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Fashion means a currently popular practice. It is not limited to apparel and accessories but also has in it the way we dress, talk, technology we use, food we eat, friends and the lifestyle etc. British fashion industry contributes nearly £21bn to the UK economy but unfortunately its importance in our society is much underrated. Despite unfavourable circumstances Pakistan has made its mark on the global fashion stage creating millions of jobs. Pakistan is the second largest exporter of textiles, which shows that given the opportunity this industry has the potential to grow and contribute to the economy. Pakistan Fashion Week London is an extension of this dogma. There is no doubt it is Pakistan’s only liberal identity outside Pakistan and that too on such a big scale. Organizers of the PFWL say their objective is to ‘Project Pakistan’s real and positive image to the world, educate, empower and encourage designers and promote traditional crafts.’
The Event
Pakistan fashion week London 25 - 27 May 2012 will attract 3,000 significant individuals from both White and Asian community including buyers from leading fashion houses and retail outlets across UK and Europe. Most significant designers will be present at Kensington great hall showcasing their Autumn/Winter collections in four catwalk shows over the weekend. The featured designers will have a designer boutique lounge which will allow attendees to interact with designers and purchase items. Once again the event is guaranteed to get extraordinary publicity across the globe. Adnan Ansari is is the Founder/ Executive Director of Riwayat Ltd. With over 17 years’ experience across stage, TV, advertising and fashion, Adnan is based in London and wants to bring to the west a series of events to raise the profile of Pakistani fashion, music and literature and to promote the rich diversity of Pakistan. The first of these events was Pakistan Fashion Week London 2011 which was highly appreciated. His team comprises of Chris East - the Producer of Riwayat and a creative charity consultant, Sahiba Kaur - the Chief Coordinator at
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Riwayat and a London College of Fashion graduate, Huma Tahir - one of Pakistan’s leading make-up artists
The Designers
PFWL is expected to be much bigger than last year, with more than 30 designers and 60 models participating. The designers will include some of Pakistan’s biggest names in fashion. Umar Sayeed is one of the most established designers in Pakistan. He has been on the fashion radar for last 20 years and is known as fashion guru among all. His creations comprise of luxurious details and dazzling craftsmanship. Maheen Khan has recently been called the ‘Coco Channel of the East’ by the Italian press. Deepak Parwani is the winner of multiple awards. He has been the cultural ambassador to China and Malaysia. His work for rural women of Pakistan makes him an icon world wide. Maria B has 12 stores and five brands under the umbrella. Maria has done shows worldwide. With plans to go into menswear, childrens wear and interior design, she is set to become one of the biggest lifestyle brands in Pakistan. Ammar Belal has already won the Indigo Sunday Designer of the year for his outstanding collection. His ABCD casual wear line was a huge hit amongst a selected client list that is always looking for preppy cloths. Nickie n Nina is a creation of sisters Aliya (Nickie) and Nabila (Nina). They launched their luxury label Nickie n Nina at the critically acclaimed Millennium Show in Lahore and have managed to make their mark in a short span of time. Rana Nauman has made quite a name for himself in Pakistan and internationally. His creations comprise of luxurious details such as hand embroidery and glittering craftsmanship. His work always stands out as he believes in pushing the boundaries in order to create jaw-dropping ensembles. People like Adnan and events like PFWL should be applauded, for they project a positive and progressive image of our country on an international platform. Fashionista Fatima will be covering the entire event exclusively for Pakistan Today’s Lounge so don’t forget to read the follow up in the next article. Tickets for the event are available from website www. pakistanfashionweek.co.uk
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Books
‘The study considers how patterns of scent were disposed about in gardens and the degree to which Persian-based scent compositions were tempered with Indian fragrances’
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By Syed Afsar Sajid
hese two books share a common theme viz., the Islamic architecture and calligraphy. Ali Akbar Husain, the author of the first, after pursuing higher studies in architecture at the University of Minnesota, USA and University of Edinburgh, UK, is presently running the undergraduate architectural programme at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi. The second book comprises a collection of a noted amateur calligrapher Amjad Masood‘s (1942-2009) numerous calligraphic illustrations along-with his pictorial biography, edited by his two sons. Scent in the Islamic Garden The ‘preface’ to this book stipulates: ‘This study is concerned with the perception of the medieval Muslim garden in its Islamic Indian context. It examines the built evidence of gardens in seventeenthcentury Deccan, and sharpens a perception of these gardens through a bridging study of contemporary garden poetry, medical botany (plant therapeutics),
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Scent in the Islamic Garden – A Study of Literary Sources in Persian and Urdu By Ali Akbar Husain Introduction by: William Dalrymple Published by: Oxford University Press, Karachi Pages: 171; Price: Rs.2000/-
and horticulture. Particular reference is made to the significance of fragrance in Islam. The study considers how patterns of scent were disposed about in gardens and the degree to which Persian-based scent compositions were tempered with Indian fragrances.’ Renowned British critic, art historian, broadcaster and patron of what is known as the ‘Palestine Solidarity Campaign’ has written an exhaustive but scholarly introduction to the book in which he has appreciated the author’s intent and approach calling it ‘a notably literate and well written-work of history, combining rigorous scholarship, a detective-like hunting down of rare and forgotten texts with an aesthetic sensitivity, all too rare in modern academia. Above all its study of the Deccani connoisseurship of scent, and the Deccan’s distinct garden tradition, opens up a whole new field of study previously ignored by historians.’ The author also shows ‘how between the fifteenth and the eighteenth centuries many of the classics of Hindu writing on love and eroticism were translated into Persian for the use of the princes and princesses of Indian Muslim courts’. The salient feature of Ali Akbar Husain’s research is the Hyderabadi gardening texts and the lovely idea of the evening garden. The focus of the study is, however, on ‘scent’ – the aroma of floral fragrance -- as the food and delight of the soul which in itself is ‘the vehicle of the faculties of man’. The book consists of six chapters viz., ‘The Deccan Plateau’; ‘Hyderabad: Capital of the Qutb Shahis’; ‘Gardens of the Deccan’; ‘Garden Ornament’; ‘Exhilarating Fragrances’; and ‘The Scented Garden in Deccan Court Poetry’ besides notes, maps, graphs and diagrams, photographs, appendices, glossary, and bibliography. The book is artistically conceived and executed, and hopefully it will interest both the uninitiated and the research-oriented readers. Naqsh-e-Masood The book in view carries some 117 specimens of Amjad Masood’s art as a calligrapher that he ‘created’ over a period of 25 years, in which he has carved the ‘Asma-eHusna’, ‘Ayaat-e-Mubarka’, ‘Ism-e-Muhammad’ (SAW), and names of his relations in ‘Khat-e-Kufi’. The book bears a detailed foreword by the late author’s sons Dr. Muhammad Athar Masood and Muhammad Shamsul-Arfeen Masood. Khurshid Alam Gohar Qalam and Syed Owais Suharwardy have written introductory notes to the book. Calligraphy means beautiful writing. In the present age it has become the most venerated form of Islamic art. It demands more perfection as there is little room for a mistake or careless stroke in it. The art reached perfection in the second century of Hijra and has had a profound effect on all Islamic calligraphy which is basically associated with geometric art comprising, arcs, loops, ovals, squares, circles, semi-circles, and vertical and horizontal lines. Today Khat-e-Kufi is a popular type of script practised in Islamic calligraphy the world over. Some other types of calligraphic scripts include Khat-e-Suls, Khat-e-Tuluh,
Naqsh-e-Masood (Amjad Masood kay Hunar Parray) Published by: Oriental Publications Pakistan, Royal Park, Lahore Edited by: Dr. Muhammad Athar Masood & Muhammad Shams-ul-Arfeen Masood Pages: 152; Price: Rs.1800/Khat-e-Nastaliq, Khat-e-Naskh, Khat-e-Diwani, Khat-eDiwani Jali, Khat-e-Riqa, and Khat-e-Reham. Hazrat Ali (RA) was the exponent of Khat-e-Kufi. Amjad Masood’s masterpieces are however carved in Khat-e-Kufi Murabba as its lexical base is laid on squares. Domes and arcs have been interpolated into the main design as a thoughtful but welcome innovation. Black and white seems to be his favourite medium of communication on the drawing canvas. Most of the pieces incorporate Qur’anic verses in the backdrop of ‘mosque’ as a universal Islamic symbol. It is interesting to learn that Amjad Masood was a cricketer in his youth. The second part of the book relates to his pictorial biography. He was a regular employee of the State Bank of Pakistan, and practised calligraphy as a pastime. Shy of publicity, he would not exhibit his calligraphic presentations in public. The book is a good addition to the extant literature on Islamic calligraphy.
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Protect yourself from evil vibrations
By Mariam Aftab
In our every day life circle starting from morning, folding the curtains, promoting energy to flow inside the room. Cleaning the house, again, preventing all the elements that would cause negativity away from the house
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ur lives are the products of our combined thoughts and actions. The vibrations we generate as a result of our thoughts and emotions affect other people and all living things and this effect can be described as magical or evil vibrations, for example, when two people meet who either dislike or are jealous of one another, nothing may seem to have transpired except polite conversation and yet there will have been a radiation between them of a destructive thought pattern which creates vibrations. This vibrational thought pattern will affect the energetic connections between the aura of these two people and that in turn will affect their psychic or psychosomatic health and eventually, to some degree, their physical health. An aura is the energy field around a person that is present with him/ her twenty four seven and all these things enter the aura first. A magical act has taken place although there appears to have been only polite conversation. This is just one simple example of thousands of acts that take place throughout life. Gradually as one becomes more involved in psychic development, one starts to see a much wider
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picture than just oneself and his/ her own energies. The whole of life is a sea of interconnecting energies conditioned by thoughts and emotions that interact and cause a magical effect which is unspoken as yet is continually going on. There is virtually a psychic current or tide of life, which ebbs and flows and which the psychic person can tune in to it. I remember, there was once a very good hearted, kind and lucky woman. She used to visit me quite often. She was very God fearing and used to discuss her charity projects with me. I enjoyed talking to her and used to gain a lot during
her session. Talking to her was like growing spiritually for me. The lady shifted to a new house. It was a beautiful house, decorated tastefully. After sometime she started complaining of a heavy heart and stress. There was no apparent reason for that. One day I visited her and she was lying on her bed thinking about negativity in her life. Her house had good positive energies. I applied a little bit of Feng Shui at her house. Feng Shui is a Chinese art to create auspicious environment around yourself. It is increasingly recognized in the west, as a fact that energy lies at the heart of all matter. It provides guidelines on how to arrange furniture, where to sit and what colours to wear. Feng Shui can truly help to enhance the positive energies that reinforce good luck, home life and environment. After investigating the house and applying Feng Shui, I came to the conclusion that there were some negative people around her who were envious and jealous and in our own culture we could call this ‘Nazar’, (Evil eye). There is a special crystal for ‘Nazar’ which lakes away negativity from the aura, which I programmed specially for her self-defence. I suggested that she should meditate and recite on the names of God. Aromatic sticks, i.e., agarbati is also good for eliminating negativity. Following the tips, after few weeks, she
approached me stating, that she had overcome all the negativity around her which was affecting her health and home environment. Similarly, ordinary day-to-day actions can have far more effect than it might appear. The simple act of shaking hands is based on an ancient magical act in which two people are exchanging their psychic energies, through the psychic centres in the palms of the hands – the same psychic centres that are used for Spiritual Healing, when energy is channeled through the laying on of hands. This interchange through shaking hands brings about a certain bonding between two people. Our Islamic teachings also teaches us to shake hands as according to a Hadith “Shake hands, for its good for interpersonal growth.” Leading a life as a true Muslim provides easy and simple ways to cut down the negative power around us. In east, i.e., India we see two hands clasped together in front of the heart center, which is situated in the aura opposite the breastbone, followed by a bow. It is an Indian greeting. Again this simple act has a magical meaning as follows. “I am now holding my vibrations within myself by joining the palms of my hands together out of respect for you whom I am now meeting.” It represents the
fact that the person bowing is humble enough to realize that the other person does not need his energies and therefore as he greets them, he will hold them within himself. Now there is a magical significance to the fact that the hands are placed in front of the heart centre, preventing the outward flow of energy from this centre as well as from the palms of the hands.
These and hundreds of other examples show that, even in ordinary everyday life, simple magical acts are performed. In our society, usually when we greet our elderly, they place their hands on our heads, giving blessings. In other terms, they are converting their positivity in our bodies, unknowingly performing an act of transferring negativity to positivity. This is a simple act,
completely unknown to many. If we look around ourselves, being Muslims, we are trained in a style where we regularly eliminate the negative powers away from us- in our every day life circle starting from morning, folding the curtains, promoting energy to flow inside the room. Cleaning the house, again, preventing all the elements that would cause negativity away from the house. Watering the plants, thus enhancing positive energies, feeding birds is positive. Meeting and greeting people and above all praying five times daily truly helps us to enhance our positive energies and thus reinforce good luck, home life and environment. Healing tip: hold Citrine in your left hand it will enhance your meditating ability. Holding the crystal and chanting a specific name of Allah helps a great deal. In order to protect ourselves from evil eye we can do our aura protection. A protection grid is also there with nine stones on it, which protects us from all evils and also helps us get our goals. Apart from this a lot of other things can be used in feng shui for negativity removal. According to feng shui each corner of the house or each direction has a special function that can be activated through various practices.
When two people meet who either dislike or are jealous of one another, nothing may seem to have transpired except polite conversation and yet there will have been a radiation between them of a destructive thought pattern which creates vibrations. This vibrational thought pattern will affect the energetic connections between the aura of these two people May 20 - 26, 2012 I 41
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