The Express Tribune Magazine - March 16

MARCH 16-22 2014

Across the

Pakistani scrabble players spell out a new destiny

MARCH 16-22 2014

Feature

Cover Story

Across the Board The story of the rising scrabble stars in Pakistan

Rock On You might not have heard of these new age musicians, but you should

COVER DESIGN

BY SAMRA AAMIR

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Feature

The one-man show Noman Mubashir has single-handedly put Muslims and Pakistanis on the Norwegian cultural map

40 Regulars

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6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people and The Waters of Lahore Festivities: How to set the Navroze table

44 Review: The Monument’s Men 46

Magazine In-charge: Sarah Munir and Sub-Editors: Dilaira Mondegarian and Zehra Qureshi Creative Team: 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

The Porsche Centre hosts the Porsche Polo Diaries Fashion Show in Lahore

Arjumand

reen

Ansa Hasan

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and Hira Cha

Zahra Raza

Redah Misbah and Shammal Qureshi

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PHOTOS COURTESY IMRAN FAREED AT PINHOLE STUDIO

im and Nau

Alyzeh Rah

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PEOPLE & PARTIES

Friends of Karwan-e-Hayat organise a fund raising event in Karachi

Yasmin Hyder

a Ahmad

PHOTOS COURTESY NEW WORLD CONCEPTS

hi and Hum

Farida Qures

ad Ayesha Sam

Ayesha and Aliya Mian Romana Qureshi and Ghazala Qureshi

Mrs Mujahid

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PEOPLE & PARTIES Sehr Latif hosts the inaugural show ‘Finding the properties of Imagination’ at the Paint Bucket gallery, Lahore

Sehyr Anis

ah Ihsan

Nabila and

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

aq and Zahr

Naira Musht

Zara

Zahra and Sidra Asim Niya and Saamiya Raazi

eel

Mehreen Rah

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PEOPLE & PARTIES

san Qadeer

zia Deen

Marium Saqib and Sha

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

Sameen Ahmed and Sou

Kiran Adnan

Navin Ahmed and Naghma Saqib ar

Noor Jehan and Iffat Om

ar

Mahira and Saima Zaf

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PEOPLE & PARTIES

Friends of Shaukat Khanum host a fund raising carnival in Lahore Shahid

PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR

hry and Sara

Bina Chaud

Amna Kardar

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Aasfia Nabee

Mawra Hocane

Shehrbano, Dilnoor and Nayum

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PEOPLE & PARTIES Maida Farnaz and Mona

Zara and Izza

Mehreen and Arooj

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Komal, Mehek and Lisa

PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR

Zarmina Masood

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A CROS S T HE BOAR D Empowerment is the magic word for young Pakistani scrabble players

BY NATASHA RAHEEL PHOTOS AYESHA MIR DESIGN BY TALHA AHMED KHAN

Every Saturday afternoon, the only movement inside the Society Suite at the Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi is that of nimble fingers hurriedly replacing one alphabet with another or racing to lay out a new word before their opponent. Knowing the difference between a vowel and a consonant can be a game-changer in this sport. And for the nearly 30 scrabble players in the room, who have been congregating to practise for the past five years, their winning streak has just begun.

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D We made sure that we are not just featuring students from a particular locality and found talented players representing schools from North Nazimabad, Bhimpura and Katti Pahari Tariq Pervez founder of PSA youth programme

Scrabble accessories: Tiles, a timer to keep track of the speed and a score sheet to tabulate results.

While mainstream sports like cricket, football and hockey have failed to produce world champions in recent years, scrabble has managed to achieve the feat last year at the 2013 World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC). Pakistan’s 16-year-old Moizullah Baig, also known as the wonder boy in the local scrabble circuit, was crowned the champion with an impressive spread of +1448, winning 19 matches out of the gruelling marathon of 27 games. Javeria Arshad Mirza also took second position in Dubai among 136 participants from different countries, including the US, England, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, India and Thailand. The team had a clean sweep at the WYSC, with six other Pakistanis concluding the tournament in the top 20.

The sudden rise of these players at the international junior scrabble circuit is the fruit of Pakistan Scrabble Association’s (PSA) efforts for the last three years.

“Everyone in the world was shocked and wondered how Pakistani teenagers won the title,” says PSA Vice President Javaid Iqbal. “But in reality we’ve been working with the young players and we had set the goal of winning the WYSC.” With a little motivation and

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work at the grassroots level, the U18 scrabble players have proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the international arena.

Word play The PSA was established in 1989 by Abu Arif, and then taken over by Goshpi Avari. Scrabble enthusiasts continued to play the game over the weekends at the Beach luxury Hotel but the tables turned with the introduction of the youth programme by Tariq Pervez in 2009, who was also a national player.

“It’s more about my love for the game,” says Pervez.

“We have our own family and then this scrabble family here.”

Like any family, there are the older players, the new generation, which includes the WYSC squad, and even younger ones, like 11-year-old Taha who is now seen as a favourite after Baig.

“There’s really no back story except that scrabble is my passion even though I’m a businessman,” says Pervez. “I still make sure that I make time for playing and the youth programme despite my work and family life.” But getting to this point has not been easy.

E D J While scrabble was just played among the older enthusiasts during PSA’s earlier days, Pervez wanted to see more competition in local events and enable Pakistani talent to compete at a global level. “Our national players weren’t good enough to compete internationally,” he elaborates. “We needed new and younger players so that we could train them.” Initially the idea was met with resistance by the older lot but gradually things changed and he found support in his fellow players and friends Muhammad Inayat, Maria Soares and S Wajid Iqbal among many others.

The best way to go about this was to involve different schools in scrabble tournaments. This is how the PSA found its new pool of players including five-time national champion Waseem Khatri, Moizullah Baig, CAMS College student Yash Gandhi, Karachi Grammar School’s Arham Abidi and Javeria Mirza, St Michael’s Vali Muhammad Khubaib, Beaconhouse School System’s Javeria Salman and the City School Darakhshan’s Syed Talal Amjad among others, who eventually became part of the WYSC squad. “We value merit and talent. This forum is open to all; anyone can walk in and play scrabble,” says Pervez.

Furthermore, he ensured that the opportunity was not limited to a certain income class or crop of schools. “We started the inter-school championship at every educational institution without any discrimination,” he says. “We made sure that we were not just featuring students from a particular locality or strata. We found talented players representing schools from North Nazimabad, Bhimpura and Katti Pahari in the championship.” Currently, more than 100 schools and over 650 students

participate in the inter-school championship.

The club’s resounding success has been its biggest selling point. The first WYSC squad finished at the eighth position in Manila in 2010, climbing to the fifth spot in 2011 and eventually earning the third position in Birmingham in 2012. “That was the point when these kids realised that if they can defeat British players they can win this title too,” says Pervez.

A whole new wor[l]d For players like Khatri and Baig, scrabble is not just a sport but also a shot at a better life. Khatri who grew up in Kharadar, Karachi, took everyone by surprise when he competed at the inter-school level and went on to become the five-time national champion. “I had seen scrabble as a child when my

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If English was the main element, then the British should have been the champions. But the game involves so much more Moizullah Baig 2013 WYSC champion

A practice session at the Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi. The session has been taking place every Saturday afternoon for the past five years.

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QE cousin Ashraf Khatri used to come to PSA to play,” says the 23-year-old. At the time he never imagined he would one day be competing at an international level.

But the endless training sessions for improving vocabulary and mastering the rules of the game with his cousin and elder brother eventually paid off. Currently he is pursuing a degree in chartered accountancy along with training new talent at the PSA. Baig’s initial stint with scrabble was limited to inter-school events until he defeated Khatri during his debut match at a national championship in February 2012. “It stunned everyone, and the PSA encouraged me to continue playing. Later, I went to Malaysia and Thailand with the Pakistan squad in early 2013 and

then WYSC happened,” he says. The WYSC victory has transformed Baig into a hero in his neighbourhood in Nazimabad, Karachi, and has opened gates for a lot of other young talent. Baig attributes the entire credit for his victory to the PSA. The PSA has not only eliminated income divides and created a level playing field for all its members but has also inculcated a sense of acceptance and tolerance. Sixteen-year-old Yash, who was often teased as the ‘Gandhi in Jinnah’s town’ in his neighbourhood, is a prime example of this change. “When I started coming to PSA events four years ago, I was more of an extremist. I belonged to the religious minority and I was also anti-social,” he says. “But when I saw people [from different backgrounds] especially on our WYSC trip to Brimingham in 2012, I realised that every human being is the same. There is no difference.”

Like Yash, Baig and Mirza also agree that scrabble has helped them immensely with their self-confidence and opened them up towards new people and experiences.

Tile and tactic While most of us remember scrabble as just a board game that parents use to improve English language skills, it is so much more: it’s a math-brain exercise, one that combines spatial relations, board geometry and language maximisation. And the PSA and its players worked day and night before the 2013 WYSC to perfect every aspect of the game.

Along with their weekly tournaments, the players used specialised software and online resources to improve their techniques. Contrary to popular belief, the game requires more than just good vocabulary.

“If English was the main element, then the British should have been the champions. But it’s more about understanding the space on the board, the scoring for each word and it is mathematical in many ways,” explains Baig.

A player follows the dictionary, according to seasoned national player Inayat. “Sometimes we use words that we don’t use in [normal] conversation. It’s very different,” he says. “Scrabble is a game of probability; each player knows how many letters there are in the sack and try to pull them out hoping to get more

11-year-old Taha is seen as the next favourite after Baig.

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vowels than consonants.”

However, some alphabets are more problematic than others. For Inayat, it is the letter ‘Q’ that is always a catch while Moiz struggles with the letter ‘V’. He says the word ‘Zyzzyva’ is the hardest one he has come across till date.

Along with training players, the PSA also ensures that it maintains a vibrant online presence so that their achievements can find a broader audience. This is an additional feather in the cap of the club’s technology wizard, Khubaib, who diligently updates the players’ points and rankings according to the international ranking system.

“I’m in touch with a Canadian computer engineer who helps me with improving the software required for scrabble and updating the ranking system, since each player gets a different amount of points,” he explains. If a weaker player defeats a stronger player then he gets more points for the match. “Not only do I get to see every player and know their points but am also getting exposure in a field that I want to pursue.”

With new talent to train, Pervez has also ventured into making new scrabble boards that are similar to the ones that are used in international competitions.

Pervez says the first batch manufactured by him was heavy and not as attractive as the third one being used by the PSA now. “These are customised boards. The ink on the board, the tiles and the material is durable. Each board costs us Rs4,000 and we made around 500 of these,” he says. “But this is a good product and more importantly it is helping the PSA players. We are not manufacturing them commercially.”

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Sport Association, which is looking to develop programmes that can generate a similar interest for mind sport in the youth in the UK.“I met Pervez in Prague who told me that 600 to 650 players compete in local tournaments. If we have that kind of turnout in England it will be fantastic,” says Eduardo Sajglik, development manager at Mind Sports International.

The unprecedented success in 2013 also bought a lot of corporate sponsors for the PSA. According to Pervez, sending players to international events was challenging earlier as it required contribution from the families and the PSA itself. But with more corporate sponsors on board, things are expected to become easier. “We don’t really need much to hold our weekly sessions, but now sponsors are coming to us for events and that is a good sign.”

And with luck, talent and perseverance on their side, this underdog of a sport is all set to spell Pakistan in golden words in the years to come. T

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Natasha Raheel is a Karachi-based sports reporter for The Express Tribune.

Moizullah Beg with his cheque and trophies after winning the World Youth Scrabble Championship. PHOTO GULF SCRABBLE

Building blocks After the 2013 WYSC, countries like India, Malaysia, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago have also asked Pervez to help them develop similar grassroots programmes. PSA’s success has also made waves with The International Mind

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FEATURE

Rock On You might not have heard of these new age musicians, but you should

To grab the interest of an audience as a new band or artist can be a tall order. Raw talent and good music is often not enough to earn the mainstream attention needed to catapult a band into stardom. But the exponential growth of the online music community has opened up several alternative avenues for upcoming musicians to prove their mettle. We give you a list of the musical acts that may not necessarily grace your TV screens but nevertheless should be looked out for in 2014.

BY ZARA HAFEEZ

Jehangir Aziz Hayat Band Members: Solo Genre: Grunge/rock fused with a Pashto influence Influences: Nirvana, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Puscifer, Heatmiser, Velvet Revolver and Megadeth Albums: Read between the Lines (2009) and Above the Fray (2014) Jehangir Aziz Hayat from Peshawar is the first Pakistani grunge artist to have been featured on the national music scene. With the release of his debut single Never Change in 2004, Hayat became the youngest musician to be nominated in the ‘Best Debut’ category at the Indus Music Awards. Hayat’s aggressive yet melodious vocals fused with assertive riffs and serene Pashtun melodies have given him much prominence not just locally but globally as well. He has won 34 three awards in the categories of ‘Best MARCH 16-22 2014

PHOTO: ZEESHAN PARWEZ

Alternative Record’, ‘Best Alternative Artist’ and ‘Best Alternative Video Under $5000’ at the popular Indie Music Channel Awards in 2012 and has also performed at several global forums such as the prestigious Gambia charity event in the Isle of Man. Various celebrated in-

ternational music sites have also recognised him for his talent; he was featured on ReverbNation in February 2014. Hayat has also performed in associated acts with The baffled Penguins and Marg.

He can be looked up on his website: www.jehangirazizhayat.com

Mooroo Band Members: Solo Genre: Experimental Influences: Music within itself is the inspiration. It was the means to an end.

Albums: Yet to release Taimoor Salahuddin (aka Mooroo), an experimental independent musician from Lahore, started dabbling with music even before he started college. Fortunately, the risks he took with his compositions worked with the audience and earned him several hits such as Gharoli, Tasveer and Tere Bina along with the ‘Voice of the Year’ award in the Fifth Youth Festival and nominations in four categories at the Lux Style Awards this year.

Moorooisknownforhisnon-conformist music; he does not follow a fixed pattern and instead puts in a lot of time to bring

PHOTO: SHAHBAZ SUMAR

in different tunes that can transmit and create the emotion he intends to induce in his listeners. A true solo act, Mooroo does not have a permanent band lineup and can play all the parts of his songs himself.

This one man power house phenomenon is what makes his Coke Studio gigs all the more enjoyable.

He can be look up on his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mooroomusic

Lower Sindh! Swing Orchestra Band Members: Mudassir, Omar, Asad, Suhaib and Sarim Genre: Dreamy and psychedelic Influences: Radiohead, The Foo Fighters and Pink Floyd Albums: Undercats United Lower Sindh! Swing Orchestra, commonly abbreviated as LS!SO, is a Karachibased band made up of five talented friends who got together and began creating music in 2010.

Their primary motive was to make music which did not fall in the category of “tried, tested and formula run.” Even though they have not received much acknowledgment from mainstream media outlets, they are content with the praise their fans shower on them after each live show.

To follow their music, log on to the following link www.facebook.com/LowerSindhSwingOrchestra

PHOTO: BUNNY CYCLE AT T2F

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FEATURE //orangenoise Band Members: Talha Wynne, Daniel Panjwaneey, Danial Hyatt and Faizan Reidinger Genre: Psychedelic and noise rock Influences: Radiohead, The Foo Fighters and Pink Floyd Albums: //veracious (2011), //A Journey to the Heart of Matter (2012) and //remixes //orangenoise is the Karachi-based band famous for its non-conformist melodies. Even though their music might come under the psychedelic noise category, they feel that they don’t let a genre restrict them to a particular sound. According to the band, they might end up winning the most random lyrics award too if there ever was one. The band has

PHOTO: HUMAYUN M

performed at about four to five shows a year, and very recently toured Lahore and Islamabad for the Khayaban-eLussun tour.

In 2013, their song Gateway was played on X Fm (London) making it the first

Sikandar Ka Mandar Band Members: Nadir Shahzad, Ali Suhail, Saad Shams, Faizan Reidinger and Danial Hyatt Genre: Indie Folk Rock Influences: The Beatles, ABBA, Jeff Buckley and Pearl Jam along with Middle Eastern Lebanese music such as Mashrou Leila Albums: Self-titled album which was digitally released Sikandar Ka Mandar is a Karachibased band that mainly focuses on thought-provoking songs based on societal issues. Along with creating powerful music, the band has also garnered huge acclaim. They won in the category of ‘Best Video’ at the SZABIST Film Festival in 2013 and also performed alongside 25 stirring associated bands like Poor Rich Boy, Basheer & the Pied Pipers and Natasha Humera Ejaz.

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Catch them on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Sikandar-ka-Mandar MARCH 16-22 2014

PHOTO: CITY FM 89

time that a Pakistani band received recognition on the super talented Mary Anne Hobb’s show.

You can catch them on their official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/orangenoisepk

Ali Suhail Band Members: Solo Genre: Grunge, experimental and indie folk Influences: Foo Fighters, Freelance Whales and Ben Howard Albums: Words from Boxes Ali Suhail is a prominent underground musician, lead member for the band Jumbo Jutt and also performs alongside Sikandar Ka Mandar occasionally. As part of the Jumbo Jutt band, he has released three singles on Uth Records and released his solo debut album titled Words from Boxes on bandcamp in March 2013 which earned him critical acclaim from renowned Pakistani artists and Jack Conte, an American multiinstrumentalist. At the moment, Suhail is working on the release of his second album.

Take a listen to his album at: alisuhail.bandcamp.com

PHOTO: ARSALAN PIRZADA AT STORM IN A TEACUP, LAHORE

Traditional parametres like screen time, commercial endorsements and an endless number of albums may not always be the most accurate measure to gauge an artist or a band’s potential. And these new age musical geniuses continue to break these conventional boundaries with their edgy tunes, quirky videos and an overall refreshing approach.

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Zara Hafeez is a strategic marketer by profession. She tweets at zara_hafeez MARCH 16-22 2014

FEATURE

The one-man show Noman Mubashir has single-handedly put Muslims and Pakistanis on the Norwegian cultural map

BY SUNDAR WAQAR PHOTOS BY NOMAN MUBASHIR DESIGN BY ASIF ALI

Quirky, animated and flamboyant Noman Mubashir, a PakistaniNorwegian, is a man of many talents. From cooking up a storm on his cooking show to reuniting families on his travel show, and making history in August 1998 as the first non-ethnic news anchor on Norwegian television, Mubashir has left his audiences with practically little else to desire.

As a news anchor, journalist and author, Mubashir has worked to change the make-up of Norwegian television and showbiz by paving the way for Pakistanis and other ethnicities. The idea which was alien to many two decades ago is now by and large an undeniable reality.

“I always wanted to become a journalist or an author,” says Mubashir.

He had never dreamt of becoming a TV host or a news anchor and it wasn’t until he moved to Britain to pursue journalism and returned to Norway for his holidays that he made his breakthrough in television. “I heard that the national TV was planning to launch a new programme about migrants in Norway,” he recalls, tracing the beginnings of the award-winning show Migrapolis. “They were searching for new, talented reporters with a foreign background.”

A year later and only 24, Mubashir began his career as a reporter for Migrapolis on NRK, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, and continued as a news anchor for the broadcasting company and instantly became the role model for younger generation Pakistanis in Norway. “People were not used to see[ing] a Pakistani man reading [the] news. But I think I entered a stage where the audience respected me for being [a] good news anchor [and] reporter and did not focus on my Pakistani background,” he says, recalling the reaction from his viewers.

Although foreign and non-ethnic anchors and reporters are common in 40 today’s world, it was a rare idea not too long ago. Mubashir was the first MARCH 16-22 2014

At a fashion show in Oslo.

Norwegian Muslim to lead the Saturday entertainment at NRK, Sommeråpent on July 30, 2005, and has since worked to increase the acceptance of Muslims in Norway. “Today, there are so many young Norwegian-Pakistanis in showbiz and at important posts in society,” he explains. “The first generation of Pakistanis who came to Norway, 40 years ago, are still associated with traditional ‘immigrant-jobs’ as taxi drivers or running small shops.”

But according to Mubashir that has now changed as many immigrants are doing quite well in Norway. “One of the news anchors on the largest private TV channel in Norway is Mah-Rukh Ali. Abid Raja is a well-known member of the Norwegian parliament. We also have Norwegian-Pakistanis who have won big talent shows such as the dancer Adil Khan and there are plenty of young doctors, lawyers and engineers of Pakistani roots as well.”

When Hadia Tajik was appointed the Minister of Culture in 2012, the youngest minister ever to serve in the Norwegian government as well as the first Muslim Norwegian-Pakistani, it was an indication that things were changing. During an interview, Tajik told Norway’s third-largest newspaper, Dagbladet, that after reading Mubashir’s interview in the paper she was inspired to pursue journalism and land a job at NRK or elsewhere.

Like her, Mubashir has influenced countless other immigrants.

“I became [a] role model for the younger generation that was struggling to find its feet in a society where they felt alienated,” says Mubashir who had no immigrant role models or non-ethnics to inspire him. According to Tajik, success becomes easier once

Racism is an issue here (Norway) as well, but it never stopped me from [attaining] my goals and dreams Noman Mubashir News anchor, journalist and author

Relaxing in Cordoba, Spain.

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FEATURE

With comedian Shabana Rehman at the premiere of Taxi in Klingenberg, Germany. you imagine yourself in another’s shoes and desire the same.

While Mubashir’s claim to fame seems effortless, hardships and rejections were aplenty. “Racism is an issue here as well, but it never stopped me from [attaining] my goals and dreams,” he says. In 1991, when 17-year-old Mubashir tried to sell his first article to a local paper about his visit to an Afghan refugee camp in Islamabad, Pakistan, he was turned down for not producing a local story. This did not however, discourage him and he resurfaced with even more vigour, carving out a name for himself in the local media and then going on to publish international stories.

But even with Norway’s wide appeal, Mubashir was never distracted from his roots. In 2005 he started his own television show Back to your Roots, showing Norwegians a side of Pakistan they hadn’t seen before. The show’s first season was based in Pakistan, capturing the untouched beauty of Swat and Chitral, the history surrounding Lahore and the fast-paced life in Karachi.

“I made seven programmes showing the audience the beautiful and picturesque mountains and villages of Swat [and] visited the colourful and charming people of Kalash.”

42 After focusing on Pakistan, Mubashir is currently producing the MARCH 16-22 2014

Trip to Syria, 2010.

In Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a village in Surinamese, Africa.

The first generation of Pakistanis who came to Norway, 40 years back, are still associated with traditional ‘immigrant-jobs’ as taxi drivers or running small shops Noman Mubashir News anchor, journalist and author

third season of his show in which he takes public figures in Norway to their roots. “It’s a combination of a traditional, travel programme and a root (background) search,” he says.

Through the current season of the show he reunited Norwegian-Turkish supermodel, Vendela Kirsebom, with her father in Turkey after 45 years. Albeit subtle at times, problems faced by immigrants are always at the centre of Mubashir’s work.“Through my travel show viewers can learn more about why people move to Norway.”

Hosting, travelling and cooking are some of Mubashir’s many passions. His cooking show Yum Yum with Noman airs on NRK and he has even penned a cookbook with the same name. His other writing projects include three books; My Life as Ola Noman, his first publication, a humorous retelling of what it was like to grow up as children of Pakistani immigrants in Norway, A Noman in Pakistan, a travelogue from Pakistan based on his NRK series of the same name and Oslostaner based on extremists.

Mubashir was awarded the Seer Prize in 2008 from Riksmålsforbundet (The Society for the Preservation of Traditional Standard Norwegian) for outstanding use of language on television. Along with his ability to captivate audiences with his linguistic strengths, he also turns heads with his edgy sense of style. He has repeatedly been voted the best dressed man in Norway by various magazines and newspapers and traces his source of inspiration to both Pakistan and Norway. By carefully selecting from the best of both worlds Mubashir has left his audiences with a tastefully diverse palette. T

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Sundar Waqar is a subeditor on The Express Tribune Magazine desk. She tweets @sundar_waqar MARCH 16-22 2014

A treasure hunt gone awry Is preserving art worth the loss of human life?

BY SAMRA MUSLIM

The Monuments Men is based on Robert Edsel’s best-seller and loosely revolves around the greatest treasure hunt in history.

Set in the time of World War II, it revolves around a group of men who took up the laborious task of locating and rescuing culturally significant monuments, fine arts and archives which the Nazis were stealing and hiding for display in Hitler’s proposed Führer Museum.

This adaptation follows the fictional characters of George Clooney and Matt Damon as they recruit half a dozen artists and experts (Bill Murray, John Goodman and Jean Dujardin) to preserve these masterpieces. The group forms an odd lot, gifted and flawed at the same time, as they don’t always get along with each other or their pragmatic GI counterparts.

And as if the job wasn’t difficult enough, French curator (Cate Blanchett), who has ties with the Nazis is counting on them to fail. Even though Blanchett was served with a thin role, she is a breath of fresh air as her passion convinces even skeptics that there’s more than canvas and paint and chiseled stone at stake.

The biggest stakeholder in the movie is George Clooney, the man behind the camera and one of the writers of this historical saga. It’s sad to see that Clooney, who has delivered brilliant films earlier, couldn’t do justice to this one. The film could be more entertaining than it was, had it not fallen prey to a weak script. With an A-list cast like this one, you expect powerhouse performances and memorable scenes, but walk away disappointed. On the bright side, the actors do keep the audience partially engaged through continuous laughs from quick one-liners and witty character interactions, but it’s still

debatable whether a movie dealing with such a hard-hitting issue should be portrayed so lightly.

The editing is choppy and the movements seem rapid, therefore the story does not come off as cohesive. For example, you would find yourself in France in one scene and the Battle of the Bulge in another, often without any explanation.

The locations used in the movie however deserve a special mention; the portrayal of Normandy Beach, Paris, snow-covered Belgian forests, castles and cathedrals is stupendous. But this is offset by the predictable sets and unrealistic costumes, making art our only sense of reality.

Overall, the movie does not deliver in terms of its historical importance as there wasn’t enough running time to show the whole operation. Additionally, in reality there were 300 men involved in this daunting operation and the script reduced it to seven, making it a guessing game of fact or fiction. This however, does not affect the extremely important question that the film seeks to address: should humanity be sacrificed in the quest to preserve its marks? One should not pass off the film as an aimless effort to delve into history but instead use it to think about all that we have lost to war. It will definitely strike a chord with those who believe that cultural emblems of a race should be protected no matter what the cost.

Rating:

Samra Muslim is a digital marketing professional, an avid reader and a movie buff. She tweets @samramuslim

BOOK

TIME TRAVELS

A three-part historical account peppered with personal anecdotes OUR CORRESPONDENT

The Waters of Lahore is a memoir of Kamal Azfar, stalwart of the Pakistan Peoples Party, a leading advocate and former Governor of Sindh. The book is conceived as a trilogy and is an autobiography written in the third person. This approach initially distracts but then settles in. It gives the author the freedom to talk about issues and events as they occur to him, flitting from one era to another.

The work consists of three books, each independent of the other. The Transfer of Power is about parting: from Britain and India in 1947, from Bengal after the events of 1971 and from his son, the dashing Omar Azfar, who died after a battle with cancer in 2009.

In the first book, some of the most interesting parts relate to Azfar’s description of his life with his family — his father, a rare Indian Civil Service officer, and the life his family led. It is an honest account complete with interesting details of the way Azfar’s household functioned.

The second book, Camelot by the Sea, makes and even more interesting read.

This book is dedicated to Sanam Bhutto,

the only surviving child of the mercurial Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan and a person with whom Azfar associated himself and worked closely.

This portion candidly talks of the personality of Bhutto, with all his strengths and weaknesses. It also recalls interesting anecdotes about the Bhutto family and events of that period — the post 1971 elections, the government that was formed and the intrigues that ensued.

The third part, Asian Drama Revisited, was slowed reading. More so because it was deprived of the nuggets found elsewhere in the book. Azfar did well to remember incidents and events that should be recorded.

All in all, it is a captivating read. It keeps the reader engaged till the very end and Azfar does not disappoint with both his style of writing and the richness of the information he presents. Possibly, the only let down of the book is its high price. This makes it too expensive for the very person who should be reading the book: students of History. T

Published by Sama Books and available for Rs1,200.

Omar and Sara Azfar at a reception at the Governor’s House Seated R to L: Jam Sadiq Ali, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mir Rasul Bux in Karachi, 1995.

Talpur and the author, Karachi, 1971.

45 MARCH 16-22 2014

FESTIVITIES

The Navroze table matters A combination of tradition and ritual graces the Navroze table each year

BY DILAIRA MONDEGARIAN DESIGN BY ESSA MALIK The seven items (haft-seen) that form the essence of the Navroze table

The 13-day Navroze celebrations pivot on wisdom and gratitude to the universe. The Persian New Year, celebrated

Additions over the years. All in all, things that one should be grateful for.

on March 21st every year, commemorates the spring equinox and the rebirth and renewal of the earth that follows. As part of the festivities, a table is laid to reflect the bounties of the universe with prayers for a good year and life. With the passage of time, many new things have made their way to the table, but the significance of the seven basics remain untouched. T

Flowers to represent the advent of spring.

A mirror to reflect on the past.

A bowl of water with goldfish to symbolise new life.

An orange in a bowl of water to symbolise the Earth.

Apples for health.

Sabza: Three wheat or lentil sprouts, representing good words, good deeds and good thoughts, for a successful harvest.

Serkeh: Vinegar for a long life, old age and patience.

Decorated eggs for fertility.

Samanu: Pudding made from wheat germ to add sweetness to life.

Candles to represent each member of the family symbolising brightness and happiness.

Somagh: An exotic Persian spice made from crushed berries that signifies victory of good over evil.

Sikeh: Coins for wealth.

A glass of milk for nutrition.

Senjid: Dry fruit to represent love and affection.

Sir: Garlic for its medicinal qualities which represent health and riddance from bad spirits and the evil eye.

46 MARCH 16-22 2014

Dilaira Mondegarian is a subeditor on the Express Tribune magazine desk. She tweets @DilairaM