The Express Tribune Magazine - October 19

OctOber 19-25 2014

The Fix

How a drug rehabilitation centre in Quetta is tackling addiction

OctOber 19-25 2014

Feature

An idea(l) marathon Bright minds come together at the annual Pakathon to solve Pakistan’s problems

Cover Story The Fix Inside a drug rehab facility in Quetta

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Feature

Decoding the Muslim past The Islamic Museum in Toronto unveils Muslim history for the world

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4

34 Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people

38 Reviews: Movies and Books 42 Society: Caring for the Elderly

Magazine Editor: Sarah Munir, Senior Subeditor: Dilaira Dubash and Subeditor: Simoneel Chawla Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Essa Malik, Jamal Khurshid, Munira Abbas, Mohsin Alam, Omer Asim, Sanober Ahmed & Talha Ahmed Khan Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. 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 Pakistan Fashion Design Council holds L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2014 in Lahore

Hina Butt

Mahnum and Ali Xeeshan

Maria Wasti

Mehwish Hayat

Ammara Khan

Zahraa Saifullah

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Aneela Shah and Aamna Taseer Anee

Fatima Zaman Fati

Safinaz Muneer M and Ather

Sabene Saigol an

d Juggun Kazim

PHOTOS COURTESY FAISAL FAROOQUI AND TEAM AT DRAGONFLY

Maheen Kardar Ali and Sehyr Saigol

Mawra Hocane

Hassan Sheheryar Yasin

Kokab and Saba a Ansari Juju Haider and Sara Shahid

Huma Amir

Anoushey Ashraf OCTOBER 19-25 2014

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PEOPLE & PARTIES

Sania Maskatiya and Sadaf Zarrar

Aamna Rahim

Shehab Farrukh

Shamaeel Ansari

Nomi Ansari A

10

Aimen Khan OCTOBER 19-25 2014

Wardha Saleem

er Farooqui

Mr and Mrs Mune

Maida Azmat

Shoaeb and Annie

PHOTOS COURTESY FAISAL FAROOQUI AND TEAM AT DRAGONFLY

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Shams

Fiza Ali

Zahra Raza Zah

Zara Shahjahan

Sabeen and Nubain Ali

Madiha Qaiser Mahnum Kabir

11 OCTOBER 19-25 2014

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Emel and Amina

Bang Bang premieres at Cinestar Cinema, Lahore

Zainab and Fariah

Hina Salman and Amina Saeed

Arooj Lubna and Huma

14 OCTOBER 19-25 2014

Sana and Farah Asrar

PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR

Zainab

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Yousaf Sheikh and Sadaf Zainab and Rubab Sophia Khan

d Nashmiya

leem Sheikh an

ena, Sa Anumta, Sale

18 OCTOBER 19-25 2014

Mehr, Beenish and Mahi

PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR

Alyzeh, Sonia Humaiyon, Salwa and Fatima

PEOPLE & PARTIES

L’Oreal Paris Revitalift LaserX3 hosts its launch in Lahore

Nooray and Cybil

Alyzeh Aden

Aale Mowjee

Nickie and Nina

aq

Mariam Musht

Amber Liaqat

20 OCTOBER 19-25 2014

Fia and Amna Ilyas Malik

PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR

Sabeeka and Anam

Sarah Tabani

Meesha Shafi

ra Khan Attiya, Nabila and Amma

Mehreen Syed

21 OCTOBER 19-25 2014

COVER STORY

The Fix

How a drug rehabilitation centre in Quetta is tackling addiction

BY SAnAM MAHeR PHOTOS BY MujTABA nASeRI DeSIGn BY OMeR ASIM

Adil Shah’s shift began at 3:00 pm, when he bathed 30 men. He checked their hair for lice and made sure they were all clean. “My day has been pretty average today,” he says. “But giving ghusl (bath) to those men made me happy. It made me realise why I do this job.” Adil is one of the administrators at the Milo Shaheed Trust (MST), a drug rehabilitation centre on Alamdar Road, in Quetta’s Marriabad neighbourhood.

The centre was opened in December 1989 by a man named Mohammad ‘Milo’ Ismail, a resident of Marriabad, which is home to nearly 300,000 members of the Shia Hazara community. Initially, MST was a 25-bed rehabilitation institute known as the Public Welfare Society for the control of Drug Abuse. Some locals say Milo was a former drug addict who kicked his habit and formed the centre to help others do the same. For others, Milo’s story starts when he contested and won local elections and promised to rid Marriabad of its dealers.

Both stories have the same ending — just eight months after the centre opened its doors, a supplier named Jawad shot Milo on the street. The centre was renamed the Milo Shaheed Trust and now, after an estimated 11,641 addicts have been treated here, Milo was posthumously awarded the Tamgha-e-Shuja for his bravery by the Pakistani government.

Patients at the Milo Shaheed Trust include Pashtuns, Hazaras, Baloch, Punjabis, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Hindus and Christians, as well as Afghans and Iranians.

COVER STORY

Despite the success stories, MST has many patients return to the centre within days after leaving. The patient relapse rate is nearly 75%.

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To enter Marriabad, you must pass a security checkpost and state the reason for your visit or the name of a contact who lives here and can vouch for you. But at the centre, there is no security pat down. A whiteboard in the reception is testament to the centre’s success in treating drug users. It is updated every day to show the total number of under-treatment patients which currently includes Pashtuns (the highest number, at 32), Hazaras, Baloch, Punjabis, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Hindus and Christians, as well as Afghans and Iranians.

Inside, Adil sits at a desk behind stacks of white case files. After tending to patients this afternoon, he met the centre’s cleaning committee and chided them for not doing a good enough job that morning. Some of the patients helped sweep and hose down the floors and at 5:00pm, Adil spent 20 minutes coaxing them to exercise. “I get them to do jumping jacks, stretches — nothing too strenuous as I don’t want them to burn calories,” he explains.

“We’re trying to build their bodies back up.” Exercise is followed by chai, sometimes green tea, and — if they’re lucky — syrupy jalebis that Adil buys on his way to work.

“Sweet things help to reduce the effects of the drugs,” he explains.

OctOber 19-25 2014

Treatment The centre has a no-frills approach to rehabilitation. During the first stage, the addicts go through withdrawal for a period of 10 days. This is followed by a week to 10-day ‘detox’, during which the centre hopes the drugs are cleared from the patient’s system. The final stage is rehabilitation, which can last from a month to three months, and includes physical and mental rehabilitation. However, before any of this, a crucial point needs to be established.

“The one condition we have before we let a patient in here is that they must want to do this, they must commit to it otherwise it’ll never work,” explains Adil.

Adil says that often addicts arrive at the centre of their own volition, while others are brought in by family members. Many cross the border from Afghanistan or Iran,

The one condition we have before we let a patient in here is that they must want to do this, they must commit to it otherwise it’ll never work The Milo Shaheed Trust Administrator Adil Shah

seeking treatment at MST. “A lot of our patients from Iran are opium addicts and if they’re unable to find it in Quetta, they turn to heroin, crystal meth or over-the-counter medicines and painkillers,” he says. Those coming from Afghanistan are usually heroin users.

Even though they may agree to enter the MST programme, patients are often unable to take the grueling withdrawal period. While some try and escape or jump out of the car during visits to the doctor, others act out physically. A pair of handcuffs hangs from the wall in the reception and a supervisor, Iftikhar, says, “If you are bound to a chair, your hands cuffed for hours and if you cannot even swat a fly if it sits on your face, you’ll calm down pretty soon.”

Each patient must pay Rs8,500 a month, which covers the cost of meals and medicines. “Some people think this is too much, but if the addicts are spending roughly

Do you know what it feels like when something is lost and you can’t stop thinking about it? Like it eats away at you until you find it? That is what it feels like when I don’t use.”

A drug addict Rs15,000 to Rs30,000 a month on their drugs, they can afford to pay Rs8,500 for their treatment,” Adil says. He spends much of his free time chasing payments from patients who have left the centre. Many say they are simply unable to pay for the treatment and according to a 2013 survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 76% of opiate users say they want help but do not seek it due to an inability to pay.

And so, MST has set up new free treatment facility just minutes from the centre. The new centre — a one-year project funded by USAID — has 25 patients and charges patients Rs1,000 to cover the costs of tests. If a patient tests positive for HIV or Hepatitis, the centre declines treatment since they cannot risk the virus spreading among other patients. Most of the HIV-positive patients die within a year after they are turned away.

When patients are accepted at MST, they are first briefed on the rules of the centre — don’t discuss religion, politics or your past, don’t fight with anyone and don’t try to run away. All patients are then bathed, deloused and their heads are shaved. Each patient is given a teal-coloured uniform, a thin blanket and pillow. The six rooms they stay in are stripped of any objects that can be used by the patients to harm themselves or others. Despite that, hardly a week goes by without the glass windows in these rooms smashed.

Recovery

each patient is fed a rich diet, which includes buttered parathas and chai in the mornings, vegetables, chicken, meat or lentils and rice for lunch and dinner.

The food committee makes sure each patient is fed a rich diet, which includes buttered parathas and chai in the mornings and vegetables, chicken, meat or lentils and rice for lunch and dinner. During their first few days at the centre, however, many patients are unable to stomach the food, eating only yogurt or lassi as they go cold turkey.

After 10 days, while they are detoxing, the patients meet with one of the three counselors to create a case history.

While the case history sets out a course of treatment, questions about the patient’s caste or tribal affiliations and education helps staff in allocating a ‘monitor’ to the 27 OctOber 19-25 2014

COVER STORY patients. Like head boys at a school, the three or four ‘head monitors’ lead teams of assistant monitors, shift in-charges and day and night chowkidars, summing up to a total of 12 full-time employees. A monitor must remain present in the patients’ rooms around the clock. “The monitors are all voluntary,” Adil says. “We give them a room to stay in, but we’re unable to pay them. For them, it is an honour to do this job.”

Similarly, doctors and dispensers who work with the centre often offer their services gratis, while counselors are paid a stipend. Every patient in the ‘rehabilitation’ stage meets their counselor every morning and attends group sessions. MST has worked with Dr Ghulam Rasool, the head of the psychiatry department at Bolan Medical College, for the last 10 years to treat addicts with psychological problems.

With staff having no formal training, the MST system is a constant work in progress — everyone’s learning on the job. “Every year we think of new ways to deal with addiction. And once a mistake is made, we cannot repeat it,” Adil says. Surviving on local and international grants and the patients’ fees, the centre struggles to cover its monthly costs of up to Rs700,000. Just three months ago, MST’s chairman had to contribute Rs500,000 from his personal

funds to keep the centre running. A lack of funding also means that the centre cannot branch out into areas such as social rehabilitation, which is a key to successful rehabilitation.

The patients At MST, patients aren’t just battling addiction. For many, drug use goes hand-in-hand with psychological issues.

“The most common problem I see in MST patients is schizophrenia,” says Dr Rasool. “There are also a lot of patients with bipolar or affective disorders, personality disorders, drug-induced psychosis, depression, paranoia and anxiety.” He elaborates that younger patients tend to suffer more from drug-induced disorders.

While initially Adil says the centre cannot take in female patients, he later admits that there have been a handful over the years. Many of these women are from Dalbandin in Balochistan and between the ages of 20 years to 30 years. “The women who have been admitted in my seven years here have been involved in the cultivation and supply of drugs like chars or heroin,” he says. “There aren’t any places that cater to female addicts and they’re often using drugs because their husbands do [the same] or they turned to drugs like heroin as a form of pain relief.” When

28 The patients are made to do light excercises every evening for 20 minutes in order to help them strengthen their bodies.

OctOber 19-25 2014

6.7

million

Pakistani adults used drugs during the last year. The majority of users fall between 25 and 39 years of age and 20% are female users.

SOURCE: A 2013 REPORT By THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME.

The patients sleep together in the six rooms at the centre, that have been stripped off everything apart from a blanket and pillow per person. female patients are admitted, only the most senior volunteers work with them, and it is often difficult to get the woman to talk to a male counselor.

The few female patients that have been brought in to Dr Rasool’s clinic suffer foremost from anxiety. Many, he says, are ‘hysterical’ — they babble, hallucinate or suffer from partial paralysis. “We’re lucky that the medicines I need to prescribe for these patients — for example SSRIs or tricyclics for those with depression — are now so commonly used in Pakistan that we don’t have a problem finding them in Quetta,” he says.

Many patients who enter MST are also saaqis (dealers and suppliers) who scout out potential clients and see how the rehabilitation system works.

The rate of success “During counseling, we try to appeal to these men as humans with a bad habit, not a disease. We look at the problem from intellectual and religious points of view,” explains Adil. Sometimes, this logic works such as in the case of a young man, from Quetta’s Saryab Road, who arrived at the centre crying incoherently. Three months later, he kissed Adil’s hands and walked out of MST. Many, however, return to the centre within days of leaving as 75% of the patients relapse.

Hazara Democratic Party leader Bostan Ali says the drug problems have worsened, particularly among the Hazara community as they have been virtually ghettoised in Marriabad and Hazara Town due to increasing attacks on Hazara Shias. “Look around you,” says Bostan, as he walks down Alamdar Road. “When there are no attacks, we’re

The doctors and dispensers working at MST often offer their services free of charge while the counselors are paid a stipened. happy, we’re out on the street.” Shops are brightly lit, children play cricket on the street, men sit on benches along the sidewalks and women meander in and out of shops.

Beyond Alamdar Road are the mountains, a winding twinkling path of lights illuminating the way for many who live here. Within minutes, however, it could all go silent.

“After the attacks increased, Marriabad and Hazara Town have been closed off,” Bostan explains. “People living here feel depressed. They are cut off from the city and many of them [who] don’t make enough money turn to drugs,” he says. T Sanam Maher is a subeditor on The Express Tribune national desk.

She tweets @SanamMKhi. OctOber 19-25 2014

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An idea(l)

marathon

The annual Pakathon provides a breeding ground for ideas that can solve Pakistan’s development problems

BY PURVI THACKER DESIGN BY ESSA MALIK PHOTOS COURTESY: AMNA KHAWAR

Team members from project ‘Drive Her’, presenting their idea. The concept is to provide a cab service for women with female drivers.

New York University’s Kimmel Auditorium is usually reserved for award ceremonies, student performances and panel discussions. But on the last weekend of September, the sprawling space was littered with long tables and chairs, multiple power outlets, extension cords, laptops, notebooks, stationary and plenty of coffee. A group of approximately 35 people, split into teams, were huddled around various tables, working furiously on their computers with their backpacks carelessly strewn over the wooden floor.

This was the annual Pakathon New York, a hackathon-style three-day event initiated across 16 cities in the US and Pakistan.

Anahita Arora and Delkash Shahriarian’s project ‘Driver Her’ was one of the two winners at the New York Pakathon.

The first Pakathon, which took place in Boston last year, was a unique collaborative effort to address some of the most pressing development challenges in education, human rights, finance, health and retail in Pakistan. Participants were encouraged to brainstorm solutions that could be implemented for sustainable social impact on the ground. This year, the initiative has spread roots to several locations in the US, Toronto and eight cities in Pakistan “Not everyone here is Pakistani. We encourage a global collaborative component and diversity of opinion as well as a mix of skill sets,” says Amna Khawar, the marketing and communications lead for the event, as she points to some of the teams. She elaborates that besides techies, social media junkies, programmers and developers, several participants were even graphic designers and lawyers, all united with the goal of leveraging ideas and moving it to action across countries.

“We are not limited to simply expanding on a concept, business plan or building a prototype, but we also welcome ideas like developing an app or an SMS-based service,” explains Hassan Ahmed, the co-lead for Pakathon NYC, referring to the sizeable mobile base in Pakistan, which makes SMS the easiest way to reach the population.

With over 120 people registered for the event alone in New York, the day kicked off with a meet-and-greet where teams were formed according to their preferred areas of interest and matched with professionals who had signed up to be mentors. “Mentors help the teams hone their ideas as they are from different walks of life — we have entrepreneurs, international development experts, human

rights activists and even aid workers from UNICEF,” says Ahmed. He added that some of the teams were even connected to Pakistani mentors via Skype, who were helping them with on-ground knowledge and statistics.

Each team, which could be anywhere between one to eight people, had 48 hours to develop and present a 10-minute pitch to a panel of three judges, comprising of individuals who have a development-focused, entrepreneurship and start-up background. The winners from each of the 16 Pakathons then competed against each other for a $10,000 prize at the global Pakathon that took place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston on October 11.

While basic ideas that were in their early stage were given equal consideration, the most focused plan with the highest feasibility, marketability and chances of implementation would be given preference when it came to judging.

Most of Pakathon’s financial support comes from online donations via a funding campaign by passionate people inside and outside of the South Asian diaspora who believe in the cause. Khawar also points out that ‘kind sponsors’ help with food and transportation costs. “Everyone has a common cause — to develop a community where ideas can be creatively reflected and put to constructive use,” says Minza Zahid, co-lead for Pakathon NY, who was also a participant at last year’s event. The project she worked on, known as ‘Asli Goli’, an SMS-based system to address counterfeit medicine in Pakistan by scanning its barcode to validate it, is being put into motion a year later as one of her team members is currently back in Pakistan. “Forty eight hours is a limited time so we don’t want to say that 31 OCTOBER 19-25 2014

FEATURE

Even if some of these projects are a work-in-progress, I am happy with this turnout as it’s a stepping stone for growth and innovation Marketing and communication lead for Pakathon New York Amna Khawar

after that ideas should come to an end. In fact, this is a vehicle to put ideas to concrete use,” explains Zahid.

Keeping this in mind, teams were working to come up with tangible solutions that were not only developed in a sophisticated manner but could also be translated into action. “Our team is in the health track where we are working to create a smart stethoscope called ‘SmartScope’, designed to measure more than just the heartbeat of a patient,” explains 28-year-old Sharmeen Noor, who is originally from Bangladesh. She added that the idea was viable as it addressed timely issues in Pakistan, namely the low doctor-to-patient ratio. A device like Smartscope could be very useful for hospitals and health clinics that do not have a first-mover advantage and lack equipment for diagnosis and triage. The team, like most others was divided in its duties — one of the members was researching statistics on the public healthcare market in Pakistan, while others were looking at value proposition and the social enterprise angle.

On the next table, 21-year-old Mansoor Alam, a Pakistani and Irish descent student from Wesleyan University, was working on a hands-on tool to map the Urdu script and text and Romanise it. “[While] growing up, I always struggled as a second-language learner of Urdu and it’s frustrating to not be able to have a translation source that will clarify words and sounds,” he says. Alam and his team were in the midst of creating a dictionary of letters from the Urdu alphabet so that they could ultimately create a mechanism to extract the script from a newspaper for example. While Alam knew that his project was more research-oriented, he was glad that the idea was at least 32 set in motion.

OCTOBER 19-25 2014

The SmartScope team at work. The idea was to design a smart stethoscope t

Each team was matched up with professionals who served as mentors and helped them hone their ideas. Some of the teams were connected to their mentors in Pakistan via Skype.

Members of the SmartScope team that tied in for the first place at the NYC Pakathon.

that could be used by hospitals who lack medical equipment.

THIS YEAR, THE PAKATHON TOOK PLACE AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Boston Washington DC New York Silicon Valley Karachi Lahore Islamabad Faislabad Peshawar Quetta Sukkur Peshawar Malakand Toronto Atlanta Chicago

Across the auditorium, two Indian girls were working on launching ‘DriveHer’ — an Uber app, which would provide a cab service for women with female drivers. “I grew up in Delhi, where issues like gender, women’s rights, safety and economic empowerment are at the forefront,” says Anahita Arora, one of the two-team members. “Given the social and cultural similarity between India and Pakistan, the idea resonated with me.” Her partner, Delkash Shahriarian, added that they were also looking to add a security layer to this project where an off-duty female police officer or SOS button could be added to the cab during travel. Both reiterated that ventures like Pakathon bring together some of the best minds, where ideas can be exchanged and refined further.

Both the SmartScope team and DriveHer team tied for first place in Pakathon NY and competed at the global Pakathon this past weekend. The team that took home the first prize in Boston based on its prototype and projected business plan, as well as marketing and implementation strategy was Rural Agricultural Technologies (RAT) from Atlanta, whose vision is to bring a paradigm shift in the agricultural sector of Pakistan by employing modern technology and educating the farmer.

“Even if some of these projects are a work-in-progress, I am happy with this turnout as it’s a stepping stone for growth and innovation,” says Khawar. She adds that for the Pakistani diaspora, events like Pakathon are a way to give back to their homeland. Moreover, for participants who are not of Pakistani heritage, it is a way for them to learn more about a country that is misrepresented and always under global scrutiny. “Only a community of voices together can address change of any kind,” she says.

Purvi Thacker is a graduate from the Columbia Journalism School and currently works as a freelance journalist in New York. She tweets @purvi21 OCTOBER 19-25 2014

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FEATURE

In designing the Aga Khan Museum, architect Fumihiko Maki used light as his inspiration.

Decoding the Muslim past

Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum is an attempt to bridge the information vacuum surrounding Muslims and to change perceptions about the community

BY TEENAZ JAVAT DESIGN BY SANOBER AHMED PHOTOS COURTESY: AGA KHAN MUSEUM

The ivory tusk is decorated with a hunting scene. The carving and the English silver mounts that were added in the 17th century suggest that it may have served a ceremonial role.

From the intricate detail on the wings of a doveinspired incense stick holder on display, to the sheer grandeur and brilliance of the atrium and the glass dome, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto is — to put in one word — impressive. Located on a huge swath of green space in northeast Toronto and designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumijiko Maki, it is a treasure trove of art that showcases the wealth and heritage of the Islamic world.

“For the 30,000-strong Ismaili community that calls Toronto home, this museum is an attempt to demystify Islam,” says a museum guide, who takes visitors on an enlightening 60-minute tour of the permanent collection comprising of more than 1,000 artifacts. Having opened its doors this year on September 18, the museum has tapped into Aga Khan’s private collection, showcasing

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The story of Haftvad and the worm, folio from Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp.

ancient books and hand-crafted manuscripts from the Holy Quran to Shah Tahmasp’s illustrated version of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. An audio recording of the great epic is also recited along the alcove by the display for a complete sensory experience.

Along with state-of-the-art multimedia deployed by curators to enhance experience, the structure also makes clever use of sunlight, water and flora, to celebrate all forms of art, million was the museum’s be it visual, verbal, written, musical cost of construction. or culinary. “While you can see just a few of the manuscripts on display, we have several in store as works on parchment need to be changed every three months for conservation purposes,” explains Alnoor Keshavjee, a Torontobased doctor who also volunteers as a museum guide. To maintain the large premises, many members of the community have stepped forward to act as volunteers, dedicating countless hours to studying the collection, he says.

“We took lessons from our curators just so that our patrons have a better understanding of what is displayed. So don’t be surprised as you move along to find a teacher, lawyer or a student taking time off to work in the service of the Aga Khan,” he adds.

From the Near East and its individualised offshoots in North Africa to the Iranian world that stretches from modern-day Iran through Afghanistan and Central Asia and the Hindustani courts of India and Pakistan to the Muslim communities of China, everything has been covered said Henry S Kim, the director and CEO of the Aga Khan Museum during his welcome remarks at the opening ceremony. The mandate of the museum is to educate and inspire, while illustrating the true artistic diversity of Islamic civilisations. “In my opinion, it is important to explain Islam from a cultural point of view, especially to the Western world. We need the mainstream population to, more than ever, see this version, as opposed to what we see on a daily basis coming out of the Muslim world,” says Keshavjee, who migrated to Canada from Uganda. “This is a large part of my heritage. I am proud of it and I want to share it with you.”

Upon advancing from the museum’s permanent collection to the two temporary exhibits, In Search of the Artist and The Garden of Ideas, one cannot help but notice a huge carpet hanging from the ceiling in the museum’s wide atrium. A closer inspection reveals that it is decorated with 1.2 million

$300

This illustration is from Shah Tahmasp I’s Shahnameh showing Firdausi and the three court poets of Ghazna.

While you can see just a few of the manuscripts on display, we have several in store as works on parchment need to be changed every three months for conservation purposes Toronto-based doctor and volunteer guide Alnoor Keshavjee

The Garden of Ideas is a contemporary art exhibit from Pakistan and is a part of the museum’s current exhibition.

This bottle represents one of several techniques — the mould blown glass technique — used to decorate Iranian glass in the centuries after Islam.

FEATURE This scribe’s wooden cabinet is a rare survival and an extraordinary example of luxury woodwork production in Spain under the Nasrids (1232-1492).

DID YOU KNOW? The museum’s glass dome roof is mirrored in the five granite-lined pools of the formal gardens designed by landscaper Vladimir Djurovic.

An elaborately decorated metalwork pen box. Profusely decorated with precious gold and silver inlay and engraved geometric, floral and vegetal designs, this luxury pen box would have been carried by a high-ranking individual, perhaps even a ruler.

gold and silver pins, all of which were placed by hand. The exhibit Your Way Begins on the Other Side was commissioned by the museum and is the work of Aisha Khalid from Lahore.

While the museum has plenty of similar awe-inspiring works of art, there are a few that fail to live up to expectations. But just like art, even criticism is subjective. According to Sheeraz Wania, a Pakistani-Canadian graphic artist, who teaches design in Toronto and had visited the museum on the opening day, the manuscript collection was simply mind-blowing. “But then, one does not expect anything less when visiting a space that has the Aga Khan name attached to it, be it a hospital, school or, in this case, a showcase of art,” she says. Wania was, however, a bit disappointed in the Garden of Ideas exhibit, featuring the works of six internationally acclaimed Pakistani artists, including Bani Abidi, Nurjahan Akhlaq, Atif Khan, David Chalmers Alesworth, Aisha Khalid and Imran Qureshi.

The artists took the theme of garden, both flora and fauna, and in the case of Imran Qureshi roses and ants, for aesthetic contemplation. But Wania felt that the primar36 ily Lahore-based artists didn’t do quite as much justice to OCTOBER 19-25 2014

A brass bowl from the time of the Mamluks, who ruled Syria and Egypt between 1250 and 1517.

the Pakistani art scene as she would have preferred a diverse mix from across the country. While the museum’s structure in itself is grand, the space allocated to exhibits is comparatively quite small. “I would have, from an artist’s point of view, preferred more exhibition space. But then, that is just my personal opinion,” she says.

The tour of the museum and the Islamic centre should be wrapped up with a meal at the museum’s Diwan café that has a distinct middle-eastern décor and cuisine.

Their Moroccan eggplant sandwich and Persian pomegranate salad is bound to transport you to North Africa and Iran whilst sitting in the heart of Canada. And transporting people to far off lands without physically leaving Toronto is perhaps the museum’s greatest achievement.

Teenaz Javat writes headlines, news alerts, tickers and tweets for a living. She tweets @TeenazFromTo

BOOK

A brief affair

Coelho’s Adultery fails to stimulate the reader’s interest

BY KHADIJA RAZA

Available at Liberty Books for Rs595. cushy job at a magazine and head-turning looks — needs meaning as she reflects on what she has and what she desires.

In the meantime, a magazine assignment brings her close to Jacob Koneg, a politician on the rise and also her old flame.

Henceforth, begins Linda’s tumultuous ride through guilt and thrill, love and lust, faithfulness and infidelity, right and wrong and what ‘was’ and what ‘is’ (husband and lover). “Sin is followed by a fear of being caught. It’s like being inside a trap. You know you’re caught but you can’t escape,” aptly describes her inner conflict.

The novel has all the usual Coelho ingredients: relationships gone wrong, introspection, inner conflicts, spirituality, Biblical references and of course the didactic rant. But it lacks cohesion. For those who imbibe Coelho’s spirituality, the Biblical references and spiritual connections are loose unlike the well-researched and wellassimilated references in his earlier works.

The dialogues are weak and forgetful and fail to create a bond between the character and the reader. Event the rant — usually a rich Coelho monotone — is dronish.

The book lacks layers and the depth that Author Paulo Coelho.

Paulo Coelho’s latest book Adultery has had readers itching to get hold of a copy, but the predictable plot and clichéd language fail to make it worth the wait. Although the writer manages to secure a gratifying journey for the novel’s central character Linda, he leaves his readers with an unsatisfactory tale of lust and morality.

Embroiled in a midlife crisis, Linda happens to be a woman in need of help. Her seemingly perfect life — a rich, generous and faithful husband, two wonderful children, a

Coelho has showcased in his previous works.

The plot doesn’t score any major points on originality either and those who have read 40 Rules of Love or are familiar with the contents of the Fifty Shades trilogy, may find Adultery to be a vague reminder of bits and pieces from those books.

At best, Coelho can be appreciated for attempting to explore the heart, mind and soul of a woman going through a mid-life crisis, but his failure to connect Linda to the reader is evident as one can neither empathise or be enraged by her actions or give her the importance that her character commands. Overall, Adultery is a disappointing read. Coelho could have changed the fate of the book by adding more insights but instead chose to focus on the character’s sexual discovery making the reader feel like a voyeur. The narrative has a flat tone with a trite conclusion and Coelho’s half-hearted references to spirituality and religion are inadequate to weave a cohesive plot.

Khadija Raza is a teacher and published author at the Oxford University Press.

Recommended movies for music fans FILM

Once

Once more, without feeling Ironically, Begin Again lacks the very same authenticity that its characters are searching for in their music

By SaMeen aMeR

The popularity of a movie often tempts its film-makers to repeat the same formula in their subsequent projects in the hopes that they will replicate the success of their previous hit. That appears to be the motive behind musical drama Begin Again — director John Carney’s revisit to the stylings of Once, the 2007 film that impressed audiences and critics alike. This time, however, the experience has been stripped of pretty much everything that made his breakthrough effort special.

The movie revolves around Gretta (Keira Knightley), a young singer reeling from her breakup with musician Dave (Adam Levine), who strays as soon as his career takes off.

Heartbroken and dejected, she reluctantly takes the stage at an open mic night, where she is spotted by troubled record executive Dan (Mark Ruffalo), the co-founder of an independent record label. Blown away by her potential, Dan offers to help Gretta land a record deal. But instead of coming up with a demo, the duo eventually sets out to work on a live album in New York City, recording each song outdoors at a different location.

Along the way, the struggling songwriter and disgraced producer try to sort out the various fractured relationships in their lives, with Gretta seeking closure on her breakup with Dave, and Dan trying to connect with his estranged wife (Catherine Keener) and daughter (Hailee Steinfeld).

Corny to its core, Begin Again fails to exude the sincerity that is necessary to elevate its premise into something memorable. Its most glaring flaw lies in the fact that the very authenticity its characters claim to seek in their music is missing in the movie itself. It also doesn’t help that the run-offthe-mill indie pop tunes it tries to pass off as exceptional are, in reality, disappointingly forgettable. Passion — the very thing that should be the driving force behind the music — is sorely lacking in the songs. And while Knightley is lovely, she is completely unbelievable as the singer-songwriter unwilling to compromise on the authenticity of her craft, which makes it hard for viewers to be invested in her journey. Compared to the very real talent in the actual indie scene, both the film’s protagonist and its music seem unremarkable.

That said, the cast, on the whole, is very likeable (possibly with the exception of Levine, who could have been replaced by just about anyone else and it would have hardly mattered). Knightley is (perhaps overly) delightful, despite being miscast Ruffalo exudes scruffy charisma and Keener is engaging, making her scenes with Ruffalo the most affecting parts of the film.

Carney does apply some interesting touches to the storytelling (particularly in the flashbacks towards the beginning, and how Dan visualises Gretta’s song when he

A Dublin busker (Glen Hansard) and a Czech immigrant flower girl (Markéta Irglová) come together to make music in John Carney’s acclaimed Once, which has also spawned a successful stage musical.

Crazy Heart Propelled by an Academy Award-winning performance

by Jeff Bridges, Scott Cooper’s adaptation of Thomas Cobb’s 1987 novel follows the story of a washed-up country music singer-songwriter, whose relationship with a young journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal) inspires him to turn his life around.

Inside Llewyn Davis The Coen brothers’ latest drama Inside Llewyn Davis is a skillfully crafted and compelling case study of a folk singer (Oscar Isaac) who is struggling for success and marred by a series of selfinflicted misfortunes.

first hears her sing), but the film fails to capture the magic of the significantly more organic Once or create compelling character portraits like the far superior Inside Llewyn Davis did not too long ago. There is nothing unique about the very clichéd, splintered relationships the film’s protagonists are trying to heal, but, to its credit, the film handles the chemistry between its two leads with grace and doesn’t lead them down the predictable path. Overall, Begin Again isn’t nearly as genuine as it wishes it were, and its lack of plausibility and mediocre soundtrack make it far less compelling than it could have been.

Rating: Sameen Amer is a Lahore-based freelance writer and critic. She tweets @Sameen OctOber 19-25 2014

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SOCIETY

Age-old Remedies

The elderly comprise over 6.5% of Pakistan’s total population according to a report by the United Nations Population Fund. But by 2050 an estimated 15.8% of the total population — that is 43 million people — will be above the age of 60. A 28% disability rate among people aged 60 and above is a pressing cause of concern and a number of measures must be taken to improve their standard of living. According to Dr Saniya Sabzwari from the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, “The key is to change the mindset of people [about and towards the older population].” The following are some of the challenges faced by the elderly and their potential solutions.

An inclusive approach towards the senior population in Pakistan is the need of the hour

BY SIMONEEL CHAWLA DESIGN BY MOHSIN ALAM

The elderly are stigmatised as unproductive, a burden on society and labelled as uninformed. This can be addressed through: • Fostering intergenerational relations through positive media reporting and public image campaigns. Journalists should select positive words when referring to the elderly.

• Conducting free seminars and imparting community education at hospitals and universities to educate people about the illnesses that afflict elderly people.

• Creating programmes in which the elderly can volunteer, participate in and also conduct.

• Life-long learning and education for the elderly should be promoted so that they can keep up-to-date with technology.

• Allowing them the freedom to pursue their personal interests.

• Socialising with extended family and friends.

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The typical sedentary lifestyle, contributing to immobility disorders, loss of muscle mass and an increased risk of falling, can be countered by: • Getting them involved in group-based activities, light sports and exercise, which can also be undertaken at homes.

• Encouraging independence in public places and at home by installing railings along walls, ramps for wheelchairs, elevators and escalators, securing remotes with bigger buttons, intercoms in rooms, employing helpers in offices and supermarkets, enlarging the font on street signs and pre-allotting parking places.

OCTOBER 19-25 2014

The lack of focus on geriatric care could be tackled by: • Establishing geriatric departments in healthcare facilities.

• Setting up geriatric outpatient clinics in all largescale hospitals.

• Focusing on geriatrics at academic levels for medical students.

Older people are forcibly made unproductive by being excluded from economic participation. Instead, • The labour market must recognise older people as consumers. This can be done by recognising their specific needs, interests and preferences as a separate consumer group.

• Flexible part-time jobs should be created.

• Retirement age should be increased, or conversely, individuals should be allowed to work for as long as they are able and willing.

The elderly are excluded from political participation. Instead, • Labour organisations, non-governmental organisations and political parties for older people should be established.

• Trade unions can represent the elderly and express their needs and opinions on a political platform. T

SOURCE: JOURNAL ARTICLE: ‘AGEING IN PAKISTAN — A NEW CHALLENGE’ — SANIYA R. SABZWARI & GOHAR AZHAR UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE ‘POLICY BRIEF ON AGEING’ NO.4 NOVEMBER 2009 Simoneel Chawla is a subeditor for The Express Tribune Magazine. She tweets @simoneelc