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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 6, 2011
trend Mehndi: from custom to craze
A TEHREEM AIDRUS
From decorating brides’ hands, to being used as a temporary tattoo on arms and bellies (particularly abroad), mehndi/henna has gained international appeal. Thanks to stars like Madonna and Britney Spears, mehndi today is turning into a fashion statement for everyone, regardless of their age, gender or race.
The origin The art of adorning women with henna is part of a heritage and traditional lifestyle stretching back several millennia. The ancient Egyptians used it as an embellishment as far back as 5,000 years ago, and there are many schools of thought suggesting that they introduced it to India in the last 3,000 years. The spread of its influence has continued through the centuries, with the use of mehndi now being common from northern Africa to Indonesia. Increasing emigration to Western countries has led to a rise in awareness — and alternate uses — for mehndi worldwide.
ages; Indian designs are intricately detailed, often so fine that they need to be applied with a needle; and Bedouin styles often include larger blocks of colour. Moreover, traditional henna can vary in shades while remaining recognisably reddish-brown. However, while the tradition of henna art has caught on, ‘black henna’ is often being used (an
Uses There is no single correct use of henna; the history of its use includes it having medicinal properties, being an ingredient in perfumes and as a hair dye. Though it has come to be most recognised for the artwork created on hands and feet for brides before their weddings and while celebrating Eid — even these designs are as varied as the artists who create them.
Types Traditionally, Persian designs for mehndi are flowing shapes and patterns; Middle Eastern designs are cascading designs with flowery im-
Mehndi is not merely a beauty product; it is an iconography of the Eastern heritage
ironic title, as it does not usually contain any actual henna). Indeed, the regular alternatives of indigo or even chemical-based hair dyes have often proved harmful in ways that the traditional henna never has, with common allergic reactions. The extra detail and attention needed for a bride’s mehndi comes at a price. The henna can cost up to Rs5,000 for her special day, compared to costs closer to Rs50 for simpler, day-to-day designs in Pakistan. Saba from Rubila’s Salon says, “Mehndi is an important factor for brides; they want perfection on their hands for their big day. Sometimes they are the ones who tell us what they want rather than us suggesting what will look good on them.” Almost all beauty parlours across the country offer application of all styles of mehndi from Rajasthani to Sudani, at affordable rates. In Karachi, Meena Bazaar is famous for its mehndi services at cheaper rates as compared to commercial parlours. Zahida Baji from Meena Bazar says, “I’ve been in the mehndi business for more than 30
years, and have seen how people’s attitudes have changed over the years. Brides now prefer going to salons where they are pampered and get exclusive treatment.”
Becoming popular in the west The increasing use of henna in the West has also led to the tradition spreading, being adapted and developing into alternative roles. Shakiba, a London-based henna artist claims that, “Mehndi isn’t just a trend in the East anymore; it is increasingly getting recognition in UK, not just in Wembley or Southall but in Central London as well where tourists from all over the world come to my shop.” Its rise has been sudden within the last 20 years or so, going from relatively unknown to far more widely recognised, with many more artists learning how to apply it. It has quickly become an alternative to tattoos, where it enjoys the advantages of being applied painlessly and safely and it produces striking images even for people who do not want something permanent.
Mehndi customs in different countries Henna is most recognised as a decoration for brides in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It has been argued that both the name and concept of an evening enjoyed by women before a wedding in the west, (the ‘hen night’), is derived from a ‘henna night’. There have long been claims that the darker a bride’s henna, the more she shall be loved. In India it is a common tradition for a bride to have her husband’s initials hidden in the detail of the artwork. Beenish, a henna artist who sits at Meena Bazar says, “Some brides tell us to inscribe their groom’s initials in their mehndi on their hands, so that they can
tease them on their wedding night.” In the Gulf regions including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, mehndi night is also a very common phenomenon. Brides decorate their hands and feet and mothers and grandmothers sing traditional songs making the night enjoyable and memorable. Mehndi is also used in other Middle Eastern celebrations, namely, births and christenings. In Morocco, when a new home is purchased, the doors are decorated with mehndi art. It is done to bring prosperity and prevent evil from entering the house. In some communities of Kashmir and Bangladesh, the bridegroom’s hands too are adorned with mehndi designs for men.
Medicinal properties of mehndi Henna is believed to possess medicinal value. It heals skin diseases, prevents hair from becoming thin and can also be turned into a beverage to get rid of head and stomach aches. Mehndi flowers produce perfume, and the Egyptians are believed to have made oil and an ointment from them for increasing the suppleness of the limbs. Mehndi has been used to treat a number of ailments due to a brown substance
of a resinoid fracture found in it. This has chemical properties which characterise tannins, and is therefore named hennotannic acid. It has been used both internally and locally to treat conditions including leprosy, smallpox, cancer of the colon, headaches and blood loss — especially during childbirth. It can be used for skin conditions such as eczema. The plant can also treat muscle contraction and fungal and bacterial infections. However, mehndi is not merely a beauty product; it is an iconography of the Eastern heritage. It is a direct connection to a tradition
stretching back centuries, through m a ny cultures and countless generations. The art form is now practised globally and this gives new cultures the opportunity to discover this connection, as well as contribute new styles and traditions.
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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 6, 2011
literati International book
Sunday Bazaar: A paradise for book lovers For all bookworms looking for some really nice bargains, this should be your first port of call TABINDA BAIG
SAMEEN AMER
Book: Dirty Sexy Politics Author: Meghan McCain Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir, Politics Publisher: Hyperion
Excerpt When I finished college, I told my parents that I didn’t want to go to graduate school, or open a clothing boutique, as previously discussed. I wanted to join the campaign.They said that I could come along if I paid my own way. ...To bankroll myself and the blog, I used the money that my grandfather had left me, even if, by the end, I had spent every dime. Meghan McCain, the daughter of US Senator and 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain, first came to the fore for her blog, McCain Blogette, and subsequently gained a reputation for being outspoken and having a tendency to overshare. The 26-year-old blogger recently published her campaign memoir, Dirty Sexy Politics, which chronicles her life on the campaign trail as she tries to contribute to John McCain’s 2008 Presidential bid. In the book, Meghan talks about the time she spent with the campaign (from which she was eventually sidelined) and reveals details like her surprise over the choice of Sarah Palin as her father’s running mate and how she nearly overdosed on Xanax on the day of the election. Despite its title, the book is not particularly dirty or sexy and doesn’t exactly offer scathing political commentary. The book wants to offer an insider’ point of view but has been written by someone who was essentially treated like an outsider. As a result, interesting revelations are few and far between. The writer offers fewer insights into the behind-thescenes presidential campaign action and goes more-indepth when it comes to the reasoning behind her wardrobe choices and her impression of everyone else’s clothing selection. To her credit, she does acknowledge that her “stories are decidedly impressionistic rather than reportorial,” but Meghan McCain is neither a political heavyweight, nor a master of prose. Moreover, it doesn’t help her much that she lacks the material (and the writing skills) to warrant a full-length book, with both the content and style being more suitable for a blog. Overall, Dirty Sexy Politics is a quick read that might resonate more with younger readers and will not offer much to those who are looking for political insight.
Academic book TAHA KEHAR
Story: Toba Tek Singh Author: Saadat Hasan Manto Genre: Satire Saadat Hasan Manto entered the precincts of our adolescence through a short story — Toba Tek Singh. Its detailed rendering of prepartition uncertainty provided us the window to his dynamic life. As students of A-level Urdu Literature, we had acquired access to numerous short story writers, but Manto’s literary prowess was indeed unmatched. Our fascination with Manto conquered various horizons. We began to see his early life as a direct contradiction to his expertise as a writer; it reflected nothing but misfortune and failure. But as we progressed to understand his staggering transition to a revolutionary literary icon, our opinion of him completely altered. The man who would otherwise have been destined to languish between the pressure of making ends meet and finding the motivation to excel, was now a leading intellectual. His short story bore testimony to this. As we read Toba Tek Singh, our understanding of Pakistan’s history was honed. There was something extraordinarily powerful about the narrative — something that instantly surpassed the skilful characterisation and firmness of the plot. In retrospect, I believe it was the strong allegorical representation of the political scene in the Indian subcontinent, but I feel there was greater depth to our interest. Toba Tek Singh is set in a lunatic asylum where the inmates are acquainted with the fact that there are revolutionary changes occurring in the political sphere but are not equipped with the overall knowledge to determine what consequences this can have. It is, in a sense, a ‘goodbye tale’ that stresses on the tyrannical nature of dividing people. The tone of the narrative is fresh and the concept, surreal. It made us question the dogma of national interest that we were raised to cherish. It provided an avenue for us to ponder over what the side-effects could have been. The experience was informative, engaging, passionate and at times quite devastating. But by the end of it, we felt triumphant at even minutely understanding the psychological impact of partition and parted with the story in hope of improving a society that was founded upon a shocking wave of separation.
You can send your contributions and suggestions to t2@tribune.com.pk
Walking through the now tiled pavements and labelled lanes of Sunday bazaar in Karachi, one is overcome with mixed emotions: Was the previously unmarked and sandy market better suited to our needs or are we ready to embrace this change. The answer varies from person to person. The only ones certain about progressing with the refurbished market are the shopkeepers themselves. Sunday bazaar is known for many things: The availability of products ranging from apparel, shoes, household items, to vegetables and fruits. The market also attracts a large audience because of the relatively cheaper prices. It can be said that the bazaar has created strong brand loyalty over the years. This is especially true for book-lovers who take to the market religiously. Yes, there are people who still prefer to run their fingers through the pages of hard cover books. E-books and iPhones haven’t dominated this market just yet. If
they had, then the shopkeepers at Saleem Book Stall and Jumbo Book Stall would be out of business, which I assure you is not the case. Sadly, I haven’t had the time to indulge in a good book lately. My last read was Anna Karenin, which incidentally was also my last attempt to read it. It proved more successful than my previous attempts and had I more time at my disposal, I would resume reading it. Alas, we are all slaves to the nine to five life and if not in the corporate jungle then, elsewhere. The 30-minutes or so I spent at the book stalls at Sunday bazaar reminded me of how much I was missing out on. The different genres one could learn about, the vast tales left untold, the many fantasies still unlived — all available at an affordable cost. Spare your daily (or nightly) 20- minutes for a meagre Rs120 and transcend to another world, breaking free from the monotony of everyday life. I gained a lot of insight about the way the bookstalls operate, by speaking to Mohammad Hussain, who runs the Jumbo Book Stall. His brother, Saleem Hussain runs the popular Saleem Book Stall. The brothers manage their businesses in a similar fashion: They purchase in bulk from Khori Garden (a wholesale market),
where t h e y initially
The different genres one could learn about, the vast tales left untold, the many fantasies still unlived — all available at an affordable cost owned a bookshop. They then shifted to Sunday bazaar and have been there since then. One of the customers at Jumbo Book Stall, Dr Hassaan Bashir, claims that both the shops combined have the largest and best collection of books available in the city. Bashir has been purchasing books from them for five years now and is a satisfied customer. Speaking of Mohammad, Bashir says, “He knows what he’s selling and is very particular about his books. There’s a 70 per cent chance he’ll get you the book you’re looking for. Besides, the way the shops are structured, you can browse the books easily as they are arranged and categorised quite well.” It’s crucial for a businessman to know his p r o d u c t
inside-out. For a book shop keeper, knowing the names of the books is imperative. But this isn’t your posh mall book shop. It’s a stall in a bazaar. Yet, the owners know their books by name, be it The Art of War or Goosebumps. The collection of books ranges from subjects such as pre-history to doctorate level as well as travel guides. The most popular, however, are the new generation literary novels, media related books and children’s classics. These generate the highest sales. Profit maximisation, though, is not the main motive of the shop keepers. They believe in pleasing the customer through their affordable prices. Some of their books are only for Rs10. “They may not bargain much but their prices aren’t bad and they always remember you by face,” says Bashir. The shopkeepers also believe in convenience. They let customers return books they’ve previously bought in exchange for other books in the same price range. Sometimes a Rs 10 to 50 discount is also given. Moreover, the shopkeepers also purchase books from customers as long as they are in good condition. The humble Mohammad Hussain shared how it was an honour for him to have sold the renowned artist, Iqbal Mehdi’s collection amongst other books to famous people in the media industry and journalists too. Moreover,
Mohammad Hussain believes that the only reason they are where they are now is because of their team of 10 to 15 individuals. He doesn’t take the credit for the success of his business alone. He adds that the strong bond between his men and their good workmanship made their business a lucrative and successful one. They have earned the trust of their customers and have goodwill in the industry. Besides books, the stalls also sell comic books, magazines, gift bags and diaries. The variety of items adds to the pleasurable experience of browsing through the stalls. I would recommend that one should take out the time to peruse through all items. There will definitely be something for you to indulge in.
Pakistan’s tour de art A colourful insight into the modern and contemporary art and artists of Pakistan A NAVEED MASOOD
Book: Image & Identity- Painting and Sculpture in Pakistan 1947-1997 Author: Akbar Naqvi Genre: Arts Publisher: Oxford University Press Price: Rs2,500 The Pakistani art industry is something to be very proud of but unfortunately, we have greatly considered art as a secondary entity. However, that is understandable because our society is currently addressing much bigger issues, in the wake of a deteriorating economy and an alarming security situation. As a consequence, the mainstream perception of art greatly fails to accommodate the fact that it reflects the opinions of some of our society’s best minds. Hence, a flourishing art scene directly translates to the fact that a society’s conscience and self-reflection is alive and effectively functioning. The book Image & Identity — Painting and Sculpture in Pakistan
1947-1997 successfully manages to convey this message. It is not just pictures and words that are being depicted but the book also illustrates Pakistan’s glorious past, artists’ take on the society during their respective time periods and the humble beginnings of the country’s art scene. Akbar Naqvi has put in a tremendous effort into this book, which is a must-have for art and literature aficionados alike. Rarely does one come across a book as detailed as this. I would regard it as an encyclopaedia for our national art, which can effectively be utilised even for scholarly purposes. It should be mentioned here that Naqvi as an author has written for prominent newspapers on the subject for more than 20 years which therefore, establishes his credibility as a writer. The book is laden with a plethora of illustrations of the artists’ respective works. Hence, the first time I opened
the book, rather than reading it, I found myself lost in illustrations of paintings and scriptures. To top it all, they were well categorised for future references, with respective titles, years and even dimensions mentioned in an orderly manner. Naqvi makes an interesting introduction to the book. He writes that Pakistan is inseparable from the sub-continent’s heritage and history, without which, he maintains, the country will have no identity. While categorising this as the book’s thesis, he then links this theory to Pakistan’s art history. He is of the view that artists before and after partition, which included big names like Chughtai and Sadequain, shared the same history and heritage. In my opinion, it’s a remarkable thesis that he has taken up, because it stands true for so many other disciplines in our country, irrespective of the opposition and criticism it may face by a significant majority on both sides. Furthermore, the concise artist biographies add another flavour and dimension, as some of them contain the most interesting stories. While reading, I came across Ismail Gulgee’s story, who rose to fame by making a portrait of Aga Khan back in 1952. It was priced the highest at an auction, hence garnering an elite market for his work. I also liked the writing style Naqvi chose for Iqbal Hussain’s work — the artist famous for illustrating scenes from Lahore’s red light district in his paintings. He acknowledges the author for picking up a taboo subject, rather than a distinct art style, while drawing comparisons between him and writers like Manto, also labelling them both responsible for breaking several barriers. The book, although being a bit expensive, is a treat for collectors. It is not an intense read, but will sure keep readers engaged for hours.
Some images from the book
Two Horses by Ismail Gulgee
The Birth of a Prostitute by Iqbal Hussain
Untitled by Sadequain
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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 6, 2011
techeye GAME
Online immortality: Living on in the digital afterlife A NAUREEN AQUEEL
Many of us cannot imagine our lives without the digital identities that we have built around ourselves. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, Gmail, Flickr, YouTube — all have come to play an essential role in the person we define ourselves to be. But how many of us can imagine our digital identities living on after we have left this world? Thanks to the World Wide Web and social media, it is now easier to live on in more than just people’s memories. Social forums like Facebook and Twitter serve as a much more tangible and accessible legacy than anything out there in the real world.
Hundreds of photos, thousands of tweets and status updates, hundreds of blogs and YouTube videos — these are just some of the things we leave off in the digital trail, like public virtual scrapbooks. They may provide solace to family and friends of the deceased who like living over memories of their loved ones. For others, they may just be painful reminders that keep popping up as they make their way around cyberspace. And it is these divergent reactions that have helped social networking websites and service providers develop policies to deal with their dead. Let’s take a look at how different websites deal with a person’s digital assets after they die:
Twitter followed the footsteps of Facebook by adopting a policy for the dead whereby relatives and friends of a user can request the deletion of the profile or the back-up of the user’s public tweets. Twitter too asks heirs of the deceased user to submit a link to an obituary, along with information about their relationship, before the account is deleted or backed up. Twitter, however, does not allow relatives access to an account nor does it disclose other non-public information regarding it.
After complaints of deceased people showing up on Facebook’s automatically generated suggestions section of people to “reconnect” with, the social-networking giant set out its policy of dealing with dead users. Heirs of a user can request that an account be deleted or “memorialised”. Memorialising a profile entails that the wall of the user will be open for family and friends to pay their respects, while future attempts to log-in will be sealed. Heirs can contact Facebook to delete or memorialise an account by notifying the company and showing a death certificate or news article indicating the user’s death.
Gmail allows heirs to access deceased users e-mail accounts in some cases. It provides a list of instructions in its help documents outlining the procedure that allows a heir to gain access to a deceased user’s account which includes proof of death and proof that the person in question is a lawful representative of the deceased’s estate, among other documentation.
YouTube also allows for transfer of account after a person’s death upon the provision of documentation which includes a copy of the death certificate of the user and of a document that gives one Power of Attorney over the YouTube account.
Yahoo, which owns Flickr, does not allow any right of survivorship in its terms and conditions and is nontransferable. Upon receipt of a death certificate, the company terminates a user’s account and all contents therein are deleted.
Dealing with digital legacy Realising the need to have a proper method of dealing with a person’s digital legacies after death, a number of companies and advisors have cropped up that help users plan what happens to their online content after they die. Considering that a lot of our most impor-
tant communication happens online and many a times, our financial and property information is also stored online, advisors like those who manage the website www.thedigitalbeyond.com emphasise on having a digital executioner or a proper plan to handle one’s digital belongings after death.
Meet the latest Intel-powered classmate PC The Classmate is a design that makes the educational environment more interactive A HASSAN ASIF
The classmate is a netbook with a neat swivel feature that can convert the device into a tablet with a touch screen that supports pen-input. The classmates are created specificially for educational purposes and aimed squarely at children between the ages of six and 12. If you’ve never heard of the classmate convertible PC, it is the latest in Intel’s longrunning line of classmate PCs that have existed long before the netbook. The classmate is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and 1GB RAM. It can run Windows 7 on par with mini-notebook offerings from HP and Acer. Intel also boasts of an impressive 8.5 hour battery life for the six-cell Lithium ion battery under normal usage. The screen in the review configuration was a 10.1” 1024 x 600 LCD — a higher resolution 1366 x 769 display is optional. It responds accurately to the included stylus to take down notes or draw. Coupled with software such as Microsoft OneNote, the device can be a remarkably good alternative to the pen-and-paper style of note-taking. When testing the device in netbook-mode, we found that the keyboard was comfortable to type on and the touchpad was not too small to be a problem to use. The classmate can take all the dishing schoolchildren can give it because it is a surprising rugged laptop with
a rubberized outer shell, an impact resisting body with shock-absorbing corners and a spill-proof screen and keyboard. The device can withstand falls from up 70cm. There are other well thoughtout design decisions by Intel here as well. The pull-out handle for carrying and the buttons on the sides of the screen for scrolling through pages and other operations when in tablet-mode are a welcome touch. There is also an accelerometer which automatically switches the screen from portrait to landscape mode. Depending on the software and hardware configuration, the classmate can cost up to as much as Rs37,500. For educational institutes that are willing to make the jump to a more interactive and collaborative learning environment, the classmate convertible is ready for the future with a built-in webcam and microphone and optional ports for adding on hardware features through the two USB ports. The software suite provides teachers the ability to monitor students’ work while parents are provided options to keep children safe from dangerous websites or extended usage. Because the Intel Learning Series is an education solution designed for eLearning in classrooms, the classmate has to be availed from Intel’s approved channel partner in Pakistan, Viper Technologies. Viper provides the infrastruc-
Stacking: The latest game from Tim Burton’s Double Fine Studios is described by critics as “The Best RussianThemed Stacking Game Since Tetris”. Stacking is the story of little Charlie Blackmore, a Russian Matryoshka doll, who has to stack into other dolls to rescue his family. With a strong focus on creative thinking, Stacking is perfect for families to play together GAME
Test Drive Unlimited 2: A driving game that suffers from all kinds of issues. Whether it’s the actual driving, which feels like controlling a toy car, to technical issues such as bugs, poor graphics and bad voice acting, the recipe for making a bad game is all here. Stay away
TOP 10
PC games released in the last six months
10 Must-Download Apps for New iPhone Owners
COLLABORATIVE: The NetBook is an affordable alternative for children. ture, hardware, software, content, training, and support through its network of 300 vendors. The Intel classmate is a cost-effective solution to pro-
viding complete tools for the modern classroom. It is also more practical than other competitors such as the iPad because of its sturdiness and the pen-input method which
is a faster method of taking notes than typing on a touch screen. It is more expensive than using the smaller laptop from One-Laptop Per Child Initiative (OLPC) inititave but
it is infinitely more usable with the Windows 7 operating syste. Even though it is aimed at children, the classmate can be a handy tool for journalists or casual readers.
Rank
Name
1.
2.
Cut the Rope
3.
GoodReader
4.
Hipstamatic
5.
Reeder
6.
HippoRemote
7.
Netflix
8.
8mm Vintage Camera
9.
Fruit Ninja
10.
Google Mobile App SOURCE: MASHABLE.COM
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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 6, 2011
click paris spring/summer 2011 collection Moon Young Hee
Collection
Aganovich
Collection
Fatima Lopes
Collection
Anthony Vaccarello
Collection
Hakaan
Collection