JANUARY 27-FEBRUARY 02 2013
Cover Story
20 Gods Awaiting Pilgrims Pakistan is a mountaineer’s paradise, but a lack of security keeps tourists away
Features
28 Riding with Robots Students build, code and solve, one Lego brick at a time
32 One Mom’s Mess Is Another Man’s Moneymaker Khalid Cheema turned a hobby into a thriving business
35 Leases of Life Inspired by a 14-year old Thalassemic girl, the Sundas foundation is now a lifeline for many young patients
Portfolio
20
38 Ground Beneath My feet Are the days numbered for standalone point-and-shoot cameras?
28
Regulars
6 People & Parties: Out and about with Pakistan’s beautiful people 40 Reviews: Django! The D is silent 42 Healthy Living: Speedy Smoothies
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Magazine Editor: Zarrar Khuhro, Senior Sub-Editor: Farahnaz Zahidi, Sub-Editors: Ameer Hamza and Dilaira Mondegarian. Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Maha Haider, Faizan Dawood, Samra Aamir, Sanober Ahmed. Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi. For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com
PEOPLE & PARTIES
The multi-designer store, Showstopper, adds Maimoona H and Mehreen Noorani to its list of designers in Karachi
Maliha
PHOTOS COURTESY TAKEII
Nadia Hussain
Tania
Maimoona and Naushaba
Abeer and Falak
Nida
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Marvi
Anusha and Hiba
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Erum
Almas
PHOTOS COURTESY TAKEII
Maleeha Bhimji
Farkhanda and Zohra
Saima and Ehtasham
Hira Lari
8 JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
Ayesha Alam
Shaista Bari
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Sofia Naveed Lari exhibits her collection at her design studio in Karachi
Rabeeya
PHOTOS COURTESY IDEAS PR
Sofia
Afshan and Hania
Afsheen with a friend
Nimra
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Afreen Shiraz
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Hassan Sheheryar Yasin holds his annual party, ‘Rukhsati’, in Lahore
Arun and Naila
Nickie and Nina
Norray
Umair and Fatima
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Nouman and Amara
PHOTOS COURTESY QYT EVENTS
Hassan Sheheryar Yasin and Shahzad
Ayesha Omar
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
PHOTOS COURTESY QYT EVENTS
Iffat and Sonia
Nadia Ali and Natasha
Saniya Ali and Erum
Kiran and Riyaz Amliyani
Maheen and Saad
Ali and Nadia
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Rachel, Tara and Neha
Sara and Mehdi
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Destination Eventz organises a Christmas gettogether and T20 match screening in Lahore Rahel
Huma, Samra and Yashal
Nida and Usman
Asif
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PHOTOS COURTESY DESTINATION EVENTZ
Rimisha
Abdul Mannan
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Iman Ahmed
Tara Uzra Dawood hosts a dinner in Karachi
Tara Uzra Dawood and Haseeb Pirzada
Amin Gulgee
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Nwal Gareeb and Mohammad Rajpur
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ART OF ... PR
Zahida Habib and Shelley Pirzada
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
COVER STORY
Cover and Splash photo: The view from Ali Camp during a storm 20 Descending Gondogoro Pass JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
“Wake up, dude! It’s afternoon, you’re dreaming with your eyes
With towering peaks open,” “You’ve never been beyond Murree and now you want to go to K-2? What are you smokthat even the Swiss ing?” and “That’s lovely. Could you please pass the salt?” These are some of the more printable replies I got when I declared, with much fanfare, that I would envy, Pakistan was about to embark on an expedition to K-2. Of course, not all the replies were as demotivating is a mountaineer’s as these, but even the somewhat supportive ones were laced with caution, sheer terror (for my exparadise. If serious pected fate) and had the ring of a final goodbye. efforts are made to Going to K-2 had always been a dream of mine. Of course, it was a dream that I had seen while boost tourism in the sitting in the comfort of my cozy drawing room, without really thinking it would happen — and that too so soon. So when the day finally arrived I blithely opted to fly to Skardu, treating myself to Northern Areas, the in-flight meals and a beautiful bird’s-eye view of the Karakorum. Little did I know that this would destiny of the entire earn me the undying hatred of the expedition manager Fareed Gujjar. As it turned out, I was the region could change for only one lucky enough to bag a seat, while the others had to suffer through a 36-hour drive through the better the twists and turns of the Karakorum Highway (KKH). My attempts to pin this on the vagaries of TEXT AND PHOTOS BY VASIQ EQBAL
the national carrier were to no avail, and for the rest of the trip, Mr Gujjar’s taunts were no less
biting than the cold itself. Before I go on about the expedition itself, I have to send a shout-out to
Zahid Ali Khan aka ZAK, a humble and brilliant photographer who captured the stunning vistas
(Continued on page 24)
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
21
COVER STORY
Now it was just me and an ardent trekker named Dr Shahid, whose nightly snoring I felt sure would bring the mountains down upon our heads. you’re looking at here. Despite being 50 years old, overweight
and diabetic, and having no mountaineering experience what-
soever, he took on the Karakorum where a lot of younger and healthier men faltered.
The first day started with a jeep ride from Skardu to Askoli Val-
ley, our first camping site and the last human settlement in that
area. The six-hour long, and very bumpy, ride was really tiring but I thought better of opening my mouth to complain when I saw that Gujjar’s anger over my plane ride had not yet subsided.
When we reached Askoli however, all the exhaustion was for-
gotten. A dazzling and awe inspiring valley, Askoli is a kaleidoscope of colours. Mountains of blinding white tower over fields
of lush green grass; yellow sunflowers huddle around huge black rocks. From there we hopped from one camp to another, until
the vast and terrifying wilderness of the Baltoro glacier stretched out before us. It’s long and dotted with ridges, crests and
troughs, which made us rename it from bal-toro to haddi-toro (bonebreaker). The Karakorum range, also called the third pole,
is one of the most heavily glaciated regions in the world and its
A long exposure shot of twinkling stars over Ali Camp
135 glaciers are a crucial water source for the arid low-lying areas.
After crossing Baltoro with our bones mostly intact, it was
off to Concordia. On the way — through a cleavage between two smaller peaks — I caught a glimpse of Chogori, as K-2 is locally called. The first sight of my dream destination left me spellbound, but then a cloud descended, as if a veil had been lowered over the face of a blushing bride, and the moment passed. Not
a veil, I thought again, but perhaps a crown for the King of the Karakorum.
And why not? K-2 — apart from being the world’s second high-
est peak — is also one of the three Pakistani ‘eight-thousanders’
(peaks over 8,000 metres in height) that remain unclimbed in
winter. Gasherbrum II and I were recently climbed in the winters of 2011 and 2012, respectively, leaving only K-2, Broad Peak
and Nanga Parbat in this exclusive club. None have successfully scaled their heights in winter, and these three remain an irresistible challenge to mountaineers everywhere.
And then there is Concordia. It got its name from European
explorers, thanks to its similarity to another glacial confluence, know to the Swiss as Konkordiaplatz.
To me it was like a beautiful castle, the cornerstones of which
24
are the Godwin-Austen and Baltoro glaciers where four towering eight-thousanders stand as if to defend it. The flanks of this JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
Gilkey Memorial at the foothills of K-2
natural fortification are secured by the Marbel and Mitre peaks.
After the 2005 earthquake, Lonely Planet called Pakistani tourism ‘The next big thing’. The Guardian even released a list of “Top Five Tourist Sites in Pakistan”, but none of this promotion was effectively used by the government
Concordia is that bastion of mighty mountains which lures climbers from all over the
world. Galen Avery Rowell, a noted wilderness photographer and climber termed Concordia “The Throne Room of The Mountain Gods”. A fitting title indeed.
But the Government of Pakistan has neglected these lonely gods for too long. To understand
the level of this neglect, one must compare our eight-thousanders with those of other coun-
tries. There are only 14 eight-thousander peaks in the world, all of them located in South Asia. India’s only eight-thousander, Kangchanjunga is shared with Nepal. In the same way,
the four on the Nepal-China border — Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu are also shared.
Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna 1 (8,091m) are entirely in Nepal, whereas Shisha-
pangma the shortest of eight-thousanders, is wholly in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.
In a nutshell, six are divided between four countries, one is entirely in China, and Nepal
has three. So with four of these giants (Gasherbrum I & II, Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat),
Pakistan is in the lead. Even K-2, which borders China, is best accessed from Pakistan and is
considered a more challenging climb than even Everest. Pakistan is a mountaineer’s paradise but no effort has been made to exploit this bounty of nature.
In fact, even the simple task of installing toilets here fell to an Italian NGO. When we ar-
rived at Concordia, we found that they had installed eight eco-friendly toilets and had even devised a mecanism to dispose of human waste. They transport the excrement in drums via
porters down to an earth incinerator, a process that takes three days. While the Pakistan government does lend its support, it was the Italians that took the initiative. They also carried JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
25
COVER STORY
Even the simple task of installing toilets here fell to an Italian NGO. When we arrived at Concordia, we found that they had installed eight eco-friendly toilets and had even devised a mechanism to dispose of human waste. was worth sacrificing our only Rest Day.
Of course, nature then gave us not one but four rest days by
stranding us at Ali camp, thanks to sudden snowstorms. Then came the zenith of our expedition: Gondogoro La, the world’s
highest crossable (but very avalanche prone) mountain pass. It’s not just the height of it, a sickness-inflicting 5,940 meters that’s
the problem, but the 50 degree slopes you have to ascend and descend as well.
Worse yet, an avalanche the night before had buried the de-
fined path and it was nothing less than a miracle that we, who were mostly photographers and not professional climbers, made
The writer chilling in Concordia (Credit: Zaigham Islam) out a K-2 cleanup operation, collecting 802 kg of disposed climbing gear.
When night falls in Concordia, the light from infinite stars
travels down from the heavens to illuminate the ice under your
Finally, there came our reward: the sight of all the 8,000m
peaks of the Karakorum illuminated by the rosy-fingered dawn.
No words can describe it. No picture can define it. And somehow, Pakistan cannot take advantage of the bounties nature and geography have bestowed on us.
What could we gain were we to fully tap into the mountaineer-
feet. In the day, the practically unfiltered UV rays scorch your ex-
ing market? Let’s take the example of Switzerland — famous for
From there we went off to try and get to the Gilkey memorial in
an estimated 2.9% of Switzerland’s gross domestic product. Tour-
posed skin and by night, the bitter cold makes you shiver.
the foothills of K-2. This is a cenotaph cairn erected and named after Art Gilkey, an American mountaineer who died at K-2 in 1953. The place is a memorial of those who have died while strug-
its alpine sports and treks — where in 2011 tourism accounted for ism accounts for around 150,000 full time jobs in the country, the highest peak of which is barely 5,000 metres!
But perhaps Switzerland is too distant and developed to serve
gling with this savage mountain.
as a good comparison, so let’s look at India. Our neighbour-cum-
out of the total 18 dared to go further. And out of those six, four
counts for 6.23% of its GDP and 8.78% of its total employment.
By this time, the whole group was so exhausted that only six
decided to stay at K-2 base camp. Now it was just me and an ar-
foe has made tourism its largest service industry, and it now acIn Nepal, Pakistan’s strongest competitor in terms of eight-
dent trekker named Dr Shahid, whose nightly snoring I felt sure
thousanders, tourism is the largest industry, so big that it’s di-
Creeping, crawling and sometimes crying with fear and ex-
Nepal considers the tourist industry key to alleviating poverty
would bring the mountains down upon our heads. haustion, we kept our spirits up by singing “
” and somehow managed to cover a distance of four days in
vided into three sections: culture, adventure and ecotourism. and to achieve greater social equity.
Another contender in the race of eight-thousanders, China —
just 15 hours. After crossing a couple of hanging and hair-thin
possessor of half of K-2 and half of Mount Everest — is the third
made it back to Concordia with a light drizzle falling on us.
China’s tourism revenue reached $185 billion in 2009.
ice bridges with only the light of our headlamps to guide us, we
26
it through without injury.
The trek to the memorial was terrifying and tiring but the view
of all Concordia, the K-2 base camp, Angel Peak and a nearby lake JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
most visited country in the world, despite the language barrier.
Then there’s Pakistan. Last year, 18 climbing and mountain-
eering expeditions — a total of 120 climbers — were likely to visit
A glacial water source at Broad Peak Pakistan. According to an unofficial account, just 30 climbers summited the K-2 this year. In an interview one of them said “Karakoram puts the rest of the world’s mountain ranges to shame.”
A porter in the Northern areas of Pakistan earns less than $5 a day for carrying heavy loads 25kg across treacherous terrain and deadly paths, wearing only one layer of clothing and plastic chappals.
We are sitting on a gold mine of mountains but getting only 120 explorers a year. Now that’s a real shame. 9/11, Talibanisation and terror brought Pakistan’s tourism industry to its knees, but
the recent crises and sectarian massacres have truly put it on the mat. After the 2005 earthquake,
Lonely Planet called Pakistani tourism ‘The next big thing’. The Guardian even released a list of “Top
Five Tourist Sites in Pakistan”, but none of this promotion was effectively used by the government. By 2008, the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (TTCR) ranked
Pakistan at a dismal 103 out of 124 countries to visit. Now, the number of tourists falls every year due to a lack of security and infrastructure. Even the step of waiving royalty charges for peaks up to
6,500m, and giving large discounts for other peaks had little effect. In my opinion, it’s not the discount that’s the problem but the utter lack of security that keeps foreign climbers away. Adventure tourists, trekkers and climbers are a hardy lot who can do without spas and hotels. But they can’t do without security.
Last August, a bus full of passengers was massacred at the Babusar pass, compelling security
forces to close down the KKH, the only ground link of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) with the rest of the
country. More than 120 stranded foreigners were then airlifted from G-B to Islamabad. Assuming
that those 120 foreigners will only sing praises of G-B’s landscape (if they were lucky enough to have
had a glimpse before the tragedy), would be a cardinal mistake. It is after all a marketing maxim that a happy customer tells three people while an unhappy customer tells 300!!
Porterage is the life blood of the people of the mountainous regions. That is how local breadwin-
ners manage to feed their families. A porter in the Northern areas of Pakistan earns less than $5 a day for carrying heavy loads 25kg across treacherous terrain and deadly paths, wearing only one
layer of clothing and plastic chappals. If the number of tourists declines further, these people will be pushed to the brink. And desperate people are dangerous people.
Writer Harvey Voge once said that “The mountains will always be there, the trick is to make
sure that you are too”. Yes, the mountains will always be there, but that doesn’t mean we can wait around forever before taking the needed steps to make sure that others can get there too!
JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
27
FEATURE
riding with
robots It’s early in the morning as team Electrolytes, comprised of boys of varying ages and heights, enters the room. Some of them are smiling while the others look a little apprehensive. The youngest member of the team, Hasan Shahab — a small boy with bright eyes and a full-mouthed grin, is almost skipping with anticipation. The Lego robot in his hand looks heavy but he holds it close.
Members from the opposing team, the “Aftershocks,” also line
up on the opposite side of the table. Then judges begin the count-
BY SUMAIYA LAKHANI
interest in fields like engineering and computer science.
The Electrolytes, Aftershocks and six other teams have been
working on their Lego-bots for two months; creating, experimenting, testing and improving them. They have taken them apart and put them back together countless times. Their task: to
create and programme a robot that can autonomously navigate an obstacle course and score as many points as possible within a
two and a half minute time period. It is a difficult endeavour, especially since the participants are all between the ages of 9 to 16.
The competition format itself is fairly straightforward: Each
down: “Ready, get set, go!”
team gets four tries to score as many points as they can — one
event that’s come to Pakistan for the first time. Sponsored by the
est score gets counted; the other two and the practice round get
This is the First Lego League (FLL), an annual international
Education Enrichment Foundation, STARfALL and Robotics Lab,
regional events in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad will be followed by a national event to qualify a team for the final showdown in
28
Students build, code and solve, one Lego brick at a time
the US The idea behind FLL is to create awareness amongst children regarding science and technology and help them develop an JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
practice run and three rounds that count. In FLL, only your high-
thrown out. The robots operate autonomously on the course for
the most part: The kids programme the robot to move around the course along a particular path, so once the robot leaves its base
it’s on its own. The robots have to complete a number of tasks that include lifting weights, ferrying balls from one end of the
course to the other and even bowling.
taking classes at the Robotics Lab to learn programming for the
attachments to keep their robot uncomplicated and easy to han-
for it has been exhausting but it has really helped me to learn
Some of the teams keep it simple and use the least amount of
dle while others have created complex robots. Team Sparks, for
example, added a third wheel to their robot to help it manoeuvre
competition. “The event has been a great experience; preparing how to cope with pressure,” she says.
The energy emanating from these children is contagious as
while Team LegoCore added colour sensors to help their robot to
they run around with their team mates, and even the judges’
one!
from the fields of computer science and technology sit in rows,
distinguish between different coloured bottles and pick the right
It is overwhelming to see such young children so at ease with
robots and complicated computer programming. I watch in amazement as Shahab explains to the judge about the program-
ming they used and can’t help but smile when his teammates attempt to explain the challenges they faced; from conflict reso-
lution to maintaining ethics and discipline.”I found this event to
rooms are abuzz with excitement. Distinguished personalities watching the demonstrations taking place in front of them.
“These children are brilliant! They have so many different types
of solutions for each problem they encounter. FLL is a great experience and I wish more children would participate,” says Shoaib Zaidi, Dean of NED University.
Racing robots may seem like the biggest part of this competi-
be really interesting as it helped me learn about computer pro-
tion, but in reality there’s a lot more to it. The children are also
And it’s not just the boys but girls are also in on the fun. One
The second competition is called Senior Solutions, in which
gramming and robotics,” says Shahab.
of the team leaders, Aqdas Fatima, admits to having been clueless about robotics till two months back, when her team started
given a real world problem that they have to find a solution to.
the teams had to come up with an innovative idea for a device
that would help senior citizens maintain their independence. JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
29
FEATURE
The variety of solutions that the children came up with is inspiring. The best one was in the form of a skit that was playful but
had a strong message. A grandson presents a watch to his grandfather who initially refuses to accept it but eventually concedes upon his insistence. The watch can record ones heart rate and
contacts an emergency line in case of an irregularity. Later on
in the day, the grandfather actually has a heart attack but lives through it, thanks to the watch that was ‘smart’ enough to call an ambulance to the spot! When one of the judges tells the boy that such a band actually exists, the boy quips, “but does it also tell time?”
A major component of FLL is its core values, which empha-
sise teamwork, friendly competition, discovery, creativity, and, well, fun—these are Lego robots, after all! Participants have to
provide examples of values that they have developed and practiced since they started working together as a team.
As a society we tend to be oblivious to a very important disci-
pline — Science. This is a dangerous trend, and while children in developed countries are a lot more aware of how technology
works and influences our lives, our children didn’t really have
a platform to explore science. At least, not until the robotics lab came around!
30 JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
FEATURE
one mom’s mess is another man’s
moneymaker Think having a hobby is a waste of time? Think again TEXT AND PHOTOS BY AMEER HAMZA AHMAD
Mild mannered and innocuous looking Khalid Cheema has a secret identity. No, he isn’t a visitor from another planet. He’s not a masked vigilante who lurks in the shadows. Nor was he ever bitten by a radio-active spider. By day, he works at a telecommunication company, but at night Khalid
is an avid comic book collector, with a collection of over 20,000 comics, who runs an online comic book store named ‘Hobby Mutant’. In between,
he tries to get some exercise, save the planet or the human race multiple times on one of his video game consoles, watch some good movies, and generally hang out with his family.
20,000 comics and counting
32 JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
Khalid (centre) with cosplayers at Comic-Con
Rawalpindi native Khalid describes himself as a far less exaggerated version
of the trio from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons. “My relatives think I am a bit soft in the noggin for collecting comic books or
as they say bachon wali books and my mom is worried sick about the space they take up.”
Khalid’s love of comics began in 1989 when he first picked up an Archie comic
digest. “After that I used to buy them every weekend. My dad used to take me to the Sunday bazaar, which at that time was the Juma bazaar, and I used to
sift through the books to find the comics.” It was there that Khalid found his
first DC comic — Superman#75. Popularly known as The Death of Superman, the comic featured Superman squaring off against a monster named Doomsday and ‘dying’ at the end of the issue. “I bought a near mint copy for Rs.10,” he recalls proudly. He hasn’t stopped collecting since.
Now, Khalid purchases around 200 comics each month. “I currently have
nearly twenty thousand comics. I stopped counting a couple of years back and I consider myself lucky if I get enough time to take them out of their boxes and
admire their covers. I guess with age comes more responsibility and though I would love to read every single issue, I hardly get time.”
Khalid also has a hidden passion for collecting action figures and currently
owns a few hundred. “I stopped collecting figures since I was running short of
storage space and my wife gave me a choice: “Comics or action figures; pick
one”. I went with comics. And it was a good decision; I was really tired of get-
ting comments like ‘abhi tak khilono say khelta hai?’ from all sorts of relatives and friends.”
With all these comics and figures, Khalid has difficulties choosing his favou-
rite. “I would go with a series instead of a single issue. I guess my collection of
the Wonder Woman series is one of my favourites. For single issues, Sensational She Hulk & Savage She Hulk #1s after being signed by comic book legend Stan
‘The Man’ Lee are right there at the top of my prized collection. The Watchmen series signed by comic book artist Dave Gibbons and The New 52 Batman signed by its writer Scott Snyder are also great additions to my collection.”
In the category of action figures, Khalid’s favourite is the 12” Hot Toys figure
of The Joker. “The figure is so realistic that if you take a close up shot you can’t tell the difference between Heath Ledger and the action figure. Don’t take my word for it, look up the images.”
Khalid’s comics are all lovingly stored in plastic sleeves in funny long boxes
that are currently taking up way too much space in his house. Khalid expects
that if he ever has to move, it will be because his comic books need their own room. “Since comic books don’t have a spine to stand up on, they have to be
stored in polybags with an acid free back board to avoid bending or folding
them. The bags and boards are acid free or else there would be a gradual yelJANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
33
FEATURE
lowing of the comic books with age. The books are then kept in sturdy boxes known as short or long white boxes aptly named for their colour and their capacity.”
A few years ago, Khalid toyed with the idea of starting a busi-
ness and when he met his future wife Maryam in 2008, she sug-
gested he turn his hobby into a business. For Khalid it was an epiphany; he had always struggled to find comics in Pakistan and he was sure that others were probably having the same prob-
lem. With that in mind, Hobby Mutant started its operations in early 2010 as the first comic book specialty store in Pakistan. Khalid currently offers comic books, monthly subscriptions, graphic
novels and posters. Complete comic book sets are also available
and he also hosts competitions and auctions on a regular basis. While Hobby Mutant’s online presence is still its Facebook page,
Khalid is hard at work making a dedicated website for his business.
Comic books have a very niche market in the country and it
begs the question: is a comic book store, even an online one, a profitable venture? “HM started off slow, but now sales have
reached such a level that the business is self-sustaining and shows great promise.”
Stan Lee sigining Khalid’s issue of Sensational She Hulk #1
All the comics come directly from the United States. “We usu-
ally take advance orders from our customers and once the comic comes out in US, we get it here within 10-15 days. So readers in Pakistan aren’t that far behind when it comes to the latest issues.”
I currently have nearly twenty thousand comics. I stopped counting a couple of years back and I consider myself lucky if I get enough time to take them out of their boxes and admire their covers.
Khalid has no plans to expand Hobby Mutant to a physical
presence, “We need to keep the prices of comics at an affordable level while maintaining a healthy profit margin. If we add the
operational expenses of a store, the prices would need to be revised up and we don’t want that.”
Once the website is launched, he will be offering an inventory
of 12,000 comics with a price ranging from Rupees 150 to thou-
sands, depending on the item. Currently subscriptions to each comic book range between Rs. 350 to Rs. 420 per issue. So you can get a $4.00 comic book for Rs.400 on average. “We are talking about getting issues such as Action Comics, Batman, X-Men,
Avengers, Spiderman, and Justice League at that price. HM offers
almost every comic book and publisher such as Marvel, DC, IDW, Dark Horse, Image, that is available in the US,” says Khalid.
Apart from collecting and managing the store, Khalid is also
working on a top secret project, “We are looking for talented writers and artists. We plan on making HM into a hub where fellow enthusiasts, casual readers and artists come together and discuss everything superhero and comics related.”
Khalid dreams of a day when comics become as popular in Pak-
istan as they have around the world. Maybe then, we can have
34
our own comic convention right here in Pakistan.T JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
Contact Khalid at http://www.facebook.com/hobby.mutant
FEATURE
leases of life Thalassemia’s treatment is a painful process, but the quailty of life of those suffering from it can be improved BY ROSHANAY ASIF SHEIKH
“My son gets really upset when the day for his blood transfusion is near. He is just 12 and he has to go through this every two to three weeks. Even when we were going to sit in the rickshaw to come here, he was crying, saying, ‘Mama, I don’t want to go to the hospital,’” says the mother of young Jawwad. Pain is etched on her face — she knows that in order for her son to live, he must regularly have a blood transfusion. Jawwad has thalassemia and the transfusion is a way to prolong his life. Every few weeks he has to go through the whole process again.
35 JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
FEATURE
Thanks to the Sundas Foundation, Jawwad can continue living in his hometown, go to school and not have to commute to the nearest blood transfusion facility
a transfusion centre in 2005. The foundation recently built its
own building which can accommodate up to 1,000 patients and collectively, the branches of Sundas Foundation can treat up to 6,000 patients.
Thalassemia is a painful genetic blood condition that causes
the weakening and destruction of red blood cells. Thalassemia is caused by missing genes that affect how the body makes haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to various parts of the body. People with thalassemia make less haemoglobin and fewer circulating red blood cells than normal, which results in mild or severe anemia.
There are three major types of thalassemia that are classified
based on the severity of symptoms: minor, intermediate and major. People with thalassemia minor do not experience symp-
But things are slightly better now for Jawwad and his Sialkoti
family; previously they had to travel long distances to get a blood
transfusion but thanks to the Sundas Foundation, Jawwad can
continue living in his home town, go to school and not have to commute to the nearest blood transfusion facility and waste his precious energy.
Formed in 1998, the foundation is named after Sundas, a 14
year old student from Gujranwala who suffers from thalassemia. While she manages to live a normal life, Sundas is still de-
toms or require treatment but the trait can be passed on to their
children. If the other parent also carries the trait, the child could develop thalassemia minor by inheriting a trait from one parent,
or a more severe form of the disease by inheriting the gene from both parents. People with thalassemia intermedia need some
follow-up care and may require blood transfusions under certain circumstances. Those with thalassemia major however need ongoing medical care, including blood transfusions to alleviate severe anemia and therapy to remove excess iron from the blood.
Blood transfusions help to correct anemia and make sure that
pendant on regular transfusions for her survival. Sundas’ plight
patient’s tissues get a normal amount of oxygen. This allows
lies couldn’t even afford regular blood transfusions, and thus
the bone marrow rest, so that their bones can develop normally
made her parents think of the hundreds of children whose famithey set up this foundation to help those who could not help themselves.
The foundation was originally established in Gujranwala as a
thalassemics to live and grow normally. The transfusions also let
and they also slow down or prevent any increase in the size of the spleen
The treatment for people with thalassemia major is a life-
blood transfusion centre and now treats thalassemia, Hemophil-
long process and it is extremely expensive, with each blood bag
The Sialkot branch started as a blood bank in 1990 but became
mostly children, since they are born with the disease. “They can
ia, blood cancer, iron deficiency and other blood disorders
costing between Rs4,000 to Rs5,000. Thalassemia patients are
live a normal life, go to school, engage in sports and other activi-
ties but they have to come to the hospital every two weeks for a transfusion,” says Zahid Khan, the branch manager at Sundas Foundation, Sialkot.
Those who cannot afford the treatment are thankful to Sun-
das foundation for helping their children cope with the disease. Sundas Foundation is a non-profit organisation and is complete-
ly dependent on donations. “Sialkot is an industrial estate, so the industrialists help quite a lot. In fact their donations helped build our new building. We have camps at different institutions,
which collect blood on a daily basis, 50 to 60 blood bags are used on a daily basis,” says Khan.
The purpose of this initiative is not only to provide blood trans-
fusions but also therapy and medication to reduce the detrimental effects of regular transfusions. When a person is receiving
36
transfusions on a regular basis, iron can build up to toxic levels JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
>>Thalassemia in Pakistan: Know the facts • Estimates show that the number of existing thalassemia patients in Pakistan has exceeded 100 thousand. • At least 8,000 new cases are added yearly, as that many children are born with thalassemia major. The figures are of course not confirmed since many children die young with parents never finding out the cause of death, especially in under-privileged and rural parts of Pakistan. • Thalassemia experts say almost seven per 100 people are thalassemia-minor patients in Pakistan and they are the ‘carriers’ of the disease. • Individuals with thalassemia are most often of African, Asian, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern descent. • All unmarried people and those married ones who are planning to have a child (even though their existing children are normal) should get themselves tested for thalassemia carrier status by a blood test called HbA2, Hb Electrophoresis or Hb HPLC • Resolutions suggesting that Pakistani couples should be required to undergo mandatory blood testing before marriage were brought up in both the National and Provincial Assemblies. “The Resolution was passed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but no follow-up work has been done on it. The Punjab assembly passed it but took it back. Every now and then, a conscientious member of the Sindh Assembly suggests it, but others shut them up,” says Ayesha Mehmood, official spokesperson for Fight Against Thalassemia (FAiTH). • Other countries like Saudia Arabia have made it compulsory for couples about to marry to undergo premarital examinations, seeking to protect the coming generations against genetic disorders, including thalassaemia. • Despite the intake of blood every two weeks, the patient’s life expectancy is not more than a maximum of 25 years of age. • The only permanent form of treatment is Bone Marrow Transplant, which is an expensive treatment and not without side-effects. One side effect patients worry most about is infertility.<<
They can live a normal life, go to school, engage in sports and other activities but they have to come to the hospital every two weeks for a transfusion,” says Zahid Khan, the branch manager at Sundas Foundation
requiring iron chelation therapy. Hence, to aid the drainage of
iron out of the body, special drugs and medication is also provided by the foundation.
Currently the foundation does not provide Bone Marrow Trans-
plant (BMT), which makes a cure possible and removes the need for frequent transfusions, so long as you can find a compatible donor. “It is a risky procedure and extremely expensive, costing about Rs3 million. So we do not provide this treatment as yet,” admits Khan.
The foundation has recently started working on a program to
create awareness about thalassemia and blood cancer. “Pre-mari-
tal testing for thalassemia will greatly reduce the number of new cases of thalassemia major,” says Khan.
There was a time when the treatment of thalassemia was not
available in Pakistan, and there have been incidences where entire families moved abroad to save the life of a beloved family
member. Organisations like Sundas have made it a little easier; they bring light into the dark lives of many people. Though they
may not be able to make their lives perfect, they are still a ray of hope in the gloom.
37
* Names have been changed JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
PORTFOLIO
ground beneath
my feet TEXT AND PHOTOS BY UNS MUFTI
Recently, while waiting for breakfast at The Lime Tree at Kuch Khaas in Islamabad, I decided to step outside and get a breath of fresh air. With nothing better to do, I used my ‘camera’, a Pantech android phone with a 5 megapixel camera, to take pictures of the ground I stood on. After taking some shots I opened the pictures in several different photo apps like instagram, pixlr express and pudding camera. I played around with colours, blurs, overlays and borders. A decade ago, these tweaks were only possible to do on a computer but now all you need is a cheap off brand android phone. DSLR cameras are a class of their own, with their advanced features and superior imaging capabilities and I don’t mean to compete against them but they were never meant to replace the instant pocket cameras. The smartphone has become the instant camera; it is this generation’s Polaroid.
38 JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
>> Here are the top photo apps for your Android phone: Camera Zoom FX: This is the ultimate Android camera app. It's the most feature-filled, handling both shooting and editing duties from one interface. Little Photo: This app is great because the work flow is pretty fast. All you have to do is open the app, shoot and tap to change filters. Pudding Camera: This app offers several different camera types as well as films that you can combine for your desired effect. BeFunky PhotoEditor: If you're just looking for a good, free photo editor, BeFunky's is solid and adfree. It has everything you need to fine-tune your shots before you share them. PicSay Pro: This is one of the easiest editing apps you're going to find. It's particularly handy with its long, long list of effects. AfterFocus: This is a great app which allows you to fake a shallow depth of field. Simply put, it lets you blur out distracting backgrounds, bringing your subject into sharper focus â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all with a couple swipes of your finger. Fast Burst Camera: This is a great app for taking quick shots. Fast Burst can shoot at up to 30 frames per second, triggered just by pressing and holding an onscreen shutter release or anywhere on the screen if you like. Wondershare Panorama: This is a really simple panorama app: just point, shoot, and sweep. It can be used in portrait or landscape mode and has several effects options that can be applied immediately after the capture is complete. <<
39 JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
REVIEW
floored by fatima! BY SADAF PERVEZ
It is said that a good novel is a story of transformation. In such a novel, the protagonists are tumbled together. The reader should be able to swerve along with its drama as the story unfolds. Following the same style, the novel How It Happened by first-time author Shazaf Fatima Haider gives a delightful and humourous take on the difficulties in simultaneously accepting the values of the varied and mostly incoherent groups in our society. Here the old order, with its belief in ‘spices, prayers and arranged marriages’ is passing with time, though it’s not going quietly into that good night. Qurrat Dadi is a staunch believer in the ‘philosophy of a greater romance in arranged marriages than in the irrational immortality of love marriages’. Over the years, Dadi expects her grandchildren to be obedient so as to avoid the stigma of love marriage blackening the name of the prodigiously chaste family. Such is the worldview of the matriarch of the Bandian clan of Bhakuraj. Respecting Dadi’s ideologies, Haroon, the apple of her eye, agrees to roam from one drawing room to another. But fate leads him to Saima, a Shia-Syed co-worker in his office. Falling woefully short of the expectations of her family traditions, Haroon’s sister Zeba has to face the wrath of Dadi after being
broken images BY AMMARA KHAN
Whenever I come across an English novel about Pakistan and terrorism, I dread a sensationalist generalisation of Pakistani society for a foreign audience. Although I began Thinner than Skin with the same sense of foreboding, I found myself captivated by the narrative just a few pages into the book. Far from confirming my misgivings, Thinner than Skin sketches a rich portrait of the indigenous culture of northern Pakistan, and highlights the plight of ordinary people in a society in flux. The lives of three individuals— a photographer, a pagan woman and a nomad — are transformed in the setting of Northwest Pakistan— a region of rugged, untouched natural beauty punctured by the wounds of war and terrorism. The plot is made up of three stories: the story of Nadir, a Pakistani photographer in America who is romantically engaged with a Pakistani-German girl, Farhanna, the story of Maryam and her family from the nomad tribe of Gujjar as they struggle to hold on to their customs in a world that is rapidly changing, and finally the story of Ghafoor, man who chooses the life of a wandering tradesman over that of a nomad. As Nadir prepares his journey to Pakistan, he is advised to forgo 40 his passion for aesthetics and nature in photography. Instead, he is told: JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
caught dating a Sunni man. Zeba, who is very picky, is quite against the time-honoured traditions that Dadi loves to uphold. She agrees to the customary act of meeting suitors in the drawing room for Dadi’s sake but it is certainly not pleasant to them. Dadi is the queen of drama, wiping tears and fainting as the others try to act as negotiators. As Zeba crosses the age of twenty six, Dadi cannot stand to see her family counterpart and rival boasting about marrying off her granddaughter first. Amidst all the drama is Fati Phupps, the only person of whom Dadi is scared, though only a little, and the only voice of reason in the family. On the sidelines is 15-year-old Saleha, the narrator of the book. By narrating from the youngest sibling’s view, the author uses Saleha’s sensitivities about negotiating with old traditions and her eavesdropping to move the plot forward. Fatima’s sparkling humour is evident and the readers will soon fall in love with the characters. For many the story might seem ordinary but rendering it into a delightful funny book is quite a task and Fatima certainly pulls it off with aplomb and more than a few belly-laughs.
“Show us the dirt. The misery”. Fed with stereotypical images of Pakistan, Nadir is apprehensive but Farhana wistfully longs to “return” to the country of her origin. When the couple finally visits Kaghan valley with their friends, Irfan, a widower, and Wes, an environmentalist who is fascinated by Pakistani glaciers, they encounter Maryam and her family — a meeting that will alter their destinies. Uzma Aslam’s prose is vivid, bringing to life the sensuous setting of the novel as well as the everyday rituals of village life. Interwoven with folk legends and superstitious beliefs, Thinner than Skin moves between a narration of the present and the past, engaging the reader in the details of the plot and yet maintaining good dose of mystery. Although the plot starts out brilliantly, I was disappointed to note that the story loses its vibrancy as it progresses and concludes rather abruptly. But these minor drawbacks aside, I found Thinner than Skin to be a compelling narrative and empathic portrait of a beautiful region destroyed by dark forces, and of the joys and tragedies of the individuals inhabiting it.
taking centre stage BY NOMAN ANSARI
Set around the US embassy hostage crisis in Tehran on November 4th 1979, Argo is a skillfully made and engrossing espionage film. Directed by and starring Ben Affleck (Tony Mendez), this is a suspenseful thriller which remarkably achieves great tension with hardly a shot fired thanks to its brilliantly paced narrative. The movie wastes little time in getting started. It begins with a quick graphic novel style recap of the events that lead-up to the storming of the American consulate by Iranian students before focusing on the rescue story of the six US diplomats who evaded capture by hiding out at Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor’s (Victor Garber) home in Iran. Entering the film at this point is the CIA specialist, Tony Mendes, who rolls his eyes during a US State Department meeting where officials hatch plans that don’t impress him. At this point, after watching a science fiction movie with his son, Mendes comes up with a scheme to smuggle the six escapees out of Iran, disguised as Canadian film-makers. Although the idea seems wild, with the world struck by Star Wars fever, it is the “best bad idea” the agency has. Later, alongside supervisor Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston), Mendes hooks up with talented make-up artist John Chambers (John
go black, never come back BY NOMAN ANSARI
Django Unchained is off the hook! Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, it is a highly engaging, well-acted and often laugh-outloud Blaxploitation (morphing of the words “black” and “exploitation”) western film. It has all the classic Tarantino trademarks, including extremely gory action, great dialogue and one very delicious soundtrack. In typical Tarantino fashion, this is also a film that tackles the tricky subject of brutal slavery with a heavy dose of escapism, re-imaging history somewhat to allow one unchained slave the pleasure of viciously killing some very cruel white slavers. This unchained slave’s name is Django (D being silent), who is played by Jamie Foxx in a very charismatic performance. In the opening sequence of the film, Django is freed by a dentist turned bounty hunter named Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who has a flair for comically violent executions. Schultz releases Django from slavery because he needs assistance in the identification of three criminal slavers, and in turn promises our hero his assistance in tracking Django’s wife, Broomhilda von Shaf (Kerry Washington). Here, the film’s lead characters bond, while Django takes to the bounty hunting business with some hesitation, even though he appreciates the opportunities for vengeance.
Goodman) and high spirited film producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to make the phony ‘Argo’ film as real as possible. It is here that Argo unexpectedly turns into a smart comedy; providing a comical look at the superficial business of film making, clearly benefiting from Ben Affleck’s own love of the medium. The film’s heart and soul is in its lead character Tony Mendes, who with his quiet intelligence and sincere attitude, is a refreshing change from the Jason Bournes of today’s spy films. Argo also hardly lets up on the tension, especially in its third act, where Mendes eventually lands in Iran posing as a filmmaker himself. In its final stage, the film cleverly employs set pieces which enhance the pressure cooker situation, though regrettably not all of the pay-off is subtle, with some of the film too deeply steeped in sentiment. To achieve this, Argo also forgoes historical accuracy, and should be taken as a dramatisation of real events for pure entertainment value. Yes, this is a somewhat fake film, about an actual fake film, which was used for a very real hostage rescue.
Eventually the pair track Django’s wife to slaver Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a psychotic and extremely wealthy plantation owner who gets his kicks through organising slave fights. Di Caprio is in top form here, and manages to somehow pull off a character who is quite sadistic, yet at the same time very charming and honourable. Another great performance in the movie comes from Samuel L Jackson who is brilliant at his portrayal of head house servant Stephen, a black slave loyal to his white master Calvin Candie. His performance here is so convincing to the point where it is almost disturbing. In spite of this, it is amusing to note however that Samuel L Jackson still finds a moment to utter his favorite expletive (which can’t be printed here) in Django Unchained. If there is a weak link in this chain, it is in the length of the film and Django Unchained does lose some direction in its last act. Although, with Tarantino constantly showing off flying body parts, it is always 41 great, explosive entertainment. JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
HEALTHY LIVING Flat tummy This smoothie has digestion supporting ingredients that help prevent flatulence, bloating and digestive stress that can impair your tummy flattening efforts. • 1 cup peaches (sliced) • 1 cup papaya • 3/4 pear (sliced) • 1 tbsp ginger (fresh) • Mint leaves (few) • Water (as per requirement) Skin saver This smoothie is a skin saver as it is rich in vitamin C and E that are superb for your skin health, while also being abundant in Omega-3 fatty acids. It helps you fight diseases causing inflammation of any type. This recipe contains berries which are a great source of antioxidants that help fight aging and reduce wrinkle formation. Berries are also effective in controlling blood sugar which spoils your complexion. • • • • • •
1 cup cherries (pitted) 1 cup blueberries 6 strawberries 2 tbsp wheat germ (optional) 2 tbsp flax seeds (grounded) Water (as per requirement)
Energy booster This smoothie contains lots of protein and minerals that make it a super energy charger. Cinnamon helps control blood sugar level that means no sudden energy crashes. • 1 large banana (ripe) • 1 tbsp peanut butter (natural) • Handful of baby spinach (fresh) • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder • Water (as per requirement)
42 JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2 2013
BY KIRAN ZAHRA These revitalising smoothies might just be your next morning addiction! If you’re one to pull a face when confronted with a bowl of fruits or vegetables then these healthy smoothies will compensate for the loss of vitamins and minerals essential for a healthy diet. They constitute a nourishing breakfast, a delicious snack from time to time, a refreshing dessert alternative and also an energising drink after an intensive workout session. The best part is that you can always play around with different flavours to satisfy your taste buds and derive the best health benefits. Smoothies retain many healthy nutrients which are often lost when extracting juice from various fruits and vegetables. They also make for a potent, natural detoxifying agent that helps your liver detoxify quickly and naturally. Here is how you can prepare a quick, custom smoothie to meet your nutritional needs.
Bone lover This vitamin rich smoothie contains high quantities of calcium and magnesium which is needed for bone health and vitality. • 2 bananas • Handful of Swiss chard leaves (stem removed) • Handful of kale leaves • 1 tbsp matcha powder (fine powder green tea) • 1/2 cup almond milk (homemade)
Antioxidant power This antioxidant-rich smoothie will boost your immune system to fight against diseases and will give you a healthy, younger-looking body. • 1 cup blueberries • 1 cup raspberries • 1 cup pomegranate (kernels) • 1/4 cup beet juice (optional) • 1 banana • Water (as per requirement)
Skin brightener According to some studies, a betacarotene rich diet helps achieve a glowing complexion so enjoy this tasty rewarding smoothie. • 1 cup cantaloupe (cubed) • 1 cup papaya • Juice of 1 orange (fresh) • 1/2 cup carrot juice or water • 1 knob fresh ginger
Immune system booster This smoothie is rich in vitamin A, C and zinc that help in the buildup of white blood cells and antibodies necessary to prevent or put up a fight against seasonal infections. • 1 cup mango (cubed) • 1 cup cantaloupe (cubed) • 1 cup pineapple (fresh/cubed) • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (chopped) • Water (as per requirement)