AUGUST 2-8 2015
Feature
Good vibrations
Cover Story
Sound therapy hits all the right notes for children with speech disorders
Smoke and mirrors Three years after the Baldia Town tragedy, factory fires still threaten lives
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18 Feature
A journey of selfexploration
Feature
Takes two to tanga Once a popular mode of transport in Peshawar, horse-drawn carriages no longer draw commuters
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Author Anam Zakaria delves deeper into the subcontinent’s partition
32 Regulars
6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people 38 Reviews: Movies 42 Health: As the heat and humidity turn up, so do pimples on your skin
Magazine Incharge: Dilaira Dubash. Senior Subeditors: Sanam Maher and Ali Haider Habib. Subeditor: Komal Anwar Creative Team: Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Mohsin Alam, Talha Ahmed Khan, Hira Fareed, Maryam Rashid, Eesha Azam and Sanober Ahmed Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk 4 Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com
PEOPLE & PARTIES Fizza and Jawad
Nazim Sheikh & Yasmin Nazim host an Iftar dinner at Cafe Aylanto in Lahore
Zara and Murad
Mehreen Syed
6 AUGUST 2-8 2015
Yousaf Fayez and Sabeeka
Fatima Ejaz, Xille Huma and Ashi
PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR
Amna Imtiaz, Shahzada Farhad and Lubna
Lalarukh, Nazim Sheikh, Yasmin Nazim, Ahmad and Zara
Misha Rahman, Humaira and Imtisal Zafar
PEOPLE & PARTIES Aimen and Anny
PHOTOS COURTESY TAKEII
Hibah, Aiman and Nazish
Nadia Waseem and Humaira Asghar
Anum Tanveer
Saadia Mazhar and Talha
8 AUGUST 2-8 2015
Production 021 and S&S event designers organised their annual Eid bazaar in Karachi
Amna, Sidra and Anam
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PHOTOS COURTESY YTAKEII
Hamid and Sadaf
Ushna
Lahreyb Shamsi Kyra Chaudhry
Rubab Masood
10 AUGUST 2-8 2015
Sadia Nawabi
Beena Hassan
Sarwat Gilani
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Maria Ahmad
Sarah Anees and Taymur Peracha
Sarah Anees exhibits her Eid collection in Karachi
Serena Chaudhry
12 AUGUST 2-8 2015
Zainab and Jamal
Kanwal Khandwala
PHOTOS COURTESY WALNUT COMMUNICATIONS
Danial and Gulrukh
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Mikail Soomro and Tuba Arshad
Saira Soomro
Fatima Afzal
14 AUGUST 2-8 2015
Emad, Ana and Nashaata
Sarah and Zainab
PHOTOS COURTESY WALNUT COMMUNICATIONS
Omaira Anees
Sound therapy is increasingly being used to treat people with mental illnesses in rehabilitation centres.
GOOD VIBRATIONS Sound therapy is hitting all the right notes among children afямВicted by speech disorders BY ISHRAT ANSARI PHOTOS BY ARIF SOOMRO DESIGN BY HIRA FAREED
Practioners say sound therapy must be integrated with other approaches to be fully effective.
Sound can change your mood and concentration, just by altering a few frequencies As I entered a room full of musical instruments, I was greeted by the sound of a beating drum. Five-yearold Alamdar was sitting before the drum kit, while sound therapist Faisal Gill read out a poem to him. “This is the start of our session and I am trying to bring him in the mood,” Gill explained. “Keep watching and see what Alamdar does,” he said. In a few minutes, the child was up and excited, running around the room. He did not make much conversation; instead, he touched all the musical instruments in the room, playing with them. Alamdar is at Keynotes, a Karachi-based institute, for speech therapy that harnesses the power of sound. Sound can change your mood and concentration, just by altering a few frequencies, explained Gill. He has been treating behavioural, physical, mental and speech disorders through sound therapy for the last six years. As he explains it, the human body is comprised of different 20 energy frequencies, which can be balanced AUGUST 2-8 2015
and altered by generating various sound frequencies. At Keynotes, everyone is ‘treated with a unique sound’, according to Gill. Sahar Abid, Alamdar’s mother, says her son suffered from delayed speech till the age of three. He could not form a single sentence; so, his parents took him to a prominent private hospital for treatment. However, there was no improvement. Alamdar’s parents then took him to Ziauddin Hospital’s speech therapy department where he was able to form a couple of sentences within just a few weeks. Gill also teaches at Ziauddin Hospital. “During a one-on-one sound therapy session, a child uses maximum energy and tries to get rid of anxiety,” Abid explained. “It also helps the child focus while playing an instrument. The session also improves their concentration power.” Although sound therapy has been introduced in Pakistan fairly recently, it is being used to treat people with mental illnesses in rehabilitation centres such as The Recovery House (TRH), where Gill also works.
At TRH, 25-year-old Asif Hussain played the guitar as half a dozen of Gill’s students picked up other instruments. “Many clients don’t take part in all the sessions here at TRH, but in Gill’s session the attendance is always 100%,” said TRH co-founder Khusro Karamat Elley. Gill explains that humans have the largest range of the sound spectrum from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Thus they are blessed with the ability to communicate and use language. “I understand sounds and use these frequencies to communicate not only in linguistics but also telepathically,” Gill says. “The idea is that we are all scanners. We are constantly receiving and emitting frequencies. Those with any malfunction of such communicable frequencies suffer and ultimately succumb to mind disorders.” As Gill puts it, the human body feels rejuvenated after a workout and the case is similar with the mind — the ‘draining’ of sounds produces a similar positive effect. Gill said that harps, flutes, xylophones and bright timbers help individuals feel ecstatic and calm and are the most common instruments being used to treat patients with depression. On the other hand, flutes help children in speech therapy as they learn to produce sounds. Microphones and rhythm integrate both the temporal and spatial centres of the brain. Gill charges Rs1,500 per session at Keynotes, which is at times reduced to Rs750 as the child progresses. He waives the fee for those unable to afford the sessions. According to Gill, it takes a couple of months for children and patients with mental illnesses to show signs of recovery. The sound therapy process is a catalyst and must be integrated with other therapies and interventions, he says. Gill believes that the future of sound therapy is very bright in Pakistan. “I continue to work here despite that fact that I was threatened by fanatics to stop using music to heal or cure mental illnesses,” he shared. “I am determined to pursue this form of therapy fully, despite any hurdles or threats and alibis that music is ‘haram’,” he says firmly. t
Five-year-old Alamdar suffered from delayed speech prior to his visits to Keynotes.
Ishrat Ansari works at The Express Tribune Karachi desk. She tweets @Ishrat_ansari AUGUST 2-8 2015
21
&
Smoke Mirrors
Factory fires have claimed hundreds of lives in Pakistan, yet little is being done to prevent a tragedy such as the one in Baldia Town from recurring BY KOMAL ANWAR | DESIGN BY EESHA AZAM
Nearly three years have passed since the worst factory fire in recorded human history punched gaping holes in Karachi’s feeble fabric on September 11, 2012. The raging inferno at Ali Enterprises claimed 260 lives and left another 600 injured. Poor safety measures, criminal negligence and an absolute disregard for labour laws resulted in the tragic incident. Yet, lives continue to be lost and more dreams go up in smoke. Protecting the labour force at factories is a collective effort by all stakeholders, including owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, consultants, regulatory bodies and non-governmental organisations. However, failure to implement adequate safety measures poses a serious hazard for those working in risky environments, and they’re paying for this with their lives. The fire at the garment factory of Ali Enterprises in Baldia Town erupted when a boiler exploded and chemicals stored on the premises fuelled the resultant flames. According to Section 23 of the Factories Act 1934, every factory should have an appropriate fire exit. Yet, what transpired on that September day was the first of a drawn out exercise of smoke and mirrors. “There was only one exit and my son was left in a helpless state, waiting for his death,” says Abdul Aziz Khan, father of 19-year-old Attaullah Nabeel who died in the fire. Many workers suffocated to death when dense smoke engulfed the factory basement. The owners reportedly shut all exits except one in fear of their merchandise being stolen. Workers present on the upper floors of the five-storey building tried to somehow bend or break the metal bars on windows, jumping out of any open space that would allow their bodies to pass through.
The Baldia factory fire on September 11, 2012 took 260 lives and left another 600 injured. PHOTO: AFP
The fire at Ali Enterprises erupted when a boiler exploded and chemicals stored on the premises fuelled the resultant flames. PHOTO: AFP
Grave as it was, the tragedy was only exacerbated by another fire at a shoe factory in Lahore the same day. The two-storey building was constructed for residential purposes but was illegally being used commercially. Around 25 people were killed in the incident. One would think the two fires would be enough to stir entrepreneurs and the government to strive and eliminate the possibility of any such tragedies in the future. But unfortunately, few, if any, lessons were learnt. According to a consolidated report on fire emergencies (2007-2012) released by Punjab emergency service Rescue 1122, fires erupted due to short circuiting in 5,876 factories, industrial units, houses, shops, shopping malls and trade markets in Lahore, followed by Faisalabad with 2,500 and Rawalpindi with 1,335. Recklessness and smoking were the reasons behind 578 fire cases in Multan, 333 in Gujranwala and 323 in Sahiwal. There have also been multiple factory fire incidents this year. On February 17, a fire erupted at a shoe factory on Khayaban-e-Sir Syed in Rawalpindi. A short circuit triggered the fire which spread in the presence of plastic shoes and chemicals. No casualties were reported but the factory sustained an estimated loss of Rs0.5 million. 28 On June 3, 2015, a fire broke out at a towel factory in AUGUST 2-8 2015
New Karachi. The flames engulfed all three floors of the building and soon spread to another towel factory next door. It took more than 10 fire tenders and a snorkel to dowse the blaze, which was a declared a third-degree fire. Another fire erupted on June 24 this year at a shoe warehouse in the Sher Shah area of Karachi. Fire fighting officials categorised this too as a third-degree blaze. On July 22, a fire broke out at a towel factory in Karachi. It took around seven hours for the fire fighters to put out the blaze. Fortunately, no loss of lives was reported in any of the incidents.
Cutting corners Ali Enterprises was not registered with the Directorate of Labour as required under Section 9 of the Factories Act 1934 and Section 3 of Factories Rules, nor was the building’s structure lawfully approved by any authority. A majority of the workers did not have appointment letters and were not registered with the Employees Old Age Benefits Institute (EOBI). Almost all of them worked under an illegal third party contract system, without any collective bargaining rights in the absence of a trade union. Work hours ranged from 10 to 14 a day without any provision for overtime pay. Records show Ali Enterprises had officially registered just
There was only one exit and my son was left in a helpless state, waiting for his death 200 workers, when in reality, over 1,500 people toiled in the factory. President of Baldia Factory Fire Affectees Association and father of 22-year-old Muhammad Jahanzeb who died in the incident, Muhammad Jabbir is still scrambling for monetary compensation. “Nawaz Sharif promised to pay Rs300,000 to every victim’s family, but we still haven’t received anything from him,” Jabbir says of the prime minister, who assumed power nearly a year after the unfortunate event. However, Jabbir acknowledges the compensation given by others. The factory owners paid Rs200,000 to bereaved families, while German company KiK paid Rs500,000. The government also gave Rs200,000 as group insurance while business magnate Malik Riaz paid Rs200,000 to half of the affected families. It is not just about money. Many lost their family’s sole breadwinners so financial considerations are a major factor in their quest for justice, but the apathy of different stakeholders in ensuring this does not happen again is a greater cause for their anger. At present, there is a case being pursued against German company KiK, which purchased 80% of the goods produced at Ali Enterprises, while Italian audit firm RINA is also facing litigation over the issuance of a clearance certificate
Abdul Aziz Khan, father of 19-yearright before old Attaullah Nabeel who died in the the incident. incident While RINA claims it sent subcontractors to visit and inspect the factory in August 2012, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) Executive Director Karamat Ali maintains RINA gave the factory the SA8000 certification — meaning that it met international standards in nine areas, including health and safety, child labour and minimum wages — without even carrying out an inspection.
Dormant labour laws Though Pakistan is a signatory to many international labour conventions, they are hardly implemented by factories. The only legislation on health and safety is the Hazardous Occupation Rule 1963 under the Factories Act 1934. The act consolidates and amends laws relating to the regulation of labour in factories in the country. It includes the role of labour inspection, restrictions on working hours, holidays with pay, special provisions for adolescents and children, penalties and procedure. It also contains a chapter on health and safety of workers 29 AUGUST 2-8 2015
Men grieve for their relatives after the factory fire at Baldia Town. PHOTO: AFP
and hygiene conditions at workplaces. Chapter III of the act includes laws on factory inspections, hygienic conditions (ventilation and temperature, dust and fumes, artificial humidification, lighting, overcrowding, drinking water, sanitary facilities), precaution in case of fire, and precautions against dangerous fumes, eye protection, safety of building, machinery and manufacturing. However, these laws are practically obsolete and do not conform to international practices. Pakistan ratified the ILO Labour Inspection Convention (1947) in 1953. Under this convention, Pakistan is bound to educate and inform employers and workers on their legal rights and obligations concerning all aspects of labour protection and labour laws, advise employers and workers to comply with the requirements of the law, and enable inspectors to report to superiors on problems and defects that are not covered by laws and regulations. “Most of the problems in the industrial sector are with regards to wages, working conditions, occupational health and safety at the workplace, and the right to form a trade union and bargain collectively,” explains Deputy General Secretary of the National Trade Unions Federation, Nasir Mansoor. According to a report published in 2013 by the Employees Old Age Benefit Institute and the Sindh Employees Social Security Institute, only 3% of workers have appointment letters, while only 4-4.5% are registered under the social security
Nawaz Sharif promised to pay Rs300,000 to every victim’s family, but we still haven’t received anything from him Bereaved parent Muhammad Jabbir
institute responsible for health care of workers and their families. Similarly, only 4% of workers are registered with the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution and the Workers Welfare Fund. Agrarian workers, who comprise half of the labour force, are not covered under any scheme as they are not considered workers under labour laws anywhere except in Sindh. Hence, they have no right to form a trade union or to fight for labour related rights. On the other hand, international brands use the ISO and social auditing certifications through international audit firms and code of conduct mutually signed with local manufacturers as a smokescreen to avoid the responsibility of implementing local labour laws and ILO conventions.
Ensuring a safe work environment Piler Executive Director Karamat Ali cites lack of awareness regarding legal provisions pertaining to the rights of workers as one of the major problems affecting the safety and wellbeing of factory employees. “The employer is responsible for displaying provisions of the law inside the factory in languages the workers understand,” he says. To prevent such fires, a site safety manager should
establish fire-fighting facilities and ensure trained personnel are available in case of any emergency. An evacuation plan also needs to be implemented, says Ali. A chief fire officer should be appointed to assist the safety manager, impart effective practical training to fire fighting teams and coordinate with the city fire brigade and civil authorities. Though most factories completely disregard such precautions, some like Searle Pharmaceutical Company in Karachi have strived to ensure adequate fire fighting facilities. The company has a fire hydrant system which consists of underground water tanks, pumps and pipelines. There are three underground water tanks of 45,000, 35,000 and 10,000 gallons, respectively. Proactive companies like Searle, however, are few and far between. To ensure a tragedy such as Baldia Town doesn’t take place again, every factory owner needs to take the onus of securing their employees. Unless that is done, we will have only ashes to contend with after each such fire. Ashes from which no phoenix will rise.t
Komal Anwar is a subeditor at The Express Tribune magazine desk. She tweets @Komal1201
Precautionary measures at Searle Pharmaceutical Company to fight small fires. PHOTO CREDIT: ARIF SOOMRO
FEATURE
A journey of self-exploration Author Anam Zakaria shares what compelled her to write a book on the subcontinent’s Partition BY AMEL GHANI PHOTOS BY MOHAMMAD AHSAN DESIGN BY SANOBER AHMED
In 2009, Muhammad Rauf visited his home town of Puthligar for the first time since ’62. And even then, as Rauf stood within the city he had been born in, he could not step off the bus and on to the streets that seemed so familiar. Puthligar is in India and being a Pakistani citizen, Rauf required a visa to venture off the bus and into his hometown. While Rauf passed away a few years ago, his story along with others can be found in Anam Zakaria’s new book The Footprints of Partition which traces the journey of four different generations since the subcontinent’s Partition. Taking the narratives of 14 different people, Zakaria’s book explores the emotions of those who left a little part of themselves behind on the other side of the border. These individuals share their memories from before the Partition 32 and Zakaria wanted them to remember a AUGUST 2-8 2015
time before the blood, gore and violence and talk about the relationships that existed. Like many others in the country, Zakaria has also grown up listening to stories of Partition. For her, the source was her maternal
Before this I remember the only time I felt a bit curious about the whole thing was when I was filling in a visa application and my father’s birthplace was stated as India Anam Zakaria
grandmother. “I don’t know if these were the only stories she told me or these were the ones that stuck throughout. I believe it was a bit of both. It was memories like these that became predominant with her and over time, also stuck with me,” says Zakaria, talking about how she witnessed Partition through the eyes of her grandmother, who volunteered at the refugee camps in Walton, Lahore. “So, when I thought about Partition, I thought about blood and I thought about corpses and refugees and heat and humidity. I didn’t really think about friends. The first time I asked my grandmother about her friends was when I started thinking about writing the book,” she adds. This is true for most of us who have read or heard stories of Partition. With that slight hint of nostalgia, there is always tragedy — a family that was left behind, killed or maimed. We are all familiar with stories of trains arriving filled with dead people; of women being kidnapped and raped; of people leaving behind friends,
homes, property and wealth, to flee the violence and settle in the area that was now theirs. Zakaria believes stories of struggle are a way for the older generation to make us realise the importance of Pakistan. “It’s kind of like a history lesson for children,” she says. The book, though, has been a way for her to move past those lessons and explore a different aspect of Partition. “I had heard Partition stories because growing up in Pakistan everyone is familiar with them,” she says, but adds this is not where her curiosity to discover “the other” started. That came much later when she started working with The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP). “When I started writing the book, I had been with CAP for some time, and I had been conducting oral interviews for its oral history project.” It was while hearing the different experiences of people that she realised that these stories needed to be told. But it was ultimately the story of Rauf that touched her enough to actually start working on the book. “He was really old, in his 70s. Partition came up during the interview and he told us the story about how he had been to India but had not been able to visit his home,” narrates Zakaria, recalling the moment she finally decided to sit down and write. From then on, she not only decided to collect stories she wanted to tell but also started asking more questions about her own family and where they came from. “Before this, I remember the only time I felt a bit curious about the whole thing was when I was filling in a visa application and my father’s birthplace was stated as India.” She says that despite all her research there are still things that she does not know about her own family. Zakaria’s book provides a very subjective view of these Partition stories. This reflects in the way she has picked the individuals for her book. “I chose stories that touched me the most,” she says candidly. She is very clear about 33 AUGUST 2-8 2015
FEATURE
Taking the narratives of 14 different people, Zakaria’s book explores the emotions of those who left a little part of themselves behind on the other side of the border the fact that her book showcases her own journey of learning and, at times, unlearning. Apart from stories of Partition survivors, Zakaria also traces how these stories have been conveyed through generations. Her’s is a generation that she can relate to more. She talks about her friend Owais who spends hours looking for his ancestral home in India, but the interest is merely on his father’s behalf. He himself does not seem very nostalgic about it. She also reflects on her situation: despite visiting India multiple times, she never made an effort to visit Batala, the city her father had migrated from. Her book also discusses the animosity that seems to be entrenched into the minds of the younger generation. While heading the Student Exchange Program with India as part of CAP’s Exchange for Change Programme, she faced the hostile attitude first-hand. The project involved exchanging letters with students in India. “Some of the students
32 AUGUST 2-8 2015
flat-out refused, but eventually we talked to them and convinced them,” she said. During the months that followed, Zakaria says she saw the attitudes change with only one or two letter exchanges. “The children seemed to realise that the others across the border were very similar to them.” It because of this experience that when I ask her what a good way of lessening the hatred between the newer generations is, she promptly replies, “It’s people to people interaction, as clichéd as it may sound.” Throughout our discussion we’ve skirted around the politics of the issue; Pakistan’s relations with India, the way history is taught in schools and the propaganda within both countries, a large part of which is based on rhetoric of injustices and atrocities committed against the other. It stands there as large as ever, shadowing every discussion. And so I asked her the best way to move forward: would it be to stop discussing the Partition? Should we stop remembering everything that happened and start afresh, if it were a possibility? “It’s a sensitive issue right now,” she says. Zakaria believes forgetting history is not the answer, “but we definitely [need] to change some of the things we teach and how we discuss the events.” This is something her book does very well. It does not negate the violence that happened or the struggle that people went through to create Pakistan. In fact, she adds perspective to it and contextualises from a more humanistic angle — talking about the families that were forced to separate, the homes lost and the friends left behind and forgotten. Through her lens, Partition appears to be a more than just a violent tragedy. She paints a picture that depicts society before the tumultuous events of 1947.T Amel Ghani is a Lahore-based reporter for The Express Tribune. She tweets @AmelGhanii
AKES TWO O TANGA Once a popular mode of transport in Peshawar, the horse-drawn carriage no longer draws commuters
TEXT AND PHOTO BY WISAL YOUSAFZAI DESIGN BY MARYAM RASHID
F
rom Khyber to Karachi, the horse-drawn, wooden carriage — locally known as ‘tanga’ — has been a widely used mode of transportation in the past. In another part of the world, the British are so enamoured with the contraption, the royal family still features it in their weddings. Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as Diana and Prince Charles, rode one when they tied the knot. Queen Elizabeth has also been frequently seen in one, especially during her birthday parade. However, over time, the tanga has handed over its reins to more modern modes of transport. For the people of Pakistan, the tanga was a cheap source of travel. In Peshawar, most people preferred to go around in a tanga, which has been eulogised in Urdu and Pashto literature and picturised in songs dotting films, such as the popular 1969 Pashto flick Kochwan (carriage driver). Just like the British, the people of Peshawar also used the tanga in their wedding ceremonies. The bride sat in the rear while the groom rode up front with his friends. For the affluent, it was a matter of pride. Qissa Khwani bazaar, which served as a gateway to Central Asia for businessmen, had a tanga stand from where people ventured to other parts of the city. One could easily hire the services of a tanga from different points of the city such as Sunheri Masjid, Gora Bazaar, Abdara Road, Ramdas, etcetera. But with time, these tanga stands gradually disappeared. With the advent of the auto rickshaw, the horsedrawn carriage began to lose its utility. “I have been associated with the tanga profession for the last 40 years,” shares tanga owner Mir Zaman, 60. He adds his father and grandfather also made a living riding tangas. “I take local and foreign visitors wherever they want to go in my tanga.” He agrees the arrival of auto rickshaws and the more modern Qingqi has pushed the horse-drawn carriage to the margins. Zaman says he now barely makes Rs500 per day of which Rs300 is spent on fodder for the horse, leaving him with Rs200 to get by with. According to Mir Zaman, around 150 tangas would be available at the stand on Abdara Road in the past, but now only one or two can be seen as most kochwan have switched to auto rickshaw or Qingqis in hopes of earning a better living. Moreover, he complains traffic policemen do not let them ride their tangas on main roads, forcing them to be confined to service lanes. Muhammad Jan, 45, from Kohat Road, Peshawar, who repairs tangas, says, “I have been in this
The sound of the horse’s footsteps cannot be described in words. When you sit in a tanga, you imagine yourself as a member of the royal family Commuter Fayyaz Khan profession for the past 30 years.” He adds that he too inherited the skill from his forefathers. Jan claims his profession was once a flourishing one in the metropolitan because of the widespread use of tangas, which naturally required frequent repairs due to their widespread use. “Now, I only make Rs200 per day. Tell me, how can I feed my family with such a meagre income?” Fayyaz Khan, while climbing on a tanga on Abdara Road, University Town, says he always prefers to travel in the horse-drawn carriage because it is more comfortable than an auto rickshaw or Qingqi, besides also being easier on the pocket. “The sound of the horse’s footsteps cannot be described in words. When you sit in a tanga, you imagine yourself as a member of the royal family,” Khan says. He adds the kochwan keeps him entertained with traditional stories during the ride — an added boon. However, Khan is clearly not the typical traveller, with his preference likely to be branded as eccentric by most commuters today. Traffic policeman Khan Wali says the maddening traffic on the city’s roads has forced them to keep tangas off the main routes of Peshawar. With the great rush of motorists, Wali says it would be impossible to manage vehicular traffic if tangas are allowed to ply main roads. As buses, cars and rickshaws whizz past Wali leaving behind clouds of dark smoke, their drivers honking and screaming at each other, one finds it hard to forget a time when no blaring horns drowned out the clip-clop of horses that Khan finds so difficult to find the right words to pay tribute to.
Wisal Yousafzai is a Peshawar-based journalist. He tweets @WisalYousafzai
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FILM
More ‘aww’ than awe Minions, the highly anticipated Despicable Me-spinoff, leaves its older audience underwhelmed BY HURMAT MAJID
The thought of spending an hour and 44 minutes with a bunch of loveable, yellow blob-like creatures left many adults inordinately excited ever since it was announced that there would be a movie about the Minions. The resulting Minions, however, leaves viewers asking for more; more storyline and more depth, especially since the first few minutes of the film focusing on the evolution of minions remains the movie’s high point. Find the biggest, baddest boss around and serve him: that’s the Minion motto. The problem is, the bosses, ranging from a T-Rex to Napoleon, are harder to keep than they are to find. While the Minions strive to be henchmen, their sidekick skills are based on a process of trial and error: the T-Rex gets pushed into bubbling lava, Dracula is surprised with a burning dose of morning sunshine and Napoleon is blown away with his own cannon. Even with these mishaps, however, the Minions manage to win our hearts with their enthusiasm and general cuteness. In this film, a blunder sends the Minions into hiding and into a funk; their ‘boss-lessness’ leaves them feeling gloomy and lost. As he sees his mates despair, Kevin hatches a plan to save all ‘minionkind’ from annihilation. He tries to rally the cream of the crop to go back out in the world and find a new boss, only to end up with banana-loving Stuart and tiny Bob. Together, the three make their way to Villain-con in Orlando, searching for their scariest boss yet. Luck seems to be in their favour, as the Minions pledge themselves to Scarlet Overkill, the first ever villainess the world has seen. They are her ‘knights in shining denim’ until everything changes and the Minions are once again running for their lives. 38 Minions, directed by Kyle Balda and AUGUST 2-8 2015
Pierre Coffin from a script by Brian Lynch, has plenty of moments that leave viewers rolling with laughter. But the production seems to target children more than adult viewers, unlike the Despicable Me films which, although still cartoons, were a treat to watch for one and all. All in all, viewers leave the cinema still quite in love with Kevin, Bob and Stuart, as it is always fun to watch the Minions’ antics. But the job of occupying centre stage instead of the chorus seems like to be a burden that these little villainenthusiasts are not quite ready to bear. T Rating: Hurmat Majid is a subeditor at The Express Tribune. She tweets @ bhandprogramme
FILM
In the right headspace Inside Out takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster BY SAMEEN AMER
Over the years, Pixar has taken us on many exciting animated adventures brimming with imaginative spins and heart-warming emotions. While the last few offerings from the animation powerhouse lacked the creativity and charm that made their earlier output so special, the studio is now trying to reclaim its place atop the animation throne with its latest offering Inside Out. Directed by Pete Docter, the film takes us inside the head of 11-year-old Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias), who is abruptly uprooted after her family relocates from Minnesota to San Francisco. As she tries to adjust to her new life, her anthropomorphised emotions — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black) — scuttle behind the control booth in her mind, helping her deal with each developing situation. But things go wrong after Joy and Sadness, along with Riley’s core memories, are accidentally purged from the control room. They must then find their way back to the headquarters and restore order in Riley’s universe. With a basic premise akin to ’90s sitcom Herman’s Head, the film doesn’t exactly explore a novel idea or create something conceptually unique, but it does handle its themes competently. Its take on the effects of change, growing up, and the importance of all emotions make for an intriguing journey. The
film’s underlying plot, however, is a tad thin, which is why the proceedings start to feel a bit slow and repetitive as it wanders into a labyrinth of melancholy in its second half. Depending on individual preference, some viewers may not be as invested in the drama as others; the storyline may not hold the attention of restless youngsters, and its ideas and execution may seem too reductive and literal to finicky older viewers. The animation itself is top notch, albeit not particularly inventive. The actors who voice each character, Poehler, Smith and Black in particular, give impressive performances and are perfect for each role, but their voices can also be a bit distracting if you are a regular viewer of Parks and Recreation, The Office or The Daily Show, respectively. Ultimately, while it isn’t as clever or as amusing as films like Finding Nemo, Up, WALL-E and Ratatouille and may not rank among Pixar’s best, Inside Out is practically a breath of fresh air in the studio’s sequel-saturated line-up and marks a step in the right direction for the Disney subsidiary. The movie is touching, and even though it delivers its message through what is basically just a tale of growing pains, its emotional resonance, poignant moments and intriguing setting elevate Inside Out into an interesting viewing experience.
The best of Pixar Toy Story (1995) The movie chronicles the adventures of a group of anthropomorphic toys that belong to young Andy (John Morris), as a spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) replaces their leader Woody (Tom Hanks) as the boy’s favourite toy.
Finding Nemo (2003) After his son Nemo (Alexander Gould) is abducted, a timid clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) sets out on a journey to bring him home with the help of a good-hearted regal blue tang, Dory (Ellen DeGeneres).
WALL-E (2008) In a dystopian future, a trash compactor robot (Ben Burtt), that has spent hundreds of years following its directive to clean the planet, inadvertently embarks on an adventure that could decide the fate of mankind and Earth.
Rating: Sameen Amer is a Lahore-based freelance writer and critic. She tweets @Sameen
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In the spotlight As the heat and humidity turn up, so do pimples on your skin BY MOLIHA ARFEEN | DESIGN BY MARYAM RASHID
From around the time we reach puberty, pimples begin to appear on our skin and can continue to make an unwanted appearance for years to come. In summer, the chances of a breakout clouding your day are even higher. Read on to find out how to pre-empt a pimple
What is a pimple? A pimple is an inflamed area of the skin with a pus formation resulting from bacteria-infected oil glands. The skin’s pores connect to oil glands, forming a substance called sebum. In the summer, the sun dries the water out of your skin, leaving it dehydrated, which makes your oil glands overgrow and overproduce. Pimples break out mostly on the face, neck, chest, back and shoulders. Though there are no serious health issues resulting from pimples, they can leave permanent scars and also affect self-esteem.
Going clear: How to treat a pimple “Anti-acne and herbal medications, increased water intake and proper cleansing with a good face wash can be very good treatment,” advises Dr Khurram Mushir, a consultant dermatologist and cosmetologist based in Karachi. “Cut down on junk food and other oily foods,” he adds. Dermatologists suggest using a benzoyl peroxide or a 2% salicylic wash to keep your pores clear.
Tips on tackling your breakout: Ice: Ice can calm swelling and soreness. Hold an ice pack on the affected area for a few minutes to get the pore to close. Dirt and bacteria will drain out after this and the swelling will also die down. Stay clean: Wash your face at least twice a day and keep cleansing tissues with you throughout the day so you may wipe it when necessary. Cleanse your skin especially after exercising. Wearing natural fibers like cotton in summer ensures that sweat doesn’t stay on the skin’s surface, 42 clogging pores with bacteria. AUGUST 2-8 2015
Establish a routine: Some creams, lotions and cosmetics that you use can be potentially harmful to your skin. Consult a dermatologist or try cutting out certain cosmetics to see if this helps. Hands off: Don’t pick or try to scratch off pimples. Touching the affected area can inflame your skin and increase bacteria. Picking at a pimple will leave you with scarring and a greater chance of a breakout on the surrounding skin as bacteria spreads. Change your diet: Foods high in sugar and oil are known to also increase the chances of a breakout. Add vitamins and vegetables to your diet, and have plenty of water throughout the day to hydrate your skin. Limit exposure to sunlight: Make sure to moisturise and use SPF-enhanced cosmetics or sunblock. Go for a lightweight sunscreen that’s noncomedogenic (this will be specified on the label).
What can cause a breakout? Hormonal changes in pregnancy or during your teenage years Greasy makeup or dirty makeup brushes Heredity Starting or stopping the intake of birth control medication Some types of medications Moliha Arfeen is a Karachi-based student. She tweets @MolihaArfeen19
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