The Express Tribune Magazine - June 15

JUNE 15-21 2014

The Final

Homecoming

One of the subcontinent’s most celebrated writers comes home to rest

JUNE 15-21 2014

Feature

No crown for courting To be a female badminton player in Pakistan, you need to be thick-skinned

18

Feature

St(r)ay safe

Cover Story

The Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation gives a home to abandoned animals

The Final Homecoming A legend’s final journey to his hometown

32

24

4

Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people

38 Reviews: Music and Books 42 Crisis Management: Bite the Bullet

Magazine In-charge: Sarah Munir, Subeditors: Dilaira Dubash & Mifrah Haq Creative Team: Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Samra Aamir, Kiran Shahid, Munira Abbas, Omer Asim, Sanober Ahmed & 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 Porsche Pakistan sponsors the National Polo Open for the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2014 in Lahore

PHOTOS COURTESY PORSCHE PAKISTAN

Agustin Canale, Agha Najeeb Raza Khan and Sufi Muhammad Haris

Abdul Haye Mehta and Abuzar Bokhari

Sarah and Gia

Mariam Shah and Shammal

Tajdar, Selina and Hissam

6 JUNE 15-21 2014

PEOPLE & PARTIES

d Haiya

Jamie Le Hardy

Frieha

Hira

8 JUNE 15-21 2014

Ansa Hasan

PHOTOS COURTESY PORSCHE PAKISTAN

Foha, Shireen an

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Guests

stafa Hussain,

Aman Virji and Mu

Khalid

Marriam

10 JUNE 15-21 2014

PHOTOS COURTESY XENITH PR

TGI Fridays reopens in Karachi

FEATURE

No crown for courting

Being a female badminton player in a cricket-loving nation is a tough call

BY EMMAD HAMEED PHOTOS BY ARIF SOOMRO

Not long ago we were a potent force in the region and regularly used to topple India. Forget India, we can’t even win against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh any more — Coach Ifitkhar Hussain

Despite being one of topmost female athletes in the country, Palwasha Bashir is not a household name in Pakistan. The 26-year-old from Karachi is the reigning badminton national champion and has maintained her stronghold on the trophy for the last four years. However, due to the lack of support for the so-called ‘smaller’ sports such as badminton, it is challenging for players like Bashir to fulfill their dreams and attain global recognition.

Since cricket remains the most ardently played and followed sport in Pakistan, the women players representing the nation on the pitch have been awarded central contracts and fared far better than players like Bashir, who opted for lesser-known sports like badminton. The bleak prospects,

FEATURE however, have not dampened her zest of winning against all odds. “I ha have not been overwhelmed with the tough circumstances,” says Bashir. “There is no way that I am circumstance going to throw in the towel before achieving something substantial at least at the regional and Asian level.”

As Bashir ttrains for a top-ranked badminton tournament alongsi alongside her coach Iftikhar Hussain for three hours in the sweltering Karachi heat, he can’t help but applaud the y young woman’s determination and potential. But the fact f remains that Palwasha — bronze medal winner in the South Asian Federation (SAF) games in 2010 — hasn’t featu featured in a major event outside the country for three years no now.

“Palwasha is i a good player who can trouble the best in the business,” says Hussain who was a renowned doubles player himself himsel in the 1990s. “But then how can I be sure of her talent? Sh She hasn’t been exposed to competition from her Asian peers pee for a long time now which is nothing less than a tragedy for someone of her talent.”

He adds th that along with international exposure, the over overall standard of the game within the count was also plummeting. “Not long ago we try were a potent force in the region and regularly used to topple India. Forget India, we can’t even win against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh any more,” he says.

Palwasha’s story is similar to that of m many female sports stars in the country. The patria patriarchal setup in the country not only discourwo ages women from taking up sports but even those Bash like Bashir, who break free of stereotypes, have to put up a constant struggle for recognition and resources.

Mohm Sara Mohmand, another top-ranked female player, who recently moved to Melbourne, also shares similar “Th Australian national team is getting expoconcerns. “The th world, there are top class academies and sure all over the mi the players might not be getting great money but they are ov playing all over,” says Mohmand who is currently being On Ben Teong, a former world number two, trained by Ong he spouse who is also a leading national playalong with her co er. “On the contrary there is no such concept in Pakistan where players have no such facility available to them.”

M Moreover, Mohmand complains that female players in the country always play in the shadows of their male counterparts. They are given poor cash prizes and there is still a gender disparity in the sport. Bashir is of the same “Bad opinion. “Badminton is becoming increasingly competiincre tive and increasingly expensive,” she says. The cost of the of equipment often exceeds the prize money which makes it JUNE 15-21 2014

tough for girls who don’t have sponsorship to play the sport at the top-level. For example, the prize money for the recent championship in Lahore was Rs10,000 which is equivalent to the price of a good quality racket.

Bashir’s financial concerns have eased up slightly after landing a permanent job with the National Bank of Pakistan. Even though the salary is meager, the support from her family compensates for it. “As a kid, my brothers encouraged me to play cricket on the street. Soon I was playing street badminton too and around the age of 13, I realised I am in it for the long haul.” She also credits her department for their consistent support but admits that much more needs to be done.

Across the border, the Indian Badminton Federation has been pumping in money into the sport after successfully initiating a premier league along the lines of the cash-rich Indian Premier League. Bashir craves for the opportunity to play in such a league. “It goes without saying that I want to feature in the league. In fact most of the national players want to be tested against the best, not to mention that the league is also financially rewarding,” she says. “Like top sportsmen from around the world, we also need that sort of recognition and money to continue the pursuit of our professional goals.”

For Bashir and her fellow shuttlers in the country, the real cause for concern is the galling behaviour of the sporting authorities who have failed to settle the dispute between the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA). The two bodies have been at loggerheads for nearly two years now, each claiming to be the parent body of sports in the country. Their rift has also seen a mushrooming of parallel bodies in almost all sporting federations, and badminton is no exception. While one of the governing bodies works under PSB, the other one operates under POA and the chaos has resulted in a three-year international ban for Pakistan.

In this tug of war between governing bodies, the professional players in the country have paid the biggest price. “At the end of the day an ordinary player suffers the most. Both organisations claim that they have the requisite mandate but of course it is tough to convince the international bodies,” explains Bashir.

A sane approach that fosters growth in sports rather than dividing players and resources in camps is the need of the hour. Unless that happens, the only stories in the country’s sports history would be of those who never made it to the finish line due to circumstances beyond their control. T Emmad Hameed is the sports in-charge at The Express Tribune.

He tweets @Emmad81 JUNE 15-21 2014

The Final Homecoming Khushwant Singh’s final posthumous journey to his beloved birthplace Hadali, Pakistan

By TArIq MASood deSIgn By SAMrA AAMIr

It was in the “winter of 1987”, as Khushwant Singh, the acclaimed Indian author, diplomat and journalist, recalled in his autobiography, that he last walked down the streets of his native village Hadali — located in the Thal desert some eight kilometres west of Jauharabad in the

Khushab district in Punjab, Pakistan. But over a quarter of a century later, he did return when one of his friends, writer and art historian FS Aijazuddin, brought back a fistful of his remains to have them buried in the soil where he spent the formative years of his life.

Pakistan is the country of my roots, the land of my birth. Each time I visited my village I stood feeling overwhelmed, choked — Writer Khushwant Singh

FS Aijazuddin in his last meeting with Singh on April 4, 2014 in new dehli. Photo credit: FS AijAzuddin “i used to be keen on a burial, because with a burial you give back to the earth what you have taken. i wanted to be buried in one corner with a peepul tree next to my grave,” he wrote in his book Absolute Khushwant.

Singh reportedly got his favourite tree beside his grave in haveli Sujan Singh in india. And he was also able to “give back to the earth” when his remains reached hadali in April this year and were placed in a wall niche at the Government Boys high School. A plaque there reads, “this is where my roots are. i have nourished them with tears of nostalgia.” it is remarkable that Singh, who died on March 20, 2014 at the age of 99 in delhi, harboured a deep attachment for his birthplace and was a strong advocate of peace between india and Pakistan, despite fleeing Lahore at the time of the Partition and being witness to the terrible bloodshed and bitterness of the time. this harrowing experience, however, gave Singh the fodder for his most acclaimed novel, Train to Pakistan (1956). his affinity with Pakistan would often irk nationalist hindus of india, who mockingly called him ‘the last Pakistani living on indian soil’. in a chapter titled ‘on Pakistan’, he wrote, “Pakistan is the country of my roots, the land of my birth. each time i visited my village i stood feeling overwhelmed, choked. each time i was flooded with memories of my grandmother.” Singh became increasingly reclusive in his old age and would meet no one without a prior appointment, 26 but made an exception for visitors from Pakistan, shares June 15-21 2014

Malik habib nawaz tiwana, one of the many hadali residents who received the celebrated writer during his 1987 visit to the village. in january 2008, when zulfiqar halepoto, a writer and researcher from Pakistan, landed outside Singh’s abode in delhi, he was greeted at the door by the writer himself. Singh immediately inquired how Pakistan was doing after the demise of Benazir Bhutto. he looked frail. “My health is not good, like South Asian health,” Singh had said to his Pakistani visitor. “the famous wit was however still strong,” recalls halepoto.

For people visiting from hadali, however, the questions were more specific and revolved around the village landmarks such as wells, inns and buildings. “every time someone would utter the word ‘hadali’, it would bring tears to his eyes,” says tiwana. in the first chapter of his autobiography, Singh wrote that he had “hazy recollection of his early years” in the village of “300 families”, but was surprisingly able to give a detailed picture of what life was like there. he painted a lively picture, starting from the “large brick and mud structure with a spacious courtyard, a buffalo shed and a well” that was his house to the prevalent open-defecation practice to his grandmother milking the buffalo and churning butter to the dharamsal where he squatted every morning chanting multiplication tables to playing gilli danda with boys of his age to the evening which he describes as coming alive with the aroma of camel thorn and baking bread. “My memories of my grandmother are

The urn containing Singh’s ashes at the Wagah border.

Photo credit: FS AijAzuddin

FAMOUS K HUSHW ANT S INGH QU OT ES

The plaque where Singh’s ashes are buried in a Hadali school. Photo credit: FS AijAzuddin closely linked with the hum of spinning wheel and murmur of prayers,” Singh wrote.

After spending the first four years of his life in the hamlet with his grandmother, who was affectionately called ‘Bhabeejee’, Singh’s father, a prominent builder in delhi, took him back to his city for education. According to his autobiography Truth, Love and Little Malice, he travelled to his hometown thrice after that, two times before Parti-

“Freedo m is for th e ed ucat were sl aves of th e Eng ed pe ople who foug ht for it. We lish, now we will be sl aves of th e ed ucat ed In di an s — or th e Pa kist an is.” — Trai n to Pa kist an.

“Y ou r prin ci ple sh ou ld be to se e everyt hi ng an d sa y nothin g. T he world ch an ge s so ra pidly th at if you want to get on you ca nn ot af ford to alig n yourse lf with an y pe rson or point of view.”

“Morality is a m atte r of mon ey. Poor pe ople ca nn ot afford to ha ve morals. So th ey ha ve re ligion.”

“N at ure provides th at am spen d th e hours of th an who sl aves all d ay sh ou ld e night in a pa la ce fu ll of houris whe reas a ki ng who wie lds th e sceptre by d ay sh ou ld ha ve his slee p dist urbe d by nightm ares of re be llion an d assa ssin ation.” — Del hi: A Novel.

“Not foreve r does th e bu lbul si ng In ba lmy sh ades of bowers, Not foreve r la sts th e sp rin g Nor ever blosso m th e flowers.

Not foreve r re ig neth joy, Sets th e su n on d ays of bliss, Frie ndships not foreve r la st, T he y kn ow not life, w ho kn ow not this.”

— Trai n to Pa kist an.

Singh in a group photo taken at the government High School, Hadali. Photo creditS: MALik hABiB nAwAz tiwAnA AdvocAte tion when he studied at Government college, Lahore and worked at the Lahore high court, and only once after it. it was the third and last journey that he remembered the most and chose to mention in his autobiography. today, the locals have vivid memories of this visit and fondly reminisce about him. one afternoon, Singh drove from Lahore to hadali where he received a warm welcome by the locals, including the notables. he did not know the people he shook hands with and the village had changed since his last visit. After walking through the streets and the gurdwara, he rushed to his haveli. once inside the house, Singh caressed the mud walls and hugged the wooden pillars which were almost in the same condition as his family had left them in, except that the house was now divided into three parts for a family which migrated from rohtak of the haryana province. his damp eyes were frantic, as if searching for something, recalls tiwana, but the house had been demolished a few years ago.

Singh’s family traded in rock salt and dates and was the most prosperous one in the village. “if it weren’t for khushwant Singh, no one would have known hadali,” says tiwana, who was a local administration official at the time. At the school, all the welcome speeches were made in “badly pronounced, florid urdu,” stated Singh. he himself spoke in the local dialect when he addressed the nearly 2,000 people gathered there, recalls tiwana. “Moonlit nights and sand dunes are unforgettable,” he said.

28 Sixty-four-year-old Maqsood illahi, a school teacher back June 15-21 2014

A local garlanding Khushwant Singh on his arrival in Hadali.

Singh addressing the gathering at the government High School, Hadali. Photo creditS: MALik hABiB nAwAz tiwAnA AdvocAte then, clearly remembers the indian legend’s visit. he recounts that in the early 1980s, Malik Ahmed nawaz, a resident of hadali village, was posted at the Bahrain Airport from where Singh was travelling. upon spotting hadali as the place of birth on his passport, nawaz pulled him out of the queue. Singh was livid at the apparent discrimination and asked why he was singled out. when Ahmad told him that he was also from hadali and wanted to serve him something, Singh cried. “Singh and Ahmad continued to write to each other after that,” illahi narrates. in a visit that was as spiritually fulfilling as this, the acclaimed writer badly wished to be alone. “i would have liked nothing better than to be left alone to roam about the lanes of hadali and rest my head on the threshold of the house in which i was born,” he wrote.

After spending an emotional day at hadali, Singh left a little before sunset, aware that he may never return. Little did he know that his family would indeed grant him his final wish and send a fistful of his remains to be buried in the soil where his soul rests eternally. T

Tariq Masood is a subeditor for the Islamabad city desk at The Express Tribune. He tweets @tariqmasudmalik

29 Photo creditS: MALik hABiB nAwAz tiwAnA AdvocAte

June 15-21 2014

FEATURE

St(r)ay Safe The Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation offers a welcome relief for countless abandoned animals

BY SONYA REHMAN DESIGN BY SANOBER AHMED

Growing up in a house full of pets gave Ayesha Chundrigar an informal, intuitive education in empathy and respect for animals at a young age. She was only nine years old when she began volunteering at an orphanage during her summer holidays, and by the age of 15 she was teaching at various non-profit schools in katchi abadis around Islamabad, where she was living at the time. She was also helping at refugee camps in the city in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake in the northern areas of Pakistan, but her true altruism shone through when she launched her NGO, the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF), in Karachi, which among other things, aims at giving a voice to the voiceless – animals.

Apart from the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), ACF is now the second non-profit organisation which aims to rescue abandoned, abused or injured stray animals. Chundrigar who took up the challenge of managing and maintaining Edhi Foundation’s animal shelter in Karachi, says that the place was in an abysmal state when she first visited it.

“There were animal carcasses and dead puppies and donkeys lying in pools of blood. I still have nightmares about it,” she says. “I found the number of a vet listed on a board close to the shelter and gave him a call saying he had to help me and that was it.”

Chundrigar started with four dogs and some savings. The shelter now houses over 100 animals, including donkeys, dogs, cats, eagles and pigeons. Although she has used up all her savings, she finds her job truly worthwhile. ACF has rescued over 600 animals in Karachi and has long-term plans of opening its own animal sanctuary instead of only managing Edhi’s animal shelter. “We have been given a piece of land for 10 years and we are ready to begin construction,” informs

Chundrigar, adding that the new shelter will be able to house over 300 animals, with designated sections for donkeys, cats, dogs and other rescued animals.

Although the current shelter lacks electricity and water supplies, the Edhi Foundation is making do. They are preparing to install a water tank and solar panels. The animals are fed fresh food every morning and there is a general atmosphere of hope and recovery. “Our cats and puppies eat together and play together,” says Chundrigar. “I can stay and look at these sights forever.”

But this is not always the case. “Dogs have come in a paralysed and crippled [state] or with horrific wounds, but I’m lucky enough to see miracles every day. These animals [eventually] become strong, loving creatures that shower you with unconditional love.”

At the present, ACF’s core team of seven members, including Chundrigar, volunteer. The only ones on a payroll are their three veterinarians: Dr Khalid Memon, ACF’s senior vet who is a professor at the Baqai Veterinary College in Karachi, Ghulam Farid, a junior vet who is a final year veterinary student at Baqai, and Salman Wali, a manager and trainee vet at Baqai. Together they embrace the animals that society discards.

With the help of Edhi Foundation’s service, ACF conducts most of its rescue missions around the city in an ambulance.

Public transport, however, is also used by vets when the ambulance is unavailable. Once the injured animal has been rescued, its wounds are treated and then begins the long rehabilitation process.

Although most rescue operations end on a happy note, some have tragic endings.

When Chundrigar first saw the image of a female dog, with a disfigured face lying on the ground almost lifeless, on Facebook, she didn’t just comment on the extreme sorrow she felt, instead she took a hands-on approach. “Five of her puppies were snuggled near her tummy [in the

(Left) Ayesha Chundrigar with an ACF shelter dog. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY: AYESHA CHUNDRIGAR FOUNDATION

Dr Farid gives one of the dogs eye treatment at the Edhi Foundation animal shelter along the highway.

Over 50 donkeys are fed and treated free of charge twice a month, in various parts of Karachi, including Sohrab Goth, Korangi and Nipa Chowrangi JUNE 15-21 2014

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FEATURE picture] and I sent my team to rescue them [from Chundrigar Road],” she says. “The wounds … were definitely a few days old, her eye sockets were empty and she was severely dehydrated and malnourished, but by some miracle she stayed alive to feed her babies. We bandaged her up and started her treatment,” she says, adding that the puppies were fed formula milk although their mother was still determined to feed them herself. Although after a day the dog had gained enough strength to stand up on its own and take a few steps, she eventually succumbed to her injuries.

“Unfortunately her wounds were too deep and after I petted her for hours and gently explained to her that I’d take care of her puppies, she let go.”

But dampened spirits don’t last at ACF for long as the team finds solace in the animals they have successfully rescued and rehabilitated. Bravo, a dog so thin and malnourished that he could barely lift his head, was nursed to health by Farid who was determined to see him stand on his feet. After several blood tests, X-rays and consistent monitoring, Bravo has not only regained its health but is currently ACF’s guard dog. “[Bravo is the] biggest, strongest and healthiest dogs at the shelter,” Chundrigar says proudly. “He gives me the warmest, most welcoming hugs every time I see him.”

ACF also holds regular donkey camps.

“The way donkeys are treated in this country kills me and I wanted to somehow change that,” says Chundrigar. “The donkey camps started with literally just me and my senior vet standing on the roadside in [areas where donkey-carts are readily used], asking people to let us medically treat their donkeys for free.” While initially Chundrigar’s team was met with suspicion, with some cart owners believing that they were here to harm their sole source of income, they soon warmed up to them once they were convinced that the team was only there to help. Over 50 donkeys are fed and treated free of charge 34 twice a month, in various parts of KaraJUNE 15-21 2014

chi, including Sohrab Goth, Korangi and Nipa Chowrangi. ACF also conducted a ‘hydration drive’ last year when biscuits and chilled water bottles were distributed to people around the city.

Like PAWS, ACF relies heavily on social media to raise awareness about animal cruelty in Pakistan. “People see updates on our animal rescue activities and donkey camps and want to help out,” says Chundrigar. And it was through Facebook that Chundrigar teamed up with Zain Mustafa, an architect and die-hard animal lover, who is now a part of ACF’s core team.

Many have even shown interest in adopting ACF’s rescued animals. “The encouraging part is that people are positive towards something being done for animals in this country,” she says. And while on the topic of showing compassion towards animals in the country, Mustafa adds, “It can be done by introducing the value of animals into our mainstream education system and curriculum at a very early age… By getting children to physically interact with a variety of animals and bridge the widening gap between ‘us’ and ‘them’.”

ACF’s second project is also currently in the pipeline. It will aim to provide a therapeutic centre for healing that will focus on conducting individual counseling, art

All animals coexist in perfect harmony

Ayesha Chundrigar with her team at a recent donkey camp.

at the shelter. therapy and support groups. “We will be working with sexually and physically abused women, children and transgenders. [The project] will also include education for donkey-cart owners that, I believe, will gradually help change their behaviour towards the animals,” says Chundrigar, who is training to become a certified counselor.

But with limited funding, the ACF can only do so much. Although people have been donating cash and tangibles such as food via the information provided to them on social media, the funds are trickling in slowly. “What we get is enough to manage our current animals’ food and medical treat-

Dr Farid nurses the fore limbs of a donkey at one of the camps. ment,” says Chundrigar, adding that the monthly cost for food and supplies at the shelter is well over Rs100,000 and keeps increasing as the organisation rescues more animals each day.

“We still need help starting our new shelter, acquiring ambulances and starting an inner-city emergency unit.”

Even though Chundrigar is positive about the path ahead for ACF, she admits that for Pakistan, animal welfare and charity is something quite “out of the ordinary,” with people often mocking her work. “They said I was crazy to think I could do something for animals because the situation is too far gone. Also, it’s an up-

hill battle explaining to people why animals deserve love and a chance at having a better life.”

Donation details: Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation Iban number: Pk33BAHL1036008100660001 Account number: 10360081006600012 Bank Al Habib, Kh-e-Hafiz Branch, Karachi.

For food donations and volunteering queries, please write to: ayeshachundrigarfoundation@gmail. com Sonya Rehman is a writer/journalist based in Lahore.

She tweets @sonyarehman JUNE 15-21 2014

35

BOOK

Making light of dark times Mirages of the Mind takes a humorous approach to nostalgia and human tragedy without trivialising them

BY ZEHRA ABID

Author Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi.

38 JUNE 15-21 2014

Sometimes the only way to survive loss and life is by resorting to humour. Mirages of the Mind, the English translation of Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi’s Urdu novel Aabe-Gum, is all about that.

One of Pakistan’s greatest living writers, Yousufi, pens a book that encapsulates the many aspects of living in South Asia — its culture, familial relations, the pain of Partition and the nostalgia among those who witnessed the breakup of the subcontinent — with excellent satire. Translated by Matt Reeck and Aftab Ahmad, it revolves around the life and experiences of Basharat Ali Farooq, following his migration from the Indian city of Kanpur to Karachi in Pakistan. But Karachi remains an alien land for him, with life dramatically different from his cultured past. Basharat lives with the belief in the greatness of yesterday and the discomfort of the present, and the nostalgia that grips him remains a consistent theme in the book. “There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with his present, except that, for an old man, the present has the sizeable shortcomings of not being the past,” Yousufi writes.

Yousufi depicts the deep-rooted sense of longing for home on both sides of the border with striking simplicity. For instance, Basharat converses with a man from India, and says, “So Sir, I talked to Advani. Or not so much as listened to his monologue. It was like being taken prisoner. He wanted to confirm Jacobabad was as beautiful as it had been when he had left it as a young man. I mean, was the full moon as full as it had been? Do the palla fish still jump around in the Sindh river’s waves, shining and glimmering in the sun? Does the hot wind still blow from

Khairpur with its sweet scent of dates?”

The mention of the mundane palla fish and the full moon to convey a deep sense of loss reflects on Yousufi’s exceptional ability to portray ephemeral trauma.

Mirages of the Mind is a story within a story, with a mood of its own. It seems to go in no particular direction, it frequently digresses and no predictions can be made about what the next chapter will bring.

But a few pages into the book, the digressions seem consistent and structured. The book reads more like a conversation with oneself and society, as well as an attempt to understand the transitions of life.

As the book wanders through Basharat’s thoughts and experiences, its wit makes it a story you want to come back to every day. First-time readers of Yousufi may also be surprised by his satirical take on several religious practices and traditions. The writer manages to say things few can think of writing about now.

This truly beautiful piece of writing keeps you wondering what the original must be like. In some ways then, the English translation of Aab-e-Gum also leaves you with a deep sense of loss — a sense of loss at the disconnect many native Urdu speakers have with Urdu literature. The book makes you wish desperately that your private school had not treated Urdu as an alien language, and the original writings of great authors like Yousufi were more accessible. T

Zehra Abid is part of the editorial team at The Express Tribune. She tweets @zehra_abid4

Drifting Away For once, Coldplay is not trying to fix you

BY SAMEEN AMER

Coldplay’s new album, Ghost Stories, was one of the most anticipated releases of the year even before Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, the band’s front man, split after 10 years of marriage and introduced us to ‘conscious uncoupling’ — the idea that you can love your partner and still choose to leave them. But the announcement of the split has helped shed some light on the record’s narrative, although none was needed to decode the fairly straightforward musings on separation and heartbreak. The group’s sixth album finds Martin wading through the sadness that accompanies a breakup, a theme that succinctly ties into his personal life.

Over the course of nine tracks, Ghost Stories, that follows 2011’s divisive album Mylo Xyloto, dwells on melancholy, offering sparse arrangements that employ acoustic and electronic touches to emote its feelings of loss and longing. Decorated with Míla Fürstová’s delicate artwork, and penned and co-produced by the band with the help of collaborators, including Tim Bergling, Paul Epworth and Jon Hopkins, the record sees Coldplay step away 40 from their standard anthemic stadium-fillers JUNE 15-21 2014

and opt for more subtle, mellow tones.

The gentle album opener ‘Always in My Head’ and the touching piano ballad closer ‘O’, summarise the album competently while the tracks in between range from haunting to lifeless. The electronic melancholy of the intriguing ‘Midnight’ is beautiful but too reminiscent of the band Bon Iver’s music to feel original or fresh. ‘Ink’ wastes a lovely Peter Gabriel-esque melody on cloying lyrics.

And, perhaps in a bid to seem current, the penultimate song, ‘A Sky Full of Stars’, jarringly thrusts DJ Avicii into the proceedings, creating a sound that seems desperate to pander to the masses and is as a result completely out of place on the album (albeit right at home on the charts). Strip the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) star’s tired production from the single and you’ll be left with something more distinctive and in keeping with the feel of the record.

Sentiment wise, Ghost Stories turns out to be a breakup album that doesn’t really go anywhere. Instead of ploughing through the stages of grief, the record mostly flatlines at depression. The set is often so preoccupied

with its own misery that it forgets to progress to other emotions. And perhaps it might have helped if the pretention of the breakup that accompanied it had not painted our experience of this record and let us discover the songs on their own merit.

As it stands, Ghost Stories lacks the grandeur of the terrific Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and the charm of A Rush of Blood to the Head, but it does offer some beautiful sonic touches and heartfelt, honest moments. It is mostly cohesive — with ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ being the glaring exception — and succeeds in creating a melancholic mood.

The album doesn’t offer anything particularly new or original, nor does it venture into different, unexpected territory but grows on you eventually. Although fans of the band are more likely to connect to this mellow side of the group, Ghost Stories doesn’t really do anything to convert the band’s detractors.

Rating: Sameen Amer is a Lahore-based freelance writer and critic. She tweets @Sameen

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

BITE THE

BULLET

Time is of the essence when it comes to treating a gunshot wound. Faisal Javed Mir, a senior trainer and consultant at First Aid to Save A Life (FATSAL), guides you on how to stabalise a gunshot victim without wasting time.

Step 1: Before you administer first aid, practice SETUP: Stop (pause to identify hazards to your personal safety), Environment (consider your surroundings), Traffic (be careful along roadways), Unknown hazards (consider things that are not apparent), Personal safety (use personal protective barriers). Try not to move or drag the injured person unless there are direct threats to their or your life.

Step 2: Call for emergency medical assistance so they can rush to the scene while you administer first aid.

Step 3: Reassure the person that they are in safe hands and that you are helping them.

Step 4: Keep the person warm and do not move them unless you must do so to keep them safe.

Step 5: Improvise and use a reliable barrier to avoid direct contact with the victim’s blood to ensure your personal safety. Then apply firm and direct pressure to the wound with your shielded hand to control external bleeding.

Step 6: Use a clean piece of cloth or absorbent pad to cover the wound. Wrap gauze or improvise to make a bandage over the wound. When the absorbent pad is soaked in blood, don’t remove it and apply another pad over it.

42 Step 7: Keep applying pressure with JUNE 15-21 2014

First aid for gunshot wounds today involves more damage control than on-the-field surgical procedures

BY DILAIRA DUBASH DESIGN BY OMER ASIM

the palm of your hand to control the bleeding. And if you cannot control the bleeding, tie a tourniquet around the wound as your last resort. Do not tie it too tight though or the skin will turn bluish or become numb. Incorrect application of a tourniquet can result in serious injury or loss of a limb. Note the time when the tourniquet was applied and inform the medics when they arrive.

Step 8: Elevate the injured part, if possible. But do not elevate the legs if the gunshot wound is to the torso, as this will increase bleeding and make it more difficult for the victim to breathe.

Step 9: Lay the injured person down in a comfortable position and check for possible shock. Symptoms include dilated pupils, slow and shallow breathing or hyperventilation and pale skin.

Step 10: Make sure the victim’s body temperature is as normal as possible — cover up or remove clothing accordingly.

Step 11: Comfort the injured person to keep them calm and wait till the medics arrive.

Special instructions: 1. If the victim has been shot in the head, keep the head elevated and get the victim to a trauma centre as soon as possible.

2. If the victim has been shot in the neck or face, use direct pressure to control bleeding and keep the victim upright. Be careful not to obstruct breathing while controlling bleeding.

Response time: A healthy body has approximately six to eight litres of blood so it is critical to stop the bleeding as early as possible in order to keep the vital organs functioning. After four to 10 minutes of profuse bleeding, chances of survival are rare.

Therefore, do not hesitate and immediately give first aid.

3. If the victim has been shot in the chest, back or abdomen, apply pressure to control bleeding. The ribs might make this difficult.

To remove all misconceptions and any hesitations about administering first aid, Javed Mir says, “[According to the] Injured Persons Medical Aid Act (IPMAA) of 2004, one can administer first aid to an injured person and defend themselves before the law for carrying out the act.” Therefore, help out as much as you can. T Dilaira Dubash is a senior subeditor on The Express Tribune magazine desk.

She tweets @DilairaM