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Hi-fashion bags with a true conscience, spirit and a voice
K
rizmah, is a collaboration between graphic designers Zainab Ulmulk (a member of the ancient Katur dynasty of Chitral), Nadia Malik and Chitrali women artisans to design and manufacture haute couture hand bags for global followers of fashion. Krizmah represents a fusion of contemporary designs incorporating all the cultural and traditional riches of Chitral. Each bag is completely hand stitched by artisans reflecting their hopes and aspirations while echoing their proud heritage. The presentation of these bags on an international forum will enable them not only to share their special skills with the world but also enable them to provide a better quality of life for their families. Krizmah has just come out with their new and exciting range of hand bags, wallets and clutches. Titled “My Secret Garden”, this new collection is edgy, colorful and bright. There is a Secret Garden within each of us! Where our ‘Tree of Dreams’ blossoms. Where’ Free Spirit ‘ of ‘Love’ , ‘Prosperity’ and ‘Luck’ blooms! Where we control our ‘Karma’ our ‘Destiny!’ Where we are ‘Fearless’ in ‘Conquest’ to face the ‘Challenges’ of life! To hear with ‘Joy’, the ‘Song in our hearts’ that opens up the ‘Gates of Paradise!’ The collection is based on innovative designs such as cross body satchels and purses with chain straps. To get your hands on Krizmah’s latest collection, visit Ensemble in Lahore or Karachi or Asmani in Islamabad. Also order online at www.krizmah.com 32 I July 29 - August 04, 2012
By Sidra Nayyer When did you start designing bags and how did the entire idea evolve into action? We started working on our first collection in the summer of 2010, after toying with the idea for about a year. Finally when Zainab was going up to Chitral for the summer, we decided, why not? Considering her family has always maintained close ties with the locals, (being a conservative society, interaction had been limited to the male members of society) this was a great opportunity to get the women involved. The embroidery that we use is a typical chitrali
stitch, so anyone interested could participate and generate a supplementary income. The idea behind ‘Krizmah’ is to break away from the ‘nonprofit’ image most labor employing companies in affiliation with the area, like to manipulate for marketing their brands. Do you have an education in fashion? If not, where were you institutionalized? Both of us are Graphic designers, graduates of the National College of Arts. What are the three things that a Krizmah bag
Where are these bags being produced? Hand embroidered in Chitral and finished with fine quality leathers and imported Italian accessories in Lahore.
offers to its buyer? a. A classic accessory. b. A piece of art. An opportunity to contribute to empowering female artisans Who are some of your regular clients? Predominatly Pakistani’s, home and away. What sort of a design philosophy does Krizmah work on? So far the two collections that we have produced carry a title. Although each bag is different no doubt, some element links it back to a theme
being followed. Our designs range from graphic interpretations of tradition, folklore, and symbolism. Are you operating from an outlet? If so, from where, and if no, where can people buy it from? Yes, we stock at Ensemble in Karachi and at Asmani in Islamabad. We are now also stocking at The Designers, by Asad Tareen in Dubai. We also have a shop online option on our website, where with a credit card you can make purchases both in Pakistan, (shipping nationally is free) and internationally. (Fed-ex rates apply)
Do you think the Krizmah bags have the potential to rub shoulders with int’l accessory brands? Krizmah has undoubtedly been a fast growing brand, and has gone through major improvement in quality and finish since its debut. Definitely categorized as a ‘niche’ market brand, because of the laborious time and effort that goes into the creation of each piece, we can never mass produce. Yes, Krizmah will fare well placed alongside international brands of the same nature. Our aim is to encourage women to break away from the monotonous submission to foreign fashion brands costing thousands of dollars, and carries something more individual, socially conscious and made in Pakistan. What makes the Krizmah bag different from other hand embroidered bags made locally? Although the Krizmah handbag cannot take credit for creating the embroidery it is adorned with, a typical “Chitrali” stitch, it can raise its glass to its design concept, color execution and versatility. Most embroidered bags made here, lack design evolution, finish and innovation. Krizmah’s new range is dressed up to be carried on an evening out, or casually during the day, even by professionals with an eye for art, to their workplace. Our bags are finished in fine, export quality leather, and produced at a factory fulfilling all international standard requirements. Do you plan to extend the accessory line at Krizmah or plan to keep it only for bags? Krizmah creates women’s handbags, clutches, wallets, wristlets, Ipad covers, Laptop bags and Weekender Bags at the moment.
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Recipe
Greek Potatoes
(Oven-Roasted and Delicious!)
Ingredients:
8 large potatoes, peeled, cut into large wedges (about 6-7 wedges per potato) 4 garlic cloves, minced (more garlic is a good thing, less garlic is a no-no for this recipe) 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup water 1 tablespoon dried oregano (get the Mediterranean, it’s the best!) 1 lemon, juice of, to 1 1/2 sea salt fresh coarse ground black pepper
Directions: 1 Preheat oven to 420°F. A reviewer has suggested spraying the baking pan with olive oil - that
sounds like a great idea! 2 Put all the ingredients into a baking pan large enough to hold them. 3 Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. 4 Make sure your hands are very clean and put them in the pan and give everything a toss to distribute. 5 The garlic will drop into the water/oil solution but its flavour will permeate the potatoes, and this way, it won’t burn. 6 Bake for 40 minutes. 7 When a nice golden-brown crust has formed on the potatoes, give them a stir to bring the white underside up, season lightly with a bit more sea salt and pepper and just a light sprinkling of oregano. 8 Add 1/2 cup more water if pan appears to be getting dry, and pop back into oven to brown other side of potatoes. 9 This will take about another 40 minutes. 10 Do not be afraid of overcooking the potatoes- they will be delicious. July 29 - August 04, 2012 I 37
Review
Fiction and Philosophy By Syed Afsar Sajid
I
n an awesome materialistic milieu of fast diminishing human values, intermittent publication of books on literary and philosophical subjects might sound a bit anomalous or anachronistic, but there is no gainsaying the fact that literature and philosophy are inalienable to any permutation of human existence on the globe for reasons not unknown to discreet observers of the phenomena. The two books on these outwardly disparate but intrinsically homogeneous subjects seek to illustrate and explore the human dilemma epitomising man’s quest for truth, in their respective dispensations. The Metaphysical and Cultural Perspectives of Kh. Ghulam Farid’s Poetry and Iqbal Dr. Shahzad Qaiser is a noted philosopher and scholar. He has written extensively on philosophy and metaphysics in English besides composing devotional poetry (Kafi) in Punjabi and inshaiya in Urdu. The instant work is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Mehr Abdul Haq, a reputed Urdu and Saraiki scholar and a genuine intellectual. It comprises seventeen chapters excluding the Postscript and forewords by Prof. Gilani Kamran, Dr. Aslam Ansari and Dr. Muhammad Amin. An eminent scholar on Sufi Studies, Prof. James Winston Morris of the Theology Department at Boston College, Massachusetts (USA) has observed in his preface to the book that it “provides a personal distillation of key elements in Farid’s religious and metaphysical philosophy, while it also serves as a helpful introduction to many of the central guiding themes of this revered mystic’s teaching in his poetical works …… many of Dr. Qaiser’s explanations
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here take the form of an ongoing, careful into universal compassion. It provides comparison of Khawaja Ghulam Farid’s us an occasion to learn and realise the ideas with the more familiar works of primordial lesson of oneness by being Iqbal”. In the ‘introductory’, the author discusses the intent and scope of the publication. “Iqbal’s religious metaphysics and Khawaja Ghulam Farid’s traditional metaphysics”, he observes, “cater both for the individual and the universal. There are so many commonalities between these two representatives of Islamic heritage. The greatest challenge today in the field of Iqbal studies, is to develop different aspects of his thought in a creative and an (sic) independent spirit. Khawaja Ghulam Farid’s traditional metaphysics can be of great help in developing the religious thought of Iqbal on traditional metaphysical lines”. The concluding lines illustrate the thesis to its logical end: The Metaphysical and Cultural Perspectives of Kh. Ghulam “Khawaja Ghulam Farid’s Poetry and Iqbal Farid’s poetry of love By Dr. Shahzad Qaiser and gnosis bridges Published by: Iqbal Academy Pakistan, Heavens and the Aiwan-e-Iqbal Complex, Lahore earth so beautifully. It inspires us to transform Pages:452; Price: Rs500/our individual passion
“Khawaja Ghulam Farid’s poetry of love and gnosis bridges Heavens and the earth so beautifully. It inspires us to transform our individual passion into universal compassion. It provides us an occasion to learn and realise the primordial lesson of oneness by being compassionate to all.” compassionate to all.” In the content of the book, the author deliberates on the essence of poetry, the metaphysics of Khawaja Ghulam Farid in quintessence, Iqbal and Khawja Ghulam Farid on the conception of Prophet-hood in Islam, Khawja’s reflections on the metaphysical status of man, his doctrine of Oneness of Being (Wahdat al-Wujud) and its universal realization, Iqbal and the Khawaja on man-God polarity, a comparative study of Jalauddin Rumi, Iqbal and the Khawaja, Iqbal’s metaphysics of culture and the Arab awakening, the role of his thought in awakening universal sense of justice on Jerusalem, the metaphysics of his political thought, the transformation of religiosity into spirituality, the metaphysical grounds of hope, and Iqbal as a bridge between East and West. As a natural corollary of his earlier publication viz., Understanding Diwane-Farid, this book is also likely to
be received with great avidity by the readers and enthusiasts of literature on mysticism.
of the short stories in the present case that embody themes like dowry, male domination, female illiteracy, marital disequilibrium, penury, hackneyed social taboos and customs, adultery, sanctity of human relationships, psychiatric study of female behaviour et al. The author has an observant eye which accounts for the dexterous delineation of situations and characters in the stories. The distinctive line between the artistic verisimilitude of fiction and its actual archetype in life is too tenuous to be apprehended at a cursory glance, in the scheme of narration. This is verily a plus point for the feminist author of the publication to take pride in.
Nahein-ein-ein Munazza Salim has now come of age as a writer of fiction. Her latest is the instant collection of twelve short stories bearing a wee cryptic title with affective nasal undulations suggesting disapproval or rejection. Since fiction draws heavily on life, its practitioner can only ill-afford to live in isolation of others –sans books, sans media, sans social interaction. Wisdom and maturity sprout from these sources. The writer of these stories like many of her ilk, is a feminist. Her strong socio-cultural background would seem to endorse this contention. As a staunch pleader of women’s lib, she resents gender discrimination in the indigenous social scenario. And hers is not a solitary voice in the wilderness of what is termed as male chauvinism (an alternate for gender discrimination!) in our times. Some female fiction writers and poets in the southern hemisphere of the world like Anita Desai and Arundhati Roy (India), Bapsi Sidhwa, Tehmina Durrani, Ayesha Salman, Kishwar Naheed and Fehmida Riaz (Pakistan), Roquia Sakhawat Hussain (Bangladesh), and Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria), already seem to evince a deep prototypical concern with the issue. The peculiar ruralNahein-ein-ein (Short Stories) urban pattern of life By Munazza Salim in the Punjab alongPublisher: Misal Publishers, with an admixture Rahim Centre, Aminpur Bazaar, Faisalabad of Punjabi-Urdu dialect constitutes the Pages:140; Price: Rs250/sociological canvas
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Moleoscopy of big singers By Mariam Aftab
M
oles are important indicators of fate. Reading moles is an old science and is called moleoscopy and in Chinese astrological world it is known as Chinese physiognomy. We can trace its origin back to the ancient civilizations. It has developed as a complete science since then.
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Moles are capable of predicting the forthcoming events. Moles are found on many parts of the body and can be of different colours. It is a nature’s creation and has a definite meaning. Moles also help in analysing the personality characteristics. When moleoscopy was developing as a science, different scholars conducted many researches. One of them was Richard Saunders during the 16th century. His study is very interesting for he investigated
Michael Jackson had three moles - one on his right cheek, one on the forehead near his right eye and one on his chin
and proclaimed that moles on the lips, near the lips, on the chin or on the cheeks indicates that person bearin them have a natural softness in his/her voice. He maintained that moles of these sort create harmony in the voice makeing it sweet and melodious. Now keeping this Richard Saunders’ research in view, if we closely look at the history, back to the days of Mughal era, it is astonishing to learn that the most popular singer of Mughal Empire, Tan Sen had a mole on the right cheek and one at the back of right ear. Likewise, the great character of Anar Kali, during the days of Great Mughal Emperor Akbar, had a mole on the chin. She too had a beautiful voice and so as her opponent Dilara, who was a famous dancer of the Mughal courtyard. She had a mole on left side of the lip. We don’t have the exact photographs of them but these facts are provided by their sketches available in history. What exactly, I want to say by giving the examples of these historical singers is that all of them including Tan Sen, Anar Kali and Dil-ara, were famous for their voices and dance,
both interlinked and connected with music. Tan Sen is a big name and he will be remembered for the music he created and so is Anarkali for her sweet and melodious voice. What these three contemporary had in common was their mole’s on either side of their face. Thus it clearly justify, Richard Saunders’ research on moles copy which states that moles on the face is an indication of good and melodious voice. Now coming to the sub-continent, during the decade of 1940s singers who came into the limelight were Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, and Noor Jehan. All of them are well known for their melodious voice and have become legends. If we closely examine their faces, Rafi had a mole at the left eyebrow. Lata and Asha have moles on their cheeks, where as Noor Jehan – the legend of Pakistan - had a mole on their left cheek and under the lip. In the world of music all four of them have their own place and no one can ever compete with them. The common factor in all four of them is again the mole prominent on the face. In the signing world there are other names besides them who share these characters, they are Kishore Kumar, Mehdi Hassan, Mehnaz, Tasawar Khanam, Humaira Channa, Atta-ullah Isa Khailvi, Gul Bahar Bano, Munni Begum, Ali Haider, Shehzad Roy, Humaira Arshad and Saira Naseem. In the western world of music Michael Jackson and Madonna both are popular for their voice and music. They too share the same characteristic of mole scopy. Michael Jackson has three moles, one on the right cheek, one on the forehead near right eye and one on the chin. Likewise Madoona has a mole near the left side of the lip, though it sometimes appears to be artificial but it is not. The latest craze Ricky Martin also has a mole on his face. While mentioning the names of these prominent singers, one thing is sure that all of them had a mole on their face which justify the research Saunders’ that those who have a mole
on the face, especially on cheeks and arms nearby are likely to be sweet and melodious vocalists. This point, which has come up through a book on mole scopy “Vision and Prophesies”, only confirms that those with a good voice having a mole prominent on their face, can earn name in music world, only through practice and precision. Nowadays many people are entering the world of music but not all of them have a good voice. Only those with a sweet, soft and melodious voice are getting recognition and others are dieing out without recognition. Actually it’s not only the voice that matters, it’s the mood and frequency that outclass the singers voice. And according to “Vision and Prophesies” if they have cute moles on their faces they can make their voice create a history for them.
Healing tip hold moon stone in your left hand it will enhance your meditating ability.
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