December 21-27 2014
OF ZOROASTRIAN
DESCENT India and Pakistan respond differently to a decline in Parsi numbers
December 21-27 2014
Feature
Mind over matter
Cover Story Of Zoroastrian descent
The Recovery House uses an inclusive approach to rehabilitate psychiatric patients
How Pakistan and India are addressing the issue of dwindling Parsi numbers
24 Feature
A cultural crossroad Residents of Gutlibagh face a choice between moving forward and preserving tradition
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40 Regulars
6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people
50 Reviews: Books and movies 54 Tech: Is Apple Pay the way to go about all future transactions?
Magazine Editor: Sarah Munir and Senior Subeditor: Dilaira Dubash Creative Team: Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Mohsin Alam, Omer Asim, Aamir Khan, Sanober Ahmed & Talha Ahmed Khan Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com
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FEatUrE
the reception area of the recovery house, a psychiatric rehabilitation facility in Karachi.
A wellness model The Recovery House is a one-of-a-kind rehabilitation centre that helps psychiatric patients reintegrate into society BY Ishrat ansarI
Photos BY athar Khan
There are hardly two or three psychiatrists per million people in Pakistan, reports the 2008 Journal of Pakistan Medical Association. To make matters worse, there are only 3,729 outpatient mental health facilities across the country, one per cent of which are for children and adolescents, states the 2008 World Health Organization report. Hence, facilities like The Recovery House (TRH), a psychiatric rehabilitation centre in Karachi, play a crucial role in empowering psychiatric patients and helping them reintegrate 24 into society. December 21-27 2014
Shaheen Ahmed, the founder and president of the first rehabilitation institution for mental illnesses, Caravan of Life Pakistan Trust, and a pioneer in psychological rehabilitation in Pakistan, and her brother, Khusro Karamat Elley, have played a key role in changing the way mental healthcare is dealt with in the country. The duo realised the lack of awareness about mental illnesses in Pakistan when two of their siblings were diagnosed with serious mental health disorders in the early ’60s. After the diagnosis in Britain, the family looked into treatment options in Pakistan but discovered that the limited options, which involved medication and electroconvulsive or
electroshock therapy, were less than satisfactory. As a result, they came up with the idea of setting up Caravan of Life Pakistan Trust. Previously, the Caravan of Life USA — a sister organisation based in the United States — also trained Karawan-e-Hayat, which is a free-of-cost mental health facility in Pakistan, says Ahmed. But after they started inducting patients with substance abuse, Ahmad felt it was important to revert to the original plan of a centre purely for psychiatric patients which led to the formation of TRH in 2009. In Pakistan, the focus is solely on medication, which is only one part of the treatment. For patients suffer-
the facility can accommodate 15 patients in the ‘residential programme’ and 15 more in the ‘day treatment programme’, which includes activities such as sound therapy, theatre, cooking, gardening, money management, memory enhancement exercises, yoga and meditation, personal grooming, nutrition and visual art ing from severe psychiatric disorders, to substitute psychiatrists and medica- want people to benefit, recover and live whose daily lives are also impacted due tion, but complement it. a healthy and successful life. Recovery to impaired functionality, rehabilitaThe Recovery House has a client- is a journey. It is not an end in itself,” tion is the only solution, says Ahmed. centered approach to rehabilitation she adds. Based in the United States for the last which aims at empowering patients Forty-one-year-old Faizan* who 47 years, Ahmed has been actively in- (referred to as clients at the facility) suffers from schizoaffective disorder volved in the field of mental health as a in a safe and secure environment — a psychiatric disorder characterised volunteer and has developed a compre- and focusing on their wellness, by abnormal thought processes and hensive understanding of the different independence and mobility, explains deregulated emotions — has come a models of care, especially psychiat- Dr Carey. The facility can accommodate long way since he came to TRH three ric rehabilitation. She has served as a 15 patients in the ‘residential years ago. “I suffered from severe member of several health boards and programme’ and 15 more in the ‘day aggression and was violent. I had been is also a member of the extremely disturbed for international commitalmost five years due tee of Psychiatric Rehato hallucinations and bilitation Association. delusions. I [would] It is through these consmash items at home nections that Ahmad as I could not control imported the necessary my anger,” he shares, expertise and assemadding that it took a bled a team of experts while for his family to help her set up TRH to realise that he in Pakistan. Experts are was suffering from a also invited regularly psychiatric disorder. to the facility, includEven though Faizan ing Dr Veronica Carey, has spent a few years an assistant clinical at rehabilitation professor and associate units in hospitals in director of the Saturday one of the bedrooms at the facility which helps patients feel at home. Islamabad, he did not Scholars Programme at find any of them as the Behavioral Health Counseling De- treatment programme’, which includes accommodating as TRH. “When I came partment at Drexel University, United activities such as sound therapy, here initially, I was not comfortable but States, who visited the facility earlier theatre, cooking, gardening, money gradually I made friends and it became this month. “It has been an opportuni- management, memory enhancement my second home,” he says. Today, not ty to continue the dialogue, introduce exercises, yoga and meditation, only is Faizan interning at a Karachinew concepts, assist with the correct personal grooming, nutrition and based firm but is also planning to get language and work towards incorpo- visual art. Plans to introduce a ‘visiting married. rating rehabilitation as part of the be- home services programme’ are also People with severe psychiatric havioural health framework,” she says in the pipeline, says psychologist and disorders can have a relapse since their adding that rehabilitation is not meant director of TRH, Naheed Khan. “We journey is not linear. “When they 25 December 21-27 2014
FEatUrE
a display of crafts at the recovery home where patients indulge in a series of activities.
Facilities across Pakistan that offer psychiatric treatment: a sitting arrangement in the garden where patients have their evening tea.
We want people to benefit, recover and live a healthy and successful life. recovery is a journey. It is not an end in itself Psychologist and director of TRH naheed Khan understand this and realise that they have an illness that can be treated, they are ready to enroll in a psychiatric rehabilitation programme and begin their journey to recovery,” says Khan. Some can recover within three months while others may take either a year or more. Around 50 to 60 percent patients with serious psychiatric disorders can recover and lead a normal life if there is more awareness about rehabilitation in the country, says Dr Uzma Ambreen, a psychiatrist and clinical director at TRH. Although there are rehabilitation units in many psychiatric hospitals, they mainly facilitate people with 26 substance abuse, she explains. The December 21-27 2014
situation can improve if inpatient rehabilitation units are set up purely for patients with psychiatric disorders. TRH has also been recognised by the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. “We want TRH to be [a facility that can also train others] in South Asia. People from the region [should] come here for education and training,” says Dr Carey. T *name of the patient has been change to protect privacy. With additional input by Amna R Ali. Ishrat Ansari works at The Express Tribune Karachi desk. She tweets @Ishrat_ansari
Karachi Karachi Psychiatric Hospital: 92-21-111760760 Karawan-e-Hayat: 92-21- 3586 3060 The Recovery House: 021-345-46364 Islamabad Pakistan Institute of Medical Science: 9261170-89 Shifa International Hospital: 92- 51- 846- 4646 National Engineering and Scientific Commission: 92-51-90742466 Peshawar Khyber Teaching Hospital: 9216340-47 Lady Reading Hospital: 9211430-9 Hayatabad Medical Complex: 091- 9217188 Lahore Centre for Advanced Medicine: 92-42-3579 0123
OF ZOROASTRIAN
DESCENT India and Pakistan respond differently to a decline in Parsi numbers DESIGN BY AAmIr KhAN
According to the Qissa-i-Sanjan — an account of the early years of Zoroastrian settlers in the subcontinent — the present-day Parsis (Parsi being Gujarati for Persian) descend from a group of Zoroastrians from Greater Iran who migrated to the western borders of South Asia during the seventh century AD after muslims came to power. At the time of Partition, the community was further divided; those living in Pakistan became part of the new country while others remained in India. Over time, however, Parsis on both sides of the border have suffered a similar fate — their numbers have declined significantly due to late or no marriages, a decline in fertility rates and marriages outsides the community. How each country has dealt with the issue of dwindling numbers is a different story altogether.
Parsi numbers have declined significantly due to late or no marriages, a decline in fertility rates and marriages outsides the community
The images are part of the ‘Jiyo Parsi’ print campaign.
A number game? The Jiyo Parsi campaign aims to shake Indian Parsis out of procreative somnolence BY ShAI VENKATrAmAN
A navjote ceremony in progress. PHOTO COURTESy: JEHANgIR PATEl, Parsiana “Isn’t it time you broke up with your mom?” goes the tagline on an ad featuring a man with his aged mother. Another says, “Be responsible. Don’t use a condom tonight.” A third, featuring a woman in a ballerina pose asks, “Who will be snooty about being superior if you don’t have kids?” These provocative and cheeky ads published in Parsi publications, are part of the Indian government’s Jiyo Parsi programme — an attempt to shore up the shrinking numbers of the Indian Parsi community, which doesn’t seem to be doing much about its flatlining population. The last census data, which shows that their headcount dropped from 114,000 Parsis in 1941 to 69,000 Parsis in 2001, a fall of 39% on an already-small base, makes a compelling case for such an intervention.
Children at the Parsi colony Navroz Bagh, mumbai. PHOTO COURTESy: JEHANgIR PATEl, Parsiana
The idea was born when, after seven years of research in collaboration with leading Indian institutes, the National Commission of Minorities identified late or no marriage, decline in fertility and marriage outside the community as the main drivers behind this dwindling demographic. “The community has become, sad to say, demographically 32 abnormal, and Jiyo Parsi is trying to address that,” says Dr December 21-27 2014
Shernaz Cama, honorary director of the UNESCO-funded Parzor Project, which is implementing the scheme. “Parsis have a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) — the average number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children according to age-specific fertility rates — of 0.88, while the community needs a TFR of 2.1 to survive. Only one in nine families has a child below the age of 10,” she adds. The five-year programme is backed by a Rs10 crore government grant and has a two-pronged strategy — advocacy and medical assistance. The first includes promoting early marriage and multiple children. Under the second, free fertility treatments are offered to couples whose annual income is below Rs10 lakhs. The campaign has found eager takers, with over 20 couples availing treatments like In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) over the last year. Equally, the ad campaign has angered many Parsis, who find the ads regressive and sexist. Parizad Mehta, a Mumbai-based bank employee who has two daughters, says the campaign places the entire onus of procreation on women. “I welcome the initiative because something needs to be done about our numbers. But why should women carry the burden?” she says, adding that girls in their early 20s are still trying to find a direction in life and it is unfair to expect them to set their dreams and ambitions aside because the community needs numbers. “They are putting out the message that a woman’s life is not complete without marriage and motherhood, and that is appalling,” adds Simin Merchant, a doctoral student from the University of Oxford, whose research is focused on the Parsis of colonial India. According to Merchant, the campaign’s message to women and couples who marry late breeds paranoia, a contrast to the pioneering ideals of progressiveness and modernity that Parsis are known for. Those behind the programme say rapid decline is a hard fact and it is time to get aggressive about addressing it. “The fact is that there is a thing called biology and the world over
there is growing realisation of the need to impart a more traditional feminism,” says Dr Cama, adding that you cannot refute the fact that women age biologically at 25 and their eggs are not in the same condition as they were at the age of 22. “There is a need to get back to a healthy work-life balance. What is the harm in a girl getting married and later continuing her career? learn from the mistakes we have made in the past,” she says. Apart from the campaign, many within the community are questioning the very approach of the programme as it discriminates against Parsi women with non-Parsi spouses. For example, they cannot avail the medical benefits offered by the community, while Parsi men who have married outside the faith can. “How can the purpose of stemming the decline be achieved when Parsi women who have married outside the community and their children are not considered Parsi (whereas the same measure is not applied to Parsi men),” questions Jehangir Patel, editor of Parsiana, a monthly community news magazine. “If women are to be a part of any campaign to benefit the community, how can we treat them as second-class citizens? Why are you denying them the right to marry who they want?” he says. Parsis who were pioneers of women’s education and industry seem to have regressed now, he adds. Even conservatives like Mehta agree that the practise is discriminatory. “On one hand you say men and women are equal. And then you say that women cannot choose their partners and be accepted within the community,” she says. According to Patel, genetic studies show that the mitochondrial (maternal line) DNA carried in Parsi women here in India is different from that found among those in Iran. “Clearly there is a large mixture of gujarati genes, so its not as if the racial purity this programme is trying to hold on to still exists. It’s morally and ethically wrong to ban women,” he says. Dr Cama defends the decision saying that she is bound by the parameters set under the government’s Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, which is patriarchal and
Apart from the campaign, many within the community are questioning the very approach of the programme as it discriminates against Parsi women with non-Parsi spouses does not grant rights to children born of a union between a Parsi woman and a non-Parsi man. “Why don’t Parsi women take up the issue?” she asks. “It is not for Jiyo Parsi to do so. The fact is that our surveys have shown that none of the girls born to a Parsi mother and non-Parsi father who had the Navjote (formal induction into Zoroastrianism), married a Parsi. That threatens Zoroastrian culture.” Merchant argues the programme would be better off adopting a more inclusive approach as the current one according to her smacks of xenophobia. She says it is time the community accepts that the demographic decline is terminal and points to various studies that establish this. “What they are trying to create is the pure Parsi, which no longer exists,” says Merchant.“you cannot have programmes in this day and age to breed race. It is fundamentally wrong,” she says. It also isolates those who have married outside the community, she adds. “All that is needed was a gesture to welcome thousands of children born of Parsi and non-Parsi unions to add to the community. There are thousands of ways to make Parsis jiyo and this is not one of them.” Shai Venkatraman is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist for print and TV. She tweets @shaivenkat
A jashn at Banaji Atash Behram temple. PHOTO COURTESy: JASMINE DRIVER
COVER STOrY
Migration before multiplication Zoroastrians in Pakistan are aware of the declining trend in population but are hesitant to stay put in the country and take up the cause
The inside of the Eduljee Dinshaw wing of the lady Dufferin hospital. The bust is of Eduljee Dinshaw, the biggest donor to the hospital.
BY DIlAIrA DuBASh
PHOTO COURTESy: BIlAl HASSAN
The presence of Zoroastrians in Pakistan is akin to sugar in one’s tea. They prefer to mingle unobtrusively but add a sweetness to the local community. According to an apocryphal account, that’s how a wise Parsi priest first paved their entry into India by extending a symbolic gesture of sweetened milk to the King Jadav Rana of gujrat and the community has lived by that principle ever since. But 67 years after the Partition, Zoroastrians — who numbered at 5,018 according to the first census held by Pakistan in 1951 — have lost strength in their numbers. Wary of the volatile security situation, the community remains flaccid while its Indian counterpart launches one of the biggest population revival campaigns.
the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. Echoing his thoughts, Isphanyar Bhandara, who is a member of the gilgit-Baltistan Council, shares, “Parsis [in Pakistan] are very much active within their community affairs and you have to remember a low number of Parsis also leads to [a reduced degree of activity].” He further adds, “It should be kept in mind that Parsis in India enjoy more tolerance and freedom than in Pakistan. I would not encourage any Jiyo Parsi campaign keeping in view the sensitivities involved.” The younger Zarthostis also attribute a lack of initiative to Pakistan’s constant security lapses. “Unless the Pakistani state improves its abysmal [security] record, a Jiyo Parsi campaign will never flourish [here],” says 25-year-old Frayan Doctor. Natasha Sethna, a young professional, also agrees that security is the primary reason why Zarthostis are reluctant to take up the cause on a national level. “Pakistan has not been nominated to host a single World Zoroastrian Congress thus far while India hosted one in Mumbai last year,” she says. Furthermore, 24-year-old Cyrus Petigara says, “Pakistan isn’t known for extending support to its minorities.” While there is some degree of consensus that a course of action is crucial, few advocate that the Jiyo Parsi campaign is the apt way to arrest the decline. How then should one add sweetness to the blend? Bhandara espouses that the community should take up the cause without taking help from the government. According to Minwalla, “An ad campaign isn’t going to convince Parsi couples to procreate more, nor should it. The smarter solution would be to ask couples to adopt.” Families should adopt a homeless, orphaned child if they can afford to as this will add to the numbers and also save lives, he recommends. Sethna suggests, “Outreach programmes and assistance from the government to host congresses in Pakistan can curb the decline in the country.” Parsi trusts should extend more financial assistance to the Zoroastrian youth to participate in the congresses which also act as a platform for individuals to meet potential life partners within the community, she
A tambola (bingo) evening held at the Karachi Parsi Institute. PHOTO COURTESy: RUSTOM IRANI
The quest to reproduce has not taken the Zoroastrians in Pakistan by storm where the population has perhaps passed the tipping point due to fewer births relative to death, migration and marriages outside the community. “This is because there are over 60,000 of them (Indian Parsis) and 1,400 of us. Also, the Tatas and the godrejes are driving forces in the Indian economy. Which Parsi family today can boast the same status in Pakistan?” says Framji Minwalla 34 who heads the Department of Social Sciences & liberal Arts at December 21-27 2014
adds. According to Doctor, “The campaign needs to target those who want to move abroad.” By collaborating with the government, the young Parsis must be given an incentive to stay within the country and start a family, he adds. While the Jiyo Parsi campaign focuses on the issue of fertility among Indian Parsis who get married at a later age, Pakistan’s Zoroastrian population has been drained by migration over the years spurred by the insecure environment. “The Parsis in Pakistan need a reason to stay here, not a reason to have more kids. Why would they choose to have kids in a country where they are not safe?” says Petigara who is planning to move abroad as well.
The Parsis in Pakistan need a reason to stay here, not a reason to have more kids Young Parsi Cyrus Petigara “The youth cannot be blamed for leaving Pakistan when there are no opportunities for them in the country,” argues Doctor. Although he agrees that their participation is key to increasing the numbers, “that can only happen if they do no move out of the country which, at the moment, is impossible.” To put things in perspective Minwalla says, “Few younger Parsis are connected to Pakistan the way the Dinshaws or the Mehtas or the Katraks were in the past... Jamshed Nusserwanji Mehta considered himself a citizen of Pakistan. Which Parsi today thinks the same way?” Within 75 years there will be no Zoroastrians left in Pakistan, he says. And Parsis of all ages mostly agree that the future does not seem very bright for Pakistan’s Zoroastrians if you keep the rate of decline in mind. residents of the Cyrus and Avari colonies in Karachi often sit at the benches after their evening walk. PHOTO COURTESy: DIlAIRA DUBASH
The abandoned Katrak Swimming Bath at the Karachi Parsi Institute. PHOTO COURTESy: BIlAl HASSAN The government has not given the community a reason to act otherwise either. Farid Midhet, country director at Jhpiego and a former director at the Asia Foundation, reveals that the Zoroastrian population has neither been included in the census of 1998 nor mentioned separately in any study done by a population organisation. This is confirmed by Azra Aziz, director of the National Institute of Population Studies in Islamabad, who says, “They (Zoroastrians) are too few to be included in the national population surveys.” To boost the numbers in the country, Midhet explains, “I think first we need a study to find out the real reasons behind their outmigration. The same study can include fertility behaviours as well,” he says. The second step would be for the government to provide protection to all nonMuslim segments of the population in the face of religious intolerance and offer incentives to Zoroastrians to establish and expand their businesses, he adds. Bhandara even had a cordial meeting with President Mamnoon Hussain on December 1, 2014, who agreed that funds for the minorities should be set aside and the law enforcement agencies should play a more active role to protect them. Presently scattered and settled in small pockets across the globe, Zoroastrians are a people without a state. “Our numbers are small only if you think in terms of national figures. But most of us count our community in relation to the extended diaspora — in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia,” explains Minwalla. However, one hopes that the global Zoroastrian community can unite and take up the cause in a uniform manner. T Dilaira Dubash is a senior subeditor on The Express Tribune magazine desk. She tweets @DilairaM December 21-27 2014
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A cultural crossroad Women in Gutlibagh, Kashmir remain behind closed doors in the name of tradition By Haziq qadri and qadri inzamam PHotos By Haziq qadri dEsiGn By sanoBEr aHmEd
a panoramic view of Gutlibagh’s fields.
About an hour’s journey from Srinagar, Kashmir a road running between the vast paddy fields diverts towards a cluster of small villages called Gutlibagh. It is polling day in the village and men of different ages are gathered in small clusters in the village square chattering animatedly. A couple 40 of metres away, two long queues of men crawl December 21-27 2014
into different classrooms inside a heavily guarded government school to cast their vote. One of the Indian army officials on duty comments, “I have been here for the past two days and surprisingly I have not seen a single woman in this village. Not even today, on polling day!” One rarely sees any women in public spaces in Gutlibagh.
It is not common for the village’s female population to come out of their homes or work outside, and even if they do they are fully covered and accompanied by a male family member. The practice is in line with Pashtun traditions and rituals which were bought to this village more than half a century ago when at least 8,000 Pashtu-speaking migrants settled in Gutlibagh along with their families and have tightly guarded their culture ever since. “Our culture is our identity and we have to preserve it to save our identity,” says Sanobar Khan, a naturopath whose ancestors moved to Gutlibagh from Jalalabad, Afghanistan in the 1940s. “Ours is a very small population and [the responsibility] to ensure that these traditions and culture is passed on to our new generation lies on our shoulders,” he adds. Khan is highly critical of things that can be categorised
Ours is a very small population and [the responsibility] to ensure that these traditions and culture is passed on to our new generation lies on our shoulders Naturopath sanobar Khan
People waiting outside Gutlibagh polling booth to cast their votes.
as ‘modern’ such as wearing jeans, listening to music, talking on the phone and even voting by women. “Like music, TV and other modern things, voting is considered forbidden among our women. There is no role of women in elections such as these, so we don’t allow them to vote,” he adds. The women’s votes were instead cast by the male family member in all previous elections. This year, however, the practice was disallowed by the Election Commission and a small number of women went to the polling booth during the afternoon when there were fewer men present at the site. Due to the restrictions in place, nearly 70% of women in Gutlibagh are illiterate and only a handful work outside the house. “We do not let our daughters go to school because there are no separate schools for girls,” says Jameel Khan who has lived all his life in Kashmir but prefers speaking in Pashtu rather than Kashmiri. “Also it is prohibited in our culture for women to work outside their homes. Hence, you will not find many women here who work in offices.” The older women in the village seem comfortable with compromising their freedom to preserve tradition. “We have 41 December 21-27 2014
FEatUrE been doing it for years. Our mothers and grandmothers have lived like this, so I do not have any problem with it,” says 35-year-old Shafeeqa Khan, a mother of two who has spent most of her life caring for her family. But from time to time when Shafeeqa sees young girls from the village going to school and even colleges, she feels a pang of regret. “I wish I had gone to school during my childhood too; things would have been nice. I feel disappointed when I am unable to understand what’s written in newspapers and books,” she says, adding that though times are changing in Gutlibagh, there is still need to encourage more girls to get an education. “We cannot let our girls remain illiterate in this age. We have to live with the rest of the world,” she says. Tasleema Khan, who is one of the few girls in the village who have successfully pursued higher education, also believes that women in the village need to be educated but not at the cost of tradition and culture. “With changing times, we have to educate the women folk, but that should not mean that we abandon our lifestyle and follow others,” she says. These traditions are not limited to dress code and segregation of genders, but also extend to marriage. People in Gutlibagh do not marry outside their own tribe which is also one of the reasons why their culture has remained intact an exterior view of Hakeem sanobar Khan’s house.
With changing times, we have to educate the women folk, but that should not mean that we abandon our lifestyle and follow others Gutlibagh resident tasleema Khan Jameel Khan, poses for a photograph outside a polling booth in Gutlibagh, Ganderbal.
a link road that connects Gutlibagh to other villages.
abdul Hameed Khan, 42, casts his vote inside a polling booth in Gutlibagh Ganderbal. Gutlibagh is a cluster of small villages that houses a population of afghan and Pakistan migrants. in its original form despite having been settled in Kashmir for so many years. Mohammad Tayub Khan, a retired police officer, says that until a few years ago, most people from outside the village were not even allowed to enter. “They were not really welcomed here because we did not want other people to come and disturb our culture,” he says. “That is one of the reasons we do not marry in other villages either.” The Pathans of Gutlibagh do not generally mix with other Kashmiris. Villagers here speak only in Pashtu among
themselves and only a handful speak and understand Kashmiri. However, Urdu is the second language for most people. Their staunch practices set them apart from rest of Kashmir where women also veil themselves but are not restricted in terms of mobility and the degree of gender segregation is also relatively low. Jameel Khan and his nephew Tayub Khan, however, claim that things have started to change. Many young girls have started to go to colleges in Srinagar and other areas to pursue their education and young boys have made friends from other areas who sometimes visit this village. But the elders do not see it as a positive sign. “Progress is fine but we cannot afford to lose our identity which we have preserved so far with utmost care,” says Tayub. With its elders acting as vanguards of Pahstun culture, remaining abreast with the world while staying rooted in history appears to be a handicap for the younger generation. With additional reporting by Ruwa Shah. Haziq Qadri is a Kashmir-based photojournalist. He tweets @haziq_qadri Qadri Inzamam is a freelance journalist based in Kashmir. He tweets @Qadri_Inzamam December 21-27 2014
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FILM
Physics and Chemistry Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking may have a theory on everything, except love BY SAMEEN AMER
Stephen Hawking’s life has been nothing short of remarkable. Not only has the world-renowned physicist achieved a plethora of accomplishments and distinctions in his illustrious career, but he has done so by defying all expectations while traversing a path that has been profoundly inspirational. It is primarily this latter aspect of his story that is captured in The Theory of Everything, the biographical drama about the trials and triumphs of the cosmologist’s life. The narrative spins around H Hawking’s relationship with wife, Jane Wilde, whose book Travelling to his first Infinity: My Life with Stephen inspired the movi movie. t early 1960s, and It is the Steph Hawking (portrayed Stephen brillia brilliantly by Eddie Redmayne) sti a graduate student at is still the University of Cambridge, wher he meets literature where stude Jane (Felicity Jones). She student d is a devout believer while he is o an outspoken atheist; yet they fo each other. But then life fall for throw a spanner in the works throws — at the age of 21, Hawking is diagn diagnosed with amyotrophic later sclerosis (ALS), a lateral deg degenerative motor neuron dis disease. The prognosis? An av average life expectancy of t years. two Life practically hands him a death sentence but
with Jane’s unflinching support, he defies all odds. They marry and have three kids while he continues coming up with groundbreaking scientific theories while searching for “one simple, elegant equation to explain everything”. It’s a beautiful love story, complicated by reality. The agony of the situation is matched by the strength of the human spirit, but even that can’t prevent the union’s ultimate dissolution. As with many biopics, some of the wrinkles have been ironed and rough edges smoothed out. Every character is displayed under a positive light, stripping the story of some of its more prickly aspects. And the film is by no means comprehensive; those who are looking for an exploration of Stephen Hawking’s scientific work are bound to be disappointed by The Theory of Everything’s focus on his personal life. Still, the theoretical discourse that is presented in the film is finely weaved into the narrative, and director James Marsh occasionally employs some stellar, artistic shots and sequences that beautifully supplement its protagonist’s ideas. The main highlight of the movie, though, is Eddie Redmayne’s wonderful performance in this very challenging part. His transformation into Hawking is remarkable, and he embodies the character’s charm brilliantly while conveying the emotional depth of the role. Felicity Jones is also terrific as Jane and carries her part radiantly. Filled with love, sadness, wit and wisdom and propelled by Redmayne’s standout, award-worthy performance, The Theory of Everything succeeds in relaying an extraordinary story that emotionally resonates with viewers. Its overall approach may be conventional and both the journey and the science may have been simplified, but the film on the whole is impressively made and very affecting. Rating: Sameen Amer is a Lahore-based freelance writer and critic. She tweets @Sameen
Other scientists’ biopics
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A Beautiful Mind(2001):
Russell Crowe portrays John Nash, a brilliant mathematician struggling with schizophrenia, in Ron Howard’s Best Picture Academy Award winning film, A Beautiful Mind. DECEMBER 21-27 2014
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Creation (2009):
Based on Randal Keynes’s book Annie’s Box, Creation takes a look at the bond between Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) and his eldest daughter Anne (Martha West) as he tries to balance his evolutionary work with his devoutly religious family.
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The Imitation Game (2014):
After helping to crack the Enigma code during World War II, mathematician and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) ends up being prosecuted for his sexuality in The Imitation Game, another favourite this award season.
Bridging a literary divide The genius of Manto is brought to life for English readers with Mujahid Eshai’s translation BY NAZNEEN SHEIKH
It is possible that the recent celebration of Saadat Hassan Manto’s centenary revived the conversation about the quixotic, tortured writer who dealt with cultural dislocation and a personal life of abject poverty. Yet author/translator Mujahid Eshai felt compelled to introduce the ‘bad boy’ of Urdu literature — also hailed as the Maupassant of his time — to secondgeneration Pakistani readers who primarily relate to the English language with his translation of Manto’s works, Manto on and about Manto, into English. Although Eshai is a chartered accountant by profession, he captures Manto’s portrait with an inordinate skill which is also reflected in 52 the passages he has chosen to translate. DECEMBER 21-27 2014
Born into a Kashmiri home, Manto reluctantly migrated to Lahore at the time of Partition. Although hampered by financial insecurity, he became a superb archivist of his environment. He wore many hats. In his favoured city of Bombay, he dabbled in screen writing and wrote radio plays for All India Radio in Delhi along with writing political commentary for newspapers. But, it is his stark and explicit short stories which define an author whose unfettered genius would alter the style of expression of his day. Regretfully, his short life span reaching mid-forties left behind only the ghost of notoriety — he was repeatedly charged for writing works considered to be obscene. None of his lawsuits, however, resulted in conviction and various poets, authors, editors and public intellectuals sprung to his defence In this simply written and highly readable book, the first 96 pages transport the reader to Lahore’s courtrooms. Manto’s fatigue rises from the pages as one reads about the interminable waits in dusty corridors for magistrates to appear, fortified with cheap cigarettes bought one at a time and quick snorts from a hip flask. The translator has chosen this section wisely for its dramatic appeal and the book becomes a page-turner. The latter half is more personal
and there is a charming inclusion of correspondence from Manto’s writer friends, Krishan Chander and Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi. This is enhanced by a comic profile of Ismat Chugtai, one of Manto’s friends by the writer himself. Finally a short essay by Manto on writing about human sexuality — which is largely the reason for his infamy — hints at Freudian consciousness. His ability to transport the reader into a realm of possibilities, however, automatically adds another measure of success to his merit as a writer. Postcript, what does not serve the book well is the missing dates on some of the sections of the book. Apparently Manto did not date his writings; nevertheless some chronological research could have helped address this issue. From the production point of view, the publisher Sang-e-Meel, falls short on the stock used — the blueishwhite paper with uneven spacing hints at a cost-cutting mentality. The cover design is also inferior as it is overworked and looks unprofessional. Perhaps the publisher will take this into account when the second edition is printed.
Nazneen Sheikh is an author and has written several adult and young-adult fiction books.
TECH
Put all your cards on the table Apple Pay allows your smartphone to handle all credit and debit card payments BY NOMAN ANSARI
Just as the multi-functionality of smartphones has eliminated the need for many gadgets such as cameras, wristwatches, compasses etcetera, it has also created a market for many new ones. Apple Pay by technology giant Apple Inc., which allows your smartphone to act as a one-stop device for all credit and debit card payments, is the latest addition to the list of such endeavours. Apple Pay is available for use on iPhone 6 variants as well as some iPads while iPhone5 users can also use it through the Apple Watch. “Our vision is to replace this, and we are going to start by focusing on payments,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook to a cheering crowd while standing in front of an image of a fat wallet full of cash and credit cards. Cook believes that Apple Pay will replace what he calls an “antiquated process”. Apple Pay certainly feels like a modern and simple system. Setting up your Apple device with your financial information is easy, while paying is even easier. After you hold your device next to the ‘point of sale’ system store during a sale, you simply authenticate the transaction by pressing your finger on the phone’s Touch ID sensor. All 54 communication between the Apple DECEMBER 21-27 2014
device and the point of sale system takes place through Apple’s near field communication antenna and is protected by a chip which encrypts financial information. One of the seven men behind the patent of this impressive technology is Ahmer Ali Khan, a Pakistani from Rawalpindi currently based in Silicon Valley. At the moment, Apple Pay has partnered with American Express, Visa and Mastercard, and debuted in over
One of the seven men behind Apple Pay is Ahmer Ali Khan, a Pakistani from Rawalpindi 200,000 stores in the United States. As expected, Cook promises that Apple Pay will also be launched in international markets. Electronic commerce services such as digital wallets and mobile payments are not new ideas. In fact, several companies such as Google and PayPal have beaten Apple to the mobile payment flag. These services, however, haven’t quite caught the public’s imagination so far, and Cook believes
that ’s Apple’s technology has the potential to revolutionise electronic i commerce where others have failed by focusing on the consumer. “Most people who have worked on this [mobile payment] have started by focusing on creating a business model that was centred on their self-interests instead of the user-experience,” he said. While Apple has spearheaded a legacy of successes by focusing on user experience, it seems that the company may have been a little too singleminded in its focus on the consumer. By adopting a ‘no data collection policy’, Apple Pay may ease privacy concerns but lead to a loss of marketing advantages for retailers who have restricted access to data that would be available if the payment was made using traditional means. Considering that retailers aren’t gaining any financial advantages in implementing Apple Pay, this loss of data will make it more challenging for the service to find a widespread market. Noman Ansari is a freelance writer and regular contributor to The Express Tribune magazine. He tweets @Pugnate