The Express Tribune Magazine - December 15

DECEMBER 15-21 2013

The reading list

Find out which books line the bookshelves of prominent Pakistanis and how they have influenced them

DECEMBER 15-21 2013

Feature

Kushti takes a beating Even the strongest of pehalwans go weak in the knees when it comes to tackling poor funding

30

Feature

Bag the plastic

Cover Story

The reading list

Non-biodegradable bags are a ticking bomb for the environment and should be replaced

Find out which books line the bookshelves of prominent Pakistanis and how they have influenced them

24

4

36 Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people 38 Review: Books and movies 42 Social: Coping with domestic violence

Magazine In-charge: Sarah Munir and Sub-Editors: Dilaira Mondegarian and Manahyl Khan Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Samra Aamir, Kiran Shahid, Munira Abbas, S Asif Ali & Talha Ahmed Khan Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

PEOPLE AND PARTIES Dr Farakh A Khan’s book, Murree during the Raj, launches in Lahore

Sumer, Mona and Amna Saba Valerie Kaul and Dr Nigatara Shah

Sonia and Seemi

Fatima Khan

Farzana Shahida

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

Nasira Iqbal Ghazala Rehman and Celia Mufti

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

Neesa and Rima

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

PEOPLE AND PARTIES Cherie Blair Foundation for Women hosts a mentee appreciation lunch at Cafe Flo, Karachi Fatima Ahmed

mar

Aliya O

Hadia Khan

Saba

n

Salma

la Naqvi

Nai hawla and

Simoneel C

Laeeq Akbar

Nazneen Tariq Khan

Sadia Mehmood

Tehmin Sad

iq

Munawara Sultana Shaheen

Khan

Maheen Khan

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

PHOTOS COURTESY ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

Mrs Ramage, Yasmin Islam and Zia Isphahani

Beste and Serjan

Arif Ikram and Giuliana Grandi Sharmila Faruqui

Immu

Abdul Kader Jaffer, Yasmin Hyder and Hussain Cepni

PEOPLE AND PARTIES The Turkish consul general celebrates Turkey’s national day at his residence in Karachi PHOTOS COURTESY NEW WORLD CONCEPTS

Hidia Mamart with guests Murat and Onart

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

Adenan

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

Eram Sheikh and Sahar Iqbal

Saima Asim and Shiza Asim

Sana Saeed

Samana Rashid

Mehnaz Nabeel and Samina Shahjani

PEOPLE AND PARTIES Umar Sayeed’s psyche line launches at Feathers multibrand store in Karachi

PHOTOS COURTESY TAKE II

Ghazala Humayun and Samina Shaikh

Aiman Ali SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

Moomal Shaikh, Hasan Rizvi and Nazia Malik

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

d Farhat

a Jam an

ukhsan Seema, R

Khaled

Laila Asad and Meharunissa Ahmed Mehreen Zafar

Shagufta

Mira Phailbus

Naheed

Arshi Hamid and Sabreen Iftikhar

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

Yameen Sheikh and Azam Durrani

PHOTOS COURTESY TAKE II

Fatima Yazdani and Ali Yazdani Maria Rao and Jahanzaib Anwar

SEPTEMBER 22-28 2013

COVER STORY

The reading Find out which books line the bookshelves of prominent Pakistanis and how they have influenced them

Abid Umer

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson well The Tipping point and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell The Alchemist by Paulo Coellho ho

Amin Asad Umar Atiqa Bushra Gohar Maryam Nawaz Sharif Rahat Kazmi Yousaf Salahuddin

BY SAADIA QAMAR AND ZAHID GISHKORI DESIGN BY ESSA MALIK

amb Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy 1846-1990 by Alastair Lamb The Price of Inequality by Joseph E Stiglitz

ed They Hang: Twelve Women in My Portrait Gallery by Seyda S Hameed Facts are Facts by Wali Khan

Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru ne The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Parallel Stories by Peter Nadas Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proustt

24

DECEMBER 15-21 2013

ly The Mughal Throne by Abraham Eraly A tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

list

Ali Zafar

No god but GOD by Raza Azlan After the Prophet by Lesley Hazleton Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch

Hashwani

The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli Good to Great by Jim Collins Shikwa/Jawab-e-Shikwa

by Allama Iqbal Sh

Odho Jahangir Tareen Nafisa Shah Sheema Kirmani The Holy Quran

Lord Lo Jim by Joseph Conrad Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions by Jean Drèze and Amartya Sen

Hai Allah by Hajra Masroor Aag Ka Darya by Quratulain Hyder A The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer

“You forget everything. The hours slip by. You travel in your chair through centuries you seem seem to see before you, your thoughts are caught up in the story, dallying with the details or following the course of the plot, you enter into characters, so that it seems as if it were your own heart beating beneath their costumes.” — Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary The magic of a good book is palpable. It frees the soul from the banalities of everyday life and allows it to travel to other worlds. Walk in other people’s shoes and feel the unimaginable. It also has lasting influences on one’s personality, determining the kind of person, friend, lover, citizen and leader you will be. According to The New York Times, Steve Jobbs had an ardent interest in the work of English poet, William Blake.

The founder of Nike, Phil Knight is so protective about his library that one has to take off their shoes and bow before entering.

And Winston Churchill’s devotion to the pen, earned him a Nobel prize in literature instead of peace.

Influential minds have always revered books and been shaped by them. Therefore, to gauge the literary mood in the country, we asked a few prominent minds in Pakistan about what lined their bookshelves currently and how it had influenced them.

25 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

COVER STORY

Abid Ali Umer Zafar industrialist

Currently reading: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. A remarkable story about the creator of Apple, the brand he created and his personal journey.

A book that I have read multiple times and still find something new each time: The Tipping point and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

The book that changed my life: Three Cups of Tea and The Alchemist. These books teach you to follow your dreams and step out of your comfort zone for the greater good of humanity.

Current State of mind: Completely at peace with myself, thanks to yoga.

Currently reading: The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli.

A book that I have read multiple times and still find something new each time: Good to Great by Jim Collins.

The book that changed my life: Shikwa/Jawab-e-Shikwa by Allama Iqbal because of its moral clarity, the genius of its poetry and the relevance of its message in our times.

Current State of mind: Absolutely amazed at our warped priorities while the masses suffer immeasurably. It’s about time we take ownership of our challenges and stop blaming others.

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DECEMBER 15-21 2013

musician/actor

The book on my bedside right now: No god but GOD

by Reza Azlan, which talks about how the true spirit of Islam was held hostage by politics and misinterpretations for centuries.

A book I do not mind reading again and again: Don’t usually read a book twice but have read some chapters again from After the Prophet.

The book that changed my life: Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch.

Currently feeling: Introspective. Constructive. Focused.

Amin Hashwani

businessman

Currently reading: The Price of Inequality by Joseph E Stiglitz, which talks about how politics and the economy have been hijacked by a financial elite. Also reading Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy 1846-1990

by Alastair Lamb which examines the history of the dispute from its remote origins in the early nineteenth century until the spring of 1990 when Pakistan and India were on the verge of a fourth armed conflict.

Asad Umar politician

Bushra Gohar politician

Currently reading: They Hang: Twelve Women in My Portrait Gallery by Seyda S Hameed.

Books everyone should read: Bacha Khan’s autobiography and Facts are Facts by Wali Khan should be a must-read for everyone in Pakistan and even be a part of the curriculum.

Books are: Very expensive in Pakistan and most families do not encourage reading. Many of the bookstores in Peshawar have closed down because people have stopped buying books. We need to support public libraries and bookstores and encourage our next generation to read as much as possible.

Atiqa Odho actor/producer

Currently reading: Very active as an actor/producer these days so reading a lot of television scripts.

But I love to read all types of literature, especially fiction, romance novels and biographies.

I try to read a lot of technical books on media-related subjects as well, since it helps me evolve as a professional.

One book that offers something new each time: I have read the Holy Quran in English many times over and find it fascinating. Each time, I discover new things that improve my understanding of life.

Currently feeling: Peaceful. I hope it remains like that for some time.

COVER STORY

Maryam Nawaz Sharif

politician

Jahangir Tareen politician

Currently on my reading list: Lord Jim, a novel by Joseph Conrad, originally published as a serial in Blackwood’s Magazine from October, 1899 to November, 1900.

The book that changed my life: One book does not change your life, but there are many that leave a mark in their own way. Hemmingway’s work and Catch 22 by American author Joseph Heller have influenced me in many ways.

Your reading list should be: As long and as diverse as possible.

Currently on my bedside: Essays of Sir Francis Bacon that cover topics drawn from both public and private life and in each case the essays cover their topics systematically from a number of different angles, weighing one argument against another.

Also reading: Glimpses of World History, written by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1934 which is a panoramic sweep of the history of humankind.

Recommended reading: The 48 Laws of Power, an international bestseller, which is a practical guide for anyone who wants power, observes power, or wants to arm themselves against power.

Nafisa Shah politician

Currently on my reading list: An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions by Jean Drèze and Amartya Sen. The book highlights the dichotomy in India, where the country is progressing on one hand but at the same time, there are massive inequalities too.

Books are: Not just meant to be to read and stored. They are meant to be a part of our everyday world so that they live in and among us. Freely lend and borrow books and discuss, quote and exchange the treasure of ideas they contain within them.

28 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

Rahat Kazmi

On my bedside right now: Parallel Stories by Peter Nadas.

The book that offers me something new each time: Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust.

The book that changed my life: Dr Shariati’s writings.

Current state of mind: Relaxed as always.

actor

Currently reading: A collection of plays by British playwright/director/poet Harold Pinter, which talk about the abuse of state power. Also reading Hai Allah, a collection of short stories by Hajra Masroor. These are very poignant writings about women and though Hajra’s approach is traditional, her sensibilities are modern and contemporary.

One book I can read over and over again: Aag ka Darya by Qurratulain Hyder, a remarkable book, both in terms of style as well as content. It is [the kind of] book in which one finds new aspects every time you read it.

The book that changed my life: The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer. I read this book when I was 19 and it gave me a totally new perspective on women and how deeply patriarchy is ingrained in the psyche of both men and women.

Current state of mind: I vacillate between being extremely depressed about the state of affairs in our country to being hopeful. Perhaps, I could say that there are moments when I feel that the women in Pakistan will bring about a change and move towards a freer and less oppressive society. I feel this [hope] when we go into the low-income localities and perform our street plays and see how positively people react to these performances.

Sheema Kirmani

dancer/performer

Yousuf Salahuddin socialite/philanthropist

Currently reading: The Mughal Throne by Abraham Eraly.

A book that I do not mind reading again and again: As a child, I read A Tale of Two Cities, the old classic by Charles Dickens several times.

I have also read Kulliyat-e-Ismat Chughtai Afsanay multiple times.

The book that changed my life: Diwan-i-Ghalib and Iqbal’s poetry. I [used to] like reading history a lot. [However], over time I have completely let go of this habit and I am [trying to] catch up on my old ways now.

Despite a global literacy of 84%, those familiar with the pleasure of curling up with a good read seems to be declining. Some argue that books are not losing their audience; instead they are merely changing form with the onset of modern technology. But that Bukowski’s wit and Camus’s absurdism may be lost on a generation whose attention span is limited to 140 characters is a possibility that cannot be denied any longer. T Saadia Qamar is a Life & Style reporter at The Express Tribune.

Zahid Gishkori is a National reporter at The Express Tribune. He tweets @ZahidGishkori

29

Kushti takes a beating

Even the strongest of pehalwans go weak in the knees when it comes to tackling poor funding

BY DILAIRA MONDEGARIAN & FASEEH SHAMS PHOTOS BY FASEEH SHAMS DESIGN BY ASIF ALI

30 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

The well-greased gladiators in kushti fight a losing battle each time they set foot in the stadium. Although the pehalwans oppose each other in the ring, their actual fight is against the country’s lacklustre support for the sport that won its first gold medal in 1954. Din Muhammad, the man who earned this honour for Pakistan at the second Asian Games held in Manila, paved the way for many Pakistani wrestlers who have since struggled to garner serious attention for the sport from the authorities.

Countrywide, there has been a rapid decline in the number of pehalwans, surprisingly even in Punjab that houses quite a few famous akharas (a place of practise), including the Bamma Pehalwan’s Akhara in Lahore and Jinnah Health Club in Gujranwala. Thousands of spectators cheer from the sidelines during matches, but the one missing voice is that of the sports authorities who have invested little more than the dirt the men wrestle in. And many angry pehalwans have made it a point to be vocal about it.

“The government doesn’t even have a proper organisation for sports,” says Gujranwala’s Umar pehalwan, who has represented Pakistan in many international championships and won his first gold medal in 1991 at the Senior National Championship in Sargodha. In 2009, he was titled the best player of the year and was awarded Rs1,000,000 from the government. Despite his own achievements, Umar criticises the marginalisation of the sport. “People at the top management

31 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

FEATURE

level (in the government-run organisations) have no knowledge about the sport.” The role of the Punjab Sports Board for one leaves a lot to be desired.

With a rich history and even richer soil, Punjab is famous for raising pehalwans. The legendary Gama Pehalwan, born in in Amritsar, famously known as the ‘Great’ Gama, is one of them. His strength is said to have inspired Bruce Lee who started following his exercise routine. Gama became the world heavyweight champion in 1910 during the British Raj in the subcontinent and moved to Pakistan after Partition, where he is hailed as the only undefeated kushti player, even 53 years after his death. This glorious past throws its impoverished present all the more into relief.

As with other sports, it takes immense dedication and hard work to make it as a pehalwan. Umar started training at the age of ten. “There are two types of training; the traditional kushti played in a mud pit and Olympic style which is practised on a mat,” he explains. Currently around 100 to 150 pehalwans are training at the Jinnah Health Club.

“And six to seven of them are selected every year for the national games,” he says proudly.

Along with a gruelling training routine, the pehalwans must also observe a healthy diet.

Although Umar himself eats less, following a latest international theory that focuses on a stricter training regimen, he says, “there are those who consume two to three kilogrammes of meat, five to six litres of milk, almonds and desi ghee.”

32 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

If our government would allot Rs5,000,000 to Rs6,000,000 to the sport, our pehalwans would be motivated enough to win gold medals at the Olympics Umar Pehalwan

But fewer pehalwans can now afford such a high-protein diet. “Nearly 90% of them are from poor, farming families,” says Bhola pehalwan from an akhara in Lahore. “Only a handful of them belong to the educated class.”

Bhola strongly believes that wrestling is a passion and only a few, who manage to survive the rigorous training and government setbacks, make it to the top.

While some might go on to be crowned champions in the international arena, others will have to settle for a lot less, and even take on additional jobs to earn a decent living. “Only national champions get a job at the railways or banks,” says Umar. According to him no competitions are organised in the country and most pehalwans are poorly paid. The end result is that the disillusioned ones end up quitting altogether. Umar, struggling for the past three years to get government recognition for the sport, even wrote to the chief minister and prime minister to take notice of their plight, but has yet to receive a positive response. The only time anyone did help was when the roof of Jinnah Health Club collapsed; repairs were undertaken by the authorities but the project was never completed. And Umar had to pick up from where they left off.

Despite being one of the oldest sports of the region, kushti has suffered increasing neglect, even taking a beating from the increasingly popular sport of cricket. With the nation’s spotlight cast on heroes like Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, very few channels screen matches. At the 2011 Pakistan-India wrestling tournament held at the Jinnah Sta-

dium, Lahore, Umar swears, “there was no place to stand, people by the thousands had come to watch the dangal (bout).” Although this government-sponsored match was free for all to watch, the average ticket for a private bout costs between Rs100 to Rs500.

Even though kushti can still attract crowds, the sport has yet to draw in government funds.

Those who play the sport internationally are overwhelmed by the way other nations treat their champions. “When I went to Turkey recently for a tournament, I was amazed by all the facilities provided to wrestlers,” says Umar.

From housing to basic mats for training, the government ensures that its wrestlers are well taken care of. “If our government would allot Rs5,000,000 to Rs6,000,000 to the sport, our pehalwans would be motivated enough to win gold medals at the Olympics.”

But as it stands, only a mere sum of Rs500,000 from the annual budget is allotted for wrestling. According to Syed Aqil Shah, chairman of the Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF), donors have to be approached to gather more funds to support the pehalwans. And while these pehalwans get their hands dirty daily during training, hoping to keep the sport alive, the authorities choose to look the other way. Today, even a minor injury to a cricketer will make rounds in the news for days, but if a pehalwan breaks a rib during a spar, very few might get to hear his tale of bravery.

Dilaira Mondegarian is a sub-editor on The Express Tribune Magazine desk. She tweets @DilairaM Faseeh Shams is a London-based entrepreneur/Marketeer who likes to take photos in his free time. He tweets @faseeh

33 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

BAG the

PLASTIC

Non-biodegradable bags are a ticking bomb for the environment and should be replaced

BY SADAF PERVEZ DESIGN BY SAMRA AAMIR PHOTOS BY SADAF PERVEZ AND MANAHYL KHAN

362

Almost 55 billion bags are manufactured and used in Pakistan annually, according to estimates by the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA). The average consumption of plastic bags was estimated at 397 bags per person, which is roughly one bag per head each day. Since plastic does not biodegrade (be decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms) the remnants of used plastic remain forever.

Oxo-biodegradable plastic offers a feasible substitute for the plastic plague as it significantly reduces the lifetime of discarded waste. This environmentally friendlier plastic is made by blending an additive (metal salts, none of which are heavy metals) into the plastic during the extrusion process. The additive causes the molecular structure of plastic to break down when exposed to oxygen or sunlight. This kind of plastic degrades at a faster rate until it has fully decomposed into biomass.

“The regulations on prohibition of non-degradable plastic products are prepared in consultation with all stakeholders, especially the association of plastic producers,” explains Asif Shuja, the director-general at PEPA. According to Shuja, switching over to oxobiodegradable plastic should not create problems for those looking for change since its production does not involve any change in machinery or raw material, exDECEMBER 15-21 2013

cept an addition of a one per cent dosage of additive. “[Therefore], plastic producers should not hesitate.”

The alternative does not require any drastic changes in pricing either. “The cost of switching to the environmentally friendly bag is negligible. The average cost goes up by less than five percent for standard packaging. For more complicated packaging, the cost is even less,” explains Ahsan Ijaz, director of ACC Polymers, the founding company of the oxo-biodegradable plastic sector in Pakistan.

Still, only a few plastic producers have complied with the bans, which have been repeatedly enforced in the past — the first one in 1994 by the Sindh government. “Most manufacturers in the plastic industry are unregistered. Thus, [they] do not exist on the books of the government. Since the government can only check registered factories; unregistered ones

55

Almost

A diamond and a plastic bag have one thing in common — they both last forever. The use of plastic bags in Pakistan is ubiquitous and they can be spotted everywhere from vegetable carts to departmental stores. Once abandoned, they are usually found waving on the branch of a tree or rolling down the streets with the wind, washing into rivers and ending up in the ocean.

billion

bags are manufactured and consumed in Pakistan annually, according to estimates by the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA). The average consumption of plastic bags was estimated at 397 bags per person, which is roughly one bag per head every day.

have a free hand,” Ijaz says.

When an elderly fruit cart vendor was asked why he was loyal to non-degradable bags, he said, “At least I am using plastic — I’m saving trees.” His reasoning was informed by an altogether different experience. “Trees are being cut at an alarming rate near my village in the north,” he complained. “Nobody asks them.”

While cart vendors are still far from taking the environmentally friendly route, companies like ICI Pakistan have shown a willingness to discourage the use of paper and replace it with oxo-biodegradable technology. The words, ‘This is a 100% oxo-biodegradable bag’ are found on ICI’s official envelopes, calling out for customers’ attention. The company has used 87,500 oxo-biodegradable bags in place of paper envelopes so far. This initiative helped them save 9,300 gallons of water, 23 trees, four cubic yards of landfill space, three barrels of oil and 5,453 kilowatt hours of electricity.

Other companies like BATA Pakistan, Lahore Waste Management Company (including the Metro Bus System), Jalal Sons, Utility Stores Corporation, Seasons Foods, Hyperstar and KFC are also joining the camp for eco-friendly packaging.

Despite a number of companies coming onboard for eco-friendly packaging, it is still critical to provide the conditions necessary to ensure degradation. The oxo-biodegradable bag does not degrade in the absence of oxygen and UV light and hence it is unlikely to break down in a landfill, where much of the plastic usually ends up.

“Yes, there are some apprehensions but we have to ensure proper disposal of used bags for complete degradation,” says Shuja. “Unlike the traditional bag, at least these bags do not emit methane in anaerobic conditions in landfill sites even if degradation slows.”

Environmentalists are always thinking of ways to

While local cart vendors are still far from the environmentally-friendly route, companies like ICI Pakistan have shown willingness to discourage the use of paper and replace it with oxo-biodegradable technology.

The company has used

87,500

oxo-biodegradable bags in place of paper envelopes so far. This initiative helped them save

9,300

gallons of water, 23 trees, four cubic yards of landfill space, three barrels of oil and

5,453

kilowatt hours of electricity.

minimise waste and maximise use to reduce damage to the environment. Reusing bags that have once been bought because it avoids the purchase of another is one of the most viable options. Supermarts like Hyperstar are pressing their customers to join the movement indecisively by either purchasing a biodegradable bag for Rs15 with an average usage life of 16 to 20 months or opt for the ‘Green Bag’ for Rs89 that comes with free replacement of damaged bags.

For some, the practise is similar to going back to a less complicated time. “My granny used to carry a jute bag whenever she went to shop. It is commendable that our habits are being changed for good,” says Naila, a regular customer at Hyperstar.

Sadaf Parvez is a freelance writer and blogger. She tweets @sadafpervez

3

Catching Fire will burn up your screen with its gripping plot and Jennifer Lawrence’s powerful performance

BY MARIAM ESSA

If it’s the violence that you venerate, then let the games begin. Catching Fire oscillates between drama and action, taking narrative and thematic liberties to a whole new level. With a great storyline but far too much emotion, the movie is engaging but leaves the audience emotionally exhausted.

To kick start the second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, we see the return of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) — survivors of the 74th annual Hunger Games — embark on a ‘Victor’s Tour.’ With rebellion brewing in the backdrop, they are once again summoned by the Capitol to participate in the 75th annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell).

If the first movie is not fresh in your mind, it is hard to keep up with the developments in the storyline. President Snow (Donald Sutherland), in his last effort to appease the Districts, scratches out the old rule of re-contest by announcing that the tributes (participants) for the upcoming games will be victors of the previous games.

The game that unfolds is as ruthless as its players. It shares striking similarities with modern-day Pakistan, where regional warfare can take a bloody form.

In a tropical setting, the contestants must battle the forces of nature

38 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

and each other.

Lawrence manages to win over the audience once again after winning a Best Actress Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.

Emotionally tormented by her role in the previous games, Katniss is even more fragile and vulnerable than before. But now that she is forced to undertake the same journey, she turns her pain into strength and driven by a burning hatred for the Capitol is determined to beat the odds once again.

Along with a solid acting line-up, the movie stands strong on the fashion front. One of the futuristic designs donned by Lawrence is the white wedding dress which transforms into a long navy blue evening gown with wings. The dress makes her look like a mockingjay — a bird seen as a symbol of hope by the people of Panem.

While it excels in many regards, the film falls short in delivering a crowd-pleasing romance.

Katniss’s relationship with Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) lacks chemistry. Also, the games are different this time, as the battle is as much against the arena as it is against the other tributes. With a new disaster lurking at every interval, Peeta and Katniss are thrown into unlikely alliances and fight alongside tributes from other districts.

Katniss suffers many close calls during the movie; whether it’s just sheer luck or others working to keep her alive, is something you will have to watch and find out. To fully enjoy the stunning visuals, graphics and powerful music, the film must be watched on a big screen. T Rating: Mariam Essa is a sub-editor for The Express Tribune web desk. She tweets @MariamJawedEssa

OF GUNS AND ROSES

Available at Liberty Books for Rs795

Bilal Tanweer’s debut novel weaves in multiple perspectives to paint a hauntingly holistic portrait of Karachi

BY FARAHNAZ ZAHIDI

As I picked up Bilal Tanweer’s much-anticipated debut novel, each page left me searching for a breather. A break from the profundity. From the cluster of sentences that make one stop, breathe deeper, look away from the book, come back to the page and dog-ear it. Parts that one knows will come up as quotes when one searches for the author’s name on the internet.

But then isn’t that the nature of the city in which his stories are set? Karachi never gives one a break.

In one word it is ‘intense’. The Scatter Here Is Too Great, similarly, is not light reading.

The novel reads like a collection of short stories, in which different characters have interconnected experiences — experiences that are born out of the city and an event that affects everyone: a bomb blast. One special treat of the book is that each story has a unique voice and the reader moves from a four-year-old to a romantic teenager to a grieving father to other characters and back.

One cannot help but imagine these stories like the scattered fragments of a car’s shattered windscreen, a metaphor for this city.

Nothing that Tanweer is telling us is new. From Cantt station to Lyari to Clifton Beach, everything is familiar but told in a way which exposes the city to the reader in a new and meaningful manner.

One almost wants to take the mini-bus all over again and have chai at a café outside Cantt station.

The descriptions are real.

The first chapter in the voice of a small boy captures you instantly, also because of the jarringly simple language, like “I also left school because we had become poor. Baba lost his job at the office where they printed children’s storybooks... The old uncle Baba worked for was shot while walking out of a bank. Two people on a motorcycle tried to snatch his money. When he refused, they shot

him.” The writer has not relied on heavy language anywhere. The themes are complex but the language is colloquial, which gives it a human feel.

It tells you the difficulties of young romance which raises its invincible head even in the most difficult of backdrops like an ever-vigilant nani and a lower middle-class setting in one of the most dangerous cities in the world. It displays a myriad of relationships. Particularly noteworthy is the difficult relationship of a father and son, when for the father, his ‘purpose’ becomes more important than his family.

Handling the subjects of violence and sectarianism intelligently, the author has not used the predictable method of using imagery that relies on the ethnic or sect-wise description of the characters.

There is, thus, a subtle but strong message that the human experience is a shared one, especially in dark times, irrespective of where one’s family trees find roots.

In a time when violence in Pakistan gets global attention, it is a relief that the book does not seem to be targeted at a certain kind of readership.

Tanweer is writing for himself and for Karachi. It is, thus, an honest book which makes the reader connect to it instantly.

The novel cannot be reduced to being labeled as just about Karachi. It tells stories that allow the reader to look beyond the headlines. Tanweer has managed to make us look at what we already know in a new way: “These stories, I realised, were lost. Nobody was going to know that part of the city but as a place where a bomb went off. The bomb was going to become the story of this city.”

The Scatter Here Is Too Great is telling these untold and real stories. And we are listening. T Farahnaz Zahidi heads the Features desk at The Express Tribune. She tweets @FarahnazZahidi DECEMBER 15-21 2013

39

WAVES OF VALOUR

On board with Captain Phillips you’ll find yourself in an ocean of danger, thrill and courage

BY NOMAN ANSARI

40 DECEMBER 15-21 2013

Captain Phillips will take you on a tumultuous journey and leave you grappling with suspense and emotion.

Directed by the incredibly gifted Paul Greengrass (of The Bourne Supremacy fame), this astoundingly suspenseful film is based on the true story of Captain Richard Phillips (played by Tom Hanks), who along with the crew of his container ship was left fighting for survival against the Somali pirates in April, 2009.

In a typically nuanced performance, one of America’s most celebrated actors, Tom Hanks goes from a stubborn Captain Richard Phillips, who runs a tight ship to a quick-thinking leader under fire. The film’s glory is aided by superb acting from both Tom Hanks and newcomer Barkhad Abdi (who plays the role of the Somali pirate Abduwali Muse).

Muse is a dangerous man who won’t hesitate in taking a life, demonstrated in a scene when he kills a fellow pirate for calling him skinny. With his protruding teeth, sunken eyes, and bony physique, Abdi matches the look of a malnourished man from an impoverished background, and we sense that he tries to compensate for this with bravery on sea waters.

After a cat-and-mouse game where Phillips initially dodges the pirate skiffs with intelligent thinking, Muse and his three other crew members finally board the containership, MV Maersk Alabama. Once on board, they are frustrated by the continuingly clever tactics of Captain Phillips, who has the majority of his crew hide in the engine room below deck. To make matters worse for Muse, the crew cuts the ship’s power so that the pirates are left exploring in the darkness.

It is evident that Hanks has fantastic chemistry with the

Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi. Although both characters are on opposite ends of the situation, the two leaders share a subtle empathy, which can be felt due to the cleverly flowing narrative.

Perhaps the weakest aspect of Captain Phillips is that the motivations of the pirates are unexplored. In one scene, Muse boasts about his successful piracy of a Greek ship where the payday was in the millions and Phillips is startled because Muse doesn’t look like a wealthy person. Though it is quickly established that Muse and his fellow pirates are fishermen under the iron grip of a Somali drug lord, beyond that, the film misses an opportunity to examine their characters.

With minor flaws in detailing, Captain Phillips probably has some of the best performances of the year and can be considered a lock-in for Academy Award nominations. Paul Greengrass is at the top of his game and Captain Phillips is an example of how to create ‘edge-of-your-seat’ tension without resorting to gratuitous violence. With skillful pacing and slick visuals, courtesy of cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker), Greengrass gradually increases the pressure gauge until the climactic final 30 minutes reach a delightful fever pitch. Ultimately, Captain Phillips may leave the viewers as drained as its characters.

Rating: Noman Ansari is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to several publications. He tweets @Pugnate

HEAD UP

BY AYESHA HASSAN

ORHEAD OUT

The ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence’ is an international campaign that works towards raising awareness about gender-based violence.

Sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, the initiative has created forums and tools for different stakeholders to work together towards ending violence against women since 1991. Between July and September this year, 1650 domestic violence cases were reported by the Aurat Foundation in Pakistan. Nearly 37% of those had been abused by their husbands. In accordance with the theme for this year ‘From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World’, we have compiled a survival guide for women who have come face-toface with domestic abuse.

Mend, don’t end Separation or divorce is not an easy decision and should not be taken in haste. Never assume that things will not work out unless you have tried the proposed solutions at least once.

Try to make things work If you have decided to give your marriage a second chance, there is a set of things you will have to do: • Don’t be confused. If you have decided to give your marriage a try, do it with whole heartedness.

• Don’t self-blame. It’s not your fault if your partner uses force and abuse.

• Speak up. Talk to your parents, family and friends.

• Seek professional counseling. Violence occurs when discussions among partners fail to improve situations.

• Plan your family. It’s a myth that having children will create a bond with your partner.

• Talk to your partner when you feel he will truly listen and respond, instead of trying to get his attention when he is busy watching TV. Decide on a time that works for both of you.

Stay safe If you choose to stay, you should always be ready for a vio42 lent attack. You never know what triggers your abuser and DECEMBER 15-21 2013

A painful path doesn’t always have to lead to more pain, there are ways to cope with or break free of domestic abuse

he might find an excuse to attack you.

• Keep a fully charged cell phone round the clock.

• Identify a safe place inside your house where you can lock yourself in case of an emergency.

• Use a code to inform your family, friends or neighbours, so you don’t have to make long calls or type lengthy texts in an emergency.

• Always keep a set of house keys and some cash with you.

• You can also file a harassment complain under the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) law that was passed in March this year. According to the law, anybody who inflicts physical or mental damage on another can face up to two years in prison.

Don’t let broken relationships break you It’s only human for relationships to fail. Once you know you gave it your best shot and it still didn’t work, you should not endure abuse of any kind. You should: • Not give your partner more than one chance. He will never change if he denies how serious his abuse is.

• Tell him clearly that you have decided to break up due to the violence. Don’t announce breakups when you actually don’t mean them.

• Don’t melt if he begs for forgiveness and asks for another chance. Just leave.

• Don’t think about what people will say.

• Move, if you can, to a more peaceful society. Move to a new place, look for a job or continue your education.

• Meditate and give time to yourself.

• If you decide to leave and have nowhere to go, you can go to the Panah shelter in Karachi, Dastak shelter in Lahore,The Women Shelter Organisation in Faislabad or the Star Welfare Organisation in Sargodha. T

Ayesha Hasan is part of the Lahore editorial team at The Express Tribune. She tweets @ayeshahasan08