The Express Tribune Magazine - May 20

MAY 20-26 2012

For most women, the concept of a second marriage still carries a stigma so strong it holds them back

MAY 20-26 2012

Cover Story 20 Shaadi 2.0 Taking the plunge again is not easy, especially for women

Feature 30 Brighter Horizons Saima Mohsin talks about the future, her new show for BBC World News and what fried locusts really taste like 36 Sufism and the City Sufism meets Yoga in the Big Apple

Positive Pakistani 32 Turning Lives Around Recipient of the International Woman of Courage Award 2011, Ghulam Sughra Solangi has transformed thousands of women’s lives

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36

Regulars 6 People & Parties: Out and about with Pakistan’s beautiful people 38 Review: Avengers Assemble!

42 End Of The Line: Stache Attack!

32 Magazine Editor: Zarrar Khuhro, Senior Sub-Editor: Batool Zehra, Sub-Editors: Ameer Hamza and Dilaira Mondegarian.

Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Maha Haider, Faizan Dawood, Sanober Ahmed and S Asif Ali. Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi.

For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk

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PEOPLE & PARTIES

Shamoun Durrani, Cristina Afridi and Verve host the Islamabad Fashion Week Finale Party

Nida Ali, Hamza Abbasi and Imtisal

Ursula and Asif Kamal

Numair and Myra

Sophie, Tania and Jasmine with a friend

Fayeza and Tariq Amin

Wajiha and Barry

6 MAY 20-26 2012

Shamoun Durrani and Christina

Nida, Amir and Kinza

PHOTOS COURTESY VERVE

Sadaf, Madiha, Sara and Uzma

MAY 20-26 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Jenny and Zainab Malik Iffat and Sonya

Mariam Saqib

Nazia and Fatima Butt

Mariam and Maha

Cybil and Aamir Mazhar

8 MAY 20-26 2012

Asma Anwer

Alyzeh Gabol and Saim

Saira

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR & EVENTS

her spring/ s e h c n u la ir z a Sobia N in Lahore n io t c e ll o c 0 2 summer

MAY 20-26 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Huma and Khuban

Tehniat Sheikh

Aleena Akbar

Naila Maqbool

10 MAY 20-26 2012

Mahvish Amin and Saadia Mirza

Shehla Saigol and Faiza Fayyaz

Juggun Kazim

PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR

Arjumand Amin and Natasha

Arjumand Amin holds a preview for her lawn brand, Mahnoush, in Lahore

MAY 20-26 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Geiti launches her clothing line in Lahore

Saim and Ayesha

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

Geiti and Nazish

Mariam

Saima

Natasha and Babloo

12 MAY 20-26 2012

Rubina

Imtisal

Aliha

MAY 20-26 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES The multi-brand store, The Designers, hosts a multi-designer exhibition in Islamabad

Mehrene launches her label, Vibgyor, in Karachi

Zahida and Farah

Sabeen Tariq Rabbani, Rahat Rafiq and Nadia Jawad

14 MAY 20-26 2012

PHOTOS COURTESY VOILA PR

Mehrene and Nadia Ellahi

Asma Abbasi and Mehnaz

PHOTOS COURTESY VOILA PR

Rabeeya

Somaya Adnan

MAY 20-26 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

ia Millwala

lif wala and A

ith the ts w n o i t a i c sso tion hos a d n u Eikon in a o F s ivor i Acid Surv auction in Karach a charit y Faheem Mill

acha and Taha Salman Shahid Sharif, Hina Par

Farwah Tapal

16 MAY 20-26 2012

Farhana Kerai and Imtiaz Quettawala

Martin Lotzer and Nadya Mistry

Farah Mirza Afridi

Mrs Bano F Millwala

MAY 20-26 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES Asimyar Tiwana presents “Colors of Spring”, an annual fundraiser event in Islamabad

Fauzia

Neha

Sarah and Zara Raza

Car4u, a website for road safety and traffic management system, is launched in Lahore

Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif

18 MAY 20-26 2012

Sakib Berjees

Dr Umar Saif (Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board)

PHOTOS COURTESY QYT EVENTS

Asimyar Tiwana and Ayesha Sana

Daniella and Janie Liang host a reception to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Daniella’s Salon in Islamabad

Mariam and Sharmeen

Mr and Mrs David Liang

Aamir Mazhar and Nazia

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

Sophiya, Natasha and Rubab

Procter and Gamble launch the movement ‘Thank You Maa’, to provide Pakistani mothers with the opportunity to raise future Olympic athletes, in Karachi

Faisal Subzwari

Guests

Mirza Iqbal Baig

19 MAY 20-26 2012

COVER STORY

Shaadi 2.0

Society’s attitudes are slowly changing as people become more tolerant of a woman’s decision to marry again but for a majority of women, the concept of a second marriage still carries a stigma so strong they are hesitant to take the plunge

BY RAHAT KAMAL

20 MAY 20-26 2012

After being trapped in an abusive marriage for three months, Tanya Shafi finally took the plunge and asked for a divorce. But that was only the beginnings of her trouble.

“I had done nothing wrong, I just availed my God-given

right to seek the annulment of a troubled marriage. Yet, I am

treated as if I have committed a cardinal sin,” says Tanya with

exasperation. “If I so much as even think about remarrying, people start questioning my character.”

Tanya is a 35-year-old single mother who teaches at a lead-

ing private school in Karachi. Her husband’s violent outbursts started early in her brief marriage, and despite her efforts to

keep the relationship going, the toll it took on her quickly became more than she could bear. “I started to lose my memory and even my voice. I was left a shadow of myself,” she says.

Even then, she says, she may have stuck it out — but then

she discovered that she was pregnant. “I thought to myself

that by staying in this marriage I would not only ruin my life, but also that of my child’s.”

Ten years on, Tanya remains unmarried, though not by

choice or a lack of offers.

“I get proposals from men who are either drawn by my

family’s wealth and are seeking to establish themselves or

else want me to leave my daughter with my parents,” says

Tanya. By way of contrast, her husband remarried within six months of their divorce.

Most Pakistani women who get divorced or widowed have

similar stories to tell. Not only are they haunted by the ghosts of their previous marriages, they also have to continuously fight for the respect they deserve. They become an easy target

for all sorts of disparaging remarks and have to ward off questions that are put to their reputation.

“A failed marriage takes a toll on a man as well, but it is

(Continued on page 26)

21 MAY 20-26 2012

COVER STORY

easier for them to remarry as they are not faced with as many

roadblocks as women are,” says Nusrat Anjum, from Karachi’s Defence Women Welfare Society.

“Many clients completely refuse to even give a divorcee a chance and that attitude is even worse when it comes to a woman who sought the annulment of the marriage herself. They are seen as headstrong and domineering,” says Bilqees

With over nine years of experience in providing matrimonial

services, Anjum speaks with experience. “I have had male clients

say they want a ‘better’ second wife as they want to put their first wife down by showing off their new bride to their ex. They want

to show how easy it was for them to move on and find a wife younger and better looking than her. We have even had 60-yearold divorced men come to us asking for a young, unmarried girl,” she says.

Typically, a woman going into a second marriage simply does

not have the luxury of being able to make similar demands. For

the most part, she has to compromise on the man’s age, financial position, education and physical appearance as well as being willing to take on the responsibility of his offspring.

And of course, if she has children of her own then that’s anoth-

er story entirely. According to Anjum, it’s very difficult to find suitable matches for women who have children. And the sex of the children gives rise to another host of issues.

“It may sound very cruel and unenlightened to say this, but in

my experience women with daughters should either not remarry at all or else make the difficult choice of leaving their daughters

with their ex or grandparents as they will be safer there. This is the bitter reality,” says Anjum.

And then yet another factor that enters the equation is wheth-

er the woman is a widow or a divorcee. Bilqees Mustafa, who works as a marriage bureau coordinator in Lahore, says the odds are stacked against divorcees. “Many clients completely refuse to even give a divorcee a chance and that attitude is even worse

when it comes to a woman who sought the annulment of the

marriage herself. They are seen as headstrong and domineering,” she says.

It’s this attitude that rankles women such as 54-year-old Saima

Moin, a divorcee who opted to remarry after loneliness drove her to depression. “I used to have sleepless nights as I could not share

my thoughts with anyone and had no one to talk to,” she says. “I

also felt a lot of pressure from people around me when I decided

to remarry but I am glad that I stood by my decision and went through with it.” Looking back at her experiences, she says she wishes people judged less and sympathised more. “Woman as

26 MAY 20-26 2012

well as men can get lonely and need companionship,” she says.

While Saima’s story does have a happy ending, many other

women are not as lucky.

Forty-year-old Shahana Pervaiz, who runs her own salon,

faced intense resistance from her family when she decided to seek a khula. She belongs to a middle-class family where marital

spats are traditionally settled by elders and it didn’t help that she

was the first woman in her extended family to have sought an annulment.

“I was shunned and seen as disrespectful when I stood by my

decision in spite of their disapproval. They wanted me to reconcile with my husband, who beat me up constantly and couldn’t

even financially support my children, only because the elders didn’t approve of divorce. Even when it comes to remarriage, our

family has a rigid and conservative mindset and doesn’t appreciate women who take such a step,” she says.

Shahana isn’t the only one who had to suffer her own family’s

disapproval. “A daughter is a daughter only so long as she’s unmarried. Once she gets married, she is treated like a guest in her

parents’ home and if her marriage fails, she is treated as an outsider and a burden,” says Tanya.

The irony is that women like Shahana, Saima and Tanya,

who need more emotional support from friends and families to

recover from their failed marriages, instead have to face resentment and resistance from the very people who should be support-

ing them. Without such support, many women withdraw into themselves. The lucky ones, few and far between, manage to find new sources of strength.

“My marriage was such a dreadful experience that I lost trust

in men altogether. This is why, in spite of good marriage pro-

posals, I haven’t been able to make myself go through with it,” says Shahana. “When I needed the love and support of a man, I

had none. Now that I am independent and capable of supporting my children, I don’t really need a man anymore.” Even when she considers remarriage, she says it’s the thought of what might

become of her children that stops her in her tracks. “If my chil chil-

dren’s own father didn’t care about them, how will a stranger protect them and accept them as his own?”

While Shahana tries to survive as a single woman in a man’s

world, every single interaction with society at large brings yet another reminder of how deep-seated certain perceptions are.

“I have had male clients say they want a ‘better’ second wife as they want to put their first wife down by showing off their new bride to their ex.

We have even had 60-yearold divorced men come to us asking for a young, unmarried girl,” says Anjum 27 MAY 20-26 2012

COVER STORY

“When I go to an office to get some work done, I have seen

that I am respected only until my computerised national identity card comes out. As soon as people find out that I don’t have

a husband, I see a complete change in their approach towards me,” she says.

“A daughter is a daughter only so long as she’s unmarried.

Once she gets married, she is treated like a guest in her parents’ home and if her marriage fails, she is treated as an outsider and a burden,” says Tanya

But there is light at the end of this particular tunnel, and de-

spite what you may think, it’s getting brighter. While much

of Pakistani society remains mired in regressive traditions and mindsets, attitudes do seem to be changing for the better.

In Bilqees’ experience, the educated and upper socioeconomic

classes of Pakistani society have become more welcoming of the idea of a woman’s second marriage. Since 1999, she has made more than 5,000 successful matches and has assisted numerous women in marrying again.

“In my professional experience, where there is education and

a true understanding of Islam, people are more open towards a

woman’s second marriage,” says Bilqees, who has made more

than 5,000 successful matches since 1999 and has assisted numerous women in remarrying. “I have even had cases where children themselves have brought their mothers for a second marriage,” she says with a smile.

For some women, remarrying has come easy. “Compared to

other women, it was very different for me. I was very lucky in every regard, and maybe that’s because second marriages have never been a hush-hush thing in my family. They are not thought

of as a social taboo,” says Mona Qasim, a leading entrepreneur

based in Karachi. “My current husband and I both went through bad marriages and we both have children. Everyone, from our

previous spouses to our children, accepted our decision. And

since we knew we were not doing anything wrong, we never allowed anyone to make us feel like we were.”

In spite of the positive change in our society’s viewpoint most

women, principally those belonging to the middle class and lower, still have to fight a solitary battle in order to erase the ugly

blot that is unfairly placed on their reputation. Many succeed in

finally gaining marital bliss but still have to face the slander that

comes with the ‘2.0’ label they carry. Ultimately, says Nusrat, it all comes down to education and awareness.

“Girls need to be educated in school about the rights they have,

both through religion and the law, so that they don’t back down when faced with an onslaught of criticism,” she says.

28 MAY 20-26 2012

“When I needed the love and support of a man, I had none. Now that I am independent and capable of supporting my children, I don’t really need a man anymore,” says Shahana

29 MAY 20-26 2012

FEATURE

brighter horizons

BY IMRAN YUSUF

Saima Mohsin has gone from fronting the flagship show on Pakistan’s first English-language news channel to munching stir-fried locusts in the Netherlands.

In normal circumstances, this would be a gross image of cata-

what to make of this ballsy, no-nonsense young woman with an ac-

cent. “On NewsEye I got to be cheeky, a bit harsh at times ... but that was the aim.”

Asked if she had to tone down her natural personality for the BBC,

strophic career decline. In Saima’s case, it represents another steep

she argues horses for courses. “It’s the nuances. The art of being a

scape. As co-host for the new series of Horizons on BBC World News,

doing it in a way that’s still you.”

step in her upward trajectory through the international media landher locust-crunching will be viewed by up to 300 million viewers

presenter is doing something that’s right for the programme, but But what defines ‘you’? “I like to call myself a pick-and-mix Paki-

around the world.

stani. My upbringing was very split, between being very British in

working for the BBC?

Karachi also opened her eyes to the country’s diversity. “Where I

Not bad for a desi girl from south London. So how did she end up “It’s come full circle. I started with the BBC, working for radio.”

Her route back to the beeb took in Channel 4 News (UK) and PBS (US).

In Pakistan she is best-known as the presenter and arch-inquisitor

certain ways and very Punjabi and Pakistani in others.” Living in grew up, I only had knowledge of Pakistan through a Punjabi perspective.”

In person, Saima is self-deprecating in the British tradition. She is

on NewsEye, the prime-time show on DawnNews when the chan-

also friendly and open, traits more likely to come from her Punjabi

Saima looks back on this fondly and beams with pride when peo-

often verging into the confrontational. This, one assumes, was the

nel was in English.

30

many fans — and just as many detractors, who didn’t quite know

ple still ask her who was on the NewsEye team. Her direct style won MAY 20-26 2012

side. Her persona on NewsEye was generally markedly different,

deliberate journalistic persona she adopted for the programme, but

“The art of being a presenter is doing something that’s right for the programme, but doing it in a way that’s still you,” says Saima Mohsin

word, the hard-nosed journalist has become a believer!

In San Francisco, she found a company turning human waste into

plastic. Saima doesn’t elaborate on the secret alchemy — we will

have to watch the show — but does thank her years in Karachi as preparation for surviving the smell.

In Kenya, the focus was more basic, but still capable of revolutio-

nising lives. In terms of water usage, mobile money solutions can make root-and-branch changes in the economic structure, so that

wells are better maintained and there is secure accountability — thus allowing those who previously had to walk twenty, thirty kilometres to get water to now receive it in their own village. “I met a

woman who went back to college and is now a social worker.” Previously, the woman had spent all day walking miles and miles to fetch

water and then walking the long journey back to bring it back home.

Telling these stories from these different locations sounds daunt-

ing. “I’ve never done a feature programme before, or a specific busi-

ness show before. It’s a huge challenge, but I’m working with a professional organisation … it’s phenomonal to have that massive machine that works behind you.”

After this environment of expertise and professionalism, could

she ever work in Pakistan again?

“Working for the BBC is a real privilege.” But she also acknowl-

edges that Pakistan is, in many ways, where it’s at. After all, after

the Osama bin Laden raid in May 2011, Saima found herself on six different networks, telling the story to people around the world.

“Pakistan, as my friend says, is the story that keeps on giving.”

Her freelance career has allowed flexibility, after she let go of a

staff job for the first time in her career. “Sometimes you have to feel the fear and take that leap of faith.” Things have worked out well, but will she return to Pakistan on a permanent basis?

“I have lots of plans for Pakistan,” she says with deliberate enig-

on Horizons she can “have more fun.”

ma. Does she mean politics? After laughter and thought for perhaps

ing solutions for the future.” With the world population expected to

ways a journalist.”

The twenty-part series will look at “businesses that are develop-

reach a staggering nine billion in a few decades’ time, feeding and

a beat too long, she replies with a firm no. “Once a journalist, alAnd now to those locusts. In the Netherlands, scientists are figur-

housing the world have become the central questions for develop-

ing out alternatives to conventional farming, as a way of countering

gramme, looks at the inspired innovations which might solve these

Saima says, estimating the cost at 250,000 Euros. The reason for the

ment economics. Horizons, which is essentially a business proproblems.

“Some of them are very basic, some of them incredibly high tech,

but they will really change the way we live and work,” Saima says.

Surely though, like most people, she has a wearied, pessimistic approach to ‘saving the world’ when confronted with the doom-and-

gloom statistics which seem to point a much more likely way to

food scarcity. “They’re making the world’s most expensive burger,”

colossal price? They’re making it out of a test-tube. “I did ask if it was halal,” Saima jokes.

And then they made her eat locusts — which are a great source of

protein. How are they prepared? “You can have them dry, or in a stirfry which is how I had them.” They weren’t bad, apparently.

Saima, who was off to India that night for the final leg of shoot-

apocalypse rather than utopia.

ing, says she believes in being the best one can be, as “that’s what

team and I sat down at dinner … and we said, there really is hope.”

good enough, as they tune in to watch what sounds like a fascinat-

She shared this view at first, “but after the very first shoot, the

Her experiences in countries such as Scotland, the Netherlands and

Kenya ranged from the “mind-blowing” to the “heart-rending” and

I sense this is more than marketing so that we watch her show. My

my family taught me”. For some Pakistanis, that will be more than ing series. For others, for whom Saima is not their cup of tea, well,

they can always hope the ban on BBC World News comes back into action.

MAY 20-26 2012

31

POSITIVE PAKISTANI PEOPLE

turning lives

around For Ghulam Sughra Solangi, recipient of the International Women of Courage Award 2011, a forced marriage and the denial of an education became the basis of a movement that changed her life and that of hundreds of Pakistani women

BY TASNEEM FARIDI

If there’s one theme to Ghulam Sughra Solangi’s life, it is how tables turn if one pursues an objective with unwavering resolve.

Sughra, it’s an irony that foreigners recognised her work before

When she started out, the influential landlords of her village

had not known who I was and what I did. But Secretary Clinton,

made sure to make life as difficult for her as they could. Now, after

she received the prestigious 2011 International Women of Courage

“The ministers admitted that they, [despite] being in Pakistan,

even though she was in the United States, found out,” she said.

Sughra received this honour for her work in forming and

Award, the same men are competing with each other for her time

running the Marvi Rural Development Organisation (MRDO) back

“After I was awarded, they realised I had done something

village, Khairpur Mir, in Sindh. She started by motivating well-

so that they can hold dinners in her honour.

worthwhile,” 40-year-old Sughra said in an interview with the US Embassy in Islamabad in February.

The Pakistani government’s response has been similar. “Now, if

I go to a minister in Pakistan, all my work is expedited,” she said, beaming.

The award, presented to her by US Secretary of State Hillary

Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama in Washington DC,

recognises her work towards improving the social status of women

32

her compatriots did.

and poor families in rural Sindh. The annual award was presented

to nine other women from as many countries across the globe. For MAY 20-26 2012

in 1994, two years after massive floods ruined large areas of her

off families to organise relief camps and rehabilitation centres for flood-hit families. In the process, she realised that the actual

problem with her village was the utter dependency of women on men for almost everything, from access to basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter, to permission to make life decisions.

She then started analysing income-generation prospects for women in the village, particularly to empower mothers to send

daughters to school. Thus came about the MRDO, which she formally registered under the Social Welfare Act 1961.

Despite being only 23 at the time, Sughra had seen enough pain

in her own life to instantly recognise the plight of her village’s

realise her ultimate aim to make it possible for women in rural

like that of hundreds of Pakistani women. As a child, she was

streets, without their character being called into question.

women. Though it has a happy ending, her story began much

denied the right to an education because in her family, it was a

areas to communicate with men, even speak to them in the

Sughra then approached the International Labour Organisation,

privilege afforded only to boys. Ironically, her father was himself

seeking donations for MRDO’s outreach programmes in order to

“Living with the bitter reality of illiteracy, I spent my childhood

that they are capable of a lot more than just housework and child-

a schoolteacher.

regularly taking lunch to my father [at school],” Sughra said in a

telephonic interview with Aaj TV. On her way home, she would intently peer through holes in school windows to see what went

empower women to send their girls to school and show to men

rearing. She also realised that one reason parents were reluctant to enrol daughters in school was poverty.

With the ILO’s assistance, she implemented a micro-credit

on in classrooms.

loan scheme for small-scale businesses in Sindh. The ILO and

ended six years and two children later. “He left me because I was

employment. Projects included as a rose cultivation business,

Then at the tender age of 12 she was forced into a marriage that

neither beautiful nor educated,” she explained.

Being the first divorcee in her village, Sughra was treated as

an outcast. “I was unable to concentrate on household chores, such as cooking, embroidery and sewing,” she said, recalling the

hard years immediately after her divorce.

Eventually, as her children

grew up and joined school,

Sughra asked them to teach her

everything that they studied.

She slowly began picking up the pieces of her life and enrolled in

MRDO collaborated to launch small enterprises to increase female

crop-growing loans to small agricultural landowners and microcredit loans to households interested in starting a business of

handicrafts and hand-woven carpets. Earnings were used to buy

“After I was awarded, they realised I had done something worthwhile,” 40-year-old Sughra said in an interview with the US Embassy in Islamabad in February

school as well. Four years later,

she gave her Matriculation examinations as a private candidate and continued to study for her High School Certificate exams.

tools such as sewing machines

and raw material for arts and crafts.

Eventually, with increasing

donations

from

governmental

other

non-

organisations,

MRDO also implemented projects in

Punjab

and

Balochistan.

Members now liaise with the

Aga Khan Foundation, ILO and Oxfam

for

capacity-building

training and establishing sources of micro-credit loans.

Sughra’s organisation has expanded constantly, but it hasn’t

Determined to rebuild her life, she became the first female high

been easy. When she established MRDO, she gathered a group

in 1980 she was appointed as the first female teacher at the first

would receive a great first response, but interested women would

school graduate in the newly formed Girls Government School and primary school for girls in her village.

“Sadly, there were no girl students in my class, as parents were

not inclined to send their daughters to school”, said Sughra. This biased mindset only renewed her desire to help others break the same shackles that had once held her down.

“I encouraged other women who were also forced into early

marriages, and their children, to go to that school and get an

of likeminded women to launch a membership campaign. She back out following severe backlash from their immediate families

and influential landlords. The women eventually succeeded in

registering 300 female and 85 male members, aged between 14 and 55 years from 30 villages of Kumb Union Council and Khairpur

Mir district. Now, the MRDO comprises 62 women’s rights groups with 2025 members and 25 men’s groups with 404 members.

The sort of praise that Sughra has earned for her work is then

education,” Sughra said.

well-deserved. In an interview with American news broadcasting

her door-to-door campaign to convince parents to educate their

school in her village an act of enormous bravery because most

She saw how pervasive this problem was when she started

daughters. “The village’s men thought that if they educate their women, they will learn to write letters and elope,” she said. “They

would say: ‘what will become of us if our women start standing up for their rights?’”

station NPR, Secretary Clinton called her efforts to start a girls’

people didn’t see any reason why girls should go to school. “And so, we want to help her do what she’s trying to do to make Pakistan better.”

US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter hosted a ceremony in

But Sughra wasn’t one to back down so easily, even though it

her honour, where he said Sughra has advanced freedom, equality,

she was elected as the Pakistan fellow by the Ashoka Foundation

“We should never underestimate the power of an individual to make

wasn’t until 1999 that she got her first major boost. This was when which invested in her organisation, the MRDO. She could now

opportunity and dignity for everyone in Pakistan, not just women. a difference. And what a difference Ghulam Sughra has made!”

MAY 20-26 2012

33

FEATURE

sufism and the city Where else but in the world’s melting pot would you find a blend of Yoga and Sufi thought?

BY IBRAHIM SAJID MALICK

Completely exhausted and enervated three quarters into a 90-minute hot yoga workout, the voice of Kathryn Leary — an instructor at a Bikram Yoga facility in New York City reciting the great Sufi poet Rumi — invigorates and refreshes me. As the entire class lies on the floor focused on their breathing, Kathryn quotes from Rumi:

proach and act more like drill sergeants

advertised opening of a lecture with the

With 18 million yogis spending nearly $6

ity. Yogananda emphasised the underly-

“This being human is a guest house. Ev-

I can find more yoga studios than health

pression, a meanness, some momentary

than any other sporting gear. The number

ery morning is a new arrival. A joy, a deawareness comes as an unexpected visitor

... Welcome and entertain them all. Treat each guest honorably. The dark thought,

the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

Kathryn teaches more than Asanas —

the physical exercise to optimise posture,

than mystical gurus.

billion annually, the business of meditation has undoubtedly reached an epochal

moment in its deep engagement with

mainstream America. Sufism, too, ap-

pears to be crossing the chasm to a more

spacious public understanding of a once marginal group.

tors are extremely mechanical in their ap-

36 MAY 20-26 2012

God.” Since those early days, eastern mys-

ticism has made a home for itself in the US.

Another spiritual teacher, Swami Rama,

able to establish himself quickly in the US.

of Sufi institutions has also grown — not

nearly with the same pace, but nevertheless noticeably. Why is it, you may wonder, that the capital of materialism has taken

to yoga? Physical and emotional health is, in my opinion, the main driver but there

are a handful of yogis in New York seeking enlightenment as well.

Starting from when Parmahansa Yoga-

riety of reasons. In 1935, the Los Angeles Times

largely an exception! Most yoga instruc-

for attaining direct personal experience of

clubs, and more people carrying yoga mats

their heart to possibilities.

a Sufi-Yogi hybrid, remember, she is still

and taught universally applicable methods

a family friend with whom I had an audi-

nanda came to America back in 1920, yoga

But before you make a mad dash to find

ing unity of the world’s great religions,

In the island of Manhattan, where I live,

endurance and strength. Like a good Sufi,

she also encourages her students to open

3,000-seat hall filled to its utmost capac-

has taken off in the United States for a vareported on one of his lectures, saying:

“The Philharmonic Auditorium presents the extraordinary spectacle of thousands … being turned away an hour before the

ence more than two decades ago, was also

Sent by his teacher who had taken him into the Himalayan Tradition of cave yo-

gis at the age of three, Swami Rama came to the West with traditional teachings

from the cave monasteries and Patanjali’s sutras. When his teacher, Bengali Baba, sent him on his mission to the West, Sri

Swami Rama asked him what he was to teach Americans. “Teach them not to be afraid,” he was instructed. Swami Rama

worked with the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. The Menninger experiments were deemed significant in the

scientific community because it provided powerful support to biofeedback research.

Swami Rama was able to demonstrate that

body functions that had formerly been con-

“A Vendantist, a Taoist or a Buddhist can find in many aspects of Islamic mysticism, a ‘home from home’, such as he could less easily find in Christianity or Judaism.”

sidered involuntary could be controlled through training the mind.

According to the National Centre for Comple-

mentary and Alternative Medicines, Americans practice yoga “for a variety of health conditions

including anxiety disorders or stress, asthma,

high blood pressure and depression. People also use Yoga as part of a general health regimen—to

achieve physical fitness and to relax.” And it is

very consistent with my informal research of yogis

— and I call it informal because my primary methodology was chatting with fellow yogis in and out-

side of the studios. I have heard everything: yoga

improves mood and sense of well-being, reduces stress, heart rate and blood pressure, increases

lung capacity, improves muscle relaxation and body composition, and positively affects levels of

certain brain chemicals. Very few have said they are looking for nirvana.

Compare that to Sufism — pretty much every-

one claims to be searching for the higher truth —

to elevate consciousness — reparation of the heart from all else but God. My fellow Sufis in New York want to travel into the presence of the Divine and

purify their inner self. But of course, there are exceptions to this rule as well.

Abdul Rahim, the secretary of the Nur Ashiki

Jerrahi Sufi Order, tells me that people want to get

to the “core” and build a direct relationship with God. He thinks that the increasing popularity of Sufism is also due to a rejection of “dogmatic” re-

ligion. Sheikha Fariha al Jerrah, who leads this community of dervishes, delivers a weekly lecture after Maghrib prayers every Thursday in downtown New York at the Dergah al Farah, in which

people from all religious and even non-religious backgrounds participate. Some observe the ‘Zikr’, while others simply observe — and my own per-

sonal observation is that the crowd just keeps getting larger. This order has circles throughout the

US and Mexico and allows entry to “seekers and students of all religious and non-religious paths.”

I ran into two Pakistani men at a Thursday Zikr

session, both of whom confirmed that it’s the

‘progressive’ nature of worship that attracts them to this Sufi order. A young woman was called on

37

FEATURE tors include a hunger for life transforming spiritual experiences, and an attraction to monistic belief systems.”

British Orientalist Martin Lings com-

ments: “A Vendantist, a Taoist or a Buddhist can find in many aspects of Islamic mysticism, a ‘home from home’, such as he could less easily find in Christianity or Judaism.”

Oprah Winfrey recently did Sufism a fa-

vour by including it in Super Soul Sunday

on her OWN Network. Sufi mystic Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee defined Sufism and explained why it’s about love and the heart. The fact

that he was sitting under the oaks at Oprah’s home in California, was the best endorse-

Adnan Sarhan — Sufi teacher to recite the Azaan before Maghrib and

men and women stood side-by-side to offer prayers. I asked these Pakistani men if they

would go to a mosque in their hometown of Karachi if the call for prayer was led by a

woman and the response was inconclusive and hedged at best. It’s particularly tell-

ment Sufism has had thus far.

I recently had a very interesting and can-

did conversation with Adnan Sarhan, the

80-year-old head of the Sufi Foundation in America. Hailing from Baghdad, he now

Kathryn Leary — Yoga instructor

San Francisco as well as in his 40-acre Al-

control breathing to optimise flexibility of

teaches in New York, London, Paris and buquerque, New Mexico, facility. When

asked what Sufism is about, he replies: “It

muscles, enhance postures and unleash creative potential. Therefore, it is no sur-

is about breathing, movement and heart.”

prise that many of his followers are artists

in this article because they didn’t want to

him to teach a course on Sufism, he agreed

that will take them to the top of their ar-

Both of these Pakistani men had come

fism’ to ‘Dance’. “People lined up to take this

ing that they didn’t want to be identified be ostracised by their families and friends.

because Thursday Zikr at this downtown

dargah is open to the public and anyone can join this interesting and rather musi-

cal session. This open and inclusive approach is just another reason Sufism seems to be gaining currency in the US.

When the University of New Mexico asked

but requested to change the title from ‘Su-

techniques.” Many of his students eventually

being lazy and inactive. Dance comes from

took a spiritual path after this gentle introduction.

Adnan drops a Hadith here and there

of wisdom are found not only on Facebook

not specific to Islam. Religion, he says, is

of offices in corporate America. Elliot Miller, who writes for the Christian Research In-

MAY 20-26 2012

freedom.”

Many cynics and puritans frown upon

product — a kind of ‘McYoga’ or ‘McSufism’

while Sufism is the business of the heart.

But Adnan has found a more grounded

primarily dwells in the physicality of the

38

peace. Dance is the yearning of the soul for

a code of conduct. It’s a matter of intellect,

to the same factors which account for the cal traditions among Westerners. These fac-

the heart and it brings spirituality and

people like Bikram Chaudhry or Adnan

and perceptible technique for those of us

popularity of several diverse Eastern mysti-

engage in physical activities rather than

every once in a while but his discourse is

stitute, states: “The current interest in Sufism can be largely explained by pointing

“Taking action is critical,” says Adnan.

“It is more fun to dance, play sports and

control their body by mastering breathing

and a Quranic verse enter his conversation

pages and on Twitter but also in the cubicles

tistic ventures.

‘dance’ class- and I showed them how to

Many Americans are now familiar with

the great Sufi mystic writer Rumi. His words

and dancers hoping to find a secret key

who demand empirical evidence — he practice. Instead of teaching mysticism, he demonstrates to his students how to

Sarhan for making mysticism a consumer

for lack of a better term. But I personally believe a consumerist approach also makes these experiences accessible to mere mortals such as myself. And once you have that

access and you take a step on this particu-

lar journey, who’s to say where it will lead you?

REVIEW

identity crisis

BY AYESHA ABDUL RAZZAK

Anonymous is a film based on the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship — the idea proposes that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and poems traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare.

The film begins interestingly enough in a theatrical setting with the narrator Derek Jacobi questioning our beliefs on the authenticity of Shakespeare. This ‘what if’ questioning continues from the stage to the period setting of 15th century England, where a very troubled Ben Johnson (Sebastian Armesto) is running away from the King’s men. He holds in his hands, the script for a seditious performance mocking Richard III. As he hurriedly buries the pages in the now scorched Globe Theatre, he is caught.

What begins next is a tortuous and absolutely ridiculous elucidation of the Oxfordian theory. Brought up as a noble by William Cecil (David Thewlis) and given the privileges of a patrician education, the young Edward de Vere (Jamie Campbell Bower) first comes to the attention of the young Queen Elizabeth I (Joely Richardson) through his production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in court.

Forty years later, the Queen (now played by Vanessa Redgrave) is nearing the end of her life, and the question on everyone’s minds

not for the wounded

BY NOMAN ANSARI

Based on the Terence Rattigan play from 1952, British drama film The Deep Blue Sea is a period piece with an ageless tale. This tale is of logic being drowned out by waves of passion and is told with some power, thanks to a magnificent show from the beautiful Rachel Weisz who gives the best performance of her career in her heartbreaking role.

Weisz plays an intelligent young woman in the 1950s, who has just discovered her sexuality, and is torn into a mindset of selfharm, caught by overwhelming feelings of lust that wear down her good judgment.

The character Weisz plays is Hester Collyer, the wife of a high court judge, Sir William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale), who is having an affair with a Royal Air Force pilot, Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston). The film is mostly set in Hester’s flat, while she contemplates suicide. Through flashbacks we learn that she used to live with her husband in a luxurious house, and moved into a dreary flat because of her addiction to Freddie. While Sir William was a safe, comfortable and loving partner, in Freddie, she found the ‘bad boy’ that sparked something wild in her.

While Sir William gave her a life that was boring and traditional,

is who would succeed her, especially Lord Cecil who has his own designs on the crown. The Earl (now played by Rhys Ifans) has his own strong feelings about the matter and expresses himself by writing dozens of plays, exposing the backstage intrigue of the royal household.

Since theatre and plays are taboo and to admit authorship of a play would demean the Earl’s standing in life, the Earl begins to pass his plays along to Ben Johnson, who promotes them as his own. But when a drunken oaf named William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) claims authorship of the plays, everything goes haywire.

This film lacks a true depiction of life in the colourful and politically charged 15th century. It allocates most of its time looking at backstage intrigue in the royal court rather than probing the question of the authorship of the Shakespearian plays, which is far more interesting. The movie constantly switches back and forth between the two main periods, making it extremely difficult to keep track of the story and characters.

and where she had to put up with dinners with a motherin-law (Barbara Jefford) who had nothing but disdain for her, in Freddie she found a life of carefree fun. Unfortunately, she can’t seem to find completely what she needs in Freddie either, who has other hobbies that interest him as well and doesn’t quite understand all the fuss of the whole situation.

Well written and strongly enacted, The Deep Blue Sea examines the desperation of being in love with the wrong person and how unreasonable expectations of finding perfection in one partner, once shattered, can lead to personal chaos. The interesting view it presents of London is after the Second World War, and the city, like the movie’s lead characters, comes across as fatigued.

Deliberately paced, The Deep Blue Sea is a fascinatingly grim looking film. For those viewers having freshly recovered from the murky waters of an affair, be warned, The Deep Blue Sea will cer39 tainly reopen old wounds.

MAY 20-26 2012

REVIEW

playing it safe

BY NOMAN ANSARI

For some movies, it is just not safe to have the same filmmaker write and direct. Boaz Yakin is a skilled director (Remember the Titans) but a mediocre screenwriter (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time). This has resulted in Safe being an unfortunate film that is extremely uneven to say the least.

On one hand, with its slickly choreographed action sequences and nippy editing, the gritty looking Safe is full of energy. On the other, the script is dull and overflowing with action movie clichés.

The movie carries a tedious narrative that is almost as painful to absorb as the punches fired by its star, Jason Statham.

The film is about Luke Wright (Statham), a corrupt mixed martial arts fighter who blows fights for the Russian mafia’s betting racket. After Wright messes up, the mafia makes an example of him by murdering his entire family, and threatening to kill any person he gets close to. Luke, banished to New York, quickly learns of the seriousness of his predicament when a homeless person he befriends is slaughtered by morning.

At this point Luke witnesses the pursuit of a little Chinese girl, Mei (Catherine Chan), by the Russian mob. Unsurprisingly, these

the vow wows

BY AYESHA ABDUL RAZZAK

There is something different about The Vow. It’s not your typical run-of-the-mill love story but it also poses challenging questions about the inevitability of love.

In the first few minutes of the movie, an accident leaves Paige (Rachel McAdams), unable to recall the greatest love of her life: her husband Leo (Channing Tatum).

Based on a true story, The Vow follows Paige and Leo as they struggle to get to know each other again, despite her uptight parents (Jessica Lange, Sam Neill), and Paige’s slick ex-fiancé Jeremy (Scott Speedman), whom she does recall with no memory of why they split.

Paige tries to piece together her life with her spouse, at one instance laying down all the photos of what she remembers and even visiting the art studio where she worked. She moves back with her parents, who reintroduce her to the life she left behind and she is pushed back into the same society and life choices that she abandoned. This becomes circumstantial in making her realise exactly why she made those decisions in the first place.

40 MAY 20-26 2012

are the same gangsters who killed Luke’s wife, leaving him unable to resist interfering in the situation. Mei, an orphan and a math prodigy, was brought in from China by the Triads to help the Chinese mafia work their business. Being a prized asset, Mei is soon sought after by not only the Chinese and Russian mobs, but corrupt members of the NYPD as well, with whom Luke has history.

Eventually, both Luke and Mei are caught in a violent war between the three factions.

With logic from ‘Actions movies 101’, the three warring factions in the film destroy half the city with ease and with little concern for discretion. It is regrettable that Jason Statham, a talented and charismatic action movie star, continues to add mediocre flicks to his resume. Action film fan or not, for your money, this Safe is simply not worth cracking.

Tatum, best remembered for his role as John Tyree in the box office hit Dear John, is unusually expressive and brings a certain intensity into his role but McAdams is the real draw.

She exudes her usual uncanny warmth on screen and is a delight to watch. As a couple, McAdams and Tatum have the ability to switch their chemistry on and off when needed.

At times, Tatum’s fervour is unneeded but he continues to make you empathise with his character and the tragedy of slowly losing the one you love.

As the couple rediscover their relationship, they begin to rediscover each other. The question remains will it all work out in the end or will Paige choose to live the life she remembers. If once again they ‘agree to disagree on red velvet cake’.

perfectly assembled

BY NOMAN ANSARI

After seven years of meticulous studio development, The Avengers superhero team has finally assembled on the silver screen in a supremely entertaining popcorn flick. Here, director Joss Whedon takes on the superhuman task of making an explosive action film that features no less than six multifaceted characters, most of whom have had back stories developing in Marvel Comics since the 1960s. The resulting film, considering the many characters involved and the legions of uber-fans to satisfy, is a marvel in terms of functionality.

The film works partially because Marvel Studios cleverly established most of the film’s characters in their individual films.

The Avengers continues the story of the power hungry supervillain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) — the adopted son of Norse deity Odin — who has daddy issues of, well, godlike proportions. After being thoroughly hammered by his brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth), a superhero who happens to be the god of thunder, Loki forms an alliance with an evil and belligerent alien race, called the Chitauri.

This technologically advanced species agree to invade Earth under Loki’s command in exchange for the Tesseract, an object of nearly unlimited power.

Transported to Earth, Loki attacks a research facility where the Tesseract is being investigated by the espionage agency, S.H.I.E.L.D. The director of the organization, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), escapes the attack from the scepter wielding supervillain, and sensing his planet is in danger, initiates the ‘Avengers initiative’, to form a team of Earth’s mightiest superheroes.

The team features the above mentioned Thor, who flies using an enchanted hammer and nails his foes with crushing blows. Then there’s the scene-stealing Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr), with his genius-level intellect and hi-tech Iron Man suit. The team’s conscience and strategic leadership is provided by Steve Rogers/ Captain America, played by Chris Evans who is a biologically enhanced, shield-slinging supersoldier dating back to World War Two. The strongest superhero in the group is also the most sympathetic, and that is Dr. Bruce Banner -a scientist with Stephen Hawking level intellect and severe anger management issues. Banner, when unable to control his rage transforms into the towering green Hulk, who is invariably tasked with handling the group’s taller orders. Then there are the very human spec op spies, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton / Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who add precision to the group’s firepower, and have a highly absorbing chemistry on screen.

Unfortunately, while the chemistry between Black Widow and Hawkeye in the film feels genuine, the friction between some of the other superheroes comes across as slightly forced. For

example, comic book aficionados will know that Captain America and Iron Man tend to butt heads in the comic books, even finding themselves leading opposite sides in the Civil War series, but in The Avengers, their animosity comes across as just a touch pre-functional, if still entertaining. Having said that, the sequences where our superheroes are gelling are still the most absorbing of the film, and too quickly the film transitions from a study of these contrasting personalities, to ‘Michael Bay’ mode. Hulk, who ‘smashingly’ steals his every scene — including a hilariously violent one involving Loki — is initially an uncontrollable threat to friend or foe, yet when the real action begins he mysteriously falls in line fairly readily.

While The Avengers doesn’t fly to the emotional heights of great superhero films like Richard Donner’s Superman, Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, or even Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, it can be wickedly funny, and is full of action set pieces sure to initiate multiple nerdgasms. This film is a superhero pizza with absolutely everything on it; it may not be perfect, but it sure is tasty. Oh, and one last thing: Best. Hulk. Ever.

41 MAY 20-26 2012

END OF THE LINE

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42 MAY 20-26 2012