The Express Tribune Magazine - February 16

FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

Still Life Hazara children paint their hopes and dreams at the Sketch Club

FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

Tech

Tech me Forward Technological breakthroughs to look out for in 2014

Cover Story

Still Life Fazil Mousavi pumps hope and colour into the ethnically fragmented lives of Hazara children

30

Feature

The be[a]st groomer When it comes to looking good, animals may not be too far behind

24

4

32 Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people

35 Review: Books and movies 38 Health: Polio in Pakistan

Magazine In-charge: Sarah Munir and Sub-Editor: Dilaira Mondegarian 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

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Zehra Javeri holds her first art exhibition in Karachi

PHOTOS COURTESY TAKE II

Dr Ghazna El Masri

ia

no and Shaz

Asra, Sherba

ri Zehra L Jave

Faiza Fuad and Ayesha Hussain

Aiesha Arif Saima, Shehla Chatoor and Amna

6 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

35 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

PEOPLE & PARTIES

edullah

PHOTOS COURTESY TAKE II

Farhana and Marium Sae

Tapu and Iraj

Mehreen and Faakir

Faiza and Alayha

Salma and Shehla

8 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

d Lali with a

Sameera an

guest

PEOPLE & PARTIES Noveara Naveed

Hush Puppies hosts the Pakistan Polo Cup 2014 in Lahore

Huma

Mehr, Ayesh

a and Imran

Bilal Sharif

Esma, Yasir

10 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

and Sabina

and Samia

Bilal

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Munawara

Sultana and

Tara Uzra and Hamida Dawood

PHOTOS COURTESY FAROOQ USMAN COURTESY OF TUD PR

The British Deputy High Commission Karachi and Dawood Global Foundation host the LADIESFUND Speed Networking Luncheon 2014 in Karachi

Shaheen

sin

Zahida Moh

Arooj Noman

Guests

in

Nadia Husse

12 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

PEOPLE & PARTIES Ayesha Adnan

Gill Atkinson PHOTOS COURTESY FAROOQ USMAN COURTESY OF TUD PR

Shameen Gul

Mehreen

Mehwish Ayyub

Sanam Ashraf

14 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

a Adnan

han and Hum

in K Nusrat Mub

Still Life COVER STORY

Fazil Mousavi pumps hope and colour into the ethnically fragmented lives of Hazara children

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DANIAL SHAH DESIGN BY MUNIRA ABBAS

Red may run through the lives of Hazaras in Quetta but their children still manage to paint a positive picture. At the Sketch Club in Mariabad, that boasts the oldest Hazara settlement in the eastern half of the city since the late 18th century, parents enroll their children to nurture their artistic talent.

It’s not hard to spot the club tucked away in the middle of a row of stores and houses in the neighbourhood. The words ‘Sketch Club’ are painted in an oblique font on the signboard at the entrance, cemented in place over a stand-out white steel gate. A flight of stairs lead up to an open terrace where children sit in broad daylight, with their sketchbooks and shading pencils in tow. Inspired by an astounding view of the Mariabad valley, where houses are built in succession one above the other, they begin to sketch the object placed before them, taking instructions from their maestro on how to add highlights and texture to their drawing.

“I was teaching art at a school when I felt the need to [pass on] my skill to my community, hence the concept of ‘Sketch Club’ came into being,” says the 54-yearold drawing instructor, Fazil Mousavi. After completing his degree in Fine Arts at the University of Balochistan, in 1988, at a time where only one other known Hazara student graduated with him, he started work as a freelance artist, participating and winning prizes at nationwide exhibitions till 2002 and holding a solo exhibit at the Museum Willem van Haren, Holland, in 2007. But Mousavi’s vision was fulfilled with having his very own sketch club in Quetta, where he now offers psychological and emotional catharsis through art to Hazara boys and girls.

In 2001, when Mousavi initially laid the foundation for the club, he started off by voluntarily teaching four children of a friend who owned a rickshaw-painting workshop. “I groomed those kids and realised that I [had] the potential to train the younger generation to express [themselves] through art,” he says, having mentally sketched out a career path that now involved more teaching and less practicing.

Although his vision was clear, his path was paved with many obstacles. Due to a lack of funds, Mousavi had to briefly hold back his plans until late 2008

24 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

A student sttudent d t att the the Sketch Skettch h Club Club b displays displays l her her painting paiinti ting i off a boat that depicts the horrors that confront Hazara asylum seekers escaping to Australia.

A student sttud uden dentt pr prac practices acti tice icess draw d drawing rawiing ing cl clay lay p pots ots ot ts att tthe he he Sketch Club.

25 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

COVER STORY when a friend offered him a temporary location to operate from. The Sketch Club was however formally launched in mid-2009 when Mousavi rented his own place, a terrace with a small studio room. The journey from here on was less bumpy with the students exhibiting their work for the first time that year at the shortlived Urooj Art Gallery in the city, opened by a Hazara who had returned from Australia, and then on, yearly at the General Mohammad Musa Inter Boys College, Quetta.

Mousavi’s resolute determination and hard work

No one teaches creativity. In this part of the world, a common man thinks art is merely a painting of a [movie] celebrity reproduced by a painter — nothing beyond that Fazil Mousavi, owner of the Sketch Club

were the primary factors behind the club’s astoundnd ding success. He dedicated two hours a day, five dayss a as week, to mentoring students, with theory playing as ee ek vital a role as practical learning. One class each week is devoted to conceptual learning only to encompasss a ormore holistic approach to arts. “My theory is not forces e mal; it is whatever I’ve learnt through my experiences err and self-study. I teach students to build their own permspective keeping in mind [the] historical and contemrtts porary arts of the world, while [also] considering arts y is is of this region,” he explains. He feels that creativity

Title: Paradox Medium: Oil on paper Artist: S Mohammad Ali

Title: Still life Medium: Reed pen and ink on paper Artist: Murtaza Ali

Title: Dream Medium: Oil on paper Artist: S Zakir Hussain

Title: Stairs Medium: Oil on paper Artist: S Mohammad Ali PHOTOS COURTESY: FAZIL MOUSAVI

stunted in a country where schools limit their children to drawing houses and trees.

Classrooms often display children imitating a Western home on paper, replete with slanting roofs and a chimney, instead of encouraging young minds to take inspiration from their culture and surroundings. “No one teaches creativity. In this part of the world, a common man thinks art is merely a painting of a [movie] celebrity reproduced by a painter — nothing beyond that.”

From drawing and colouring objects with colour pencils, to graduating to painting landscapes with watercolour or oil on canvas, the students have unrestrained freedom of medium. Peace and intercultural harmony is at the heart of many students’ work. “The dove [symbolises] peace, which is surrounded by the Baloch, the Punjabi, the Sindhi, the Pathans, the Hazaras and the Kashmiris, all unit[ed]. The colours represent the diversity [of the people],” says a grade nine student who has been polishing her skills for a year and half. Besieged by anti-Shia violence, young Hazaras imagine racial solidarity and paint common ground.

With no specified age criteria, Mousavi prefers students to have cleared at least grade six before they can pursue art at the club, and can continue till they are in their mid-twenties. “I have a whole world inside of me that I want to express,” exclaims a student. “Through paintings, I can [convey] whatever I feel and imagine.” While proudly exhibiting paintings, the student points out to the one depicting motherhood, claiming it is a favourite. “I tried to paint the love of a mother and child and their strong bond.” Excited to display more work, the student even rushes home to fetch another piece, featuring a boat in the middle of an ocean, glistening in the moonlight. “This is what I can imagine of the horrors of innocent asylum seekers [Hazaras] escaping to Australia.”

27 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

A regular class at the Sketch Club where children gather around objects to polish their drawing skills.

Despite the surge in killings of the Hazaras in Quetta, Mousavi is pleasantly surprised and pleased with the increase in the number of students. “Art is [a] sign of a tolerant community and our youngsters are interested in it,” he says.

Currently around 30 students are enrolled and they pay a modest monthly fee of Rs1,000. And for those who cannot afford to pay at all, Mousavi offers his services for free, hoping to get more and more children involved in art. Initially he also bought all the art supplies for the students himself, which included the canvas, oil paints, colour pencils, brushes, pastels, charcoal, paper and watercolour, but later asked them to purchase their own supplies which round off to Rs1,000 per month. “I don’t offer any certifications or diplomas, that way students become greedy to earn a piece of paper instead of learning a skill. It [the club] is open for all with no time duration,” he says, clearly stating his vision and the club’s mission. “I am getting old, and there should be no reason [to hold me back from] transferring my skills and knowledge [of] art to the younger generation.”

With a firm belief in the healing power of art, Mousavi intends to channel the energies of the 28 emotionally charged children into constructive FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

works of art. “To [communicate] our internal pain and joy, we create art as a medium of self expression,” he says. While emphasising the importance of racial equality he adds, “We want people to come and join us in [a display of] solidarity and unity, and to feel what we feel. It shows that despite the sectarian violence, we are still united for peace.”

Never losing sight of the bigger picture, Mousavi’s only aim is to attract social support for his non-violent movement that seeks a peaceful coexistence for his community. But with limited space and finances for exhibitions, his outreach is also relatively stunted. “Unfortunately, art has become part of a particular class,” he claims, adding how commercialised the industry has become.

“But I believe it is for every human being… that is why we keep low prices [for] our paintings at exhibitions.”

In 2012, Sketch Club held its first international exhibition in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, where around 15 paintings were sold, and in November 2013, in Los Angeles, America, where 40 paintings were exhibited. The price for each painting at international exhibitions ranges between $200 to $300, depending on the size of the canvas, and Rs5,000 to Rs8,000 for ones sold locally.

With the message of the paintings travelling far

In 2012, Sketch Club held its first international exhibition in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, where around 15 paintings were sold

and wide, the Sketch Club has garnered great support from art enthusiasts and activists alike. And more importantly, the students have gone on to build thriving careers in art.

Mousavi can recall the names of around 12 of his students who are now pursuing a graduate-level art degree at numerous art colleges in the country. One of his students has successfully completed his Fine Arts degree in Miniature from the National College of Arts in Lahore and is now an international renowned painter in Australia.

Along with his students, Mousavi’s own two sons have done him proud by excelling in the field of arts. They both graduated from the National College of Arts, with Syed Sajjad going on to teach Fine Arts at the University of Balochistan and Syed Muhammad Hussain procuring a job as a graphic designer at a private firm in Lahore. His daughter Tayyaba is currently studying biotechnology at the Balochistan University of Information Technology, and the youngest, Shikufa, is completing her O’ Levels.

As Mousavi proceeds to bring out the creative side of Hazaras, the tide of change slowly washes over Mariabad.

Students who have been practicing sketching the clay pots and bottles placed before them wrap up their lesson and pack up to head back home. Stashed away with their canvases are their budding hopes that Mousavi wants to mould into reality one day.

Danial Shah is travel writer and photographer who is always on the lookout for positive stories. He tweets @DanialShah_

Fazil Mousavi, owner and instructor at the Sketch Club.

Sketch Club’s annual group exhibition held at General Muhammad Musa Inter College, Quetta. PHOTO COURTESY: FAZIL MOUSAVI

Tech me Forward Recent years have seen a renaissance in the development and marketing of electric cars. At the forefront is Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors, which introduced its Model S electric-powered sedan in Europe last year. In 2014, 13 more electric cars will be available in the expanding niche market, among them models from the venerated German car makers BMW and Mercedes-Benz. In the face of increasing environmentally conscious consumerism and a widening network of recharge stations, electric cars will continue to demonstrate strong growth and innovation throughout this year.

The argument for electric cars is straightforward. They are vastly more efficient than conventional engines, have competitive standards of safety and have only become more attractive with the increasing price of oil. By using battery-operated engines, they also become more environmentally friendly. Even though the market will continue to grow in the Global North, electric cars are a far cry for Global South countries like Pakistan where lack of infrastructure make adoption unfeasible. Toge Together with other adva advances in the auto tomotive industry such as the successful testing of self-driven cars, electric cars will be one thing to keenly o observe in 2014.

BY OMAR HAYAT DESIGN BY ASIF ALI

Electric Cars

Technological breakthroughs to look out for in 2014

The year 2013 brought with it smart watches, deep learning and memory implants. What will be the defining technological trends in 2014?

Big Data Following Edward Snowden’s whistle-blowing on NSA’s massive secret data-collecting operation, big data has been at the forefront of news in 2013. Apart from spying, however, mass data collection has already been used for a variety of useful tasks ranging from developing strategies for malaria vaccinations to managing commuting routes in crowded cities. It is also used in the study of social networks and international relations. The year 2014 is likely to see a continuation of growth of this extremely promising field of study.

One of the most accessible developments in big data is collecting data from cheap cell phones. Compared to the digital social networks, cell phones are ubiquitous in advancing countries and using data from booster towers, for example, can provide insight into people’s behavior. Although this data will probably be used for marketing more than anything else, the technology in itself is interesting and can help analyse and solve networking-related problems.

30 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

Wearable Tech

Although the concept of a digital currency has been around for at least a decade, it is only in 2013 that Bitcoin took off and brought cryptocurrencies into the public limelight. With an increasing number of governments now taking notice of Bitcoin, 2014 might be a crucial year for this new type of monetary beast, which draws its power from the internet rather than from a central bank.

Proponents of Bitcoin claim that a cyptocurrency is tamper- and inflation-proof, and makes transactions cheaper and easier. On the other hand, the currency has also been used extensively for money laundering and has a wildly volatile price. The fact thatt many have made a fortune of millions by getting into Bitcoin early on attracts many people to exchanges all over the world. It remains to be seen whether Bitcoin will everr see mass adoption, but if it does, 2014 is probably the year which will anat. swer that.

Cryptocurrency

Wearable technologies, the most conspicuously futuristic of tech developments, are the future of consumer electronics. The most highly anticipated wearable gadget is Google Glass, a hands-free optical head-mounted display with natural voice recognition. In other words, it is a smart phone that reflects directly into the eye and responds to user commands. Last year was big for Google Glass as it broadened availability to a wider range of testers and developed software applications for the product. This may be the year Google Glass enters the consumer market.

Is it wise to have a computer plugged onto you? Proponents of the technology, such as Professor Thad Starner from Georgia Tech, claim: “on-body devices are really the next revolution in computing.� By reducing the time between intention and action, he predicts, the device will change the way humans think and act. Upon consumer availability, Google Glass will undoubtedly conjure a storm of debate over everything ranging from privacy laws to attention-deficit disorder in children. Regardless of whether it augments our brain or shrinks it, the development of Google Glass will be one thing to keep an eye on in 2014.

Omar Hayat is a freelance writer who contributes to several local publications.

31 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

FEATURE When it comes to looking good, animals may not be too far behind TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ARIF SOOMRO

If you’re looking good, your job is half done. Nobody believes in this idea more than Ghazanfar Ali who has been taming pet fur for 15 years at his grooming shop for animals. Ali operates out of an informal shop, located alongside the Lyari River in Karachi, an area usually written off for being unsafe and under-developed. But he can always count on his clientele who regularly bring their goats, sheep, buffaloes, camels, horses, donkeys and mules for a trim or shave to keep the business going.

The be[a]st groomer The shop was set up by Ali’s forefathers decades ago, but he has now taken on the responsibility to keep the tradition alive. “When I was 10 years old, I worked with my uncle and he taught me a lot. A decade later, in my early 20s, I established my own shop here,” he says. Most of his family is involved in the same line of work in different areas of Karachi.

Despite the volatile reality of the area, business is steady. The residents mostly belong to the labour class and work in the Shershah scrap market or the Jodia Bazaar nearby. “This is the best place to make money and you don’t need to worry about the rent or other taxes,” Ali explains, who doesn’t need to worry about unhappy customers either.

Business is at its peak on Sundays or public holidays, since the markets are closed and the owners have the time to pimp up their animals. “On Sundays, we usually have more than 50 animals and don’t even get time to have lunch or tea,” says Ali. The most frequent clients are the ones who take their animals to participate in races, and hence looking good is on top of their priority list. These clients come to the barber shop at least twice a month.

Service charges vary according to the size of the animals: Rs500 for a horse, Rs250 for donkeys, mules, goats and sheep and camel owners have to pay up to Rs600.

To trim the long animal tresses, locally produced electric trimmers are used. They are powered by generators and need to be sharpened on stone every day.

“These animals are our source of livelihood and we love them like our children. We want them to look fresh and beautiful which is why we come here,” says one of Ali’s clients who had brought his donkey to have it spruced up. However, due to inflation, it is becoming increasingly difficult to even buy and keep relatively low-maintenance animals like donkeys. “These days, the price of a healthy donkey ranges from Rs80,000 to Rs100,000 and the cart can cost anywhere between

A donkey gets a haircut at Ghazanfar Ali’s shop where clients must book a prior appointment.

On Sundays, we usually have more than 50 animals and don’t even get time to have lunch or tea Ghazanfar Ali, owner of an animal grooming shop

Zameer Ahmed is seen working at his roadside hoof care shop, trimming and fitting a donkey hoof.

33 FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

FEATURE

A sheep gets a haircut with the help of an electric trimmer at Ghazanfar Ali’s shop.

34

Rs25,000 and Rs30,000. It is a big investment for us,” he explains. The rising cost of animal food and the deteriorating law and order situation in the city also make it difficult for owners to make ends meet.

But animal-lovers like Ali and Zameer Ahmed, who operates a hoof care shop a couple of miles away, try to provide value for money to their clients. Ahmed has also been in the business for over a decade but his work involves trimming and balancing hooves along with fitting horseshoes. The shop’s strategic location, next to the famous tonga shop in Lyari keeps business up and running.

“For trimming the hooves, we charge Rs250 for a horse or donkey and Rs100 for goats and sheep,” says Ahmed. Trimming and fitting of the horseshoe, however, cost a little more; Rs500 for horses and Rs400 for donkeys. Ahmed uses expensive horseshoes which are made from a superior quality metal, and takes extra care while trimming the hooves.

These services come at a higher price which is normally double the usual rate.

The work may seem ordinary but there is dedication and pride in these men’s voices who want to keep the craft alive, despite limited returns. Ali wants his son, whom he has trained under his careful supervision, to take the reins from him and tame unruly animal hair even after his grooming days are over. T Arif Soomro is a freelance photographer.

FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

FILM

Fantasy takes flight If you have seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey you will definitely be excited to watch the second movie of the trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, released in December last year. The movies are based on the novels by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

The second film revolves around the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), a burglar, who meets mythical and mystical creatures, who are often at odds with each other. With thirteen dwarves and a wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) embarks upon an epic journey through the Mirkwood Forest to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their homeland, Erebor and its gold, from the possession of the tyrannical dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), who has gripped everyone with fear.

To get to the daunting dragon, the group of self-serving do-gooders must open the secret door which leads to the hoard of the dragon before the last light shines in the sky.

A cheerful approach to a chaotic trip in a magical land

BY SAQIB NASIR

On their way, the wizard Gandalf separates from them to travel south which makes the plot even more mysterious.

On their majestic mission, the group comprised of Baggins, Thorin and the dwarves, is threatened by the Orcs, a group of goblinlike humanoids who want to destroy them.

The rise of the Darkness who is the master of the Orcs is another dreaded threat that the team must face. “There is no light that can beat darkness,” says Darkness during a powerful scene. As the group moves forward, barreling through rivers, you will feel immersed into their journey, thanks to Andrew Lesine’s fantastic camerawork.

The movie will captivate you from the beginning with its powerful story line and maintain the suspense till the end. The fact that it is in 3D will make you feel like you experiencing the same adventure as the characters on screen. Instead of being shot

at the normal 24 frames per second, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is shot at 48 frames per second, which gives it an added cinematic verve.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. It lives up to the high expectations that were set after the first film of the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey did exceedingly well at the box office and got nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Production Design).

According to boxoffice.com, the second movie of the sequel has reached the $600 million milestone overseas — a proof that you can rarely go wrong with mystical creatures, feisty fight sequences and secret doors on the big screen. T Rating: Saqib Nasir is a graduate from the University of Warwick and is currently working as a subeditor at The Express Tribune.

FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

35

FILM

A MOMENT OF TRUTH 12 Years a Slave will force you into an ugly confrontation with history

BY SAMRA MUSLIM

Rarely do you come across a movie that gives you goose bumps, and leaves you silent and stunned, long after the credits have rolled. 12 Year a Slave, based on the true events of the 1853 memoir in the same name, is a striking tale of cruelty, survival and, above all else, freedom.

The film revolves around the true story of Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a black violinist born free from slavery in the state of New York, who is abducted, shipped to the south and sold into slavery.

The performances in 12 Years a Slave are simply breathtaking.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, an actor who has never really made an impression until now delivers an outstanding performance as Solomon Northup, a man who is fighting to survive and get back to his family. You can feel his heartbreak and fear just by his facial expressions.

Micheal Fassbender is fantastic as Edwynn Epps — a vicious and demonic plantation owner who is a menacing and malignant presence even when not on screen. His slaves’ fear of his seemingly random bouts of sadism is almost palpable.

Newcomer, Lupita Nyong’o, who plays the tortured and sexually abused slave Patsey, is the star of the movie and almost outshines everyone else. The flair with which Nyong’o portrays Patsey’s agony, misery and anger is commendable and makes her character and performance the emotional epicenter of the film.

There are too many powerful scenes to count but the one that breaks your heart is when Solomon is nearly 36 lynched by John Tibeats (Paul FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

Dano) and is just hanging out there, while the other slaves are unable to do anything to help him. Then there is one which shows Patsey secured to a wooden post and being relentlessly whipped by Edwin Epps for fetching a bar of soap in order to rid herself of her own unbearable stench.

Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about 12 Years a Slave is the way it portrays slavery itself. Take Benedict Cumberbatch’s character — a seemingly decent and caring man who treats his

Oscar Trivia: • 12 Years a Slave is nominated for nine Oscars • Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o are all first-time nominees — in fact 12 Years a Slave is Lupita Nyong’o’s debut film.

• Steve McQueen is only the third AfricanAmerican to be ever nominated for the big prize.

• John Ridley, the script writer, becomes the seventh African American to be nominated in the screenplay categories.

slaves with some semblance of humanity — is still too afraid to break the vicious cycle of slavery.

The movie failed to adequately show the passage of time (except for the title, and the end of the movie where his children are shown to have grown up) and it seemed like the events only took place over a year as the narrative and the characters never really aged.

Solomon Northup’s story carries an undeniable and almost overbearing weight which grips your conscience and forces you to think how things got to this point. The film is bound to strike a few raw nerves for the Pakistani audience as the oppression and mistreatment of workers is still somewhat prevalent in the country.

Overall, the film is dark and raw; it exposes everything, without sugarcoating it.

12 Years a Slave is definitely hard to watch but beautifully shot, scripted and edited. It is also a stark reminder that principles like humanity and kindness should transcend time and history.

Rating: Samra Muslim is a digital marketing professional, an avid reader and a movie buff.

She tweets @samramuslim

BOOK

Earth and fire

Available at Liberty Books Rs695.

Hamraz Ahsan’s Kabuko the Djinn is a simple and effortless journey through fantasy with a remarkable climax

BY KHADIJA RAZA

“When you were born, wailing and shaking with rage at your expulsion from the comfort of the womb, did you know, in your tiny infant brain, the exact trajectory of your life? Had you already decided in which events would shape you and how your personality would be?

Had you decided on who would be your first love and who would be your last? Is that how it happens with humans? I have been very curious to know, you see. I am Kabuko. Kabuko the djinn.’’

Thus, begins the story of Kabuko, the central character in Hamraz Ahsan’s, Kabuko the Djinn. Intrigued by humans and a firm desire to know more about these beings and how they live by becoming a part of them, Kabuko enters the foetus of Ajee Shah in his mother’s womb.

Through Ajee’s body and soul, begins Kabuko’s journey for human knowledge.

He experiences and encounters a range of human feelings, emotions, relationships and conflicts in many situations for 30 years till he meets his nemesis, or as he himself says “poetic justice”. Kabuko is the omniscient narrator and narrates his story as Kabuko — Ajee’s soul mate inside him as well as Kabuko the djinn outside Ajee’s body and an outsider in the human world. Thus, the plot creates a different experience for readers with parallel perspectives of both a human and a djinn.

Set in rural Punjab, the book gives us a factual and fanciful view of the lives of Punjabi folk — their beliefs regarding the occult and its effects on individuals and families. The escapades of Kabuko and Ajee Shah take us into to a world of religion, exorcism, mysticism, seduction — love, lust, rivalry, jealousy, power and hate. However, the book is interesting

because of its unusual plot of a human and a djinn, beings of two different worlds, whose destinies become intertwined and leaves them struggling for survival and victory. What follows is an event that changes their lives forever.

The story is captivating and Ahsan’s simple language gives it a soothing, almost child-like appeal. The narrative will resonate with most of the readers and transport them back into their childhood days when such stories were often part of the daily storytelling episodes.

Ahsan is a gifted story teller. In his debut novel, he has skillfully woven fantasy, magic and realism (the mundane, everyday life) into a beautiful tapestry.

Kabuko the Djinn is a witty, moving fantastical account, akin to a simplified Dastan-e-Ameer Hamza and other compelling narratives of magical realism. If not entirely gripping, it makes the reader want to move on to the next page to find out what happens next. The book is a commendable effort by the writer and a must-read for all fantasy lovers, even if it is lacking in some details.

Khadija Raza is a teacher and published author at the Oxford University Press. She is also a freelancer for ArtNOW.

37

Author Hamraz Ahsan FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

HEALTH

WALK THE LINE The existence of polio in Pakistan is a ticking time bomb but can be prevented

BY NOREEN MUMTAZ DESIGN BY SAMRA AAMIR

Numbers speak • Pakistan, along with Nigeria and Afghanistan is one of the three countries that are still struggling with the deadly polio virus.

• The total number of naturally occurring wild polio virus in 2013 was 93 while 9 cases have been reported in 2014 so far.

• The total number of vaccine deprived polio cases in Pakistan was 45 for 2013 and one in 2014 so far.

• North Waziristan is the district with the largest number of children being paralysed by poliovirus in the world.

• As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200,000 new cases every year, within 10 years, all over the world.

• The complete eradication of polio will save at least $50 billion over the next 20 years, mostly in lowincome countries. Most importantly, this will mean that no child will ever need to suffer lifelong paralysis 38 because of a preventable infection.

FEBRUARY 16-22 2014

Poliomyelitis or Polio is an infectious virus that invades the body’s nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus enters through the mouth or via inhalation through the respiratory tract and multiplies in the intestines. Children under the age of five are most vulnerable to this infection as it invades the nervous system, rendering it dysfunctional.

Symptoms • The initial symptoms can be anything from fever, fatigue, and vomiting.

• It also causes stiffness in the legs, neck and limbs.

• One in every 200 infected individuals is paralysed and five to ten percent of paralysed individuals die as their breathing muscles are immobilised.

Preventions and precautions The only way to prevent this infection is through polio vaccine or drops which are given to children at two months, four months, six to 18 months and at four to six years. Once caught, the infection is not curable.

“There are two types of vaccines available, the oral polio vaccine (OPV) and the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV),”says Dr Anwar, medical supint at the Police Hospital, Karachi. “Precautions must be taken by those who have developed allergic reactions to prior vaccines and those who have lower immunity to diseases.”

A child’s dose of IPV may be delayed or may not be given at all if the child has a known severe allergy to the antibiotics neomycin, streptomycin, or polymyxin B. A child who has had a life-threatening reaction to a previous IPV should also not receive another one.

However, if the child is unwell on the date for the vaccine, then it must be rescheduled but no dosage should be missed.

Side effects “In case of fever and pain, medicines to relieve the condition can be given by the polio administering personnel,” says Dr Anwar. There may be other slight side effects like redness at the injection site, vomiting, decreased appetite and pain and tenderness with low fever.

Side effects that should be reported as soon as possible are: • Limp, pale or less alert child • Difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath or wheezing • Difficulty in swallowing • High fever (103°F or more) • Inconsolable crying for three hours or more • Seizures (convulsions) • Severe skin rash, hives or itching • Swelling of the eyes or face • Unusual sleepiness Noreen Mumtaz is a student at the Limkokwing University, Malaysia.