and the Tarkhans were constantly feuding with each other. In 962/1554, Mirza ‘Isa Khan Tarkhan successfully staged coup d’etat and gained control. ‘Isa Khan Tarkhan died in 980/1576 and this resulted in a war amongst his successors.

Internecine strife was complicated by the expansionist polices of Akbar. To Akbar, the annexation of Sindh was essential to perpetuate control over Qandahar. Jani Beg, the ruler of Sindh, was too weak to successfully resist the Mughal forces under the command of ‘Abd al-Rahim Khan-i Khanan. The Mughals, thus captured Sindh and Thatta, in 999/1590. Jani Beg became a protégé of the Mughals in Sindh and the first Mughal governor. Though the supreme controlling and ruling authority remained at Delhi, in the hands of the Mughals, the local administration was passed onto the Kalhoras, after them to, Tarkhans and then to the Talpurs. The Talpurs held power until after Mughal rule ended at Delhi. It was after the battle of Miani (1843) that the British annexed Thatta and thus the whole of Sindh came under the control of the Raj.

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Gol Guppay Many local snacks with a Pakistani, or shall we say sub-continent flavour, are sold by those who make a living off them, taking full advantage of the fact that a majority of Pakistanis love to eat and that it is among the most popular pastime of many families.

An outing is not complete unless a meal has been eaten at a restaurant or a snack enjoyed at some point in the outing.

By: Ishrat Hyatt Among the many delicious snacks available is the ‘Gol Guppa’ or ‘panipuri,’ which can be found in every market place and recreational area as well as outside schools, colleges and offices. Many years ago there was a movie in which a vendor promoted his ‘gol guppas’ by singing a song – ‘gol guppay wallah aya; gol guppay laya; husta hasata phiray; khushian pehlata phiray’ and so on (the gol guppa man has come with gold guppas making people laugh and spreading happiness) and this holds true today. With all the ‘modern’ snacks available in the market, a plate of ‘gol guppas’ is still a treat for young and old alike. They could almost be labeled as the national snack!

So what are ‘gol guppas’ and how are they eaten? The ‘gol guppa’ is a round, crisp, very light hollow ‘ball’ or tiny ‘puri’ made of flour, salt and oil, then fried to a crisp. This round ‘ball’ is held in the hand and a small hole is made at the top, then filled with a mixture of potato, onion and chickpeas and topped with a watery ‘sauce’ made of tamarind (or other sour, sweet or salty ingredient) chillies and chaat masala (mix of spices) It is small enough to fit completely in one’s mouth – you have to have a big mouth – and when it is bitten into, the different flavours blend, giving the unique taste that has its addicts going into raptures!

When you stand at a roadside stall to enjoy your snack, the vendor will ask whether you want to eat them one at a time, in turns, or on a plate.

These days, keeping hygiene in mind, there are many reservations about the vendor and the manner in which he dips into the sauce with his hands but not everyone minds this! Opting for a plate is now becoming popular, on which about half a dozen ‘puris’ with a blob of the chickpea mixture and a small bowl of the spicy water (sauce) which can be either ‘imli ka pani (tamarind water), nimbu ka pani (lemon juice water) or pudineay ka pani (mint water) are placed. If you want to enjoy them in the traditional manner by eating one at a time, the man will hold the puri in his left hand break the top deftly with his thumb, fill it and hand it to you to pop into your

mouth. If he is an experienced vendor he will remember each customer’s preferences such as the kind of water preferred; more filling or extra onions and so on – a task he is expert at after years of practice. He also keeps count of how many servings each person has had so as not to be diddled of his hard earned profit! When you have had your fill you can wash it down with an extra sip of the ‘sauce’ if you like, though many persons opt for one of the sodas that are popular these days.

This snack can be served at home in a more sophisticated manner but there is nothing like enjoying it by the wayside or in a park – it’s definitely something to be enjoyed outdoors! So next time you are out and about and looking for a snack, look for the ‘gol gappa’ vendor and putting aside your worries about hygiene, enjoy a tasty treat. You’ll not regret it!

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Santosh Kumar (1925-1982) By: Aijaz Gul

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Our film history would never be complete without Santosh Kumar and his tragic-romantic roles . He was an actor per excellence, also a producer and director. His performance as an actor would remain alive forever.

Syed Moosa Raza in real life (Santosh Kumar), belonged to an enlightened Syed Family. He graduated from Usmania University, Hyderabad (Andhera Pradesh) and then passed ICS. He was ready to join the government service when an offer came for leading role for Ahinsa in late-forties. With extremely good looks and physique, every producer would have cherished to cast him in a lead. This was followed by Meri Kahani (1949) in a supporting role with Munawar Sultana and Surrender.

In 1949-1950, the family migrated to Pakistan.This was the time when film trade in Lahore was picking up bits and pieces from aftermath of Independence.

Most of the film talent from Hindu community had gone to India. Director Masood Pervaiz launched film Beli, scripted by Saadat Hassan Manto. Santosh Kumar was selected to play the lead with Shahina.

Sabiha appeared in a brief role. This wasfollowed by Anwar Kamal Pasha’s Do Ansoor, Ghulam, Gumnam, Qatil (both produced by Agha G.A.Gul), Chunway (for which director Shaukat Rizvi passed on the directorial credit to his then wife Noorjehan). And this was just the beginning.

As we move into the mid-fifties, Santosh Kumar became the most attractive, popular and bankable hero of the film trade. His pairing with Sabiha in Qatil, Saat Lakh, Do Ansoo, Ishaq-e-Laila, Daman and Wadah, turned two of them into the romantic pair of the decade who remained in demand for the next few years. On-screen romance turned into real-life partnership. An even though Santosh Kumar was happily married to Jamila Begum with kids, Jamila made the honorable compromise as first wife. Sabiha entered his marital life as second wife. Santosh did pretty well with both.

guzarta hoon) filmed on Santosh, appears several times during the film, every time with melancholy and a tragic note.

Naila in 1965 was his first color film with Shamim Ara and his brother Darpan. Produced by G.A.Gul and directed by Sharif Nayyar. This was a love triangle based on Razi Butt’s bestseller of the same title. Santosh played the elder brother whose cousin Shamim Ara falls for him but does not disclose it. The stepmother Ragni plays her dirty trick and gets her married to her real son, Darpan.Tragic as it might sound but Shamim Ara swallows her wedding diamond ring on the wedding night and dies in the arms of Santosh. The last scene of Naila is filmed on Santosh in the cold winter of Murree Hills, seen alone and defeated . Santosh seen for the first time in a color was at his best.

By the end of sixties when Mohammad Ali, Waheed Murad and Nadeem took the front seats as heroes , Santosh switched over to character roles in films like Salaam-e-Mohabt and Anjuman. He also worked for a TV company and retired gracefully.

Santosh Kumar was given Sitara-e-Imtiaz (posthumous) in 2009.

Santosh manged to carve out a leading place for himself in the film trade due to his discipline and hard work. He was known for his soft,subtle abilities. His gorgeous looks in romantic roles further enhanced that image and persona.While fights on screen and action were pretty much a territory and domain of Sudhir, Santosh remained loyal to love and tragedy. Yes, it is true that Santosh half-hardheartedly did accept period costume films like Sultanat and Sarfrosh but he did not feel comfortable with sword fighting and vendetta . A period film like Ishq-e-Laila was another matter filled with romance and sixteen songs. The fact remains that contemporary subjects like Gulnar, Do Ansoo, Intezaar, Pattan, Wadah, Mukhra, Saat Lakh, Mosiqar, Ghunghat, Chingari,Kaneez, Majboor, Dever Bhabi, Daman,Lori and Anjuman were his best bets. He even produced half-a-dozen films including Daman and Mukhra, Dever Bhabi and Pakdaman. His directorial venture, Sham Dhaley , filmed entirely in Swat , did not do that well but it did win a few awards, including best song of the year: Sufi Ghulam Tabassum’s “Sao bar chamn mehka so bar bahar aye”, composed by Rashid Attrey, rendered

by Nasim Begum and of course filmed on Sabiha. And while he appeared with Shamim, , Gulshan Ara,Shammi Musarrat Nazir, Nayyar Sultana, Noorjehan, Swaranlata, Shamim Ara and others, his lead with Sabiha turned out to be most impressive and lasting. Somehow they jelled together like nobody else. The producers and directors knew their onscreen chemistry and they cashed it again and again.They were the hottest screen pair of the fifties. He won numerous film awards in Wadah, Ghunghat and Daman . In W.Z.Ahmad’s Wadah, he played the tragic and lonely music teacher whose beloved Sabiha, is married to her brother-in-law Ilyas Kashmir, after her sister’s demise during childbirth. The memorable song (Jab terey shehar sey

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THE ACOUSTIC WONDER By: Dr. Babur Zahiruddin

Have you ever thought that your voice without a sound system can be heard in a hall as big as a hockey field?

Well you are in for a surprise because such a place does exist in Pakistan as it is an acoustic wonder and sight to visit because of its unique architectural peculiarities and that place is the SHAH JAHAN MOSQUE in THATTA Sindh.

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It was the night of Sunday 22nd January 2012, I was returning from a duck shoot from KANGAN KHADI Jheel, adjacent to Mureed Khosa near CHOHAR JAMALI, the home of the Naval Special Services Group on Thatta Road and it was 9 O’ Clock at night when my hunting entourage led by my hosts the Sarki’s of Thull stopped at the Thatta Mosque.

I was sleeping at that time when a small nudge woke me up, it was time to disembark and say my prayers.

Loo and behold in front of me stood the structure of the Shah Jahan’s Mosque with its majestic grandeur and awe inspiring character that I could not help admiring this wonderful peace of architecture. The famous SHAHI MOSQUE, is also called by other names like; Jama Masjid Thatta, Shahjahani Mosque and Badshahi Mosque Thatta. It was built by Emperor SHAH JEHAN, started in 1644 A.D and completed in 1647A.D, while the floor was built in 1657 A.D. The mosque is located in Thatta, Sindh province of Pakistan about 60 miles from Karachi. It has been on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage list since 1993 and was a gift by the emperor to the people of Thatta for their hospitality.

The mosque is an excellent example of intricate crafty tile work. It has been constructed with red bricks and incorporated with blue colored glaze tiles, probably been brought from the adjacent HALA district. The domes have been exquisitely laid in a mosaic of radiating blue and white tiles. The mosque is a combination of Turkish and local artwork, which is profusely used on tile work in the ceiling decoration of semi domed and domed chambers, as well as in the fillings of interlaced arches.

This new concept reveals Mughal influence in the types of geometric lines that enclose these stars to make different psychedelic patterns.

This mosque is a prime example of an imperial architectural form of the region by the use of brick and Sindhi tile work. Stylish floral patterns and Kashi work, decorate the spandrels of the main arches. Various shapes of tiles were used; square, rectangular and hexagonal which were manufactured and joined to complete a design in a given panel. Various shades of blue on white, and some yellow or purple backgrounds produce a very soothing effect in the hot climate of Thatta. The mosque is a heavy brick structure of simple construction built upon a stone plinth, with heavy square pillars and massive walls. It is centered on a courtyard 169’ X 97’ and the prayer chamber is of a similar size, large domes cover both. On the north and south two aisled galleries open by means of arcades onto the courtyard. Ninety three domes cover the entire structure, and are probably the cause of a remarkable echo. The mosque contains the most elaborate display of tile-work in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent.

dome in this way a sound wave chain reaction sets in and thus the sound reverberates like wave ripples in all the four corners of the mosque.

The second most unique feature of the mosque is that it is so well ventilated that even in the sizzling heat of summers you do not need fans or artificial means for cooling.

The third main quality of Shah Jahan’s Mosque is that it has no minarets.

Instead of the typical three domes, there is only one main dome in the prayer hall.

The present condition of the mosque is deplorable and needs immediate attention of the authorities. It needs upkeep and renovations, which are lacking because of the paucity of funds and the apathy of our archeological department.

This mosque should be taken over by the HERITAGE Foundation of Pakistan, before it becomes a victim of vandalism and encroachment. Nations are known for the sense of pride which they have for their cultural heritage therefore, must make endeavor for their preservation and up keep of such sights as they reflect the glorious past of our famous and successful ancestors, who ruled the indo-Pak subcontinent for more than a hundred years.

The main entrance of the mosque has a central domed chamber. The mosque has an open central courtyard of about 15,900 square feet. Arcades of red brick arches highlighted with bands of white surround the courtyard.

The ablution pond is located in a square courtyard within the eastern portion of the mosque. The domes and arches can be seen as a series of lined arches in straight line. Each arch has a small flat apex adorned with beautiful mosaic and tile work. The main quality and unique feature of Shah Jahan’s Mosque is that it has no minarets. Instead of the typical three domes, there is only one main dome in the prayer hall. Its 93 domes and 33 arches with varying sizes add to their architectural beauty.

It has been built keeping acoustics in mind and a person speaking inside one end of the dome can be heard at the other end when the speech exceeds 100 decibels. The first notable feature of this mosque is the 93, domes configuration which are built side by side in a square fashion and is one of the largest mosques in the world by virtue of its domes. The sound of the prayer leader / IMAM can be heard in all the four corners of the mosque although the mosque covers an area of 51,850 square feet so that a single sound which originates from one dome is picked up by its echo, transferred to the next dome and then becomes the source of sound for the adjacent Photo: Fasih Ahmed

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Stand up for the Champions

Wonder girls of Pakistan By: Tahir Imran Khan

Pakistan has produced several players of national and international repute and got distinction in various sports, however most of the games and sports are participated by men only. While the trend is now changing, the contribution of females in various sports has been remarkable, we are honored to have players like; Sana Mir (Cricket), Kiran Khan (Swimming), Maria Toor (Squash), Naseem Hammed (Athletics) and Sidra Ashraf (Cycling) etc. along with a list of several other in various disciplines of sports. Unfortunately, without proper academies and scarce in coaching, most of the players come forward by their own efforts or through some sincere mentors.

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Basketball, one of the most popular sports in America, is least popular in Pakistan as there are hardly any facilities available, particularly for female players. But it’s a matter of pleasure and a good omen that some individuals and institutions are struggling for the promotion of the game and one such example is the 2013 national sports, where a good final match was a treat to watch between the girl’s teams of Islamabad and the Punjab.

The much-awaited National Games 2013 got off on Friday 28th. June 2013 at Jinnah Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex, inaugurated by the Speaker National Assembly, Mr. Ayaz Sadiq. Several sports dignitaries attended the ceremony like Javed Miandad, Jansher Khan, Qamar Zaman, Qasim Zia and Shahbaz Senior etc. Teams from all provinces and various departments participated in the national games.

The team Islamabad, led by Sara Mahmood, simply outclassed the strong and one of the favourite teams of the contest, the team of Punjab. It was a treat to watch the finals and the performance of the team Islamabad, from their graceful and professional entry in the court to skillful game play till finishing point. Sara, leading from front and playing very sensibly and with expertise, simply snatched the title to win the Gold and placing her team atop the Victory Stand.

Roaa Tahir, the vice-captain, had her good share while Kainat Zafar, was the best scorer of the tournament. Basmah Kamran proved herself as an emerging bright star, while multi-talented all round Aleeza Sana, got her second gold medal as she has already got the title of National Champion – under 19 in Rock Climbing, besides her several wins in climbing contests.

The team was a combination of good players consisting of Sana Mahmud, Kainaat Zafar, Aleeza Sana, Amna Khan, Basmah Kamran Azmi, Aleezae Adeel, Rida Shahid, Zunaira Nabeel, Yusra Shaukat, Mahnoor Butt and Roaa Tahir as vice-captain.

The team played under the captaincy of Sara Mahmood, and coached by Ms. Nazia Bashir while Ms. Amna Saleem was the manager of the team and

Aleez Sana a

more than a mentor with her friendly and inspirational attitude. Mr. Imran Bashir, a respected sports personality is the force behind the success story of the team and permanent coach of the team.

The national games started with the match of Islamabad vs. KPK, that was easily won by Sara’s team. Proceeding to a victory against Sindh and beating professional team of Railways, took Sara’s warriors to the finals against Punjab. The Punjab teams in all games are usually considered best or among the top class teams so this so this increased the pressure on team Islamabad.

Dreaming for top position put the captain and her teammates in sleepless nights however; the efforts of coaches and focus of players led them to work hard and to show their best for the finale contest. The match started with good crowd, whistling and screaming throughout the game. Sara’s team took the lead from beginning and kept it throughout, initially with a narrow margin but later with a safe one. The captain was calm and confidant with brilliant support of Kainat Zafar and Sana Mahmud and other players, all were determined to win as it was a do or die situation for them. With the last shoot of Sana Mahmud, the whistle declared the end of the game and the jubilant team thanked Allah for their remarkable victory. The efforts of coaches and manager, the hard training of about three weeks, prior to the contest and good display of game by all players proved fruitful and the team Islamabad got the zenith of Gold in 2013 National Games. This was one of the most interesting matches I ever watched and enjoyed it from start to end.

After the awards distribution and closing ceremony, the jubilant enjoyed

Basm a Kamr an

Roaa Tahir Sara Mahmood Captain

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the taste of victory and after a few days, a soft and informal meeting at the residence of Aleeza Sana was arranged to get introduction of the champions and we had some lovely moments to chat with these wonder girls, the pride of the country.

Sara Mahmood, the captain and well deserved for this driving post, has knack for diversified activities. After completing her A levels, she is a student of Bio-Sciences in Comsats, with her future plan to complete her Ph.D. in Genetics.

Besides her tough studies and time for her main game i.e. Basket Ball, she has played Cricket on national level, football, table tennis, squash and has participated in athletics as well. She is equally interested in indoor games activities like playing Chess and Cards etc. Her hobbies include reading and travelling, hiking and volunteer works. The list does not finish and interestingly she loves to play Guitar and takes part in cooking as well!

The list of her achievements and distinctions is quite lengthy and laudable as won the title of India Salwan Marathon (2006), Silver Medal in National Basketball 2011, Bronze in 2012 and Gold in recently held National Games – 2013. She got the title of Sports Person of the Year for 2005-2006 ( City School ), Winner of Inter Regional Athletics 2005-2006 in Shot Put and Discus Throw (City School). In 2008 she was declared as Best Player in IQRA University Sports Gala. She was the only female participant in Nature Study Camp at Margalla National Park organized by WWF in 2002.

Hats off to such a superb player and active girl, she makes us all proud.

Aleeza Sana is another talented and hardworking person with multiple achievements and distinctions.

In Rock/Wall climbing, she has been participating since 2007 and has several awards on her credit with National Champion, Gold Medal. She is the Instructor for Sport Climbing at The Adventure Club – Pakistan for Junior Categories and also takes care of the administration of the prestigious and pioneer group of female Climbers in Pakistan.

Aleeza is doing her A levels from Cambridge, completing her O levels with distinction and getting the award of High Achiever 2011-2012 from City School. She is a genuine all-rounder and takes part in multiple activities, indoor or outdoor, individual or team games, studies or sports, drama

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or bait baazi, fashion shows or flower arrangement contests, quizzes or debates, event management or program organizing etc.

In Basketball, she has been awarded Silver and Gold medals, while in Sport Climbing, she is the under 19 national champion besides several positions in regional basketball and climbing competitions. In Climbing her remarkable distinction includes first position in first Pakistan lead climbing/difficulty competition. She was runner up in Fro-Olympics 2010 and topper in Beacon House School System (volley ball and basketball). Aleeza has a tremendous interest in swimming and has worked as a trainer in PAF swimming pool, besides playing hockey, rugby and volleyball at school level.

Aleeza plays for the promotion of basketball and other games, especially for girls. She believes that females participating in sports may help prove Pakistan’s strength to the rest of the world.

Basmah Kamran is another young player, doing her A levels with several distinctions in sports and extra-curricular activities. She has played badminton, Table Tennis at school level and has also performed well in Rock Climbing while playing Basketball is her passion and she has earlier got a Bronze medal while and this year she got Gold medal, making her dream come true.

Apart from sports, she has been Vice-President of Student Council and has received the Best Delegate award at Model United Nations. She is aiming for a UN job after her advanced studies in Economics.

With such wonderful players, Pakistan may participate in any event of international level. However, there is the need of time for sports organizations and associations to play their positive role and encourage the emerging stars. As it’s observed that most of the talent gets wasted, due to negligence of concerned authorities and institutions, however it’s expected that the new government would give special attention to the promotion of sports and concentrate on nursery training, providing handsome facilities for the various games.

Special attention is also required from the commercial institutions to sponsor and patronize the games, especially for the females as it would not only improve the quality and standard of the players but would also reflect positively on our country.

Asad-ur-Rehman: A Cosmopolitan French Artist of Pakistani Origin

art is

communication

without

borders By: Atle Hetland

Pakistan boasts a number of recognized painters, sculptors and other creators of visual art. Asad-ur-Rehman is a French artist of Pakistani origin.

He is a sculptor and painter. His oil canvases are colour-filled and exuberant, his sculptures in iron, steel and alloy, have a unique expressive character, sometimes with an antique patina.

“We shouldn’t always compare art and crafts made by people from one country, with works from other countries – and we shouldn’t let foreigners judge the standard and quality of local creative skills. Art is universal. It is communication without borders. To create art is a very soul-searching activity. Yet, we should also listen to artists and artisans, consumers, students and teachers from abroad, and at home, as long as they know their trade, without feeling inferior.” says Asad-ur-Rehman, who is not only an accomplished painter but also a sculptor and poet. He adds: “Words are always in search of images – and images can profit from words.”

“I belong to the school of abstract expressionism”, he says, and gives us an overview of the field. Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian-German painter and art theorist, was one of the pioneers of abstract art from the beginning of the 20th century, together with the German-Swiss Paul Klee, and the Russian Alexej Jawlensky. Among the great expressionist painters, he mentions the Austrian Oskar Kokoschka, who was also a poet and playwright, and Emil Nolde, who was born Hansen, on a farm in northern Germany, now part of Denmark.

“There are many great Pakistani painters, too, including abstract painters”, says Asad. “I can mention a handful, but I will not rank them because they belong to different genres and traditions, and they have different objectives with what they do. Let me still mention a few that I personally find interesting, namely Sadequain, Ahmed Pervez, Guljee, Ghulan Rasul,

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and Jamil Naqsh. But there are many others who also deserve to be mentioned. He adds that Professor Saeed Akhtar should indeed be included for his outstanding contribution to art in Pakistan.

Asad’s work appears to be influenced especially by French artists. He grew up and studied in France and has lived there for more than three decades, yet, with frequent visits to Pakistan. Just now, he stays in his country of origin for a longer spell than usual.

The spontaneity of his work seems to emerge from the creativity of his unconscious mind. His style is characterized by what appears to be a strong dependence on accident and chance, but it is actually carefully planned and purposeful.

“Art is an individual expression of the creativity which comes from within the creator”, says Asad. His paintings and sculptures express a unique style and skill that is his alone, and recognizable from one work to the next by the viewer.

Asad tells us that he has spent hundreds of hours, well, probably thousands, studying other artists’ works in the marvelous galleries in Paris and elsewhere in Europe and beyond. He has visited colleagues and artist friends and seen how they work in their ateliers, as he calls it, or studios, as is the more common term in English. He keeps up with the world of art through magazines and books.

“One should keep learning throughout one’s life. Creative workers need to feed their souls on impulses and new experiences, Asad says. He is still in his

best age, not even fifty yet.

The permanent display of Asad’s work in Pakistan is at Nomad Art Gallery in Islamabad. He has held many exhibitions abroad, and foreign art collectors have obtained his works.

As we sit immersed in our conversation, we are pleasantly interrupted by a telephone call from France. It is Jean Francois Duffau, and Asad has a long talk with him, in French, of course, including about their common friend, the late Cesar Baldaccini, a world famous sculptor. For this scribe it was an unexpected honour to be handed the phone and have a few words in a mix of English and French with the legendary French artist.

And then back to the interview, Asad says that to be an artist is not only to live in one’s time and in the world around us, follow trends and fashions, and so on. “To be an artist is also a deeply lonely and individual life. In the end, the main creative vein is within the artist.”

Asad reminds us (and himself ) that no artist is born great or famous, not even the greatest names that one can think of. They all earned their recognition and fame through their works, and some few, even fortune and wealth. But most artists have limited means and must normally have an ordinary day-job to make a living.

“This is important to be aware of, especially for young artists who are not sure about their talent and ability to persevere, and if they are willing to take the hardship and insecurity that comes with creative work”, he says.

Although Asad has lived in France from a very young age, he always keeps a close eye on how fellow artists in Pakistan and Pakistani artists living abroad are doing. “I am glad if they create unusual things and are successful locally and internationally.”

Evening draws in and our last sitting with Asad comes to an end. We have been given generous time and hospitality, including Pakistani-French food (prepared by the artist himself ), and we have just been taken on an excursion to his atelier, with a courtyard area for sculpting.

If we have not thought about it already, he reminds us that sculpting and painting can be quite physically strenuous. “Most of the time, an artist has to stand while working, sometimes in awkward positions, your body gets tired and your eyes sore – but work goes on. To be a creative artist is an opportunity and a privilege, too. It is work that fills the soul with passion and pleasure.”

And then in conclusion Asad-ur-Rehman says: “I don’t expect people to see what I see in my work. I just care about how it makes them feel and can only hope that they see in my paintings and sculptures, the beauty that I feel inside.”

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DIVINE LOVE

NOORI JAM TAMACHI By: Dr. Babur Zahiruddin History is full of examples of king’s abdicating their thrones in favour of commoners and even beggars. The first historical depiction of this is of King Cophetua of African origin who married a beggar maid by the name of Penelophon and lived happily ever after.

In the modern times it was King Edward the VIII of England who abdicated his throne to marry an American lady who was a commoner by name of Wallis Simpson. The history of Pakistan has one great folk lore of which very little is known to the public and is a classical example of divine love and that is NOORI JAM TAMACHI. It was the night of 22nd January 2012 when I returned from Shah Jahan Mosque in THATTA and stayed at KEENJHAR LAKE RESORT for the night.

This is a fresh water lake about 20 miles in diameter which spreads from THATTA, outskirts to JHIMPIR on the other side and from here the fresh water after filtration is supplied to Karachi. There are three lakes lying between Jherruk and Thatta, called the Keenjhar the Chholmari and Sonahri. After a sumptuous dinner at night sitting besides the bon fire, I started writing my daily diary about the recent places visited when one of the hosts became curious as to what I was writing, so I told him that I am a travelogue writer, trying to focus the attention of the people of Pakistan on the rich cultural heritage which we posses.

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NOORI JAM TAMACHI folk lore also features in Shah Jo Risalo (The Message of Shah) and is a beautiful rendering of poetic compendium of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. This also forms part of seven popular folk romances from Sindh.

The other six tales are Umar Marvi, Sohni Mehar, Sassui Punhun, Momal Rano, Sorath Rai Diyach and Laila Chanesar commonly known as seven heroines of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

This legend has been enumerated and narrated countless times, and is often used as metaphor for divine love by Sufis by this rendering Shah Abdul Latif Bhatai shows that humility is great thing, and is meant to raise the esteem of the common mortal in the eyes of the creator.

The heroines of Shah Abdul Latif’s poetry are known as the seven queens of Sindhi folklore who have been given the status of royalty in Shah Jo Risalo. The Seven Queens are celebrated throughout Sindh for their positive qualities their honesty, integrity, piety and loyalty. They are also valued for their bravery and their willingness to risk their lives in the name of love. In his poetry Shah Abdul Latif Bhatai has explained in an elaborate way these characters of Sindhi folktales and used them as metaphors for high spiritual life.

Perhaps what Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai saw in his tales of these women was an idealized view of womanhood, but the truth remains that the Seven Queens inspired women all over Sindh to have the courage to choose love and freedom over tyranny and oppression. The lines from the Risalo describing their trials are sung at Sufi shrines all over Sindh, and especially at the urs of Shah Abdul Latif every year at Bhit Shah.

My host MUSA SARKI a young lad of 28 years then told me about the folk lore of NOORI JAM TAMACHI which caught my attention and I made up my mind to visit the grave of NOORI early next morning. The grave of Noori Jam Tamachi lies in the centre of the lake and takes about 45 minutes motor boat ride to reach the sight which juts out like a sentinel above the water line. NOORI the heroine of the famous SINDHI folklore NOORI JAM TAMAACHI has many variations of the story but none is authentic except that the grave of JAM TAMAACHI is in MAKLI graveyard in Thatta district, one of the largest graveyards in the world.

Early morning when the rest of my hunting entourage was asleep I coaxed the boatmen, with much difficulty for an early ride to the center of the lake.

I was in a hurry to come back by 11 o’ clock as my friends wanted an early start from this place so as to hit Multan by nightfall.

Shah Abdul Latif has hidden his mystical ideas under thick layers of various symbols taken from all spheres of life as well as from the classical sufi tradition and particularly from Maulana Rumi’s Masnavi. According to the legend, NOORI was buried in the middle of Kalri Lake, which is her last resting place and is visited by hundreds of tourists daily from all over Pakistan. The lighter part of the story is that young boys and girls who are in courtship also make it a point to pray at the grave of NOORI for the accomplishment of their love and for a leading a Bliss full married life. The apathy of the whole scenario is that the information about the folk lore of NOORI JAM TAMACHI is not written anywhere near the Kalinjer rest house or by the side of the river from where the boats depart to take the tourist to the middle of the lake to the grave of NOORI. So next time when you visit Karachi do take some time out to visit and pay homage to NOORI by visiting her grave and offering Fatiha and flowers.

Jam Tamachi was a prince, who ruled Thatta Sindh. A fisherman girl by the name of NOORI happened to attract the attention of Jam Tamachi, who madly fell in love with her and had her picked up by his henchmen and brought her to his palace giving her a preference over other ladies of high cast and royal blood.

NOORI was unhappy in the palace and longed for her family and small hut by the side of the river and used to lament over the loss of her relations and her surroundings in which she grew. As a result of her sulk and melancholia, her health complexion and beauty began to fade and she fell ill. At this point Tamachi made a decision of letting NOORI go free and join her folks by the side of the river. Tamachi’s love for NOORI was so great and intense that he rejected all the riches of the world and abdicated his throne. Jam Tamachi picked up NOORI in his arms and left the palace without giving it a second look. It was only for NOORI that Jam Tamachi adopted a simpler way of life and changed into a Fisherman. NOORI Jam Tamachi lived a long and a bliss full life, and Jam Tamachi never regretted, for his final achievement was worth much more than his throne.

NOORI made Jam very happy with her perfect surrender and obedience and this is the only love folk lore story of fulfilled love and happiness, and not of burning love and helpless search.

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Digitization of artifacts Digitization of artifacts can enhance interaction and make exhibits more vivid. Introduction of various interactive means for visitors, attracts their attention and stimulates their interest Digitization allows visitors to scrutinize artifacts more closely as compared with observing them from an enclosed showcase, especially in case of small objects like seals, where the information is so intricate that it cannot be viewed from the naked eye. On the other hand, high megapixel cameras and other advanced technologies can be used to digitize these seals and bring out commendably highresolution images, which can then be converted into a three-dimensional form. Furthermore, the addition of touch screen, animation and virtual reality increases the immersion of the visitor and adds interest to the physical object, which would otherwise appear untouchable and static.

The foremost goal of a museum practitioner is to find new ways to keep the museum up-to-date, in order to create a stimulating space for all visitors regardless of age. Keeping this viewpoint in mind, the key component is the way that certain information is presented to the visitors, which would in turn improve their involvement and thus their attendance. Therefore, technologies have been considered a valuable source for stimulating and catching visitor’s attention. HCI (Human Computer Interaction) researchers and engineers second the need for implementation of information kiosks, websites, and more intense multimedia. These solutions are a result of a considerable research on what museum visitors want to see and learn, 35

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How can digital technologies enhance the museum visitor experience of sphragistic collections?

By: Saadiah Humaiyun

the kind of behaviours that could be supported by technology, how such technologies can be introduced and visitor’s attitudes and response towards these technologies.

The urge to add new technologies in museums has been reflected in the deployment of innovative multimedia devices in the first world. Museums have started using PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and touch-screen information kiosks. An example of usage of this technology is the ‘Mi-guide’, a new form of multimedia that is being used at the Museum of Science and Industry, United Kingdom. Exhibits in the gallery are given RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags that are scanned using PDAs (personal Digital Assistants). Once it is scanned visitors can get more information about the artefact, in form of audio, images and video. This method is good for museums, as they have limited space for text in the display panels. With these PDAs, more information and images can be shown to the visitors, which further deepens their knowledge about the object. The latest example of addition of digital technology is the ‘Nintendo 3DS (a Portable Gaming Console) tour guide project’ in the Louvre Museum, Paris. It provides museum visitors with an interactive audio guide. The most important pieces of art in the museums are shown on the interactive map (Nintendo 3DS is your tour guide in the Louvre Museum in Paris, 2012). Nintendo 3DS guide not only has audio, video and images, it also has a 360-degree rotation of objects, which was previously missing in PDAs. This dynamic approach

creates interactivity and engrosses the visitor in the artefact. Instead of moving around the artefact and listening to the audio, which could cause distraction, the user would only need to observe the artefact standing at one position, listening to the audio and using the 360-degree rotation tool to observe the artefact from all angles. Another interesting tool being used at Liliesleaf Museum, South Africa is the interactive table, which uses ‘Nintendo Wii’ (Portable Gaming Console) remotes. The table uses paper vision application and Wii flash application. Visitors use silver cylinders to change information. These cylinders are tracked with the Wii remotes. The table produces motion and 3D (3 Dimensional) interface. This hands-on approach enhances the interest of the visitor as the user can play around with the images, videos and other information.

A massive amount of seals are seen in museums in Pakistan, but what is important is to organize such vast and valuable collections to ensure that it is utilized to its full potential. The purpose of such a collection is the ability to enable public to appreciate their heritage, but unfortunately artefacts enclosed in showcases have not been able to capture the required attention, and especially in case of small objects such as seals. Therefore, the ideal approach to perform this task is to incorporate a digitized environment inside the museum, techniques that are already mentioned above should be implemented in Pakistan, since these are capable of integrating the three-dimensional and two-dimensional information into one accessible format. A digital environment has the potential to immerse the user in that particular period in a way that he is able to experience an interpretation of a lost world through just sight and sound. Where sound can be the documentary or a detailed explanation of the era, a three-dimensional image projection can provide a much-needed closer look. Parallel to the digitization of the object, if contextualization is added, it would further broaden the knowledge of the visitor and create interest. Contextualization is the interpretation of work from the viewpoint of its time, place and usage; that is the geographical region where it was made, the era it was made in and how it was used by the people of that time. This technique is used to demonstrate the importance of the object in a similar manner as the original maker or user would have understood or used it, i.e. making the visitor see the object from the perspective of the people who originally made it.

Unfortunately, due to lack of innovative ideas and interest in the early times, this part of the world is disappearing; therefore, digital technologies need to be introduced in order to keep this era alive, specially in places like Pakistan, which has vast collections of such artifacts.

important in order to know the usage of this boss. Another problem was seals not being placed at an eye level; bending down and studying these small objects was a tedious task. The backdrop used in these cabinets should have been a darker shade; white backdrop merges with the colour of the seals, making viewing difficult. There is no separate information given for each seal, while every seal has a different inscription, therefore, a different meaning. The distance between the viewer and the seal is large (Increased depth of the cabinets), some of the seals that are a few millimetres, which makes them barely visible. On a discussion with the curator of The National Museum of Pakistan, it was told that museums in China and Switzerland have incorporated magnifying glass-tops above the seals and a slanted mirror at the back of the seals, the mirror is placed at an angle at which once viewed from the magnifying glass, the back side is visible through the reflection of the mirror. This is a good approach, in addition to this digitization could be further used to rotate the object for an approximate idea of the depth of the engravings, which otherwise cannot be estimated. The good thing is that in some way contextualization can be seen in this museum, the stamped pottery with inscriptions from the seals can be seen but unfortunately these pots are not placed next to the seals they get their inscription from. Digitization can be used to create this connectivity by integrating both the pots and seals on one screen, it can also show the other ways in which these seals might have been used, for instance as amulets, showing different perceptions of archaeologists helps in removing any doubts in the minds of visitors.

Although the interest in the study of ancient times is deteriorating in many parts of the world, the cultural importance of it is very influential to our identity as human kind and our knowledge about the evolution of time.

Thus, museums need to modernize and sharpen up their image; it is vital for them to understand the advancement and the growing expectations of the visitor. If they do not take a step now, they would be at a risk of losing substantial percentage of the audience

A visit to Pakistan National Museum, few months ago was an utter disappointment; where seals from Mohenjo-Daro (a civilization in the South of Pakistan, which is one of the oldest civilizations of the world and who’s script has still not been deciphered, making the study of this civilization extremely important), were placed in enclosed cabinets. These cabinets had small slots for each seal that was placed upright onto them. There are numerous drawbacks of presenting the seals in this manner. Firstly, seals are not securely placed onto these slots i.e. there is no hold between the seals and the slots that they are placed in, any slight movement can make these seals fall onto the surface of the cabinet and damage them considerably.

There has to be a proper attachment between the slots and the seals in order to make them secure. Other physical factors such as lighting and temperature are not taken into consideration. The angle of the incidence of light on the seals was not right; it was casting shadows, diminishing the legibility of the work. There has to be proper temperature-control.

Temperature affects the chemical and physical stability of collections. The display halls were extremely hot, the reason why some of these seals might have been cracked. The other drawback includes, the backside of the seals not being clearly visible, for example, if the usage of the seal had to be studied, viewing the boss (a perforation at the back side of the seal) was Our Heritage-19

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Pearl in

Peshawar By: Tahir Khan

Peshawar is the Capital of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The land is known for its bravery and hospitality. One of the prime cities of Pakistan west of the river Indus, Nature has gifted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with rich trade, cultural and tourism friendly environment. Due to its scenic beauty, geographical location, climate and natural resources, it has all the potential of becoming a big tourist attraction. The essence of this attraction is visible from the remarkable natural picturesque comprising beautiful rivers, splendid water falls, and spellbound lakes mostly in the mountainous region and green valleys in most parts of the province. One of the landmarks of Peshawar is the only 5-star hotel, the Pearl Continental.

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Over looking the famous golf course and the historic Bala Hisar fort, the Pearl Continental Hotel is at a distance of just five kilometers form the Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar. The hotel is an exciting mix of fine dinning, unparallel services and comprehensive business facilities. People, who long for decent environment for dinning, opt for this hotel. The Pearl Continental Peshawar is equally germane to culture-valuing-guests as well as liberal visitors.

The Pearl Continental Hotel Peshawar offers well appointed guest rooms, featuring the uniqueness, character, charm and the traditional values of Peshawar. All the 148 rooms provide an out standing array of exceptional amenities thoughtfully put in place to guarantee comfort and convenience. With ample space for work or leisure, it has an unwavering focus on the needs of its varied clientele. Every room has a balcony with a beautiful view of either front lawn, the Golf Course or the Swimming Pool.

The seven suites including five executive, one Royal and one presidential suite are all furnished in exquisite and cutting-edge style. The rooms offer business and leisure travelers the ultimate convenience. The lavish suites augment luxury, with a range of practical additions, which meet today’s needs.

The 24 hours operative business center is designed to meet all the requirements of businesses.

The hotel also offers state-of-the-art fitness center with latest equipment and trained instructors. Very stylishly designed temperature controlled swimming pool and separate wet area with bath and a relaxation corner for guests to use before and after their sessions. Additional attractions to refresh one are the sauna, steam bath, and massage facilities.

Tai-Pan serves a variety of authentic Chinese cuisine which is an epicurean’s delight. An assortment of soups, pan fried noodles and chow mien, along with delicious daily lunch specials are available.

The aroma of an appetizing feast pulls one towards the roof-top Bukhara (barbeque), traditional seating arrangement invites you to enjoy live folk music every night. This restaurant has gained accolades for its food and services and has everything that makes you addicted to its taste.

The Pearl laundry is the only exquisite and dependable laundry and dry-cleaning shop in the city, which delivers satisfaction above and beyond your expectations.

Keeping in view the changing needs as well as our customer’s expectations, the hotel always facilitate and concentrate on those ideas that have a potential to transform the customer’s dream into a reality with style. Be it events, foods, entertainment, ceremonies, business, catering or any other service, Pearl Continental provides something that goes beyond the ultimate level of satisfaction of the customers.

Pearl Continental Hotel Peshawar banquet halls cater to all kind of large and small events.

Food and beverage is a very important segment that the hotel looks into. Gracefully designed Marco Polo restaurant enlivens one’s taste buds with sumptuous Pakistani and Continental delicacies amid live music. With an extensive buffet treat from breakfast to dinner, including a la carte service, this classy restaurant is hailed as the best in town.

For expressing your sentiments and well wishes to your friends, family members and colleagues with the something sweet, is available at the Baker’s Boutique. Prepared with great expertise, these delights include delicious pastries, rich cakes and a wide selection of other baked items.

Owing to law and order situation in the country, the latest invincible security arrangements, conforming to the international standards, have been added to protect anything within the four walls of the hotel.

The visible and invisible security measures make this hotel as the only impregnable place in Peshawar to enjoy endless comfort.

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High Commissioner of Australia

Peter Heyward

Pakistan country of resourceful and resilient people By: Ishrat Hyatt

In the short time they have been here the high commissioner of Australia, Peter Heyward and his wife Susan have become popular because of their friendly nature and appreciation of most things Pakistani. Peter plays the guitar and sings and sportingly belts out a ditty or two when requested, while Susan is ‘Goodwill ambassador’ for a project that benefits paraplegic women. Known as ‘Paper Miracles,’ the women make beads from paper, which are turned into beautiful jewelry. Heritage asked the high commissioner a few questions. Here are his frank replies.

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Australia has problems with illegal immigrants. Can you give a word of advice to those who wish to settle in your country?

The main reason the Australian government has strengthened its policy to dissuade illegal immigrants from trying to get to Australia is the growing number who are drowning in the attempt. The people smugglers who set up these voyages have no concern about the lives of their clients, so, to undermine their business, now, even if asylum seekers reach our shores, they will be settled elsewhere. Australia will still give, yearly, sanctuary to 20,000 refugees who come to us by other means, mostly through the work of the UN.

You have been in Pakistan for over a year now. How do you see the country and its people?

Pakistan is a fascinating country, vibrant and colourful, with a rich history still present in contemporary life. And Pakistanis are a resourceful and resilient people who well and truly live up their reputation of warm hospitality and generosity to visitors. My wife Susan and I have been made very welcome.

That said, it is also a country full of contradictions and conflicts that will have to be resolved if it is to reach the potential it so obviously has.

Do you think the present bilateral relations between Pakistan and Australia are good enough, or is there room for improvement?

There are many other ways in which people can visit, or settle in, Australia.

We have a non-discriminatory universal visa system, which applies the same visa requirements to all applicants regardless of their citizenship.

Visas are granted to allow applicants to visit Australia for tourism, business or skilled employment, or undertake formal studies. Eligible applicants can also apply to migrate to Australia as a skilled migrant or to join family or spouses living in Australia.

Australia expects to receive over 36,000 visa applications from Pakistani nationals lodged between July 2012 and June 2013. Approximately 23,000 applications are made by temporary visa applicants visiting relatives; for tourism purposes or for business or employment activities. Around 9,000 student visa applications are lodged each year. Approximately 4,000 applications are also lodged under Australia’s family and skilled migration programs.

Many students are now opting to study in Australia. Do you see this as a growing interest in the country; a means of getting a good education or both?

Relations are already positive and productive but there is definitely room for improvement in most areas. We are always looking at ways of increasing trade and investment flows, and especially to build on the existing productive partnerships in agriculture and engaging Australia’s world leading expertise in mining and energy which could help Pakistan develop its capacity and productivity in these sectors. We are also looking to foster more and more productive partnerships between educational institutions, which would complement the increasing student numbers and open up more possibilities for joint research to better understand and address common problems.

There are many reasons why increasing numbers of Pakistanis are choosing to study in Australia. First and foremost we offer excellent education through world-class institutions with considerable experience in working with overseas students. The learning and living environment is safe, friendly and stimulating, with good opportunities for part-time work and leisure activities. The climate is mild and the countryside beautiful.

Are you nervous about moving around or have you visited different parts of the country? If so, what was your general impression – both positive and negative?

What are the main activities/ interests of Australia in Pakistan and how do you see future development along these lines?

No, I am not nervous, but we have good security measures in place and work closely with local authorities to ensure my safety. There are some parts of the country, which I am not permitted to visit, but I have been able to see all the provinces and many of the main cities. I have also been lucky enough to experience, albeit briefly, the awesome mountain scenery and fascinating cultures of Gilgit Baltistan. My favourite recent trip was from Islamabad to Lahore via Sialkot along the Grand Trunk Road, the centuriesold trade route that is still abuzz with commercial energy and provides a great window for a visitor on everyday life in the core of the country.

Not surprisingly, the very positive testimony of students returning is a key factor in many new students going to Australia for overseas study. There are also a range of scholarships offered by the Australian government and by the universities and colleges themselves.

Australia’s partnership with Pakistan involves many areas of government and non-government activity including our parliaments, justice systems, police, military, researchers and technical experts and businessmen as well as sportsmen and artists.

While our resources are limited, the High Commission will continue to promote and facilitate engagement in these are other areas, working with Pakistani governments and society with the aim of benefitting both countries through the interaction.

Pakistan has a rich cultural heritage. Have you had the opportunity to see/hear/experience any of it and if so can you comment on this aspect of the country?

Islamabad provides many opportunities to experience Pakistani culture, which we have taken advantage of wherever possible and thoroughly enjoyed. I have a particular interest in music and, through government entities like the PNCA and Lok Virsa and community groups like the Classical Music Trust (Islamabad Music Society) and the Asian Study Group I have heard exponents of many styles of music including many real virtuosos.

Similarly there is a very lively art scene here with some wonderful galleries promoting local artists. Susan’s stronger interest is in craftwork, which offers a great window on the richness and diversity of Pakistani culture.

I was saddened to hear that some of the great performers I have seen are struggling to make a living from pursuit of their art and, in some cases, there is a risk that their legacy will not be passed on and these traditions lost which would leave Pakistan the poorer culturally.

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Dr. Mohsen Keiany’s

Cultural Identity reaches Pearl-Continental Bhurban

Dr. Mohsen Keiany grew up in Iran where he developed a successful career as an artist and an art lecturer. He is a highly experienced and well-known artist, academic researcher and lecturer. He obtained a PhD in Architecture, from BCU, which is based on rural and nomadic symbolic arts, crafts and architecture. He did both M.A. and B.A degrees in Fine Art (Painting). After moving to Great Britain he has continued to exhibit both regionally, nationally and internationally. Despite leaving his home country, Keiany’s paintings remain deeply inspired by his Persian background with influences from Iranian landscape & archaeology, Persian mythology, music & dance, Islam and other religions. He is particularly inspired by Sufi Mysticism.

Mohsen’s style, technique and use of materials blend approaches from both East and West. Asian and Middle Eastern traditions fuse with elements from pre-Islamic Persian art. The most important cultural inspiration, however, comes from past and present Persian cultural traditions.

“Cultural Identity”, one of his best paintings is evidence that Mohsen shares a deep connection with and love for his Persian roots. His nostalgia for his Iranian hometown of Shiraz, and the colours of Persian titles, ceramic and mosaic, as well as calligraphy, all as conventions and age-old traditions of the city are clearly portrayed in Keiany’s “Cultural Identity”.

‘Cultural Identity’ is based on the research and study of Dr. Mohsen Keiany on Islamic Arts including Islamic pattern, Persian tiles, Calligraphy and Miniature which all together present a cultural identity of the artist as a Persian Muslim living in the west, similarly representing many Muslims living around the globe. The forms of calligraphy are in fact the visual aspect of Persian ‘Nastaleeq’, (Perso-Arabic script and traditionally the predominant style in Persian calligraphy) which do not deliver any direct messages. The works are repeated words and letters from Moulana Rumi and Hafiz Shirazy. It works as cultural presentation of identity along with other elements.

ultimately towards perfection. His paintings provide a spiritual signal to those who want to realise the meaning of life on Earth.

For Dr. Keiany, painting is a form of meditation. He never plans, designs or makes sketches for his paintings. He creates textures and then he sits in front of the canvas for hours, uncovering different elements such as trees, rocky landscapes, animals and human figures, who wear traditional Persian dress and play music.

His characters often ride horses, play music and participate in ceremonies, dances and other social gatherings. Their facial expressions reveal strong emotions. They look sad, even though they might be thinking and meditating cheerfully. His art is rhythmic: the observer’s gaze moves from one object to another as it travels to all parts of a painting. The music of Persian instruments combines with the sounds of horses and goats that run across an image.

The bright colours remind us of tiles and stained-glass windows in Persian architecture. The warm colours represent the sunny climate of Iran. Ancient references are inspired by Mirlic, Seyalc and Lurestan archaeological sites. Recently he has scored poems by Hafez, into the surface of his paintings, which demonstrates his loyalty to this great Persian poet.

Dr. Keiany tries present spirituality in his paintings by using the beautiful to contribute to the enhancement of consciousness. A necessary part of his work is to represent the Creator as the most delicate form of consciousness in the universe. Dr. Keiany has found art as the best guiding path towards spirituality.

The Persian philosophical approach can be seen in traditional Persian miniaturepaintings and this is the most important inspirational component of Mohsen’s art – a mythical legacy from the past. His art introduces a different way of understandingtraditional Persian philosophy which compares with other modern representations in the arts, including Iranian cinema.

Mohsen’s art evokes spirituality as a means of leading people to God and

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Pearl-Continental Multan

Pearl in the City of Saints By: Tahir Khan

There is a saying in Persian that Multan is the ‘City of Saints, Sufis and Beggars’ (Gard, Garma, Gada o Goristan). Multan is Pakistan’s fifth largest city by population and has an area of 133 square kilometres (51 sq.m) with a population of 6 million. Multan is a commercial and industrial centre which has currently gained importance and lacks civic facilities of international standards. The Hashoo group has recognized the enormous potential of this historical city and region. They have decided to pioneer the revival of Multan to its past glory.

The Pearl Continental Hotel is located on the Askaria bypass in Multan.

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The Location is only 2.5km from the city’s Industrial district, 7.5 km from the Airport and 12 km from the motorway, connected via the southern by pass. Due to the ease of connecting with major highways, the site has the potential to service nearby cities of Bahawalpur, Muzzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan.

Located within Pearl City Housing Scheme; a high end residential gated community developed by the Hashoo group, the Hotel itself sits on a 14 kanal parcel of land which in turn is surrounded by parks and parking areas covering another 7 kanal. Pearl City offers all imaginable facilities including

The hotel building will be an asset for the city; providing services to honour all aspects of life. It will exhibit to the traveller the magic of the soil and the mysteries of the peoples. the city, but its industrial capacity was never developed till the current time.

Multan has recently come back into the spot light with hopes of revival of its past glory. The design of the hotel shall endeavour to present strands of Sufism, a culture of ceramics, and the global industrial importance of the region in contemporary stylistic gestures. The fusion of historical references is aimed at creating a space which truly exhibits the rich layering of culture.

All in all the 120 guestrooms available at the property will be lavishly appointed with all conceivable comforts fit for a regionally unique five star experience.

The hotel provides a 200 seat Marche concept restaurant for all day dining.

A speciality fine dining experience is also available in a more formal and exclusive setting which seats only 75 persons. The hotel kitchens have a capacity to serve up to more than 6,000 meals in one day. The largest banqueting and seminar facility in Multan will be located at the Pearl Continental Hotel. The hotel will boast 2 dividable banquet halls of 34 meters by 21 meters, with a capacity to seat up to 1000 persons. There are two large seminar halls with a capacity of 100 persons each and 04 conference rooms with a capacity of up to 50 persons in each and 05 board rooms. All the meeting and banqueting facilities shall be serviced by the five star restaurants and cafe of the hotel. A business centre with private offices can meet any demand of the travelling guest. For the guests wanting to take time to relax, the hotel shall offer a state of the art health club and spa facility with segregated gyms, pools and salons for the distinguishing guest. The Grand lobby is truly a destination in itself with 12 meter high lofty ceiling and detailing to invite the imagination into the rich cultural traditions of the region. The exterior envelop of the building is especially designed to sustain the severe heat of the local climate and produce a limited energy footprint. The exterior of the guest rooms is kept especially tall to create a roomy feeling.

a sports club and a state of the art shopping mall. The hotel building covers approximately 300,000 square feet of area.

All the rooms are furnished with carefully lavishly selected luxury finishes and brands suitable for this five star facility. In addition to this, the hotel offers 3 unique suites. 2 different presidential suites and upgraded executive rooms are located on two dedicated floors. The styling of the rooms is inspired by the art nouveau style of the late twentieth and early 21st centuries. Efforts have been made to present a continuity in the history of the region when it was lost in the second Anglo-Sikh War, after which, Multan was made part of the British Raj. The British built some rail routes to Our Heritage-19

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A new day in

EDUCATION By: Atle Hetland

“A few days ago, I went to the Sunday Market in Islamabad to do some shopping, and bought two carpets from a Pathan shopkeeper. He asked me to write the receipt for the carpets, and he would sign it. The reason was that he could not write himself. Although I wasn’t quite surprised, I was saddened to hear it”, says Professor Iftikhar Nisa Hassan. She retired from Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi a few years ago, and after that, she spent a year at Karakoram International University in Gilgit and continues with advisory services in psychology and education together with her sister, Samina, who has organized informal schools for out-of-school children in poor areas of Islamabad.

“The carpet vendor had four children in the shop. There was a smart boy with blue eyes and red hair, which is not entirely uncommon in Patahn families in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and there was another active, smiling young boy, a year or two elder, who for the sake of the photographer showed off his boxing skills. And then there were the two bigger sisters, who were sitting more quiet, as the tradition is.”

“Having been a teacher and researcher for many years, I asked if the children went to school. But the answer was in the negative. None of them was in school. I explained to him that it was important that they go to school.

He didn’t think so. He justified it with the fact that he was running a good business without any formal schooling. So, there was no need for the younger ones either, he said, but with a slight question in his voice. ” “I find such opinions quite outdated”, Professor Iftikhar says. “Education is important to be able to make a living and have success in life in our time.

Tomorrow, it will be absolutely essential. The 3Rs, reading, writing and arithmetic are important, but in addition, information and communication technology (ICT) must be given a central place. Children who don’t go to school and don’t learn ICT will fall outside society in future”, Professor Iftikhar says.

“Basic education for all, with ICT, will be the decisive factor for the individual’s prosperity in future, and for the development of the country”, she says.

“I am glad that the new government that came into power last summer plans to increase the expenditure in the education sector from about two percent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) to four percent during their time in office. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said so while he was attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York in the autumn.”

“I see that as a promise of a new day in education for Pakistan”, Professor Iftikhar says.

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“Furthermore, I would underline that education must be made compulsory for all children. That is extremely important to get every child to school every day”, she says.

“We must not have cases where parents can opt for not sending their children to school, like the carpet trader I mentioned. We need new laws and a new public mindset”, the experienced educationist says. She adds that local communities must help implement the laws, so that children who run around in town, or are used for labour, are taken to task, with their parents, and sent to school.

“Recently, three boys who had run away from school, drowned in Rawal Lake. But somebody must have seen them, and they should have asked them what they were up to during school hours. Why where they not in school? And when it happens there is always something wrong either with the pupils, their parents or their teachers.”

Professor Iftikhar explains that when she went to America for her doctoral degree in educational psychology, she didn’t find that her own educational background was poorer than that of the American and other foreign students that time.

“But now, I worry that the next generation will lag behind, especially in ICT”, she says. “I visited America recently, and saw how easily my young grandchildren were using the modern technology. I began feeling outdated myself, although I can afford to buy the new gadgets and I use them, too”, she says. “But what about the poorer students in Pakistan, if they don’t keep pace with the latest ICT developments? I fear they will fall behind for good”, Professor Iftikhar says.

“I believe the new class differences will have a lot to do with education in future. In developing countries, there will be those who have a good, modern education, on the one hand, and then there will be the lower classes who do not have it. They will be doomed to remain losers”, Professor Iftikar says. “In the rich countries, there will also be differences within their societies, but since education there is compulsory, it will not be as dramatic as it will be in the developing country, Pakistan included. Therefore, we must make sure that no child is left behind, that every child goes to school, and that ICT is part of the education we offer.”

“On an optimistic note, let me underline that I am also often very impressed by our young children and youth in Pakistan. They are full of good, innovative ideas and entrepreneurship in business and everyday life. But tomorrow, good ideas must be paired with a solid education with ICT. A

Professor Iftikhar Nisa Hassan says that poor, rural students are as gifted as students from wealthy, city backgrounds, and girls often do better at exams than boys. generation or two ago, people could do relatively well even with limited education. But that will not be the case in future”, Professor Iftikhar Nisa Hassan underlines.

“I think most people already know this. But it is a public duty for the government and all of us to make sure that every child can go to a good school. And we must also give a second chance to those who dropped out of school early, or was never enrolled, so they too can catch up. Then they, too, will have a chance to fend for themselves and make their lives greater and the country more prosperous.”

Pakistan’s literacy rate is only just above fifty percent, and it is lower for women than for men. Many children do not attend primary school or they drop out before they have completed the full cycle. Too few continue to secondary level and university. Girls are disadvantaged, but they often do well at exams and there are now almost as many girls as boys at university level.

Malala Yousafzai from the Swat Valley has become Pakistan’s and the world’s major advocate for education for all girls and boys. She has won numerous prizes and has become a symbol of the strength and potential that young women have if they are given the opportunity to participate and lead.

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THRILLING

CLIMBING COMPETITION

marking the World Tourism Day – 2013 By: Tahir Imran Khan

Tourism was almost parallel to oil, the most revenue generating industry worldwide. However after the sad incident of 9/11, it dropped and especially in Pakistan, it came almost to zero.

After a few years, it started improving but due to political unrest in the country, tourism is facing the worst times.

Besides inbound tourists from overseas, the domestic tourism also faced crisis however some of the regions like Kaghan Valley had the maximum influx of local visitors in last few years.

Apart from the hard core tourism, there are several outdoor activities which involve tourism and help generate revenue and mostly among those are adventure activities. It would be rightly mentioned that Pakistan is surviving on world tourism map, only due to adventure venues in Pakistan.

The lofty snow clad mountain, world’s longest glaciers and rivers and fruit laden fertile valleys still attract tourists from all over the world.

Due to the presence of mountain in Pakistan, climbing is one of the major adventure activities to attract climbers around the globe. Besides mountaineering, Rock Climbing is also having good potential while inception of climbing walls in Pakistan has introduced a new era of Sport Climbing.

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Ibex Club is one single organization in Pakistan who erected a 60 feet tall, international climbing competitions grade wall, which is also one of the tallest in Asia. The Adventure Club – Pakistan having a vast experience in rock climbing introduced thrilling competitions in Ibex Climbing Arena, which promoted and publicized the activities and now wall climbing is one of the most popular activities among the youth and students in the capital. Another good quality wall in Lahore is also serving to enthusiasts from Lahore and surrounding cities.

The Adventure Club – Pakistan, established in 1994, carries the honour introduced yearly climbing competitions to mark days of international importance, announced by the UN and so far organized 7 consecutive competitions on International Women Day, 5 on International Mountain Day, 3 on World Tourism Day, 2 on Pakistan Day and several others at various occasions.

World Tourism Day is being celebrated since 1980 under the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on September 27.

“The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide”. The day is yearly celebrated under a theme with open option to select activities as per local conditions of any country. In support of United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation, the theme for the 2013 was, Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future This year’s theme highlights tourism’s role in water access and shines a spotlight on the actions currently being taken by the sector in order to contribute to a more sustainable water future, as well as the challenges ahead ”.

To celebrate the World Tourism Day 2013, The Adventure Club – Pakistan and Ibex Club under the supervision of Islamabad Sport Climbing Association organized 3rd. consecutive competition, which was participated by more than 150 adventure enthusiasts from the leading educational institutions, clubs and organizations. The practice sessions were started a couple of weeks earlier and climbers did good hard-work to place themselves atop the victory stand. The climbers registered from The City School, Roots International, IMCG, Saint Mary’s School, Gosha-e-Mashal School & College, Umar Islamic Model School, Nust EME, Nust Adventure Club, NUML Adventure Club, Ibex Club, Headstart School, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Army Public School, Bahria University, Elite International and various others institutions.

The competitions started as per the announced schedule on 26th.

September with boys rounds in various age categories while girls’ competitions were held on 27th. September 2013. After some tough and thrilling competitions and very good performance by the climbers from various institutions, the competitions completed.

Hadi Humayun, only a 6 year’s old kid participated in the competition and neatly completed 40 feet long route in only 63 second. His climb was superb and appreciated by all the spectators.

The wonderful kid has a special knack for climbing and stays impatient to attempt the tougher and more difficult climbing routes. The Club is interested for his proper training and expects that he will be an asset and will develop into a superb climber. category. Bushra says that she want to win the national title and will work hard for improvement. Her determination and enthusiasm was remarkable and it seems obvious that she would get the honors. She has very good support from her parents who encourage her to more in climbing. She is also a good swimmer.

Iqra Jilani is another young and promising rising star to prove her quality in coming days. She has also won several times in various climbing competitions. Iqra is also a player of other sports and love playing basketball. She is a regular member of the City School to represent in major tournaments.

Hamna Kiran with more than 10 victories in various competitions, again got the top position in under 18 category. With a bronze in Nationals, she is also a player of basketball. In climbing, her future is very bright and she would make records in coming years.

During the competitions of various categories, some of the climbers showed extra ordinary performance and made watchable and record making climbs.

Nazia Parveen, winning National title twice got first position in open competition with a record time climb and confirmed her more than 25th victory in last 4 years.

Bushra Humayun, competing with quite senior girls completed the climb of 40 feet in only 37.38 seconds to secure 1st. position in under 12 girls’ category. She has also completed climb on front side difficult route of arena till the height of 40 feet, which is a record for any girl in her age

In under 18 category Saad Shaqurri is a wonderful climber and completed the 40 feet route in only 13.13 seconds. At present he has apparently no match in his category and determined to improve more with his hard work. He will prove as an asset of Pakistan in coming days.

Meher Gul is another top class climber of Pakistan to complete the 60 feet route in a record time of 14 seconds only.

Meher Gul with a very balanced and energetic body has no parallel to challenge him. Some advanced training would also put him in further higher ranks.

Besides special performances made by above climbers some boys and girls showed good talent and even participating first time in climbing activity, they got positions. The above talented players are performing in various competitions and it’s believed that they will keep Pakistani flag high in International contests.

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After the thrilling and challenging performance of the climbers, the competitions finished in all categories of girls and boys. The guests, team incharges and general public enjoyed and appreciated the performance of the climbers and delighted to watch some outstanding performances of the climbers. The finals and some special climbs were performed in the presence of the chief guest as the guest of honour for the evening was Dr. Jabbar Bhatti, holding prestigious decorations and awards of Tamgha-e-Basalat and Pride of Performance and Secretary General of Pakistan Association of Free Flying. He is the pioneer of Paragliding in Pakistan and the most senior instructor, besides climbing Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II, both 8000ers. He also led Pak China Spantik Peak climbing expedition in 2012 and successfully scaled the peak alongwith Pakistani and Chinese climbers.

He further announced the holding of forthcoming event of the Club i.e. 6th. Open Rock Climbing Competition to be held in Margalla Hills in the vicinity of Islamabad. He announced that a special challenge trophy would be introduced for the senior/professional categories and invited climbers get themselves prepared for the coming challenge.

The chief guest was invited to distribute the awards among the position holders alongwith the managing director of Ibex Club, Mr. Esam Khattak. After distributing the awards and having photographs with the position holders, he addressed the audience and appreciated the performance of climbers and efforts of the organizers. He said that Pakistan, especially at this crucial time needs healthy activities for the youth, as it helps physical development as well as character building. He lauded the outstanding performance of the climbers and extended his support for further training of the climbers, especially in mountaineering.

At the closing ceremony of the event, Mr. Esam Khattak announced the holding of National Sport Climbing Championship in near future and invited climbers to practice on various routes with different difficulty levels. He also announced a series of competitions for various regions, institutions and grades.

The colourful event finished with closing words of Mr. Tahir Imran Khan, President of The Adventure Club – Pakistan, who congratulated a the players, guests and institutions to make the event successful. He announced one year complimentary membership of position holders and also announced a complimentary Intermediate Sport Climbing Training Course to all the position holders which would help them learn properly and would increase their climbing skills.

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Managing Director of Ibex Club, Mr. Esam Khattak distributing prizes

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Pakistani Fashion Industry

BOOMING WITH STYLE

By: Noman Humayun

Pakistan’s haute couture has a wide variety of cultures belonging to different regions. Here all the credit for the perseverance of the cultural and ethical values goes to the Pakistani fashion designers, as they have portrayed their work all over the world at different forums. Pakistani fashion trends have been greatly influenced by the ethnic groups of Central Asia and ethnicities of Iranian plateau such as Turks. With the passage of time Pakistanis started to adapt new styles some of which are the combination of Pakistani and western clothing such as women-wear embroidered kurtas with Jeans and Capri trousers.

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Pakistani fashion industry is becoming an important dimension of Pakistan’s economy due to its export potential worldwide. These days this industry is booming, from couture designers to mainstream retail ones. The industry is not dominated by over-the-top bridal wear any more.

Most of the Pakistani designers have excelled in introducing ready-made garments, making fashion accessible to all; couture is also seeing a lot of bold, contemporary cuts and silhouettes.

Pakistani fashion industry witnessed its revival few years back. And the designers managed to attract foreign fashion designers to Pakistan.

Many international designers have been showcasing their apparels in different fashion shows across Pakistan.

With emerging fashion sense in Pakistan, there is a great opportunity for the fashion models to walk down the ramp and showcase some of the trendiest designer wear on the fashion scene.

Modeling as a profession is gaining popularity amongst the youth of Pakistan.

The fashion industry has taken everyone by storm as all the stakeholders are highly educated, trained and well versed with the international standards.

Photography is one of the vital ingredients of the fashion world. Pakistani fashion photographers are beautifully capturing and promoting the fashion industry through fashion shoots for magazines and electronic media. They are marvelously helping the other devoted people of the Pakistani fashion industry in growing day by day.

Photo Courtesy: www.profashionism.com

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As Pakistan is an agricultural country and with growth and development of the textile industry, there was a shortage of trained professionals to develop the industry. So feeling the need of it, the government and the private sector joined hands to establish fashion-designing institutes, in the last one decade many quality institutes have been established. To educate our stakeholders about High Fashion Market, TDAP has been participating in reputed international fashion exhibitions such as Heimtextile, InterjeansCologne, Prêt-a-Porter (Paris), Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, and Poznan Fashion Week. Furthermore, TDAP in collaboration with CBI (Centre for Promotion of Imports from developing countries – Netherlands) have been organizing series of workshops on “ THE EU FASHION CYCLE” & ‘FASHION FORECASTS FOR EU’ for those exporters / designers who are working in the textile garment sector and currently exporting or intend to export to the European Market.

Fashion schools properly train the upcoming designers with formal education and a number of youngsters are now associated with this blooming field.

Ever since the fashion industry within Pakistan has taken its roots, it has been developing and is seeing new heights with each passing year. The concept of ‘designer clothes’, which was once an inconceivable idea for the majority in Pakistan, has now become a necessity to be in vogue.

Thus, the fashion industry of Pakistan has proved to be a very classy and unique prospectus for all those interested to be fashionable and modern.

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ANOTHER

FEATHER IN THE HAT

Pearl-Continental Mirpur By: Tahir Khan

The masterfully-planned and capital-rich New Mirpur city, also known as the “Little England�, is situated at about 459 meters above the sea-level.

The modern city is replete with good number of modern shopping malls, government and corporate offices, eating places, and other urban facilities, making the city an ideal place for tapping tourism and business related opportunities.

Mr. Sadruddin Hashwani, the Chairman of Hashoo Group while realizing the potential of this city, fashioned a thought to build a 5 star Pearl Continental Hotel & Resort, in close proximity to the Mangla Lake, which will not only further embellish vthe city but will also be the only tourism destination in the area. The place chosen for this purpose is none other than the Bhutto Park, which will also be developed by the Pakistan services Limited on the modern lines, hardly leaving any space for foreigners and Pakistanis settled in the most modern countries, to feel out of place. The Pearl Continental Hotel & Resort will be serving on the latest trends, with state of the art facilities, matching any world-class 5 star hotel.

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The construction of the hotel will open numerous venues for employment, cultural exchange, inflow of wealth by the Pakistani expats, and will surely infuse new spirit amongst the investors. The project, after completion, is expected to generate employment for thousands of people and will provide indirect support to customers, vendors and tour operators. Hotel and Resort operations will contribute huge amount of direct and indirect taxes to the national exchequer.

The hotel, with all the 5 star amenities, will be constructed in such a way that the guests will be able to view the Lake and other beautiful surroundings from the restaurants and their room balconies.

The Pearl Continental Mirpur will have upscale Shopping Mall with shops carrying all major local and international brands, health & fitness center with temperature-controlled swimming pool, variety of restaurants to cater to the needs of the locals and foreigners.

The Pearl Continental Mirpur will also be offering to its guests numerous adventurous and recreational indoor and outdoor activities such as: Water sports, Boating, Water skiing, Tubing, River rafting, Angling, Fishing, Surfing etc.

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BOOK REVIEW

And the

Mountains Echoed An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else Hardcover: 404 pages Published: May 21st 2013 by Riverhead Hardcover Characters: Julien, Abdullah, Pari, Suleiman Wahdati, Nila Wahdati

Author: Khaled Hosseini Contributed By: Sadia Bilal

About the Writer

Khaled Hosseini is one of the most widely read and beloved novelists in the world, with over thirty eight million copies of his books sold in more than seventy countries. The Kite Runner was a major film and was a Book of the Decade, chosen by The Times, Daily Telegraph and Guardian. A Thousand Splendid Suns was the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year in 2008.

Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

He was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and lives in northern California.

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Khaled Hosseini’s And the Mountains Echoed begins with a fable that a father tells his two children: A farmer who works hard to eke out a living for his family is forced to give up one of his five children to an evil giant. He and his wife decide to choose randomly, and the unlucky one happens to be their favorite son. Eventually, the farmer, half mad with grief, tracks down the giant and finds his son in a lush garden full of happy children, with no memory of his birth family. The farmer, unable to summon the will to take the child from this place of plenty back to his own arid, desperate land, leaves without him. As a gesture of kindness, the giant gives the farmer a potion that makes him forget he ever had this son.

It’s a devastatingly simple story, but it captures the essence of the complex moral equations that Hosseini spends the rest of the novel teasing out.

To what lengths should parents go to protect their children from a life of suffering? Is being torn from one’s family a better fate than grinding poverty?

What acts of mercy do the fortunate owe the less so?

And the Mountains Echoed is Hosseini’s most ambitious work yet, its multifaceted story more globe-trotting than his best-selling first two novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, and perhaps even more emotionally resonant. If at times some threads of the story don’t quite match the heft of the rest, the effect of the whole is both unsettling and moving, right from that opening: The father who tells the tale of the giant is about to give up one of his own children, a boy and girl who have been inseparable since the death of their mother.

Ten-year-old Abdullah stays in their father’s small village in Afghanistan, while 3-year-old Pari is adopted by a wealthy couple and eventually taken by her half-French mother, a poet, to live in Paris.

Hosseini shows us all the stories that connect to this act like spokes on a wheel. Some of them begin

earlier, with the death of the children’s mother after giving birth to Pari, and their father’s subsequent marriage to a woman with her own load of guilt over family betrayal. But most of the story lines hurtle forward in the aftermath of the family’s rupture. The life paths of Pari and Abdullah and a third half-brother, Iqbal, are strikingly different, in ways that underscore not just the randomness of fate but its deep unfairness in a world in which the powerless suffer exponentially more than members of the more fortunate classes.

Hosseini is particularly interested in puzzling out the ways in which more privileged people decide what they can and can’t do for those who live in misery. Whether the miserable are members of one’s own family is relevant, and yet not the most reliable guideline, since sometimes it’s most difficult psychologically to reach out to family members — and since we sometimes don’t even know who our family members are. When the Kabul home that belonged to Pari’s adoptive parents is abandoned and turned into a hospital, we meet a Greek doctor who has given his life to helping the wretched of Afghanistan, yet is unable to be near his own lonely mother. We also follow the story of two well-off Afghan brothers who grow up near the Kabul house. When they later emigrate to America, each has to decide how heroic a role to play in the never-ending suffering of their native country — and just how much luxury he can stomach in his own life, given the contrast to life back home.

But it’s the plight of Abdullah and Pari, living apart yet tied together permanently by the tender, brotherly care he took of her as a child, that holds the novel together. In the tale their father tells, the little boy taken by the giant had always worn a bell around his neck. In old age the father in the story has forgotten the boy, but still sometimes thinks he hears the sound of a bell, and doesn’t understand “why a wave of something, something like the tail end of a sad dream, always swept through him whenever he heard the jingling.”

COTTON MAN

One of the many childhood memories most of the older generations have is of the ‘Rooee Dhanaknay wala’ or ‘Rooee Peenjnay wala’ – ‘cotton thrasher’ is how he can best be described in English - calling out his trade as he passed by the house during the winter months. This is a man who fluffs cotton and fills it in-between two layers of material to make a good, old fashioned quilt. These men are seen very infrequently these days and to catch one walking down the road was like seeing an apparition from the past – it was surprising and a delight to know that his kind are still around. Along with his cotton thrashing paraphernalia it was interesting to note that this man carried a quail in a small cloth ‘cage,’ which he said he kept for company.

By: Ishrat Hyatt Not only did he look like an apparition from the past, he had a name I had not heard before – Sainchee Khan but he said it was quite common where he came from, somewhere in rural Punjab! He was out looking for work.

He owns a shop in one of the markets but when business is slow he puts his apparatus on his shoulders and roams the streets hoping to earn a day’s honest living. I recall how fascinated we were as children when men like him came to the house each year to fill quilts so we could sleep in the comfort of their warmth. Watching them work kept us out of mischief we were so engrossed in what was going on!

The apparatus these men carry is something like a large conventional kind of bow and arrow – a rough bow with a curved end on one side and a wooden support at the other. A fine but strong string is stretched across from end to end and this string is whacked with a piece of wood shaped somewhat like a dumbbell with pointed ends. After the ‘bow’ is attached to a wall or other strong support, the task of fluffing the cotton begins and the thwacks of the ‘dumbbell’ hitting the string produce a sound which is almost musical – escalating up and down with a catchy beat as the string moves over the cotton and raises it into soft mounds. The thwacking also removes all the dust and other tiny bits and pieces from the cotton, making it look like a heap of snow or a light cloud.

The procedure is repeated twice before the cotton is filled in the stitched cover, which is made of two different materials – a fancy, thicker one for the top and a soft and finer layer for the one that will touch your body. After this the layers are sown together with big stitches through both layers of cloth and cotton and it depends on the expertise of the man on how good a job he does with the design you have chosen, which can be either plain or fancy. Stitches that are too close together will make the quilt stiff and uncomfortable; if they are too far apart the cotton will bunch up into lumps after a few days but when the stitching is just right the quilt is cosy and comfortable. You can snuggle under it throughout the winter and it will give you pleasurably pleasant warmth as long as winter lasts!

Nowadays most people are opting for the quilts - or ‘duvets’ as they like to call them - that are made from synthetic cotton which can be washed and dried and used again without the hassle you have to go through with old fashioned quilts which have to be redone from scratch after a couple of years. There are still people mostly from less privileged homes who give their quilts to be filled with cotton and this is fluffed by a machine.

But honest to goodness there is nothing like a quilt filled with pure cotton prepared in the good old fashioned way!

GOOD

Chocolate

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While generally consumed for pleasure, Chocolate has several potential health benefits associated with it. Studies have shown that the chocolate drink form contains large amounts of antioxidants that may be beneficial to one’s health.

By: Kashif Hussain

A Late Classic (A.D. 600–800) vase depicts a Maya lord being presented with a bowl of frothing cacao, or chocolate.

A glyph, shown second from the bottom on the far right column, is the sign for cacao.

Hot Chocolate – History & Benefits Hot Chocolate (also known as hot cocoa, drinking chocolate, or just cocoa) is a heated beverage that typically consists of shaved chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar. While it is generally thought of as a drink consumed for pleasure, recent studies have suggested that it possesses health benefits due to antioxidants that can be found in cocoa. Until the 19th century, it was even used medicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases.

In France, it is often served at breakfast time, and sometimes sliced French bread or croissants, spread with butter, jam, honey or Nutella are dunked into the chocolate drink; there are also brands pecially formulated for breakfast time, notably Banania.

Even further variations exist. In some cafes in Belgium and other areas in Europe, one who orders a “warme chocolade” or “chocolat chaud” would receive a cup of steamed white milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in the milk.

Around The World

Potential Health Benefits of Hot Chocolate

The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayan peoples around 2000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 A.D. The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then. Today, this hot, savory chocolate drink is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple variations including the very thick cioccolata densa served in Italy, and the thinner hot cocoa that is typically consumed in the United States.

Lead author Dr Beatrice Golomb, from the University of California at San Diego, said: “Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight.”

Americans have come to use the terms “hot chocolate” and “hot cocoa” interchangeably, obscuring the considerable difference between the two. “Hot cocoa” is made from powder made by extracting most of the rich cocoa butter from the ground cacao beans. On the other hand, the chocolate version of the drink is made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. Thus the major difference between the two is the cocoa butter, which makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than the chocolate version, while still preserving all the intrinsic health-giving properties of chocolate.

Again, when comparing the chocolate and cocoa versions, the chocolate version of the drink is made with dark, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate, and chopped into small pieces and stirred into milk with the addition of sugar. In contrast, American hot cocoa powder often includes powdered milk or other dairy ingredients so it can be made without using milk. In the United Kingdom, “hot chocolate” is a sweet chocolate drink made with hot milk or water, and powder containing chocolate, sugar, and powdered milk. “Cocoa” usually refers to a similar drink made with just hot milk and cocoa powder, then sweetened to taste with sugar.

This is not the first time scientists have suggested that chocolate may be healthy for us.

It found those who ate chocolate a few times a week were, on average, slimmer than those who ate it occasionally.

Other studies have claimed chocolate may be good for the heart.

Consumption of certain types of chocolate has been linked to some favourable changes in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level.

From the 16th to 19th centuries, it was valued as a medicine as well as a drink. The explorer Francisco Hernández wrote that chocolate beverages helped treat fever and liver disease. Another explorer, Santiago de Valverde Turices, believed that consuming large amounts was helpful in treating chest ailments, but in smaller amounts could help stomach disorders.

When chocolate was introduced to the French in the 17th century, it was reportedly used “to fight against fits of anger and bad moods”, which may be attributed to chocolate’s phenylethylamine content.

Today, hot chocolate is consumed for pleasure rather than medicinally, but new research suggests that there may be other health benefits attributed to the drink.

In mainland Europe, most forms of this delightful drink are very thick due to being made directly from chocolate. In the United Kingdom, however, it is often of the thinner variety. Some types of powdered chocolate drinks in the UK are actually as thick as pure chocolate varieties. As Europe was where it was first popularized, many different forms exist.

Among the multiple thick forms of hot chocolate served in Europe is the Italian cioccolata densa. German variations are also known for being very thick and heavy. In Spain churros is the traditional workingman’s breakfast. This style can be extremely thick, often having the consistency of warm chocolate pudding. In the Netherlands, it is known as chocolademelk, and is often served at home or at the cafes.

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