ISSUE #02
Howzaatt!! Young . Urban . Hip
Pop diva Sara Haider cruises through Karachi in the latest Ideas Pret collection.
Discover new capitals of culture.
Shiva in Umerkot A Journey into the Past
Let’s Dish
Côte Rôtie’s Euro Charm
Namal College A New Vision
contents. CÔTE RÔTIE’S
ISSUE #02
p.50
On the cover
EURO CHARM
Destinations Diary 50
p.72
Pop diva Sara Haider cruises through Karachi in the latest Ideas Pret collection.
KARACHI Let’s Dish 72
Côte Rôtie’s Euro Charm
Style Rules 114
From the Suitcase of Shammal and Redah
Reflections 66
The Idiot Tourist
The Fashion Fix 88
Pakistan takes New York
International Trendsetter Mehreen Rizvi-Khursheed
A Life worth living
122 How to Travel with your Tribe
p.80
A world of Good
135 Agents of Change Namal College
Tasting art
in
Iran
p.106
Agentsof
change p.135
p.130
road
MUSIC’S to
REVIVAL
Near & Afar 26 28
Dream Destinations Festival Diaries
love, want, need 30
Destinations Desires
Wanderer 32
Shiva in Umerkot, Thar
The Playlist
130 Music’s Road to Revival
from the
suitcase of
The Fine Art of Travel p.114
80
Pakistan takes New York
98
Beyond the Brush Strokes
92
Art is Where the Home is
106 Tasting Art in Iran
Tasting art
in
Iran
p.106
Agentsof
change p.135
p.130
road
MUSIC’S to
REVIVAL
Near & Afar 26 28
Dream Destinations Festival Diaries
love, want, need 30
Destinations Desires
Wanderer 32
Shiva in Umerkot, Thar
The Playlist
130 Music’s Road to Revival
from the
suitcase of
The Fine Art of Travel p.114
80
Pakistan takes New York
98
Beyond the Brush Strokes
92
Art is Where the Home is
106 Tasting Art in Iran
editors note from the
e are thrilled by the tremendous response our debut issue has received and we look forward to sharing more of Pakistan and its inspiring stories, places and people with you in the coming months. Our second issue brims with tales of warm welcomes, exciting explorations, travels to faraway lands and tours within urban centres. Senior journalist and writer Reema Abbasi pens a riveting narrative about her journey to Umarkot. As the birthplace of Mughal emperor Akbar, this small town in interior Sindh is of great historical significance and a melting pot of languages, religions and traditions. Moving further southwest, we arrive in cosmopolitan Karachi. Cover girl and pop sensation Sara Haider tours some of her favourite spots in her hometown and pays homage to the best of art, culture and heritage this city by the sea has to offer. Art imitates travel in its ability to blur boundaries, create bridges and reimagine identities and hence, it is one of the highlights of this issue. Given that
MARIAM MUSHTAQ MANAGING EDITOR
Pakistani art and artists have been creating waves internationally, we take this opportunity to celebrate their achievements around the globe in our section, The Fine Art of Travel. It is the onset of summer. For those who wish to escape the heat and head out, we have selected locations both domestic and international. If you’re searching for cooler climes closer to home, there is the beautiful Namal Valley that beckons with its broad peaks and serene lakes. If, like our style stars Redah Misbah and Shammal Qureshi, you desire sun, sand and surf, we’ve decoded Bali and its tropical wonders for you. For art and culture enthusiasts, Iran is the trending choice. As the country re-engages with the rest of the world, the Tehran Museum with its priceless treasures opens its doors to international visitors. We, at Destinations, have made decision-making easier by routing out an exciting Persian itinerary. From style inspiration to travel advice, a dose of culture and a taste of the most delectable meals, flip through the pages to get a round-up of some of the best Pakistan has to offer and discover what lies beyond.
ASMA CHISHTY
PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ZAHRA HIDAYATULLAH FEATURES EDITOR
PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ASMA CHISHTY MANAGING EDITOR : MARIAM MUSHTAQ FEATURES EDITOR : ZAHRA HIDAYATULLAH BRAND MANAGER : UMAR KHAN DESIGN & LAYOUT : USMAN MUNIR OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER : UBAID-UR-REHMAN CIRCULATION : ALI TARIQ MEDIA SALES : NAEEM ULLAH PUBLISHED BY : DAEWOO PAKISTAN EXPRESS BUS SERVICE LTD. 231, FEROZEPUR ROAD, KALMA CHOWK, LAHORE, PAKISTAN +92.42.111.007.006 , +92.42.3583.5132 LEGAL ADVISOR : BASIT WATTOO GM MARKETING & SALES (DAEWOO) : SHERIAR HASSAN CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (DAEWOO) : USMAN HAYAT CONTACT (SALES) : +92 334 423 4681 - NAEEM ULLAH +92 333 888 2420 - IRFAN QURESHI (RESTART) CONTACT (EDITORIAL) : +92 335 455 5764 (ALI TARIQ) DISTRIBUTORS: NATIONAL NEWS AGENCY PRINTER : TOPICAL PRINTERS
destinationspk
destinations.com.pk www.destinations.com.pk
destinationspk
Food critic and writer
Asad Khawaja
on Côte Rôtie’s Euro Charm . p.72
contributors
Shazaf Fatima Haider
Reema Abbasi
Sonya Rehman
Leena Khaliq Afridi
The Idiot Tourist p.66
Shiva in Umerkot p.32
Music’s Road to Revival p.130
International Trendsetters p.88
Holding a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Karachi, Shazaf Fatima Haider is the author of the best-selling novel “How it Happened”, published by Penguin, India. A writer and teacher, she is currently based in London.
A journalist for 19 years, Reema Abbasi was the recipient of the Gender in Journalism Award 2003 from UNESCO for the most gender sensitive reportage. At present, she is a columnist and an independent contributor with international newspapers, and a regular commentator on socio-political issues. Her other passions include travel, arts and culture.
Sonya Rehman is a writer/journalist based in Lahore. A graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, she writes for both local and international publications. While her forte is local art and culture, she also has a keen interest in human interest pieces and stories that are often overlooked and disregarded in mainstream media.
Leena Khaliq Afridi is a fashion and lifestyle writer whose love for fashion and the written word has spanned an exciting career path for her over the years. She attended fashion college in London and has written freelance for leading Pakistani publications. She has worked for De Beers, managing their PR and Media, and founded her own writing company, The Creative Workshop, in Dubai. Currently she lives in Dallas and is working on a couple of books.
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NEAR & AFAR Kalash 442km
Whether you’re craving a domestic getaway or eyeing a more exotic trip abroad, we pick out the best places to help you plan your travels this summer.
Islama bad
BAMBURET KALASH VALLEY Surrounded by the majestic Hindu Kush range, the Kalash Valley in Chitral is famed not only for its natural beauty but also the vibrant culture of its indigenous people, the Kalash, thought to be descendants of Alexander the Great. Where to stay
Bamburet is the largest of the three valleys in the Kalash region and also the most picturesque. The PTDC Motel in Bamburet is quaint and charming, offering modern facilities and stunning views of the lush green mountainside.
What to do Jeep safaris and trekking around Chitral will allow you to explore the remote yet stunning area. In Bamburet, do visit the Kalasha Cultural Centre, home to an impressive museum of Kalash artifacts. The people of the valley are extremely friendly and hospitable so a day spent walking around and mingling with the locals will be a rewarding experience.
How to get there
PIA runs daily flights from Islamabad and Peshawar to Chitral. Bamburet lies at a distance of roughly 40km from Chitral and the journey can be made in 2-3 hours via jeep.
Chilam Joshi Festival The Kalash are known for their love of song and dance and the colourful festivals that dot their calendar annually. The Chilam Joshi Festival occurs every year in May. Held over 4 days, it is celebrated to thank their pastoral god for protecting their cattle and their fields. Milk is used in abundance as offering to the god as well as to baptize new-borns. The festivities conclude with the men and women gathering in the village centre and dancing to the beats of drums.
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Where to stay From tented camps and traditional riad (garden courtyards) hotels to luxurious resorts, Marrakech has something to suit all tastes and budgets. Hotel La Mamounia is an oasis of calm and beauty in the middle of the bustling city, with its stunning gardens, exquisite décor and attentive staff.
What to do
Given its variety of souks, mosques, gardens and desert retreats, there is no shortage of sights to explore in and around Marrakech. A visit to Djemaa El-Fna is a must – with its convergence of snake charmers, street musicians, henna artists and hawkers, the busy square is straight out of the pages of “Arabian Nights.”
How to get there
Qatar, Etihad and Emirates operate flights to Casablanca via Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. There are multiple daily flight options between Casablanca and Marrakech, with a flight time of 50 minutes.
MARRAKECH, MOROCCO Heady and exuberant, Marrakech is a beguiling mix of ancient history, stunning architecture, exotic buys and delicio us cuisine. The city is divided into two distinct parts: the historical town known as the medina, a maze of narrow alleyways and souks; and the modern district called Gueliz, home to swanky shops and eateries.
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NEAR & AFAR
FESTIVAL
From fringed jackets to sweeping skirts, leather boots to dapper blazers, DESTINATIONS rounds up the hottest trends spotted at festivals around the world, be it Coachella or Pakistan's very own Lahore Music Meet and Festival of Life.
Rihanna and Leonardo DiCaprio
Sara Shahid and QYT
Zoe Viccaji Zara Peerzada
Ali Azmat
Olivia Culpo Gigi Hadid
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Rabia Butt
Nadia Jamil
Freida Pinto
Taylor Swift
Uzma Chaudhry and Juju Haider
Kendall Jenner
Jared Leto
Ali Zafar
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LOVE, WANT, NEED Our guide to what we’re currently loving.
Hamilton the Musical
If you happen to find yourself in the Big Apple during the holidays, we suggest you give the shopping and sightseeing a miss for one evening and instead, take in a performance of the musical that’s mesmerized everyone from Michelle Obama and Anna Wintour to Robert DeNiro and Julia Roberts. Nominated for a record 16 Tony awards, “Hamilton” is a historical epic that mixes beautiful, sweeping choruses with raw street-style hip hop. This one’s not to be missed.
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desires
1 Golden Goose Sneakers
If there’s one trend that’s set to take us through summer well into autumn, it’s sports luxe. Which is why investing in a pair of sneakers by Golden Goose is a great idea. Favoured by models and Hollywood’s ‘IT’ girls, the brand features incredible craftsmanship and retro silhouettes, and a reputation for being effortlessly cool. What’s not to love?
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Plukka Jewellery
Looking to add a unique trinket to your trousseau or turn heads at the red carpet in a statement piece? Whatever your motivation, log on to Plukka.com and be dazzled by an array of fine jewellery in styles that range from traditional to avante garde; from classic to trendy. This curated online platform brings together some of the top names in the jewellery business and holds a treasure trove of items that are truly unique and original.
The Warehouse Fitness Studio
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Need to shed those obstinate last few pounds in order to achieve the perfect summer body? Sign up for a class at the hottest fitness centre in town, called The Warehouse. Located in Gulberg, Lahore, it offers everything from its popular “Shred” sessions to fun dance classes, kickboxing and even some classes targeting kids.
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The Girl On The Train
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Paula Hawkin’s bestselling novel “The Girl on the Train” is the perfect holiday read to keep you company this summer, whether during long airplane rides or lazy afternoons by the pool. Hollywood is set to release a film version of the psychological thriller, starring Emily Blunt, so make sure you catch up on the action before everyone else does.
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WANDERER
Travels into the PAST
Shivain
Umerkot By Reema Abbasi
To be in Tharparkar is to trip on an ancestor’s memories. The great white of entwined cliffs and scorched earth presents myriad illusions. Paths, caught in merciless elements, seem in search of destinations.
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Photography: Ubaid-ur-Rehman
WANDERER
A long, five-hour road trip from cosmopolitan Karachi ends at a place steeped in the past - Umerkot. Thar has now begun to unfold. And its spell is cast on adventurers and seekers of history. Once known as Amarkot, this is the birthplace of the most majestic of Mughals, Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. As a fragile 15-year-old, his mother Hamida Bano Begum gave birth to him under a tree here. The historic spot is honoured with a red brick chauburji (four-sided, arched enclosure) on a brick platform nestled in dense gardens, beside a signboard with an ode to the king’s exemplary 50-year reign and conquests. Few know that the newborn prince was sent to Kandahar from here till the time his father, Humayun, returned to Lahore in 1551. Further on, arid dunes heave as warm winds breathe into them; herds of camels and cows often block your way, the tinkle of their bells fuse with snake charmers’ flutes. Thatched cone roof settlements lie among dull greens of Acacia Arabica and silver bushels that are like heaps of curling fireflies. Flashing shades of temples, homes and women wrapped in radiant traditional ghagra, choli (long skirt and blouse) and sarees break the monochrome of sand; nose rings and bangles glimmer on dusky skin as they saunter with carafes of water or piles of wood. As the sun comes alive, warrens of lanes pulsate with old world energy – morning mist is tinted with colourful women sweeping paths; cows and camels heaped with hay amble along breaking the sleepy silence with chiming bells, temples and mosques surge with activity and mounds of vivid spices and dew-soaked vegetables come into view when shutters are flung open. Curls of steam rise from chai khanas (teashops) – hot chickpea curry, lentils, curd, cream, eggs, parathas, halwa and pooris are staples of a delectable breakfast. Time is indeed at rest in an ancient age.
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The bazaar has stirred out of slumber; some put out utensil and chisel sharpening wares as people leave for the lands. Cotton spinners sit on roadsides with spinning wheels; pristine white tufts flow out to fluff up patchwork blankets and pillows. Colourful bandhini and chunri fabrics unfurl in shades of vermillion, orange, leaf and emerald greens, ochre and purple - a tie and dye technique unique to the region, which is exported to cities and then across the globe. Other crafts are vibrant pottery and fine embroidery, found mostly in Mitthi town, and worked unisex sandals in varied hues. Day hours are slow as is the pace of age-old life patterns; frequent tea breaks see men and women
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huddled in corners cackling and some break into Indian or Sindhi songs. At lunch, they lay out an array of vegetable dishes cooked in aromatic desert herbs and ghee (clarified butter), lentils, yoghurt, rice and bajra (grain) rotis. This is vegetarian country - the only part of Pakistan where Muslims are in small numbers and the culture is layered with diversity, to the extent that Tharis, the desert natives, converse in Hindi, Sindhi, Sanskrit or Thari but not in Urdu. Silence returns to homes and streets for siesta hours. As Thar’s remarkable warmth and hospitality will not permit a guest to wander out alone, it’s an appropriate time to explore many jewels among the dunes.
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WANDERER
Curls of steam rise from chai khanas (teashops) – hot chickpea curry, lentils, curd, cream, eggs, parathas, halwa and pooris are staples of a delectable breakfast. Time is indeed at rest in an ancient age.
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The most prominent of these is the Shiv Mandir. It presides over the desert with a deluge of colour. Kirtan Peel carved on a rock directs travellers to it from the rough main road.
One of the more decorated vaults is Bhagat Vinraj’s - Thar’s celebrated priest who resided here with three disciples who were murdered in 1979 on the third night of Navratri.
In Rajasthani curvilinear design with a glittering mirror-worked matki as its khalasha, Shiv Mandir stands on a mound in saffron and red. The temple grounds are laid out on 88 acres and a crimson staircase leads to the top sanctum. The central sanctum sanctorum is large, decorated in intricately patterned stone terrazzo. Burgundy and dark saffron additions on the floor are relatively new and far from garish.
The present cleric, Maharaj Gyan Puri, a tall man with flowing silver beard and locks, has devoted over a decade to Shiva in the desert.
On one side, in wild vegetation lie two graves of ancient priests, which have seen centuries pass.
“The time of discovery of this Shivling is not verified, but legend has it that a family followed their cow here to see where she produced milk as she was dry at home. They removed the mud from her spot and the ling emerged, it continued to grow for some years,”
More than a decade ago, the shrine’s foyer and the Shivling alcove were renovated in shiny ceramic beige and white tiles with blinding trails of mirror-work on walls and ceilings. The stone Shivling, which priests and locals attest was present when Emperor Humayun visited, sits on a lime green platform; a brass snake is wrapped around it alongside a trishul and a nandi (Cow). Bequests of incense, milk, rose, white and lavender flowers from Golden Apple shrubs never run out. Locals vow that the lingam is self-created; that it grew on its own and village elders recorded its growth to thwart optical illusions. A small durga alcove resides by the gate, under a pepal canopy. The inside is saffron embellished with mosaic. A door with ‘Jiye Gurudev’ opens into a plot of samadhis in red and white on marble plinths; grander ones with saffron stupas belong to revered sadhus.
Must haves
Hat Sunblock Sunglasses Cotton attire Mosquito repellent Moisturiser Disinfectant Lots of liquids Comfortable flat shoes and an appetite for rustic thrill.
Seasons to visit: July and August – for star trails and peacocks in monsoon. Late November to early March for pleasant weather.
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“This village is called Shiv Mandir Gaon from the time when Chhorwa River surrounded this mound. Muslims come here for curative purposes and our gatekeeper is a Muslim. Children of army officers arrive in 15 or 20 vans to pay respects,” he narrates.
Puri spends Sunday nights in the shrine to prepare the communal meal for Monday, and performs aarti twice a day to the beat of nagaaras – a dramatic treat for the senses. Since Thar had many chieftains and royal patrons, such structures were often privileged expressions of devotion or gratitude. Temples for Hindus are auspicious and bring peace, prosperity, heirs and a hallowed afterlife for devotees. Interplay of shadows begins with the dying sun, temple bells toll and drummers make their way to the sanctum. I return to the village where the night at sundown is older than it would be elsewhere – roadside hotels are packed with diners on benches and charpoys, log fires light street corners and dim lights flicker in windows. Indian songs and radio channels set the score for a scene out of yore. My hosts take me to the most popular food joint where a bench is cleared and a pre-ordered meal laid out – fragrant karhi, chicken qorma made to honour a guest, butter-laced haleem, lentils, assorted vegetable dishes, potato biryani, rotis and herb-infused, buttered naans. The feast is chased down with a distinctive herbal tea, and an exceptional creamy halwa redolent with ghee and jaggery served in clayware – a specialty of Thar. At dawn, I depart in awe of the past and in celebration of nature – moonrise in an inky sky, star trails, the desert quiet, sounds of the wind, and the ever present peals of bells on animals. Thar is a land of another faith and another time, which will forever reside in my soul.
Puri spends Sunday nights in the shrine to prepare the communal meal for Monday, and performs aarti twice a day to the beat of nagaaras – a dramatic treat for the senses.
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DIARY
in
KARACHI
A THROUGH THE
CITY BY THE SEA By Zahra Hidayatullah
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Wardrobe : Hair & Makeup: Photography : Transportation Partner :
Ideas Pret N-Pro Jaffer Hasan Daewoo Cab
DIARY
Welcome to Karachi!
Pakistan’s most important city is a coastal metropolis of over 25 million people. A melting point for various people, languages, cultures, ethnicities and religions, it is quite often referred to as “Mini Pakistan”. It’s the onset of summer and the sun is shining bright with glittering ocean waves sparkling crystal under a clear blue sky. With long days and endless nights, it seems as though the city never sleeps. Through beaches, art centres, bistros and promenades, resident Sara Haider shares a glimpse of some of her favourite spots in her cosmopolitan hometown. Winner of the Lux Style Awards for “Best Emerging Talent”, this young star is a bonafide performing artist. Primarily a singer-songwriter, she’s featured in the last two seasons of Coke Studio and has won critical acclaim for her acting and vocals in the theatrical production, “Grease The Musical”. Sara also travels a lot and loves to visit places with a distinct vibe.
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Printed peplum top and white tulip pants available from Ideas Pret's latest collection.
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Morning
Commune Artist Colony
Before the area off Old Queens Road gets too busy in Sadiq Godown, a colony of old warehouses, Sara’s first stop of the day is the Commune Artist Colony in Miskeen Gali. A place that hosted her first Coke Studio gig, it holds a special significance for her. Founded by Yousaf Bashir Qureshi, it is a creative gathering space for painters, filmmakers, writers, musicians and talent belonging to any and all forms of visual and performing arts. The history of this place is fascinating. Founded in the 1800s, the high-ceilinged warehouse is a Masonic building that was acquired by Qureshi’s grandfather around the mid-twentieth century. A believer in people and their combined energies and a man with a strong bond with humanity, YBQ (as he is most commonly known) is one of those rare people who get to live out their fantasy by having created this commune. This free-spirited place often acts as a portal for him to meet other people, get introduced to their beliefs, philosophies and creativity.
Located in the heart of the city, between traffic-heavy areas of Saddar and Old Queens Road, the Commune Artists Colony is a little pocket of calm and peace that goes largely unnoticed by the unseeing eye. However, for those interested in art and culture, the place regularly hosts book launches, red carpet events, plays and art and photography exhibitions. Two traditional dhaabas down the road serve authentic doodh-patti (chai latte) to the artists working here, as well as to the curious visitors who come to witness this unique place that provides distinct opportunities for artist exchange and exploration of others’ crafts.
Sara is inspired by the energies and the vision of this tiny oasis of art and creativity. 55
DIARY
Afternoon
Lunch, finally! Sara decides to head over to Café Flo, her favourite eatery in town. Nestled amongst art galleries and high couture boutiques in the Clifton area of Karachi, here you get a little taste of France. Founded by resident Frenchwoman, Florence Villiers, Café Flo is a fine dining restaurant that is easily ranked amongst the best three restaurants in Karachi. In a city with a diverse food culture and distinct taste buds it has been serving lunch, dinner and breakfast on Sundays to loyal patrons and food connoisseurs for almost two decades now.
It’s a warm day. Sara lets her hair down and orders a light salad with a cool drink as she soaks up French jazz and that homey vibe. 56
Crossover shirt cinched at the waist with a leather belt and worn with flared white pants.
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Evening National Academy of Performing Arts
As the evening rolls in, Sara makes her way towards the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA). Founded in 2005, with a mission to promote higher accomplishment in the Performing Arts, it is Pakistan’s first institution to offer formal training in music and theatre acting and direction. NAPA offers that small window of opportunity to learn from the greats themselves. President and CEO, Zia Mohyeddin has gathered a cast of the some of the best teachers from amongst all performing and visual arts genres. The theatre faculty includes names such as Rahat Kazmi, Dr Enver Sajjad, Khaled Ahmed, Zain Ahmed and Talat Hussain. It is here that Sara experienced her first taste of formal musical training, learning how to read sheet music and such. During her time here, Sara got re-acquainted with eastern classical music. Sharing a learning space with the likes of music composers such as Arshad Mahmud and Shallum Xavier and possibly some of the greatest eastern classical musicians like sitar player, Nafees Ahmed; flute maestro, Salamat Hussain; distinguished harmonium player, Mohammad Hussain and tabla player, Gulab Khan, can be daunting but certainly has its rewards. Eventually, Sara travelled with the school to India and performed at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival. In a way, NAPA opened up a Karachi to Sara that was far beyond her conventional colonial schooling. She goes around the campus reliving her time here – a place which brought together for her a host of people, talent, stories, ethnicities, communities and all sorts of backgrounds. She met some of her best friends like Ahsan Bari and Aziz Kazi; and it was here while acting in an experimental play called “The Portrait of Rumi” that she was discovered by theatre producer and director, Nida Butt who later cast her in “Grease the Musical.”
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Printed kimono-style jacket with bell sleeves, and flared pants with cutwork detailing.
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Sundown
Jehangir Kothari Parade
One of the great things about Karachi is its proximity to the sea. There is something special about big, cosmopolitan cities with access to the ocean. Nostalgia washes over her as to wrap the day, Sara arrives at the landmark Jehangir Kothari Parade which she often frequented with her family as a child. Situated between Karachi’s famous Seaview Beach and the shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi, this monument marks the promenade that was built in 1919 on land bequeathed by Seth Jehangir Hormusji Kothari to the city of Karachi. Renovated in 2007, the promenade is now part of the Ibn-e-Qasim Park, believed to be Pakistan’s largest, that has been constructed on 130 acres of land along the city’s coastal driveway down south. The Promenade Pavilion adjoins the Lady Lloyd Pier, which was inaugurated in 1920, and offers breath-taking views of the park below and beyond. As Sara stands here to watch the sun go down, it lends her a moment of serenity in a city that is almost always bustling with life and peopled with crowds. The evening sea breeze runs through her hair as she heads back to the car. It soothes her senses and reassures her that all is well in the city by the sea.
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Cowl pants in one of Ideas Pret’s signature floral prints.
REFLECTIONS
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trundled along on the bumpy, hard roof of a pink, green and gray public bus boasting the grand honorific of ‘Prince Baboo’. It was a novelty that I, a mere woman, was sitting proudly and unapologetically on a space exclusively reserved for male passengers in their daily commute. But this was not an ordinary workday and I was not bringing about a gender revolution. No, today was Sunday and I was one of an entourage partaking in the Super Savari Express tour of Karachi. So I climbed up the ladder at the back of the bus and stationed myself, a grinning Buddha wearing a dupatta, right in front, to get the best view of a city I had lived in for twenty years, but which I was determined to see with new eyes today. Terry Pratchett once proclaimed that ‘tourist’ was another word for ‘idiot’. I would gladly embrace idiocy if it meant shutting off my Karachiite mind as to the politics, the voyeurism and the privilege this tour entailed. So as we hurtled down Elphinstone Street amid the derelict and once-grand buildings of Saddar, pock-marked by billboards and flashy signs that stood in stark contrast to each other, I didn’t care about architectural synchronicity. I dutifully oohed and aahed when shown a grime-covered building with Corinthian pillars and broken windows that used to be the Freemasons’ lodge. I willed my novelist brain to imagine old gentlemen congregating in secret midnight meetings in humid summer nights, with curious dress code and secret passwords, deciding the fate of the world. I surrendered to the melancholia of the place as we left it behind – a romantic piece of history appropriated by martial law. The sky was a grayish pink as we viewed the stunted cityscape. It struck me that old Karachi was a place of domes and minarets. They weren’t imposing, but ever present; the ivory dome of the Supreme Court and the elegant minarets of the Hindu gymkhana being especially pretty. I began to watch out for them – rising proudly to the sky, above the trellised mess of electricity wires and hotchpotch of broken wood-work and windows underneath. I purposefully blocked out any clichéd metaphor of them trying to disassociate themselves with our socio-political mess – NO, that was what a Karachi resident would think – I was the idiot tourist, stubbornly sifting the gladness from the gloom.
By Shazaf Fatima Haider
A ride on the Super Savari Express unveils pockets of magic beneath the grime and the gloom that Karachi is known for. 67
REFLECTIONS
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Photograph by: Faizaan Ahmad
"The Dhaabaa experience, you see, is about the opposite. The mess..The lack of timing. The delightful surprise when flavours explode in your mouth when you least expect them to."
So it was with great alacrity that I allowed myself to be off-loaded for breakfast at an authentic Saddar dhaaba. My family and I were herded into one which served crispy hot parathas and soft omelets fragrant with red chilies and coriander. I turned around to a fellow traveller who was not nearly as enthused as me. He proclaimed that this was too sanitized an eating place to be authentic. No, there was another dhaaba, on the road, near Bundu Khan, that served the most delicious halwa puri. He leaned back and crossed his arms, gazing in general disapproval at the orderliness of the meal – the promptness of it. ‘The dhaabaa experience, you see, is about the opposite,’ he lisped. ‘The mess. The lack of timing. The delightful surprise when flavours explode in your mouth when you least expect them to.’ Since I had just bitten a green chili and all sorts of implosions were ringing off in my brain, I ignored his complaining. He wasn’t in the mood to play tourist, and that was his problem. I finished my meal with gusto and drank about two liters of cold water to douse the fire on my tongue and strolled out amidst the Pathan vendors, squatting beside orange and green gas cylinders that were to fuel their mobile stalls – slurping tea and assessing us with their kohl-rimmed eyes. Many had placed their fruit on the road, right in the gutter water. ll of a sudden I chanced upon a small little hovel of a shop proclaimed itself as ‘Tid Bits Books Stall’. My heart soared: Tid Bits’s stalls in Sunday Bazaar had been my mecca while growing up – I made my weekly pilgrimage to buy at least 20 second hand books a week. My identity and literary tastes had been determined by this bookseller – who had lounged arrogantly on a pile of old magazines and magnanimously slashed his prices for eager and poor bookworms like me. I hurried inside to see at last the fountainhead of all that literary goodness expecting a quaint little shop full of treats and vintage books. Instead I saw the
owner, my old friend Saleem Bhai, huddled behind a small counter, piled high with a mess of books. On the left was another broken column of fiction books, on the left, much of the same. Their covers were torn, the pages were missing. As I stood aghast, he recognized me instantly. ‘You were my best customer!’ he grinned. I was told to pick up a book. Any book. Totally phree. But I wasn’t in the mood for commerce. ‘What happened?’ I asked? What became of the millions of books and the grand book fair Tid Bits boasted every Sunday? This place was a far cry from what it used to be in its heyday. Saleem Bhai shrugged, giving me a summary of being edged out by competition, driven back to this small room where two people could barely stand shoulder to shoulder. There was no electricity and no way to see what books were where – he didn’t have the time to organize them. After I picked and forcibly paid for an old book on the techniques of fly fishing (it was right on top and therefore easy to get a hand on) I slumped out, back to the bus, whose colours seemed garish and plastic flowers waving about on antenna wires seemed a mockery to the seriousness of the situation. I sat inside now, next to the driver, inhaling the fumes of the diesel engine. I could no longer force an enthusiasm that I didn’t feel. 69
REFLECTIONS frowned through the 166 year old Shri Swaminarayan Temple where an old, tiny lady gave us all a compulsory but heartfelt hug. A peacock glared at us as we traversed its holy grounds – and some photographed the statues of Radha and Krishna as a bald priest began a plaintive bhajan. Feeling more and more like an intruder, I ran back to the bus and sat in desultory silence through the rest of the trip; a distant onlooker rather than an active participant. It was hard not to admire the gorgeous array of chandeliers and grand inner space of Taheri Mosque; nor was I able to resist waving at the grinning Zoroastrian priest right outside the stairs of the forbidden Parsi Dar-e-Meher as he read the morning newspaper. I sat quietly on the pews of St. Patrick’s Church and looked at the stained glass depictions of the Passion of Christ when a Catholic girl sat down next to me and ask me if I was visiting and I nodded. She proceeded to tell me about her life, how her parents fought and how she tried to commit suicide in college because it was all too much for her. She gave me her phone number and told me to give her a call. It was all too much for her, and for me too, it seemed. I was tired of this tour, of this city where everything seemed broken down. The afternoon sun was lashing down on us and all my optimism had evaporated.
At last I had stumbled upon a gladness I didn’t think possible – into a folktale that was still whispered reverently through generations. Karachi, despite its grime and gloom, had pockets of magic for those in search. We think we know a place until it surprises us. I had given up on any hopes of pleasant discovery until I stumbled onto this divine mosque. I have held on to the story of the graves, to the splendour of the mosque and the quiet peace I found within, because an intriguing narrative had met with magnificent architecture. Here, at holy graves, I rediscovered my curiosity and wonder. I said a prayer and allowed myself to be pulled away, back to the head office, where a thank you and a farewell ended the six-hour day trip.
We were taken to another crowded part of the city – I’d lost track of where. I hobbled off Baboo, growing less princely by the minute, barely noticing the archway when suddenly I came upon an unexpected expanse of marble space. There, in grand view, stood the New Memon Masjid, with its three voluptuous domes that puffed out like meringues against the blue sky. Flanked by grand and tapering minarets, it sapped my exhaustion away. I climbed up the stairs and saw the prayer spaces etched onto the glistening floor. The domed archways shone silver in the glare of light reflected off the marble. To my right, a large pool, cool, blue and calm, awaited the ablutions of the namazis. It cooled my eyes and soothed my soul and I was drawn to it. The tour guide told us that the mosque had been built on an old cemetery and, as they razed the old graves, two bodies had been discovered, fresh and intact, new as the day they had been interred. These had been re-buried under the cool shade beneath the pool – and very visible through a locked jaali, adorned by plastic-wrapped floral wreaths.
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LET’S DISHOF GOOD A` WORLD
Côte Rôtie’s Euro Charm By Asad Khawaja
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Photography : Sarah Hadi & Ali Abbas Akhtar
REFLECTIONS
It can be quite difficult to find a decent espresso. There are more latte flavours out there than there are coffee producing regions, a plethora of frappuccinos, but in the search for this rudimentary and globally popular drink, one is likely to be disappointed.
Sometimes you get lucky though. There are still some establishments that value the quality of their fare, and realize that attempting to offer something for everyone may well compromise their standards. Seldom does an endeavour come along that recognizes aiming for excellence first requires excelling at simplicity. Côte Rôtie, at Karachi’s Alliance Française, is such a place. One that recognizes the value of minimalism, and the virtue of offering that which is exceptional, even if it may seem quite simple at first. And while it may have some distance to go before it reaches it’s lofty goal, the restaurant is clearly on it’s way.
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REFLECTIONS Before delving into the menu, Côte Rôtie’s selection of breads baked in-house deserves a special mention. If you’re trying to avoid carbs and gluten, then your will shall be pushed to the breaking point. Give in. The mastery over dough, yeast and water here is world class, and one could spend a day feasting upon these breads, accompanied with nothing more than butter and olive oil. The initial premise from which Côte has evolved was a boulangerie, and it’s easy to see (and taste) why. Multiple customers interviewed described the bread as the best in the country. An assertion that is hard to debate. In an area surrounded by green, diners enter a space illuminated by sunlight shining through big picture windows. The outdoor seating is perfect for the sunny winter Karachi days in which the restaurant was launched. The décor is a reflection of the food served here; a minimalism that is inviting and comfortable. While the picture windows afford a view of the greenery outside, turn your head and you can have a peek into the kitchen too. “Customers should be able to see where there food is coming from.” These were Chef Jaffer’s instructions to designer Seher Aziz, of the Studio Subtractive design duo.
Just as those words play a special role in this chef and restaurateur’s handbook, so does the name. Translated, just one meaning for Côte Rôtie is ‘roasted slopes’. It’s a reminder that a smokery and roasted meats complement the bakers’ considerable skills. Take the Truffle Egg as one example; three strong flavours complement rather than compete. A delicate yolk is perfectly encased within a border of rye bread smothered in cheese, and sprinkled with a truffle mushroom paste. While the fare at Côte does not adhere to any single cuisine, there is a certain French decadence to the Truffle Mushroom.
You’re only as good as the last plate you serve .
According to Aziz, “the vision was simply that the space should feel like the sublime backdrop to a wonderful meal, a memory in the making.” In her aim to subtly enhance the work of the chefs and cooks, the designer likens her approach to the aims of movie score; “successful to the extent that one almost doesn't notice.”
Since it’s opening last winter, the roll out of Côte Rôtie’s menu has been gradual. Each visit has yielded a fresh introduction, whether a special item, or a new addition to the menu. It’s a refreshing brevity, inspired entirely by the management’s emphasis on the customer experience. “You’re only as good as the last plate you serve,” says Faheem Jaffer, owner and chef behind Côte Rôtie. If bread is the backbone of Côte Rôtie’s food, then that quote is the foundation for the ethos driving the restaurant. Jaffer counts it as the most important of 76
many lessons imparted by Ayaz Khan, the owner of Okra, Karachi’s premier restaurant where he spent two years apprenticing as a chef.
The menu tends to undergo small changes from day to day, but none that compromise the overall selection available. In my experience, the specials tend to be quite good, such as the lobster pasta, and an excellent Italian burrata salad, which was available on another occasion. Otherwise the one page menu adroitly covers all the bases for anyone looking to have a good daytime meal, or, as of recently, dinner on the weekend. The selection of appetizers is ample, and each dish is a tasting of what’s to follow, whetting the appetite without weighing you down.
The selection of tartines that follows the appetizers often threatens to steal the spotlight, and thoroughly sate one’s appetite before you go any further through the menu. Each tartine features one of Côte Rôtie’s magnificent breads with options that include bresaola served upon a delectable baguette, fresh avocado on a sinfully good sourdough garnished with mint and crumbled cheese, caponata, and other selections that can be difficult to choose between. You won’t necessarily have to, because, luckily, these are made for sharing. If somehow you have resisted the urge to fill up on tartines, or for that matter even the breadbasket, the sandwiches are a worthy reward for such prudence. The Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich reminds us that there’s more nuance and flavour to be The
ccount the d, king into a ta n e h w e lower en ly nsiderab Even on th o s. c e e s e rs rs ri u u o o va c ain ain c ead hes and m . With a m Price per h u 0 a person en sandwic 0 e more if yo ,2 tw d -1 e n 0 b 0 (a n 8 0 o s. 0 5 R 1, opti g s. in R n d n n ,a b up to meal, ru serving size t can clim it’s a pricy d. the quality, dwich, tha r ie n o if F sa st . a r) ju f e is o st instead h as lob the price c l, su a l e ia m c e a a sp ishing spring for ls upon fin nt one fee e tm n te n o c ried uttermilk F ffle Egg, B u Tr , d . a o re ss spre es and b , and the e on of tartin i Sandwich m ra The selecti st a P , andwich Chicken S dearth of makes the e c n e a tr n e wait on th t at the for a short usual vale d ’s re e a tr p n e re c p h be The Frenc eable, but ore manag y out. a w r u yo parking m u make yo s a s d n weeke
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experienced in a dish otherwise relegated to fast food ubiquity. The elements of Côte Rôtie’s French Burger complement one another admirably, with the combination of beef patty, bun, Gruyere cheese and mustard relish easily competing with the best burgers in its class. The Bresaola with Pickled Chili and Mozzarella, encased within a baguette, is a wonderful indulgence that could benefit from further application of the less-is-more mantra, but is still something I would order repeatedly, even with that in mind. Other sandwiches, like the Chicken Salad on Onion Bread, and the Tuna Sandwich, are just as good. They serve as further examples of common items raised to a higher standard with attention to detail. A more recent addition is the Pastrami Sandwich, on rye bread with Dijon mustard, a New York delicatessen staple that is hard to improve. Thankfully, Côte doesn’t try to fix something that isn’t broken. The comfort food satisfaction of this classic remains, and reflects this restaurant’s particular finesse. The fries that accompany each of these items could use some work, because they tend to be a bit dry. The sweet potato fries might have good flavour, but are served rather limp. Regretfully, I did not delve into the main course options on the daily menu. I did however have the pleasure of devouring a lobster pasta from the specials one afternoon, and it was brilliant.
Part of what sets the menu apart from other establishments around the country is that Côte is a chef-run restaurant, one of very few in Pakistan. Sure, it’s a business that aims for profitability, but the food is paramount to Jaffer. “I don’t want to grow at the expense of the customer experience.” Success is, “something we have to earn, it’s not a given.” It’s why additions to the menu are gradual, and avoid the trap of overwhelming with options in the aim to please everyone. Jaffer’s hosts at the Alliance helped along the way. During the testing and sampling, their feedback was both reassuring, and instrumental in guiding the European bistro vibe that Côte aims for. A private event provided insight into Côte Rôtie’s versatility beyond sandwiches, where they served an impressive buffet dinner. The options were mouth-watering tenderloin, cooked perfectly medium rare, penne pasta in tomato sauce, roast veg, followed by a thankfully unfussy, indulgent bread and butter pudding (there was also a soup that I didn’t end up having due my aversion to cauliflower). And oh yes, the espresso is pretty darn good.
Cote Rotie
Located at the Alliance Française Plot/St-1, Block 8, Kehkashan, Clifton, Karachi-75600 Phone: (021) 352 96345 Timings: Open Wednesday-Monday 12:30-7PM Friday & Saturday dinner 7:30-11PM Closed on Tuesday 77
THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL
Pakistan takes
NewAnd York_ How!
May was the month that Pakistani arts made their presence felt in the global capital of culture. The Lahore Biennale 2017 and the Lahore Literary Festival went international, giving New York a taste of contemporary Pakistan.
LAHORE BIENNALE FOUNDATION
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THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL
The Lahore Biennale 2017 went international this month as its Artistic Director Rashid Rana took the conversation to the USA, engaging with Glenn D. Lowry, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and an audience made up of notable personalities from the global art world, during a talk at the prestigious institution. Elaborating on the suitability of Lahore as the setting for the biennale given its rich artistic and cultural milieu, Rana said,
“The first Lahore Biennale sets out to challenge the parameters of both the format and the discipline of art itself. It seeks to imagine possible futures and potentials in subversive and yet, expansive ways. I hope that starting with a note of self-reflection will become a sustained practice that allows the Lahore Biennale to respond flexibly and urgently to new fields of inquiry for many cycles to come.�
Rashid Rana
Glenn D. Lowry, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in conversation with Rashid Rana
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Komail Aijazuddin, Sadia Pervez, Salman Toor, Qudsia Rahim and Seher Tareen
What is the Lahore Biennale 2017? The Lahore Biennale Foundation, founded by a group of leading artists and supporters of the arts, seeks to promote the role of the arts as an important instrument of social critique and expression. The LBF will host the Lahore Biennale every two years, which is set to become Lahore’s largest and most ambitious public art undertaking in the history of Pakistan. As the Artistic Director for the first biennale to be held in 2017, Rana aims to create exhibitions and programmes catering especially to the shifting realities of Lahore. “The objective is to produce something that has local and global relevance. The Biennale will be for people; projects will be located in the city, which will become part of the city in a much more meaningful way than just calling them public art. It aspires to be a biennale without walls, in every sense of the word.”
Nuscie Jamil and Iftikhar Dadi Rajeeb and Nadia Samdani with Christopher Noey
Event Photography: Steven Rosen
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THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL
As part of Asia Society’s ongoing initiative “Creative Voices of Muslim Asia”, the Lahore Literary Festival travelled to Asia Society, New York earlier in May. This was the first time that a Pakistani literary festival was held abroad. Now in its fourth year, the Lahore Literary Festival, LLF for short, is a celebration of Pakistan’s literary arts. “LLF in New York” was one of the festival’s first international gatherings which was aimed at exploring contemporary Pakistan through the eyes of eminent artists, writers and other cultural commentators. In keeping with Asia Society’s mission of promoting mutual understanding between Asia and the U.S., the festival presented its American audience with a more nuanced view of Pakistan, featuring discussions on fiction and nonfiction writing, music, arts, popular culture, and politics. The image of Pakistan as a country suffering violence and extremism is an incomplete one. In answer to this, Razi Ahmed founded the LLF in 2012, in order to look beyond this stereotypical media vision and recognize the country for its creativity and cultural entrepreneurship. The basic premise of the LLF is to reclaim and employ Lahore’s cultural significance and influence. A global city under the 12th century Sultanate, capital of the Mughal Empire under Akbar, and the cradle of
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modern Punjabi civilization under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lahore has fired the imagination of artists for centuries, inspiring international literature and thought, from Milton’s “Paradise Lost” to Kipling’s “Kim” to Massenet’s “Opera Le Roi” to John Masters’ “Bhowani Junction”. As one of the key features of the event, the LLF in NY honoured one of Pakistan’s most outstanding writers and professor emeritus of English at Yale University, Sara Suleri, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Festival participants included businessman, philanthropist, educator and former Finance Minister of Pakistan Syed Babar Ali; singer-songwriter Zeb Bangash; New York Times columnist Roger Cohen; artist Salima Hashmi; physicist and author Tasneem Zehra Husain; former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar; actor, director and screenwriter Sarmad Khoosat; journalist and foreign policy author Ahmed Rashid; and author and filmmaker Saadia Shepard amongst others. The end of the event was marked by a sufi musical performance by an eight-member qawwali ensemble, the Saami Brothers, which brought Asian sounds to American listeners.
Nuscie Jamil and Iftikhar Dadi
Salman Toor, Sadia Shirazi and Salima Hashmi with Amin Jaffer
Robin Raphel and Hina Rabbani Khar
Nuscie Jamil , Ahmed Rashid , Aneela
Shah, Dr. Maleeha Lodhi and Razi Ahm
ed
Sara Suleri receiving the lifetime achievement award
Ahmed Rashid and Kati Marton
Zeb Bangash performing at the
event
with Roger Cohen
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INTERNA TIONAL THE FASHION FIX TRENDSETTER
london
International Leena Khaliq Afridi’s
TRENDSETTER
Mehreen Rizvi-Khursheed
Art and fashion are creative allies that dance to similar beats. One complements the other, since neither exists in isolation. It requires someone incredibly gifted with honed artistic skill and an understanding of creative energy to be able to curate art and compel an audience to engage with it. The presentation also has to exude a certain sense of stylistic intelligence that enhances the collection, rather than overpowering the visual language of the brush strokes.
With her quiet grace, sublime eloquence and depth of understanding on how the visual story of each canvas should be unfolded, Mehreen Rizvi-Khursheed has carved a coveted niche for herself within the international art circuit. Her years with Sotheby’s and Bonhams – two of the most prestigious names is the art world – along with her innate sense for feeling the creative passion of an artist makes her a rarity in her field. It gives her an edge to push forward with contemporary and offbeat choices. It is this talent for searching out the extraordinary that has steered her towards her present calling – an art consultant specializing in South Asia and Middle East at Frieze Fairs. Mehreen, by her own admission, is more devoted to art than fashion, preferring simplicity of choice and style. Comfort and ease are high on her radar, given her long days at art galleries as well as attending lectures and meetings. Yet her personal style is impeccable, and the only conclusion one can draw is that she is blessed with natural good taste and fashion flatters her! With all the iconic fashion statements made at the Frieze Fairs in London and New York, Mehreen stands out effortlessly with her easy chic style and engagingly beautiful persona.
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Leena: Your love of art is obvious and it has played a significant role in your life. How do you think the way art is perceived has changed over the years? And what do you think about the way modern art is evolving? Mehreen: I think new technology has made access to art very easy globally, across generations, social and economic differences and even cultures, religions and nationalities. Prices and art market reports are available to the generalpublic and online galleries and auctions are going to change the scenario further. During the boom years, we witnessed a lot of speculation in art and ‘buying for investment’ which was not advisable. I think since the market correction, people have become more selective, which is a good thing and are looking at collecting art more strategically. Held in Dhaka, Bangladesh once every two years, the Dhaka Art Summt (DAS) is billed as the largest non-commercial platform for South Asian Art. The third edition of the festival was held from February 5-8, 2016, and was organized by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in partnership with the country’s National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. Over 300 artists, curators, writers and other art professionals from across South Asia, Europe and the USA participated in the event, which included new commissions, curated group exhibitions, talks, performance and film programmes, book launches as well as a first-of-its-kind historical exhibition, Rewind. Pakistani artists made a strong impression at this year’s DAS. Huma Mulji’s animal-hide sculpture of a decomposed, tortured body (Lost and Found, 2012) was part of a group show as well as works by Anwar Jalal Shemza and Zahoor ul Akhlaq. The latter artists’ work featured in Rewind, a retrospective of 90 works from the 1940s to the ’70s, by 13 South Asian artists. Leena: What do you enjoy most about your work? Mehreen: To always be surrounded by beauty in art, the passionate art collectors and the travel! For example I went to the Dhaka Summit this year and that was a memorable experience. Leena: Tell us a little about the Frieze Fair and your most inspiring moments. Mehreen: Frieze, which takes place in May in NYC and October in London, is one of the biggest art fairs in the world. This time in NYC (May 4-8) there are over 200 of the world's top international galleries exhibiting. The selection process at Frieze is extremely rigorous, with only the best galleries making the cut. For a new or avid collector, it is a convenient place to see a lot of the contemporary art being produced worldwide under one roof. Galleries bring their most exciting and successful artists to Frieze. The week of the fair is now known as 'Frieze week' with major museum shows opening in NYC, private collectors opening the doors to their homes, dinners honouring artists, and talks and presentations by top curators. It’s where all the collectors congregate and open discussions. 89
INTERNATIONAL TRENDSETTER
Fashion, Art, Interiors Just a few of
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Mehreen’s Favourite Things
1.
Fico Aqua Di Parma
6.
Bellstaff Leather Jacket
2.
Abdel Kader Scented Candle
7.
Frieze VIP Pass
3.
Chanel Leather Espadrilles
8.
Collection of Art Catalogues
4.
Anwar Jalal Shemza Painting
9.
Amber Sami Chand Phool Earrings
5.
Dior Gold Sunglasses
Leena: Do you think art influences fashion trends? Mehreen: I think it works both ways. Fashion can also influence art – look at the genre of pop art. Art, whether it’s fine art or theatre or music, does influence fashion and lifestyle. Leena: What will you be wearing? Tell us about your most practical and frivolous fashion pieces that will take you from morning to evening. Mehreen: I will be walking the fair, which is enormous, and going from one event to the other without much time in between so I will wear espadrilles (depending on the weather) and a top over which I can fling a nice evening cape with earrings to take me into the evening. I may carry heels in a separate bag. Leena: What is the most valuable mentoring advice you can give to young art lovers who want to carve out a niche in this creative, exciting and rewarding field? Mehreen: I love mentoring the younger generation and the internships at the big auction houses or major galleries are a good way to get a taste of the art world. My advice is not to be fooled by the ‘glamour’ of the art world. Just like in fashion, there is a hard grind behind the glitzy gallery openings etc. There are so many great courses on art business and curating now that just did not exist in the past, ranging from evening classes in art history, 4-days to degree courses so do your research first. Having an art history background helps, but learning on the job is invaluable.
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THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL A WORLD OF GOOD
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ART is
where the
HOME
is
By Aziz Sohail Artist Salman Toor’s work draws inspiration from the rich canvases of the Renaissance and Baroque era but remains strongly rooted in his identity as a Pakistani.
THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL A WORLD OF GOOD
The ties binding a city or a region to an artist’s work have been central themes since the very beginning of art making and history.
Early cave paintings reveal that the hunter-gatherers of the time were creating primitive, yet rich, depictions of their own reality – whether it was interaction with a particular landscape or a way of life. The large canvases of Turner, Monet, Delacroix and other artists from the Romantic, Realist and Impressionist eras serve as a document of their time, and its politics and concerns. Our complex history as Pakistanis has been elegantly articulated by our own artists. Renowned painter Khalid Iqbal, for example, was known for his large and romantic landscapes of Lahore that depicted the city in the context of rapid development characteristic of a new nation. It is of no surprise then, that some of our most celebrated contemporary artists have focused their practice into these histories as well. , who divides his time between Lahore and New York, is one such artist. His dialogue with his practice engages not just with art history but also with location. His work draws inspiration from the large, detailed and richly decorated canvases of the Renaissance and Baroque era, but within the context of his Pakistani, and now increasingly global, reality. The idea of place has been central to Toor’s work, which features an element of surreal realism and encapsulates the reality of contemporary urban life in Pakistan, and especially Lahore, the hometown of the artist. His series on Lahore is quintessential Toor – large, detailed and with a sardonic look at the realities of urban Pakistan. For example, Halloween Party, 2014, oil on canvas, is a rich portrayal of those moments when the elite celebrate and borrow upon customs that might not be considered local, all facilitated by the help and support of the domestic labour. The work is a study in contrasts. Within the revelry, one finds images of the staff such as the cleaners or the sweepers who are integral to the existence of those very customs that might be decried as imported Western phenomena. Through his work, the artist depicts what it means to be Lahori, and this experience as it relates to different groups. Toor characterizes his work as always being urban and an amalgamation of multiple worlds that are “happening at once together.” As the artist’s own personal experience of his identity and space shifts, his recent body of work showcases this current dislocation of space on one shared canvas.
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THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL
In his paintings displayed at the Aicon Gallery in New York in 2015, there is a resultant shift, with the works taking on a surreal quality. Urdu script is interspersed with ideas of citizenship and belonging – exploring what it means to be a ‘third culture kid’; neither here, nor there, but somewhere in between.
looks at Western art history when he refers to the Snake Charmer, an iconic Orientalist work by Jean Leon Gerome, “where there is text which is real Arabic but is so beautifully done that it tricks the eye.”
One of the ways that I think about Lahore is “New York entered my work when I stopped planning what I the hustle bustle of was going to do – so I wasn’t classes, colliding with setting up a stage with academic perspective, I was just going at it, with an urgency,” one another. explains Toor. As a Pakistani living in a world increasingly determined by citizenship, he says, “My experience as an artist working in Brooklyn, where there are generally white Americans working alongside me, has been a recurring theme, where I reflect on the absurdity and power of my position.”
The artist cannot escape his identity as a Pakistani, as depicted through the descriptive and iconic Urdu text. The text becomes mediation, he explains, “to create space, where the text for me is place – at once intelligible and confusing.” Like trees, or figures, text also has a kinship to a space – for Toor, “the drapey Urdu form seems like protest banners, which is a very urban experience.” Like his other works, here again, he 96
Born in Lahore, it can be safely argued that Toor represents continuous links to the city, through his education at Aitchision College and his coming of age in the city. He was always interested in painting, and enrolled at the Ohio Wesleyan University where he graduated with a BFA in Painting. The move to New York followed and marked an important shift in the artist’s life and work. “Moving to New York taught me some of the challenges awaiting artists and it was a quintessential experience of pedestrian, urban life. Brooklyn, I realized, was looking back at the Parisian Montmarte. This happens in Lahore as well, when a model in princely dress poses around the Old City or Lahore Fort. It's a romantic, edited fantasy of the past, given to us by writers who frame, turn by turn, and shed light on different parts of the story of the city or the civilization that harboured the city.”
It is of no surprise that the artist is interested in ideas of city and province, historic themes that have enthralled many writers and artists. He describes Punjab as “a province created by the British, written by an alien race” – an ode to his own feelings of alienation and identity. He is particularly fascinated by the different classes that live side by side. “One of the ways that I think about Lahore is the hustle bustle of classes, colliding with one another.” An important phase in Toor’s work, as he documented these paradoxical realities of Lahore, was to represent the evocative and gorgeous landscape of the country – the trees and greenery that is so distinctive of the Punjab. This makes particular sense for a location like Lahore, which has historically been known as the City of Gardens. For inspiration, the artist says, “I used to go to parks, that was a big thing; some of the parks planted by the British have the most magnificent trees.” This, then, became a way for him to relate to his city. “I turn a local setting into a painting in my head and the public space becomes a private space; through this, I created most of my intimate relationship with the city.”
As citizens and inhabitants, we are always in search for our own meaning to a city, and Toor, who is able to articulate this relationship in his practice, is inspired by Lahore’s historical past as well. “We have at our disposal the old city – we can see these decrepit facades that our being lost to new development all the time. We have mosques and palaces – my favourite one is Mariam Zamani Mosque, behind Wazir Khan Mosque. What is special about it is that it is a huge space but has a tiny entrance, and it is classical Mughal design.” The artist evokes the reality of our present time by noting that even this work “is a tomb of a rarefied experience of a secluded upper class existence.” Toor describes his practise as “always urban by mixing up cities together and showcasing ideas of multiple spaces, happening at once.” As the viewer observes the shift in the artist’s work, moving from rootedness in his hometown to a more cosmopolitan location, we can perhaps await this translation of multiple realities to span not just the local, but increasingly, the global.
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Meet Iranian artists Maryam and Marjan Baniasadi, who call Lahore their current home.
the Brush Strokes By Zahra Hidayatullah
Hailing from Iran, a land of rich heritage and tradition, twin sisters Maryam and Marjan Baniasadi are currently graduate art students at the prestigious National College of Arts, Lahore. Having completed their undergraduate programme in Fine Arts earlier this year at NCA; Maryam in Miniature Painting and Marjan in Painting; the thesis exhibition of both artists individually was a great success and applauded by art enthusiasts and critics alike. Here they talk about their love for art and painting, life in Pakistan and how their home country and host country jointly play a significant role in shaping not only their viewpoints but also the strokes of their brushes.
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Photography: Umar Khan Hair & Makeup: Natasha Saigol
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THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL
MARYAM BANIASADI
Why did you choose the medium of miniature painting as opposed to other art forms to express yourself? What does it mean to you? Choosing miniature was a decision I took once I got familiar with the art scene in Pakistan. It was when I started my bachelors at NCA, Lahore that I got acquainted with the prestigious miniature department and was fascinated from the get go. To me, it was something new. I always had an interest in detailing which is probably the primary reason I chose this medium to express myself. I really enjoyed the initial focus on Moghul miniatures; and that, coupled with the freedom I had at NCA to express my own body of work, really set the tone for what I was going to do. I believe miniature painting is a regional art form pertaining particularly to Asia, which also helped me bridge identities between my indigenous Iranian culture and my current residency in Pakistan. How would you describe the romanticism of miniature painting? To me miniature painting is something which connects with the soul of nature. It translates into an understanding of the circle of life, of how God created nature and how I’m creating my own composition. With its calm movement within the frame, it transcends into the spiritual realm of life. Tell us more about your life as a miniature artist. Where did you learn the technique? What kind of miniatures do you paint? Like I mentioned earlier, NCA was the first place where I started learning the technique of miniature painting. I really enjoyed the styles they taught us but I also wanted to move beyond and see how Iranian miniature painting could assist my work. I took summer classes with Mohammad Bagher Aghamiri in Tehran for two months every summer that I would go back. It was quite interesting to note his reaction when he would see my work. I would find him amused and amazed at the same time. This contemporary miniature craft was new to him. In Iran the practice of miniature painting is quite different, both conceptually and in technique, as it emphasizes the traditional method. Persian miniature art form makes use of direct gouache paints whereas in NCA we were taught to make our own paints mixing it with safeeda and gum Arabic. I took wasli (paper) from Pakistan to Iran with me because I love the texture of its surface and I couldn’t find something like that in my home country. On the other hand, the brushes I use are the Iranian ones. There are things I like from both the Iranian side of miniature as well as the Pakistani style, which means I end up adopting the concepts I like most from each side.
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What inspires your work? What role does Iran (your country of origin) play in your work? Has Pakistan had any impact on your work in terms of inspiration, cultural diversity, and social outlook? I believe creativity in art is influenced by the state of mind of the artist. A person will behave in a certain way in different situations and lives. I try and recreate the places that I have been to, the journeys I have made, in a traditional miniature style. It is about recording the surroundings and the history. In a way, my art work is a map of the landmarks of my journey through life. I love documenting the past in my own way. Pakistan has had a great impact on my work. I would even go so far as to say, if I weren’t in Pakistan in these years, I would never have done miniature paintings. This medium has connected me to both Iran and Pakistan. Every summer I would go to Iran and get new inspirations and then come back and mix them with my inspirations from Pakistan. I want to show the connection between the two countries – the similarities and differences. Please elaborate on your recent work, what it means and the thought behind it. I want to revive the miniature painting style not as a reproduction but as a depiction of contemporary life – a documentation of daily life and daily activities. I always try and maintain an element of calm within my work. Often, it has humour too. Experience and time plays a major role in shaping my work. My recent body of art is a series on Lahore, the ordinary people here, and what I see around me every day.
MARJAN BANIASADI
To me art is not a career choice but a way of life. From an early age, I was fascinated with imagining things differently and then bringing them out of my memory vault through drawings and painting.
In high school, I studied science, but all day I would look forward to the evenings, as that was the time for my art classes. Soon after, I started playing music (9 years ago) and the possibilities of being able to express myself in more than one medium of art gave me a sense of adventure and opened up doors of possibilities for me. What inspires your work? What role does Iran (your country of origin) play in your work? Has Pakistan had any impact on your work in terms of inspiration, cultural diversity, social outlook? Nature, human beings and my surroundings inspire me. Raised in Iran, an Islamic state, and having lived some years of my life abroad, I often find myself observing the contrast between people, places and how my life is different in each area. This has led me to question boundaries, cultures and beliefs.
Why did you choose the medium of painting as opposed to other art forms to express yourself? What does it mean to you? There’s not one, but a number of reasons why I chose painting as a form of expression. Firstly, I love the freedom that painting gives to personal expression. Then, the variety in size, technique, medium and layering always makes it easier to put ideas onto surface. I also get dazzled by colours, as they have always been an important medium for conveying various emotional elements. The shine of oil paint and its fixable quality; the matte quality of acrylic and its feel of being expressive and quick – I like working with both these textures as each medium caters to a different concept. What art movement inspires you the most? Do you have a favourite artist or a favourite painting? I have always had a great sense of respect for the old masters as well as the leaders of new movements. Every art movement has its own interesting stories. Therefore, I cannot narrow it down to any single one. My favourite Iranian artists who also served as my mentors are Mehrdad Khataie and Ali Beigiparast. From the Western world, I greatly admire the works of Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt. My favourite Pakistani grand masters are Sadeqain and Allah Bux, and from amongst the contemporary art scene, Salman Toor. Tell us about your life as an artist. How early did you develop an interest in this medium?
However, home is always home! The language, the culture, the memories, childhood, school, family, food and snacks too, they have all played a role in shaping my reality and my persona and they all eventually come into play in my work. Iran is a beautiful country; it is full of history, art and culture and over the years, my homeland has proved its greatness. My most recent work is inspired by Persian carpets. Being away from home yet living with my family here in Lahore with Persian carpets all over our house gives me a sense of belonging and makes me feel like we are back in Iran. Carpets play an essential part in Iranian family life. Us Persians never move to a place without our Persian carpets and they all come with a backstory. For example, on a personal level, it is something I took my first steps on as a baby! The best part is that it is so easy for people in Pakistan to relate to my work without having to explain much. Iran and Pakistan have had mutual histories with each other. It is really amazing how these two lands are so close to each other and yet so far. Contrary to common practice, your art work is quite diverse not only in terms of themes, but in ways of approaching it – the brush technique, abstract vs. realism, choice of subjects. Please elaborate on your recent work, what it means and the thought behind it. My recent work is a series called ‘Listen To This Carpet’. The idea was to use carpets as a metaphor for faded memories and their replacement by new things. In a way it is my comment on countries and states. The most inspiring time for this series was when I went to Iran last summer and researched on how carpets are made. I walked through various carpet bazaars looking at both traditional and modern carpets. Throughout the entire journey, it was the weaving that had the greatest impact on me.
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DEEN’S Bookstore, Anarkali
1
Deen’s is right next to the college and we can walk to it if we need to get materials urgently. It’s quaint and cozy, reasonably priced and the owner knows everyone by name. That sort of personalized service is rare.
2
IQBAL Book Corner, Main Market
The best thing about the shop is the sheer variety of art supplies that you can find – from sketch books to brushes and acrylics. It’s close to where we live so that’s an added bonus.
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my SQUARE
MILE
This is one of our favourite spots in Lahore – it’s peaceful and one can browse here for hours, looking for gems and often finding them. We have managed to find great books on art.
READINGS 3 Gulberg We buy some of our supplies from Iran when we visit in the summer and our friends at NCA are always amazed at the interesting materials we manage to get our hands on. Iran has local brands that produce great quality material.
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Tasting Art in With its heady mix of ancient architecture, exotic bazaars, modern art and mouth-watering cuisine, Iran presents an array of exciting opportunities for the international traveller. The lifting of sanctions facing the country means that the world’s attention is slowly turning towards this culturally-rich region, once the seat of power for the mighty Persian Empire. As tourism begins to flourish, now is the time to hop across the border and experience the legendary Persian hospitality as well as soak in the many wonders the country has to offer. Diana Chiu, an art connoisseur based in Hong Kong, offers a personal insight into Iran as she undertakes a journey to explore its thriving art scene.
THE FINE ART OF TRAVEL
hat motivated you to travel to Iran when many remain reluctant? I’d heard about the thriving Iranian contemporary art scene and found myself excited to explore this mysterious land, where few have dared to tread since the late 1970s. After months of careful planning, I accompanied a group from Hong Kong to visit Tehran, Isfahan and Kashan. We were thrilled to discover a young and vibrant contemporary art scene that extends from Iran to the Iranian diaspora. Despite the challenges of arranging the trip, we were pleasantly surprised to find much more than just art in Iran. What were your overall impressions of the country? This was a trip that began with a cloak of mystery and now my eyes are open to media and political agendas propagating needless fear. I saw a country that had been on ‘pause’ for decades and was re-booted and started up in recent years. I noticed the stark contrast between public and private in the way people behave; the freedoms within and without. What struck me most was the warmth of Persian hospitality which was present everywhere. People opened their doors to us and there was no shortage of fresh ripe fruit, sweets, dried fruit and nuts, along with tea and coffee served by our various hosts in the art community and beyond. Tehran has a vibrant art scene – what were the highlights for you? Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art has a valuable collection of Western modern art and sculptures set in its gardens by the likes of Giacometti and Moore. The Carpet Museum is also nearby in Laleh Park. We visited many impressive art galleries including Shirin Gallery, Assar Gallery and O Gallery. One was Aaran Gallery. Housed in a refurbished old building, it has a typical long, shallow pool fountain in its courtyard, and an art installation of a bus shelter. At Arianna Art Gallery, in a prime residential neighbourhood, we feasted on Iranian canapés as we mingled with the young artists exhibiting there - surrounded by gardens and a defunct pool! Serendipitously, we walked into a doll exhibition made by an elderly lady in her 90s at the Iranian Artists Forum depicting Iranian children’s stories. The Lejevardi Foundation is a non-profit art space and cultural institution started by a young collector and art book publisher. My favourite work here was a haunting black robe-cloaked umbrella installation by Mahmoud Bakhshi. 108
Diana in Iran We also visited Vancouver-based Iranian artist Parviz Tanavoli’s home, which is in the process of being declared a museum. It was exciting to see his many works, especially sculptures of heech (“nothing” in Farsi) and the collection of locks that inspired his art. One memorable evening, we were invited into the home of Aun Gallery’s owners. In a garden of walnut, silver maple and mulberry trees surrounding a glistening pool and bonfire, we experienced true Persian hospitality. As we were guided through the hosts’ art collection, we sampled pistachios, walnuts and dried white mulberries from the garden, jujubes, fresh pomegranate and Persian sweets. We mixed and mingled with our new friends from the Iranian art community well into the cool Tehran night!
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Did Isfahan offer a different vibe? A more ancient vibe! Isfahan is a six-hours drive from Tehran, with rocky mountain ranges on either side of the highway. It was a zen-like road trip through arid terrain with anthill-like openings and crumbling ancient caravan-serai at regular intervals. The holes served as points to investigate blockages in ancient underground water channels (qanat) which are a marvel of ancient wisdom and engineering. We stayed at Hotel Abbasi, in balconied rooms overlooking a courtyard paradise. East and west merge in a kaleidoscope of flora – quince, orange, fig, jujube, mulberry, mandarin, loquat, persimmon, willow trees, roses, pine, begonia, dahlia and many other plant varieties. From early to late evening, families and friends gather in this garden, over chit-chat and glasses of tea or a bowl of thick, green soup. The restaurant overlooks the turquoise dome of an adjacent mosque.
One of Isfahan’s many UNESCO heritage sites is Naqsh-e-Jahan Square, the world’s largest after Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. In ancient times, polo matches were played in the courtyard as foreign dignitaries looked on from the second floor arcade of the covered bazaar. The remaining goal posts can still be seen at either ends of the square. At the impressive Iman mosque and Sheikh Lotfollah mosque we admired cobalt-blue and buttercup-yellow mosaics, and heard a reverberating call to prayer while standing beneath the dome. There, our guide demonstrated how a clap can echo seven times due to the double-dome design. The adjacent Aliqapu Palace gave us more thrilling architecture; its music room is an ornate marvel of plasterwork and geometric motifs. Nearby, the shops of the Grand Bazaar boast arts and crafts for which Isfahan is world renowned. Intricate inlaid camel-bone frames, boxes with miniature drawings, printed fabrics all demonstrate craftsmanship passed down through generations. Copper pots and Persian enamelware feature in amazing displays. Most entertaining is the drama of visiting a carpet gallery and watching rugs and kilims of all shapes and sizes being pulled out, as negotiations take place over endless cups of hot tea.
Flights between Pakistan and Iran EMIRATES Lahore-Dubai-Tehran-Dubai-Lahore Islamabad-Dubai-Tehran-Dubai-Islamabad Karachi-Dubai-Tehran-Dubai-Karachi SHAHEEN Lahore-Mashhad-Lahore
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TURKISH AIRLINES Lahore-Istanbul-Tehran-Istanbul-Lahore Karachi-Istanbul-Tehran-Istanbul-Karachi
Ticket Price ranges from
PKR 47,225 to PKR 83,445 (Prices are subject to change)
To book art, culture and leisure tours across Iran visit
www.givtravel.com
The Fin Garden of Kashan Kashan is less famous - what did you find there? The Fin Garden of Kashan was a relaxing diversion on our drive back to Tehran from Isfahan. Besides its interesting history and an irrigation system that feeds its fountains and pools, there is a teahouse to refresh oneself with a cup while seated on rugs. For lunch, we visited Manouchehrie House, a historic house transformed into a hidden gem of a boutique hotel. It houses tasteful chandeliers assembled from antique French glass. What souvenirs did you bring back home? I brought home flavoured raw-sugar discs for tea, pistachios and mixed nuts, kermani gaz nougat, honeycomb, rose water, rose-petal tea, dried fruit such as white mulberries and Isfahani sohan habeh pistachio squares. What other cities would you recommend visiting? Don’t miss out on visiting the beautiful cities of Shiraz and Yazd, if your time allows!
Did you
know? Bagh-e-Fin in Kashan is the oldest surviving Persian garden in Iran. It was completed in 1590 by the early Safavids. The great reformist Amir Kabir was assassinated on orders of King Naseeruddin Shah here. Featuring exquisite waterworks and architecture, the garden was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. The Grand Bazaar in Isfahan, also known as the Qeysarriyeh Bazaar, is one of the oldest and largest markets in the region, dating back to the 17th century when it was constructed during the Safavid period.
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The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts The museum is home to some of the finest masterpieces of modern art, yet they have remained virtually unseen for the last 40 years. It is perhaps the greatest, not to mention the biggest, collection of modern western art outside Europe and North America, featuring the works of Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gough, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Alberto Giacometti and Wassily Kandinsky amongst others. The art, now worth billions, was collected by the progressive Empress Farah Pahlavi in the 1970s, as the Shah sought to modernise the country. Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, everything western instantly turned toxic as the Ayatollah railed against “westoxifcation”. The museum safeguarded its western collection by locking it up in a basement vault as revolutionary mobs staged violent protest in the streets of Iran. It wasn't until 1999, twenty years after the revolution, that the Museum had its first post-revolution western show – a pop art exhibit featuring works by Hockney, Lichtenstein and Warhol among others. Given the deeply conservative nature of Iranian society, a lot of of the artwork is still off limits to the public, including pieces, mostly nude, by Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. As the country now moves towards reengaging with the world after years of sanctions, the museum has staged major exhibitions showcasing western art alongside the work of Iranian artists.
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from the
By Mariam Mushtaq
suitcase of
Redah Misbah Shammal Qureshi and
The power couple on travelling in style, with a toddler in tow. Photography: Imran Fareed
STYLE RULES t should not come as a surprise that a couple who met for the first time at an airport and fell in love in a foreign city are travel junkies. Redah Misbah, heir to the Depilex throne, and Shammal Qureshi, Creative Director at Toni & Guy, are perfect for each other, and not only because they share a profession and similar ambitions. It’s also because of their common love for travelling, a quality that they first discovered in each other during a chance encounter in 2009. “I had been invited to Paris to attend L’Oreal’s 100th anniversary celebrations, and I learnt that Shammal was also going to be part of the Pakistani group of stylists who were going,” recalls Redah. A last-minute hitch with her travel arrangements had her relying on Shammal, then based in Karachi, to book her air ticket. “The first time we really met was at the Karachi airport, where he was waiting for me with my ticket,” she continues. Sitting together during the 10-hour flight is what cinched the deal, adds her husband. “We had no choice but to talk to each other during the long flight; by the end, I think we knew everything about each other!”
“We are both really into art,” discloses Shammal. “We try to bring back interesting pieces from every country that we travel to. Thailand’s Chatuchak Weekend Market is a great option for burgeoning art collectors; Turkey’s another place to discover some gems.”
Being in the most romantic city in the world, Paris, only helped. “Shammal had been to Paris before so he took on the role of guide and I was more than happy to go along,” says Redah. “I did my best to impress her with my knowledge of the city; took her to fancy places to have escargots and steak, only to discover much later in our relationship that she’s a vegetarian! To her credit, she gamely played along back then,” remembers Shammal with a laugh.
Redah's Essentials
1. Hand cream 2. Masarrat Misbah Makeup silk pressed powder 3. Lip and cheek rouge by Bobbi Brown 4. Headphones 5. Book
Married in 2011, two years after that first meeting, the couple have since then given in to their combined wanderlust and travelled the globe to many interesting destinations. Their beautiful and eclectic home in Lahore’s DHA is a shrine to the treasures they bring back home.
Shammal's Essentials
1. Thin cashmere hoodie 2. iPad 3. Beats headphones 4. Guinot Men’s moisturizer 5. Sunglasses
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DESTINATIONS recently sat down with Redah, Shammal and their adorable 3-year old daughter Zoay to find out more about their travels. 118
Which one of you is the organized one when it comes to packing? Redah: Me! Shammal: I'm not exaggerating but anyone who knows Redah knows she has a crazy, intensive packing regime‌ I mean it is military. Name one item you can’t leave home without? Redah: Makeup. Shammal: Music. Describe the most memorable holiday that you two have taken together? Redah: Maldives, January 2015. Shammal surprised me with tickets to the Maldives for our 4-year anniversary. The island was on top of my bucket list and the trip was just amazing. Shammal: We had a room on top of the sea and a coral reef that we could literally climb down to from our room. We got lots of sun, swam, snorkelled and ate amazing food.
Have you ever had to deal with lost luggage? Redah: Yes!! So many times but we mostly fly Qatar and they always come through. They actually have an amazing lost luggage policy. Shammal: I've had nightmare incidents, such as the time I took someone else's luggage and they took mine only to realise the mistake when we reached our hotels 4 hours later. As young parents, what do you feel is the ideal destination when travelling with kids? Shammal: Malaysia and Thailand, because there is lots of stuff to do for adults and children. Both places are very pedestrian and child-friendly. When all else fails, there's always the beach to spend the whole day at. Redah: Zoay travels a lot domestically as we have work in different cities and also because both of our families are in Karachi. We went to Malaysia in April, as Shammal has family in Kuala Lumpur. We took her to the zoo and Aquafina, as well as to a place where you could feed monkeys. She enjoyed herself thoroughly. What tips would you give to parents travelling with young children? Redah: Stock up on snacks and little things to keep them entertained. When we travelled to Malaysia with her, I packed a small backpack with lots of small toys and games. Keep the iPad as a last resort. Shammal: Stay calm and pre-plan your day so their sleeping or eating schedule doesn't get disturbed. I've noticed if kids are well-fed and have had adequate sleep, they are good to go.
What’s your signature summer holiday look? Redah: Casual, light and fun with some statement pieces. Shammal: Short hair – don't care! What are the beauty/styling products that you swear by while on holiday? Redah: Volume Mousse by label.m and Guinot’s sun-care range. Shammal: The label.men range. What’s your favourite thing to buy on vacation? Redah: Aside from the usual clothes, shoes and Zoay’s things, I love hitting up local markets and finding quirky, one-off pieces of jewellery or things for the house. Shammal: I always go on a hunt to find local designers. Places like Thailand or Turkey have an amazing fashion scene. Then there’s always that horrid souvenir shop fridge magnet... can't come back home without it.
What’s the trick to dealing with long transits at far-away airport? Redah: Privilege cards that give you access to lounges and massages. Shammal: Two words – food court. What holiday destination are you currently dreaming of? Redah: Mauritius. Shammal: Anywhere with a beach. What’s your holiday playlist? Shammal: I'm really into my music so every destination has its own playlist that changes according to the mood. Redah really has no choice but to listen to it. Redah: And it's always great! Your favourite hotel? Shammal: Shangri-La Resort and Spa, Maldives. Redah: Le Meridian, Khao Lak, Thailand. Adventurous, romantic, laidback or party-centric – what is your favourite kind of holiday? Redah and Shammal: A little bit of it all.
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HOW TO
Tribe
with your
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Bali
is a tropical paradise that offers something for every member of the family.
A LIFE WORTH LIVING
Overview
Stayat
April to October is dry season and the best time to visit Bali. The beach towns of Kuta and Legian form one long strip of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and cafés. It’s party central and while fun, can prove to be too rowdy for some. Further north along this strip, Seminyak is quieter and more upscale. The best shopping in Bali is found in these towns. Nusa Dua has a large variety of kid-friendly resorts set amidst stunning beaches. Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali. Surrounded by small villages, rice paddies, and enchanting green forests it makes a great base for exploring the island. It’s also the best place to shop for art and local crafts.
CONRAD
Located on the coast of Nusa Dua at Tanjung Benoa, Conrad is perfectly suited for families travelling with small children. If the variety of pools and gardens and a stunning beach right at your doorstep don’t provide enough entertainment, there is the Kuru Kuru Kids Club with a host of fun activities. The hotel also offers a babysitting service for date night.
AMANUSA Overlooking the rolling fairways, Amanusa is a great option for families who like to be on their feet. Guests enjoy priority reservations at the Bali National Golf Club. There’s also all-hours tennis on the floodlit courts, or kayaking and snorkeling along the beautiful coastline.
Relax at THERMES MARINS BALI
Need some me-time? This lavish cliff-top spa will provide the ideal setting for it. Luxuriate in its aqua-tonic pool, indulge in La Mer facials or soak in a mineral lava bath, lulled into relaxation by the lapping of the waves outside.
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THE LEGIAN The Legian has been the recipient of various hospitality awards and you’ll understand why the minute you step inside this gorgeous hotel. Relax by the poolside or lounge on the beach and enjoy traditional Balinese hospitality while the kids run around the vast gardens or build castles in the sand.
KU DE TA Leave the kids with a sitter and enjoy a night out at this fabulous fine dining establishment with views that will leave you awed.
Eat at
METIS
A one-stop with a courtyard, lounge, gallery and boutique serving up delicious French cuisine.
WARUNG SOPA
ARAVINA RESTAURANT
The restaurant’s rural setting in Ubud makes it the ideal place for a leisurely family lunch. Large open fields replete with tire swings add to the rustic charm of the place. The Japanese-Indonesian fusion fare – all vegetarian – has earned rave reviews.
Located at the Bali Equestrian Centre in Canggu, Aravina is elegant yet kid-friendly, offering pony rides, play areas, swings and a sand-pit for the little ones and an array of mouth-watering dining options for you.
THE PIRATES BAY Looking for something fun and different? This pirate-themed restaurant in Nusa Dua, comprising a huge relic of a pirate ship, tree-houses, a pirate kitchen and treasure hunt activities, should fit the bill.
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A LIFE WORTH LIVING SUPERCAMP AT GREEN SCHOOL Green Camp customizes great programmes for the entire family or just for kids from ages 6–17 introducing them to local Balinese culture, whilst imparting knowledge about the environment and sustainability in creative and fun ways. They offer day as well as overnight camps. Book ahead via greenschool.org.
Bali Kids
MARCY'S SURF COACHING
with
Want to ride the waves? Located on Legian Beach, Kuta, Marcy’s is one of best surfing coaches available in Bali, offering one-on-one services for ages 3 and up.
CYCLING TOURS Cycling tours are a great way to discover Bali’s peaceful and scenic countryside. Start in view of the Mount Batur volcano at Kintamani, and wind through lush valleys, Balinese villages, past century-old temples and rich green rice fields. Gentle itineraries can be planned to suit children.
NIGHT SAFARI @ BALI SAFARI AND MARINE PARK Journey through the African Savannah in a caged tram and watch the wild animals come alive in their natural habitat. You can feed the zebras and the giraffes and watch the lions and tigers as they hunt.
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MAGALI PASCAL
Magali Pascal embodies French elegance with high-end design. Easy to wear pieces and greatly inspired by the Parisian "Bourgeois Bohème".
PRISONERS OF ST PETERSBURG
UBUD
Art
Prisoners of St Petersburg is a small but packed full of The Ubud Art Market, locally referred to as goodies boutique in the heart of fashionable Seminyak. It's one of those shops where your eyes “Pasar Seni Ubud” is located opposite the can't take in everything fast enough. The selection of Puri Saren Royal Ubud Palace and is open vintage designer sunglasses is pretty amazing and daily. Here you can find beautiful silk there are so many other great accessories to choose scarves, lightweight shirts, handmade fromyou can spend hours looking and trying things on.
woven bags, baskets and hats, statues, kites and many other handcrafted goods.
JOY JEWLLERY If you’re into beach, boho chic, you need Joy jewellery on your bod. Cute, 925 sterling fine silver charm bracelets are seen on all the lucky lovelies swanning around Bali’s coolest, new haunts. Themed around love, luck, peace or friendship, you can choose your own selection for bracelets en-masse piled high with ribbons, angels, buddhas or colourful beads throughout.
Shopat
CARGA Chic homewares and pretty objects in rattan, batik, teak, leather and wax can be found at the upscale Carga in Seminyak. Prices are surprisingly reasonable, given how unique the pieces are. From candles to ceramics, vintage prints to linens and even furniture, the range is extensive and trendy.
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MUSIC' S ROAD TO REVIVAL By Sonya Rehman
T h e 90s w e r e t h e g o lde n era o f P aki st an i mu s ic; n ow, a n e w ge n e r at ion o f mu s i c ian s i s d e t e r mine d to b rin g t h e m ag ic a n d m el o d y b ac k . The Pakistani film industry has made quite a comeback thanks to the rise of a new branch of alternative, local cinema, brought on by independent filmmakers keen to break free from typical, formulaic Lollywood. The local music scene, too, seems to be following in its footsteps. But wait, we’ll get to the progression of the current music scene in a bit; first, let ’s reminisce about the 90s. In Lahore. The early 90s to be precise. Do you remember the innocence of that bygone era; when theatrical productions, vibrant performing arts festivals, and, most importantly, concerts and gigs were regularly held in public spaces? Ah, the good old days… what many have touted as the ‘golden era’ of Pakistani music. The underground local music scene was bubbling, overflowing with heartfelt lyrics on frayed notepads; broken hearts were channelled into meaningful tunes, and the camaraderie, above all, was genuine, unpretentious and plain. No holds barred. What you saw was what you got. Bands were plenty and each was consciously part of this tangible movement, process and path to deliver music with soul. As a teen, I vividly recall concerts at Alhamra’s expansive Gadaffi Stadium and those brilliant, organic gigs held on the large, red brick rooftop of St. Anthony’s High School. 130
Collectively, the music industries of the world continue to suffer in their lack of depth – now, lyrics such as Rihanna’s Work are considered more likeable than, say, a soulful Norah Jones track – while the latter may be popular too, it isn’t as mainstream as: work, work, work, work, work, he said me haffi work, work, work… (What the hell did I just listen to?) One in particular (at St. Anthony’s), was a concert held by The Trip. Belting out Pink Floyd covers and their own tracks from their EP, ‘Middle of Nowhere’, the band’s lead vocalist, Babar Khan, was a sight for sore eyes – tall, unaffected, unapologetically charismatic, and with his closely cropped beard and thick wavy hair, Khan was one of the most well-known musicians part of Lahore’s thriving (underground) music scene. Bands such as Co-ven, The Trip, Mindriot, Midnight Madness, Entity and Paradigm and more, formed a coalition, a brotherhood, if you will. And the best part? Music was not mainstream, diluted by the demands of multinationals and commercialism. No. However things have changed. Now, singers and musicians have found themselves vying for the ‘next big project’ across the border in India, particularly Bollywood. But hey, that isn’t a bad thing. The fact that our best singing sensations make a name for themselves in Bollywood is a feather in our cap. Yet by the same token, it is slightly heart-breaking, knowing how our artistes stay firmly rooted in Pakistan, amidst the curve balls constantly thrown their way. Coke Studio revived Pakistani music to an extent, but once the fizz got too strong, the music lost its ‘Pakistaniat’, its depth. But then there are other home-grown artistes and bands such as Overload, Noori, Zeb and Haniya, the Mekaal Hasan Band and others who have continued to produce music for the love of the art form, who have truly struggled to keep their kitchens running by not only personally funding their artistic endeavours, but also doing the odd corporate event here and there. But can you blame them? Security concerns and a heavy-duty entertainment tax changed the game, and thus, not only altered the kind of music our musicians were playing, but also, consumer demands. The media boom, while positive (thanks, Musharraf), also exposed the average listener to Bollywood and commercial western pop in a big way: our music tastes, and yen for the Lady Gagas and Queen Beys quadrupled. (Side note: commercialism killed off plaid-wearing throaty grunge, too.)
Bu t co ming back t o L ah o r e ’s mu si c s ce ne , t h e r e is a g limme r of h o pe f or no n-co r p or ate co nce r t s and gi gs. I t ’s p ick ing u p. 131
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LACAS MEIN KUCH KHAAS
ALI SETHI A recent event put together by L ACAS Mein Kuch Khaas saw the performance of a relatively new young artiste, Ali Sethi, well-known in the Lahori social circuit as a journalist and an author.
Unlike some, Sethi didn’t make a loud, grand entrance onto the dais of local music, instead, he quietly made his presence felt through a number of singles and covers, namely Dil Jalanay Ki Baat Karte Ho (part of Mira Nair’s adaptation of ‘ The Reluctant Fundamentalist ’), Kit hay Nain Na Jori (with a video directed by Sarmad Khoosat featuring Adnan S iddiqui and Sania Saee d), his beautiful, earthy Coke Studio (Season 8) performance of Umran Langiyaan, and his collaboration with Pakistani folk artist Jamaldin on Mahi Mera, among others.
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“I don't expect any major changes in the next few years,” states Sethi, when asked about the Pakistani music scene’s current standing, “Here's the reason for my scepticism: most young musicians are still not interested in the study of music. And the ones who want to study it don't have the means, or access to good teachers, and are likely to give up.” Sethi is one of the lucky, privileged few. Having received training and guidance from the classical vocalist maestro, Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami, in addition to the great Farida Khanum, the young musician’s niche in music is strengthening, slowly gaining momentum. In the process of writing his second novel (the first being ‘The Wish Maker’ published in 2009), and eventually releasing his first album, the young artiste is concerned about mainstream, commercial tunes that have begun to infiltrate each and every broadcast medium. These vapid, showy numbers, he says, is what one should be concerned about. “Until a decade ago the Urdu ghazal, which is rooted in classical raags and taals, was an extremely lucrative musical form,” he says, “I don't think we should be wary of commercial success per se. It's the terrible uniformity of contemporary Indo-Pakistani music that worries me. Let me elaborate: the tinny, flashy, typical, cheesy, cheap stuff that passes nowadays for ‘soulful’ music and infects everything in its vicinity (indie pop, ‘sufi’ rock, even qawwali for heaven's sake!) – that's what I find worrying. But that too will only be fixed when young musicians go back to the sources, to the meaning and context of their musical traditions. Until then no improvement is possible.”
“Let me clarify, I'm not a purist, not at all,” Sethi emphasizes, “But I don't think you can have a fusion of musical styles until you are intimate with the strands being fused.” While unconventional Indie bands such as Red Blood Cat, Basheer & The Pied Pipers, Keeray Makoray and others have carved out little niches for themselves locally, the revival of the magic of the 90s music scene is way off the cards for now. But one must remember, the charm of each era cannot be attributed to one particular aspect – there are many factors at play – the cultural and societal fabric at the time; what kind of literature was being read? What was being spoken about at dinner parties and at homes? What was society being exposed to in terms of the media at large? In their classrooms? What were the holistic socio-political factors which made the thinkers, artists, musicians, teachers and writers who they were? Each bygone era is summoned with some amount of nostalgia and longing – we were younger then, the times were simpler then, we say, looking back. Soon, we will look back on this very era of Pakistani music, associating a song, an album and a jingle with some amount of wistfulness. Last year, I found myself attending a Strings concert held at Global Village in Dubai. The energy was brilliant, and the performance: fresh and incredible. Among a crowd full of life singing along to Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood’s greatest hits, Pakistani music, I realized, would never lose its Pakistaniat and its endearing desi-ness. Like a cup of perfect doodh-patti, scratch the flashy, plastic surface, and it’ll always be there.
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A WORLD OF GOOD
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Agents of
change By Mariam Mushtaq
Meet the dreamers, doers and innovators who not only challenge the status quo but play a key role in remodelling and transforming the lifestyle, social condition and economic standing of communities, countries and sometimes even the world at large. These inspirational beings are identified by the projects they take on and the positive changes they help bring about.
Board
Namal College of
If you live in Lahore, chances are you’re quite familiar with the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway – the road many a city dweller takes in search of scenic mountain views up north. What you probably don’t know, however, is that a little detour off the motorway near the Salt Range, right in the heart of Punjab, will lead you to a picturesque little valley surrounded by mountains that can easily rival the peaks of the northern areas. This is the Namal Valley, near Mianwali, and apart from its stunning natural landscape, it also boasts of an impressive man-made institution – the Namal College, a state-of-the art educational facility that aims to provide quality education to Pakistan’s substantial rural population. Aleema Khan, a member of the college board, explained the vision behind the educational institution. Set up by her brother and PTI Chairman Imran Khan in 2008, it quickly expanded from providing only short courses to the nearby communities into a full-fledged university offering undergraduate programmes in Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering. “The real vision for Namal is far ahead of its time – to set up a Knowledge City that consists of six different schools, faculty and student residences, research facilities, a library, sports complex etc.,” she explains. While she stresses that the college is open to students from all backgrounds, 90% of the young men and women who form the current study body come from low-income households and receive financial aid. Khan explains why that’s so:
“For many rural families, the cost of a simple admissions test can act as a deterrent to putting their children into colleges and universities. By removing this barrier, we have managed to attract a diverse body of students from across 56 districts of Pakistan and are providing them quality higher education.” 135
A WORLD OF GOOD
For many rural families, the cost of a simple admissions test can act as a deterrent to putting their children into colleges and universities.
What makes Namal a real centre for change is the fact that contrary to the common practice of establishing universities in urban centres, it has brought educational facilities to a previously under-developed region, and is working towards creating an entire rural economy based around the Knowledge City. In the bargain, students from surrounding districts have the chance to experience world-class education. The college is affiliated with the University of Bradford and offers the same courses as those available at the UK University. It also runs regular exchange programmes with its partner university, providing its students valuable international exposure and an enriching personal and academic experience. Khan speaks proudly of a Namal student hailing from Attock who spent a few weeks at Bradford recently and outshone others who came from much more privileged backgrounds. Visitors to Namal, and there are many, both local and foreign, are charmed not only by the stunning natural beauty of the valley but also the positive relationship its students share with their surrounding community and environment. Every evening, a number of them gather a group of village children from around the area and teach them basic English and Math. Some conduct yoga classes. And there are others who grow vegetables, rear poultry and run a dairy farm in an effort to make the college self-sustaining. “We are inculcating in our students a desire to give back to the college and the community. The idea is that eventually Namal will have a self-sustaining model run entirely by the students themselves,” stresses Khan. In the same vein, she also explains that special care is being taken to preserve the natural environment, including the neighbouring lake. “There is so much beauty here. Not many know about the sulphur springs that exist in Namal. We want to foster eco-tourism around its natural landscape and not only encourage people to visit but also give our students yet another reason to be proud of their country and all that it has to offer.” For patrons of Namal, their pride stems from the fact that the college is a much-needed stepping-stone for a large rural population towards improved career and lifestyle prospects. Access to higher education can be the key determinant of an individual’s, a community’s and indeed a country’s chance to unlock their true potential and Namal is providing exactly that opportunity.
Nurturing Nature
N
amal’s founders have taken special care to build the college in a manner that respects the spectacular landscape around it. Omar Hassan, the architect responsible for the current works underway, which include the construction of a road that connects the vast area as well as a new college wing, explains how. “In order not to take away from the raw natural beauty of the area, we have had to discover spaces within the landscape where the buildings can be nestled unobtrusively. Special care has been taken not to disrupt the natural flow of water from the lake. The entire focus is on trying to create a symbiotic relationship between the architecture and the environment, so that the building complements rather than overwhelms, yet retains its functionality.” While such an environmentally friendly approach may sound like a modern concept to many, Hassan stresses on the fact that the idea is firmly rooted in the past and within the history of our land. “Civilizations such as Harappa and Moenjodaro set up cities in a manner that not only respected their surroundings but were also particular to the climate and environment. We’re looking at the past and using new technology to give it shape.” Care has been taken to use indigenous materials and employ labour from around the area as much as
at
Namal
possible, in order to create a sense of ownership within the rural community while creating long-term sustainability. But while the hands that are building the college might be local, Namal’s founders have ensured that the best creative minds from around the world have been consulted in designing the project. Be it the legendary British architect Lord Foster or the recently deceased visionary Zaha Hadid, experts from around the world have been involved in the creation of this mega-project. Hassan likens the Knowledge City to Chandigarh in India, considered by many to be the best example of modern architecture and planning. “The city, once its completed, is set to redefine urbanization as we know it,” he concludes.
A WORLD OF GOOD
The Valley of
By Azeem Ahmed Khan Namal College is located in the picturesque Namal Valley, which is host to some spectacular scenery. The college building is sandwiched between a lake and a mountain, standing out and blending in at the same time. Namal Lake is actually a dam built by the British in 1913. A den for migratory birds, including Russian ducks and Siberian cranes, it can be accessed from the college either by boat or through a breathtaking hour-long hike. The short walk from the college to the boatway is an interesting one. You first notice an old graveyard, which predates the formation of Pakistan. Next up is a masjid almost on top of the water. After a short walk you reach an abandoned well built by the British. This is where you hop on a boat and start the short ride to the dam.
It takes fifteen minutes to get to the dam, but that time is well spent marvelling at the scenery that surrounds the area. The landscape narrows and the water is surrounded by barren mountains on three sides, creating a stunning vista that makes the traveller forget the mundane realities of normal life, if only for a while. A deep red in colour, and in some places even displaying shades of purple, the mountains in the area are rich in minerals and on the other side of the dam’s walls, sulphur springs sprout forth from them. There are date palm trees around the springs and a healing mineral bath can provide the perfect denouement to a soothing trip. The dam itself seems like a rickety piece of work, mainly due to the neglect it has faced. Remarkably, though, it managed to hold strong in last year’s floods, saving the people of the area from considerable destruction.
Getting there There are numerous routes that can be taken to get to Namal. The quickest two take five hours from Lahore. Along the motorway, the Balkassar Interchange at the Talagang exit ensures a drive on top-notch roads. The 90-minute drive off the motorway to Namal is a treasure trove of excellent truck hotels, which provide delicious street food and the special doodh patti served in these parts. It is cooked on log fire and many places make it with gurr instead of refined sugar. Alternatively, you can travel on GT road via Mianwali. This path just has to be experienced by those who consider themselves foodies. Just before Namal, at Musakhel, a man sells Jungli Pulao, famous throughout these parts, as evidenced by the fact that the food is sold out for the day by 11:00 am. This dish of soft creamy rice served with a hunk of tender and juicy beef and an assortment of vegetables is legendary and must be sampled by any self-respecting food lover in the country. Those who are more adventurous of spirit will be well served taking other roads less travelled. Coming through the mysterious yet majestic Soan Valley to Namal will take the traveller through a vast and varied landscape that possesses wonders that cannot be fathomed by a mind that has not yet been exposed to such scenery. The myths of robbers and dacoits are fanciful as the people here are extremely hospitable and will make it their obligation to help their travelling guests. Despite the apparent backwardness of the area, its inhabitants are rich at heart and hold a happy countenance.
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debut
Photography: Faisal Farooqui Jaffer Hasan m Lotus, lina and Tea e S ii, e p m o P memorable! m at for making it if and his tea rt sh a ta K -s e to R t t u a o ut and his team A special sho S and Shahid J& m a Te d n Jalal a
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Saad Kureishi, Juju Haider and Waleed Khalid
Shaheryar and Asma Chishty
Mohsin Sayeed and Babra Sharif
Sadia Rashid, Aneela Shah, Aamna Taseer and Yasmin Khan
Kamiar Rokni
Umar Sayeed and Faraz Manan
Ayesha Noon Shahid Akbar and Sara Shahid
Khadija Shah and Rehan Bashir
Rashid and Aroosa Rana
Nooray Nooray Bhatti Bhatti
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Mariam and Aasim
Kanwal Ilyas Tania and Faisal Siddiqui
Zahra and Ayaz
Ali Sethi
Rizwan and Selina
Sabene Saigol and Jehanara Saigol
Umar Khan, Hira Ali and Shanzay Sheikh
Yousaf Shahbaz
Jamal Rehman with the band Tonight, Us
Waleed and Nuria Iqbal
Sharjeel Baig
Maheen Kardar and Maida
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Imrana Tiwana
Nida Bano and Jarrar Shah
Natasha Saigol and Mehek Saeed
Khurram, Zubaida, Rida and Nabeel
Ayla Sattar
Umair and Fatima Fazli
Aleemah Noon and Zohra Rehman
Ali Ahsan
Jaffar Ali
Momina Sibtain and Attiya Noon
Waleed, Nadia and Shahid Faruki Mian Imran Masood Asma, Rehan, Juju and Omar
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Mishel and Shah Elahi
Waleed and Fatima Zaman
Wasim and Chanda
Sara Haider
Sadaf Zarrar
Raza Dada and Qudsia Rahim
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Tania and Shahreen
Shaheryar Chishty and Babar Hamid
Jalal Salahuddin
Syra, Sana, Aziza and Shumail
Zafar Paracha, Shaheryar Chishty and Muqeet Salam
Mohammad and Sadia Ahmed Elahi, Mahsheed Mohiuddin and Omar Malik
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TALK OF THE TOWN
HONG KONG
Celebrated artist Shahzia Sikander recently presented her first major solo exhibition in Hong Kong at the Asia Society. The body of work explores Hong Kong’s colonial complexity, both historical and current. Installed within the Former Explosives Magazine Compound of Asia Society Hong Kong Center, the exhibition includes drawings on paper and large-scale animations and will be on display till July 9.
Amna and Ali Naqvi of AAN Foundation, lead sponsors of the exhibition
Shahzia Sikander
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Ronnie Chan, Chairman Asia Society, Hong Kong
Alice Mong, Executive Director Asia Society
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TALK OF THE TOWN
VIENNA
Dr. Ebba Koch and Aisha Khalid
UNIVERSAL / PERSONAL Contemporary art from Pakistan found a space at the Hinterland Gallery in Vienna during a recent exhibition titled “Personal/Universal�. Curated by artist, curator and art educationist Aisha Khalid, the group exhibition featured works of emerging young artists trained in the technique of miniature painting. The featured artists included Aisha Abid Hussain, Rubaba Haider, Rehana Mangi, Ali Kazim, Noor Ali Chagani, Hammad Gillani and Adeel-uz Zafar.
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Pakistani Ambassador in Vie
nna Ayesha Riaz, Dr. Ebba Koc
h and Aisha Abid Hussain
Ali Kazim
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TALK OF THE TOWN
LAHORE
L'Oréal’s
Ambassador of Fashion
Fashion, art and colour came together as L'Oréal Paris Excellence Crème celebrated their latest ‘Ambassador of Fashion’ collaboration with designer Kamiar Rokni through an intimate soirée in Lahore. Lahore’s socialites and fashionistas were treated to delicious canapés and a fabulous display of Rokni’s ‘Art of Colour’ collection, which paid tribute to art movements around the world.
Musharaf Hai and Kamiar Rokni
Mehreen Syed
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Amna Baber and Ali Xeeshan Aabroo , Maida and Maram
The Lahore Social
Team L'OrĂŠal
Rehan Bashir
Zara Peerzada
Asma Chishty and Attiya Noon
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TALK OF THE TOWN
HYDERABAD
Lahooti Melo2016
Alternative, mainstream and folk all came together at the Lahooti Melo 2016, a first of its kind performing arts festival held in Hyderabad, Sindh. Music, poetry and dance featured prominently at the two-day event, which brought together artists from across Pakistan.
Sara Haider
Khaula Jamil Taimur Rehman
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The audience
Yousaf Bashir Qureshi
Ahsan Bari
Arieb Azhar
Zoe Viccaji and Saif Samejo
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