This Fortnight in Pakistan Summer Issue 2013

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EDITORIAL

DEDICATED TO THE FOUNDER OF ‘THIS FORTNIGHT IN PAKISTAN’ MY FATHER (LATE)

MAZHAR YUSUF

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WEDDED BLISS With the wedding season just around the corner after the holy month of Ramadan, we felt that all things wedding should be the theme of this issue, hence a Bridal special. The elaborate and sumptuous wedding festivities invariably over emphasise the painstakingly detail attached to this most important of functions. It has certainly opened up a whole new vista to an industry catering to many requirements for a perfect reception. That said, the most important factor is to know your rights and the laws that support this holy matrimony. As is the norm, most brides see the nikahnama only when they are signing the dotted line. A good understanding of this seemingly simple two-page document deserves some contemplation on your part. There are clauses in the nikahnama that your , or for that matter parents would be tempted to cross out because they deem them irrelevant or contrary to tradition. To state a few clauses one of the most important is stipulating the haq mehr – an obligatory gift given to the wife by the husband in consideration of marriage. It could be in the form of cash, gold, or any other item of value. The most abused clause in the nikahnama is the one stating the right of a woman to initiate divorce. If this clause is struck off, you lose the ability to file for Suit of Dissolution of Marriage by Way of Talaq. You may still file for khula which means that you lose the right over your mehr. Another overlooked aspect, albeit a western one, is the prenuptial agreement. It is a clause in the nikahnama that provides the option to the contracting parties to enter a prenuptial agreement that may contain any details that are agreed upon by both at the time of marriage. The possibilities that can be included pertain to dower, maintenance, child support, property and movable assets. It is said marriage is a gamble, whether it is love, arranged or lovingly arranged - all one has to do is play the cards right.

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This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 5

Summer 2013 Vol III - Issue I

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14

Than Meets the Eye

Find us

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RITUALS & HERITAGE

By Lubna Imran

She was a desi girl. He was a gora boy. They met and became friends. With the passage of time love happened culminating in marriage. Yes, matches are certainly made in heaven! Sounds clichéd? Well, sometimes clichés are true, as was the case here. After living in the UK for a considerable time and having attended a few wedding receptions of desi turned gora couples and desi marrying a gora it was the first time that I attended such a wedding in my home country Pakistan. It was a marriage of two different worlds. Without getting into a debate or the raised eyebrow scenario in our society on such matters, the fact is that Pakistani women have been marrying foreigners, for ages now, so here we will talk about the momentous occasion only. Beenish a Pakistani-American and Steve, a born and bred American met at the workplace, friendship happened and then her best friend asked her to marry him. Once the families met it was agreed 8 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

that the eventful day will take place in Pakistan. Amid much fanfare a week before the marriage vows the song and dance parties’ namely dholki and mehndi ceremonies took place culminating into an afternoon wedding by the seaside. The atmosphere of the pre-wedding ceremonies was jovial to the hilt. At the week-long ceremonies the bride and groom were seen doing the bhangra (Punjabi dance) at the beat of the dhol (drum) performed live before settling down for the rasams (rituals) to start. With a tray containing small cups of diluted mehndi, ubtan, sweets, flower petals and betel leaf to be placed in the couple’s palms respectively the first rasam was the application of ritualistic mehndi (henna)

on the bride and groom’s palms. As tradition has it seven married women, one by one applied ubtan on the bride’s face and hair while showering her with rose petals and wishing her the best of marital life. Here what was most enjoyed by Steve was when his mouth was stuffed with sweets, his favourite being Gulabjamun! With rituals over and dinner served, I got a chance to chit-chat with the groom’s mother Dr. Stephanie, a child specialist by profession. The only obvious question was the pre-conceived notion that she had about Pakistan. In an enthusiastic tone Stephanie said, “Our friends were more apprehensive than we were. They warned us that we would not be able to go out especially in the evening.

No shopping or sight-seeing, either. If one thinks about it at this very moment it is past mid-night and I am talking to you. We have been shopping for the past week and making hectic rounds to the darzi. Yes we have also experienced the sun, sand and the beach at the French beach. The hospitable and the friendly people of Pakistan have won my heart. What more can you say!” Finally it’s the D-day. To describe

shared their childhood memories making everyone laugh with some of the fun facts about them. That over it was now time to boogie with a whole line-up of dance performances. From hip-hop to Punjabi bhangra along with Bollywood latkas/

the day-time wedding reception in one word we would say; picture-perfect. The theme was white and gold with the bride wearing a sharara and the groom a sherwani. The family too, was colour coordinated. The theme was also followed in the stage setting to the flowers all around. The ambiance was pristine, pure, simple yet elegant. The newly-weds after their nikkah ceremony day before (Yes, he was a man who had no qualms converting to Islam) arrived to the venue in a shiny buggy. Sweeping the bride literally off her feet, the groom entered, greeted with sighs and applause. The couple made sure to personally greet the guests. After enjoying a scrumptious food spread, the best was yet to come. Now came the foreign touch where the foreign and desi friends (bride’s maid and the best man) of the couple had not only written a speech in their honour but also

jhatkas the highlight was when the groom showed his desi moves on the dance floor on the song Desi Girl from the Bollywood film Dostana coaxing the bride to join which she obliged. The dancing ended on the one and only song that has taken the world by storm PSY’s Gangnam style. At this moment the elders of the family were also roped in. With the whole family rejoicing and dancing their hearts out we bid farewell to them with a happy heart. We could not help but notice the best thing about this wedding was that here the tables were turned as the significant other not also was seen cherishing the girl and her family but was also found valuing with the language, culture and food – everything that was previously foreign to him.

This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 9

By Nimrah Nadeem

CANVAS

.QRZQ PRVW IRU KLV SKRWRJUDSK\ 7DSX -DYHUL LV D PDQ RI PDQ\ WDOHQWV +H MXJJOHV D SOHWKRUD RI YRFDWLRQV VHHPLQJO\ HIIRUWOHVVO\ IURP SKRWRJUDSK\ WR SDLQWLQJ WR GHVLJQLQJ MHZHOOHU\ $ TXLQWHVVHQWLDOO\ FUHDWLYH LQGLYLGXDO 7DSX LV DOVR D UDGLR MRFNH\ DQG WHDFKHV SKRWRJUDSK\ DW WKH ,QGXV 9DOOH\ 6FKRRO RI $UW DQG $UFKLWHFWXUH +H LV QRW MXVW D EXGGLQJ HQWUHSUHQHXU EXW DQ DUWLVW DW KHDUW ZKR KDV PDQDJHG WR DGKHUH WR KLV RZQ VW\OH DQG LQGLYLGXDOLW\ GHVSLWH WKH DOOXUH RI WKH FRPPHUFLDO It seems as though you got into photography at a very young age, and that there was always this creative spark inside you. Was it difficult for you to choose between, for want of a better phrase, a career more ‘practical’ and being a photographer? Ah, but I am still here, following a practical route, alongside my photography. First of all, jewellery has been a family business for around three hundred years, and apart from that, it’s a creative business, so it has an inkling of art in it, and art is in my family so I did have an art background. I was given a camera when I was nine, and like any child that gets a new toy, I started taking pictures with it, and I didn’t just take pictures, but I got really into it. I created my own darkroom, and started developing my photographs. I was sort of scouted by the Dawn newspaper, and I started photographing for them, and by the age of fourteen, I was working with what I love. You must consider yourself lucky in that regard. I consider myself very lucky. Had my father given me a guitar, what would I have been now? Your reputation precedes you, 10 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

because you’ve made a name for yourself. Do you find yourself being sometimes restricted by that? One, being a photographer, you need anonymity, and when people know you, that’s sort of lost. But it does help in taking pictures. Everybody wants to be photographed by you. So that helps in one way, but the deterrent is that you can’t disappear when you’re in the limelight. Do you find that that sometimes gets in the way of your creative process? Yes, and no. One, if I really wanted to be invisible, I could be. But the thing is that, it does help me, sometimes. First of all, anyone with a camera is not invisible. Particularly in street photography, you have to enter a space, and then you have to wait there, with your camera. And after a while, people ignore you. And that’s how photographers work. They come into a space, they wait the time out, until they blend in and become invisible. Then you can take pictures without anyone bothering you. How has your experience been as a fashion photographer? Fashion, I fell into in the eighties. At that time, fashion had just started here, and it was this wonderful, fun thing. The

people were entertaining. They were all friends of mine, and I already knew them. Frieha was in school with me, and Tariq I knew from way back. So it was a lot like this close knit family, in which everyone had the same direction. They all wanted to promote fashion in some way or the other. And everything was party. You know, shoots were a party. If you had a shoot, everyone got together at Tariq’s house, and there was a model there, a photographer, a make-up artist. So everyone was together, and the shoot just happened. There was a bunch of like-minded people who were willing to push the limit in whatever way. And then, even then, on top of our heads, we had martial law, we had all these restrictions, but the restrictions meant nothing to us. We did it all from the confines of a drawing room. We had this little fashion mafia that lived in this drawing room, and they did anything there. It was very creative. It was later, when fashion left the drawing room, and became spread out all over the place, and it wasn’t as exciting, that I left it.

Was this the point when you felt that commercial appeal was taking something away from your work? Well, all this while, I had not done any commercial work. I mean, I did try commercial work in the beginning, but I was a little too bold for them, and I don’t take people telling me what to do very well, so in the nineties only, I decided “No, I’m not going to do any commercial work.” I did my own thing, and after a while, when you create a name for yourself, you can come back into the commercial market and say “Listen, if you want me, I’m going to do this my way.” By that time, when I came back into commercial work, people wouldn’t argue with what I wanted, so my vision became the vision which was directly translated into the work. It became a completely different story. So, I think it worked out for me to keep quiet and not do commercial work, and then later come back into it when I could. What are your views on the whole art versus craft debate when it comes to photography? That debate should have died in the 1930’s, because it’s really not a debate anymore. Photography is art, end of story. I don’t see it as a tool. For me, a brush is a tool, a camera is a tool, but photography itself is the outcome of those tools. You need to differentiate between good photography and bad photography, other than saying whether it’s art or not art. It’s a debate which should have died by now. It has just dragged on for the past fifty years. It’s very sad. It should just not exist. When a photograph sells for a few million, and a painting sells for a few million, who is to judge which one is art and which one isn’t? Your newest book, Tapulicious 2 was launched just recently at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Would you like to talk about that? I have an incredible archive, because I’ve been archiving everything since day one. I could just let it be, and forget about it, but the idea of taking out that archive, and bringing it back to life, that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m taking all my photographs, turning them into prints, and taking them out. That’s my current project.

12 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

What really got me going was, I remember we were talking about photography in class. All the students were saying “When we study photography in Pakistan, we have to study you and Arif, and there’s nothing for us to see.” I asked them what they meant, and they said that on the net, you know, there are just a few pictures, and they don’t have any books for research. I thought, wait a minute, this is one thing I want to resolve. So that was what really got me going. It sparked the inspiration. You’ve done a lot of fine art photography. Would you like to talk a little about that, your first exhibition, perhaps? Okay, my very first exhibition was me and my sister, and I was doing black and white photography, and hand painting over it. That was an exhibition which, oddly enough, happened when there were riots going on in the city, so hardly anyone was able to see it, other than my family. Then, the same work that I had put in that exhibition, I reworked it, and I showed it to Ali Imam, and he said “I like what you’re doing, and show me more.” It took me three years to put together forty. So then, I put together a huge exhibition of forty prints, and it was a huge success. After that, I did it for a few years more, and all of a sudden, I realized I wanted to do something else, so I stopped. So you keep doing what you love, and trust that it will take you where it will? If you believe in it, everyone else will believe in it. You don’t even have to sell anything. If it stands on its own, let it. You’re juggling a lot more than just two vocations simultaneously. Do you enjoy that? Yes, you sort of compartmentalize your life into sections, and you have to be organized. If you’re not organised, you’ll just get lost. You stray. But the thing is you always have something to fall back to. If I get bored of jewellery, I have my photography to fall back on, if it’s not that, then I have my radio to fall back on. If it’s not that, then it’s painting that I can do. There are a million things. You just spread them out, and everything sort of has its place. Some people would say that the equipment sometimes restricts the

photographer? How do you feel about this notion? I don’t believe the equipment really restricts the photographer. Not anymore. Most of the students have spent money and acquired a camera that was sensible enough to control lighting, focusing, the technical aspect, everything’s done. And you don’t need a DSLR. My phone takes better pictures than a DSLR. That notion is completely moot, and out of the way. You know when I’m teaching, I’m not even worried about whether the pictures are in focus. I’ll tell them if it’s out of focus, but I’m more worried about where they place the object they want to show you, and the composition. So it’s more about composition than it is about the equipment. The worst thing about a lot of our photographers is that they have no inkling of what composition is. They take great pictures but they’re composed so badly. I do, at this point, say that magazines have a lot to do with it. When you compose a picture on an A4 page, and then the magazine decides, no, the jora is more important, and they’ll pull up the thing and recompose the picture, so the entire composition changes. The whole thing really depends on what you’re doing, and what you want to do. What advice would you give to an aspiring photographer or artist? Right now, there are too many photographers, which is a good thing, but only the strong will survive, the strong being those who have one vision, an eye for composition, and secondly, the technical side. The technical side has become so easy, now that digital cameras have computers in them. They take care of almost everything. So the technical side has become not moot, but it’s become a little less important. What is important is composition, and vision. If you have vision, you can do anything. So I would say to a new photographer, look at a million photographers. See whatever you like, put it aside, and say “This is what I like. Maybe this is the direction I should go.” Don’t copy anyone, but at least use that inspiration.

FAST FORWARD

Mohib & Aminah

The Platform launches the film JOSH: A curtain raiser to support emerging Pakistani film-makers. Iram Parveen Bilal with Friends

Aly Khan, Rubina Ashraf & Sangeeta

Adnan, Iram, Mohib and Aminah

Jarjees Seja, Iram Parveen Bilal & Nadeem Mandviwalla

Noman Masood

The Platform is a collective effort of Nadeem Mandviwalla and Jarjees Seja. It has been created to showcase movies being made by young Pakistani filmmakers in pursuit of their dreams to make a contribution to Pakistani cinema and to share their fresh and unique vision of the world, whether it be new, risky, controversial or game-changing. The Platform recently held the curtain raiser of Pakistan’s latest movie, Josh (Against the Grain). The chief guest of the event was renowned film star/director Madam Sangeeta. The glitzy affair was attended by the media, the entire cast and crew of the movie and other guests. Speaking about her debut feature film, Josh, Iram Parveen Bilal, the film’s writer, director, and producer said, “Being a newcomer in local cinema, coming from an unrelated rigorous science background and with no prior industry connections, I was fortunate to have this opportunity. We are honored to be selected as the curtain raiser film for The Platform. My first feature film, JOSH, is set to hit cinemas this Eid-ul-Fitr, Insha Allah. This one is for you, the underdog, and of course, my team!”

Humayun & Aly

Talking about the philosophy behind The Platform, Nadeem Mandviwalla, said, “With the launch of The Platform, we want to play our part to help revive Pakistani cinema in a hope that maybe some of these young dreams will find their wings and soar high in the sky and maybe their flight will become the much needed beacon of light and will breathe new life into the Pakistani cinema.” Commenting on the occasion, Mohammad Jerjees Seja, CEO, ARY Digital Network said, “The establishment of The Platform is the proof of the fact that we have faith in the potential of our youth and we are convinced that sometimes all they need is a platform to show their magic to the world and share their art with others. With movie culture becoming popular in Pakistan, I think it is the perfect time to showcase movies of an alternative genre to the niche market. With The Platform, we want to give the movie lovers a chance to get inspired and believe in new possibilities. The movie Josh is a case in point at the moment; hence it became our movie of choice for curtain raiser at our launch event. Movies like Josh are a testimony to the high potential of young Pakistani film-makers.”

THE PARTY IS ON

One of Pakistan’s leading high-street brands COCO launches their first standalone flagship store in Lahore located at Mall 94 on Main Boulevard. Photo Courtesy: Pinhole Studios

Saad Ali, Maheen Kardar Ali, Zara Shahjahan and Naila Bhatti

Fashion designer Nida Azwer launched her first standalone flagship store Nida Azwer Atelier in Lahore. Located at the newly constructed La Societe building on M.M. Alam Road the store offers the brand’s complete range of women’s wear products, including their coveted prét line ‘The White Label’, stitched Nida Azwer lawn, kids-wear along with formal and bridal wear. Event management of Nida Azwer’s first Standalone store by Savy PR and PR by Lotus. Samsung Electronics Pakistan announced the launch of fourth generation GALAXY S 4 designed to get you closer to what matters in life and bring your world together.

Mohsin Ali , Frieha Altaf & Fahad Hussayn

Sukhbir’s performance

14 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

Nida with her Parents

Arjumand Bano & Natasha Hussain

COCO Store 1

Sehr, Sara, Aalia, Nida and Umama

Sania Maskatiya launches her first stand alone flagship store in Lahore on M.M.Alam Road. The flagship store stocks all Sania Maskatiya lines and specific collections, from her popular block prints, embroideries and every day kurtas along with evening couture and formal wear as well as her recent collection ‘Naqsh’ showcased at FPW 5.

Mr. John Park & Mr. Roy Chang

Mr & Mrs Saleem Sheikh

Umair Tabani & Sania Maskatiya

THE PARTY IS ON

With a line-up of almost 26 designers the pioneering Pakistan Fashion Council, presented Fashion Pakistan Week 5, 2013 – a platform that endeavors to promote Pakistan’s seasoned and new aspiring fashion talent both on the domestic and international platform. Credits: Choreographed by: Catwalk Event Management & Productions Make-up and styling: Saba Ansari and her team at Sabs Official photography: Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly Official media partners: Hum TV PR: Lotus Client Management and Public Relations

Deepak & Fahad

Sania Maskatiya

Gul Ahmed

Lux Style Award’s winner in the category of best music video director, Adnan Malik has teamed up with the best emerging talent winner in the music category, Bambu Sauce to produce the cracking adrenalin–pumping music My Punjabi Love for you. An evocative and propulsive experimental music video/experimental film hybrid, which tells a story of a young rural wife who attempts to overcome the challenges faced by independent women in a male dominated society. The video features Aamina Sheikh as Parveen Bano, Adnan Jaffar as the twisted landlord and Rizwan Ali Jaffri as the hopeless husband. Attended by an energetic crowd the video premier was organized by Catalyst PR & Marketing. The event also marked the launch of AMP, A Boutique Media Production House that has produced award-winning projects, including the Lux Style Award winning Mera Bichra Yaar and the multiple award–winning short film Bijli. The company AMP’s ethos is driven by a desire to integrate cutting edge global sensibilities with culturally entrenched ideas to provide quality visual media, across all mediums.

Ahsan Najmi, Sara Taher Khan, Sarah Najmi Bilgrami & Saher Taher Khan

Tutu Najmi & Noor Jehan Bilgrami

Bunto Kazmi & Alizay

YOC’A - Trousseau Collection

Pakistan’s premier home couture brand YOC’A, unveiled their exclusive Trousseau Collection 2013, showcasing an exemplary pairing of both contemporary and heritage pieces. This mix of furniture, although primarily for newlyweds had something for everyone as the styles presented by YOC’A’s artists; Sarah, Ahsan and Zayd were diverse and appealed to varying tastes. The show included furniture, fabrics and art and lighting carefully selected for all rooms of the house. The collection focused on the trend of pairing more casually finished pieces with opulent ones to create a dynamic yet luxurious look that is affordable. Based in a color palette of soothing grey and beiges, the collection infused hints of color like emerald green. Metals such as brass, steel and expensive stones were also added on some of the heirloom pieces. This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 15

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PBCW-A Star Studded Affair One of the biggest events of Pakistan’s fashion industry, it is Pantene Bridal Couture Week 2013. The three-day event saw the most exquisite designs to the most beautiful bridal collections, not only from the top names of our fashion industry, amounting to 18 designers but one Indian designer as well. With bridal-wear the main focus, the week also had celebrity showstoppers, spectacular dance performances choreographed by Body Beat Productions and Fuzon’s performance, which added even more charm to the fashion week. 'D\ $QMDOHH $UMXQ .DSRRU ,QGLD

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THE PARTY IS ON

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(Day 1) Sania Maskatiya

(Day 2) Ayesha Hashwani

(Day 3) Rizwan Beyg

(Day 4) Khaadi Khaas

(Day 1) Misha Lakhani

(Day 2) Ittehad

(Day 3) Sana Safinaz

(Day 4) Ali Xeeshan

(Day 1) Tapu Javeri

(Day 2) Lala

(Day 3) Adnan Pardesy

(Day 4) HSY

This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 17

Engro Foods’ flagship brand Olper’s unveiled its new and innovative packaging formats using holographic technology to create a 3D simulation. The new packaging formats include a new format for the region that employs Ecolean technology for 250ml and Tetra Edge for one litre pack thus preserving the nutrition and goodness of the products and providing maximum utility to the consumers. Afnan Ahsan, CEO Engro Foods

An inter-active session

Asma Aziz, Marketing & PR Manager, Intel South Asia with Talea Zafar and Rabia Garib of Toffee TV

Intel-Pakistan organized an interactive session at Kidz Klub with toddlers and parent bloggers, entitled ‘Toddlers and Technology,’ to focus on how the touch-generation could benefit from technology and how it positively impacts the quality of life. The event also showcased some of the latest high tech touch devices; latest Tablets, All-in-One PCs all powered by Intel processors.

Nida Azwer launched her First flagship store ‘Atelier’ in Karachi, marking her second store nationwide. The store feature the label’s coveted prét line ‘The White Label’, a trendy and chic prêt a porter line designed keeping in mind the contemporary woman who shops for clothes that are wearable, price accessible and in line with modern trends.

Sheraton Karachi Hotel hosted the acclaimed theatre play Dhaani by ArtTainment Productions at the Arts Council. With the who’s who of Karachi’s financial and corporate world in attendance, it was a way for Sheraton to thank its valued clients and partners. To make the night even more memorable, a photo wall was set up where guests had their photos taken.

Shanaz Ismail with Nida at the ribbon cutting ceremony

Sheraton team with their guests

Since her label’s inception in 2011, Ayesha Hasan officially marks her entry in the world of fashion by holding an exhibition of her Spring/Summer 2013 Semi-formal and Casual collection with work that stood out from the rest. With intricate gota, marrori, wasli, resham, zardozi hand-work on wearable cuts, her clothes are reputed for being different, traditional, and timelessly elegant.

Following the launch of their Karachi flagship store in Dolmen Mall, renowned designer duo Sana Hashwani and Safinaz Muneer launched their brand’s first standalone flagship store in Lahore. The new store stocks their coveted embroidered lawn, stitched lawn and silk tunic collections. It also features an assortment of accessories such as jewelry, belts and scarves as well as their trendy footwear and designer handbag series which are available in a diverse range of colours. The flagship store also features Sana Safinaz’ acclaimed ‘Urban Chic’ collection which was recently showcased at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2013 and their ‘Resort Chic’ collection which was presented during Fashion Pakistan Week 5. Sana Hashwani, Safinaz Muneer and Sehyr Saigol

Ayesha Hasan with models

By Uzma Mazhar

AUDITORIUM

The Shenanigans of a Relationship These are the stories of two couples in two different situations. One is a man and wife who divorce after fifteen years of marriage to find empathy when given space. The other couple is imprisoned in their own castle of loneliness and despite the clash of personalities and age difference find solace and love in each other’s company. The NAPA repertory took to stage these stories presenting stellar plays. One written by distinguished Indian playwright Javed Siddiqi titled Salgirah whereas the other Shaam Bhi Thi Dhuan Dhuan an Urdu translation by Rafiq Anjum of a Russian drama written by Aleksei Arbuzov was enacted by Rahat Kazmi and Nyla Jaffry and directed by Zia Mohyeddin. Here is what the female protagonist Nyla Jaffry had to say about the plays. As an actor what were the challenges of portraying two different characters with opposing sensibilities back to back? The biggest challenge was throwing my voice on stage. My predicament was how effectively I could make the audience differentiate between two different characters with opposing sensibilities through the natural range of my voice. Even though I have done theatre where one gets a break in between scenes here there was no break hence the other challenge was not to mix-up the two characters while performing. Personally when I do a character it encompasses me for ages here I had to deal with two. Then to perform in a totally different medium to what I am used to, was another challenge but performing for NAPA became a great learning process. Perfecting the lines and not forgetting it was an issue I was quite nervous about. This was the first time in my life that I had to learn the lines by heart of two opposing characters and plays to be performed in one go for two hours. But I had faith in god and of course in Zia sahib and Rahat sahib that if I lagged behind these two would pull me out of it. 20 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

With a two person cast how difficult was it to keep the audience engaged for two hours? It was difficult to keep the audience engaged but the script was the king as both the plays were written by the masters in their own right. The dialogues, its flow and the storyline had it all. The audience was bound to get engaged. As far as mine and Rahat sahib’s performance goes I personally was relying on the director Zia sahib because when you have Zia Mohyeuddin holding the reins one doesn’t have to worry. The fact that the audience do not get to see the development of the story as the performers are in a post-action phase where things have already happened how did you achieve not going overboard with gestures/ mannerisms? A three month rehearsal without a break did the trick. Every day rehearsal was an exam which I definitely did not want to fail. The result had to be in flying colours. It was indeed very difficult to stay conscious of both the characters characteristics while being constantly on stage and to do a controlled performance. It is natural

that you aren’t able to pay attention to all the nitty-gritty of a performance and one can miss a move but I would say prayers, hard work and Zia Sahib who guided us step by step and literally imbedded the characters in our system. Both the plays not only touched upon the physical side of a relationship but the psychological aspect of being human so how much of a conscious effort was put into portraying the human psyche or did it come naturally to you? When you spend a great amount of time just being immersed in the character you are portraying day in and day out living as Sonali of Salgirah and Umma Rai of Shaam Bhi … understanding the psyche was bound to happen. Personally I have seen the ups and downs of life so for me I could easily relate to both the women. That said there were many aspects of the character which I am not for example the way Umma tried to woo Dr. Parthu Saniyal (Rahat Kazmi) I wouldn’t. For the character of Sonali I could relate to it more as I have been divorced so I could understand the dynamics of such a relationship. In short both the characters just flowed through my heart and I could so relate to many of the aspects of these roles. In Salgirah the writer all along argues that it’s the quality of a relationship that matters and not the number of years put into it even if it means being divorced. So can one say that the institution of marriage has become redundant? To an extent in today’s day and age the institution of marriage has become a bit redundant. People seem to have lost patience. On the other hand I would say don’t be stuck with each other if one feels it is not working? Some stay together because of the children but one must realize that a house where there is constant bickering will effect very negatively on a child’s psyche. Hanging on to an unstable relationship is like

killing two souls along with affecting your near and dear ones. It is true that sometimes you realize the value of a relationship or other relationships around you when you go your separate ways. The other play, Shaam Bhi Thi Dhuaan Duaan emphasized that love is the spice that adds years to life and opposites attract. Your comments? It is true that opposites attract but basically I feel that Umma initially started liking Dr. Parthu and made a conscious effort to know him. Love does add years to a relationship so what if love comes to you when you are fifty plus. Do go ahead open your mind, heart and doors to happiness. Age shouldn’t be an issue what is important is respect, trust and the importance given to each other. If that is there then being together is the most beautiful thing. It gives meaning to a relationship. Love is life and a beautiful feeling and without it a person is incomplete. So say yes to love! The lighting and sets done by Anjum Ayaz complemented both the stories perfectly but as an actor how do these elements help or hinder a performance? Of course lights and the set help elevate a performance and support the story. These elements can effectively portray the emotions that a character is going through. While rehearsing these elements are not there. The ambiance and feeling is not there hence it’s an incomplete picture. Personally as an actor it did help me during a performance. Last but not the least how was it working with the great thespian Zia Mohyeuddin? It may be considered a scary experience to work with such a great thespian by some but when you respect and love the person and his body of work, being scared is natural. It was a lovely experience working with Zia Mohyeuddin. In our country you will

not find one person like Zia sahib who is not only committed to his craft a visionary but knows the finer nuances and details of a performance at the back of his hand. While directing us he gave the utmost attention to diction, movements, music, costume, lights in short everything that encompasses a performance. One can see the difference of performing with a master as opposed to a person having an amateurish view. I consider myself very lucky that I got an opportunity to work with him.

This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 21

By Uzma Mazhar

TELLY TUBE

Marriage is a gamble, be it love or arranged. It is said that a successful marriage depends on two things – first finding the right person and second, being the right person. What matters at the end of the day is if a couple can live in harmony and peace, even if they are two individuals who may be utterly different from each other – like cheese and chalk. A relationship based on mutual trust and understanding is the key to success. Much like any ordinary couple, showbiz couples are no different. Putting forth a simple question we asked the celebrities what are the ingredients that make a marriage work and does marriage seal the bond of love? Here is what some celebrity couples had to say about marital bliss.

Tehmina Khalid and Khalid Anam “For us it was a love marriage. There are many aspects that make a marriage work. For one we are always there for each other. What matters most is respecting each other’s individuality and accepting the way each person is without trying to change their nature. Having tolerance, being broad minded, caring, and supportive. Giving space to each other is utmost important. Having common aims and dreams, one can go on and on”.

Aijazz Aslam and Sabeen Jaan “Of course, marriage seals the bond of love but for those who value relationships and compromise at times to improve the relationship. Marriage gives meaning to a relationship that stems out of love. Over the years love makes the bond stronger only when you care for each other and are ready to listen and support your better half. That is the point where two people become inseparable and incomplete without each other”.

Nadia Hussain and Atif Khan “Marriage is a start in that direction and the bond gets stronger as time passes by. It is truly wonderful when there is love and you are married to the person you love. And what makes a marriage work? Plenty of love to start with. Then having trust, understanding and giving space to each other. We would also say honesty to the point of being cruel, and respect for the other’s views and values. Believe it or not humour is also an important ingredient in a marriage for it to work”.

22 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

Meera Ansari and Amaan Ahmed “Long lasting love comes with time. Marriage is probably the beginning of a real lifetime love. Love before marriage is a blend of what you have seen in movies or heard from people. It is a combination of ideas but when you enter marriage you are living everyday with each other. If you survive living with each other with all the differences and at the end of the day you still love each other than that is an achievement. But more than anything, we would say that such a relationship is all about friendship and showing respect to each other”.

Hasan Rizvi and Hina Ramzi “Ours was a love marriage of course so the bond of love is signed and sealed. The ingredients that make a marriage work are quite easy. They are : 4 cups trust, + 2 cups care + 3 cups understanding + ½ cup space add to it 3 cups of affection and 8 cups of compromise. Also what works is being supportive of one’s ambitions and that stems primarily from us being great friends”.

Zhalay Sarhadi and Amir Anees “It was completely a love marriage. In a marriage understanding, trust, and acceptance are the three basic elements along with love and comprise. Both the wife and husband should be fair to each other’s aspirations to make this institution work. It is an individualistic experience and every situation is difficult. Good communication and consideration of each other’s needs is also important. No formula works for all but there are many points that one has to learn along the way. All one knows is if you want to make it work you can”.

Salman Saqib (Mani) and Hira Jamal “Yes, marriage does seal the bond of love. Before marriage life is all about roaming around aimlessly. After getting married you want to run back home to spend time with your partner. You feel grounded and bonded together. The relationship surely becomes signed, sealed and forever. Marriage is all about trust, being honest and true to the person you love. Marriage requires a certain commitment and taking each other’s opinion seriously”.

Sunita Marshall and Hasan Ahmed “Marriage truly and absolutely seals the bond of love. It’s all about understanding one’s state of mind and trusting the other person. We would call love and marriage a vast pool of togetherness. The basic thing is to understand each other’s needs and opinions and to be honest with each other”.

This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 23

By Zulfiqar Ramzi

SILVER SCREEN

Chambaili – An Arty Affair

Does art really reflect life? That is a question which has been discussed for longer that I care to remember, with no certain answer. Watching the latest Pakistani film Chambaili led to this debate in my mind and here’s how I have tried to answer this question.

The recently released Pakistani film Chambaili, has received more than a fair share of interest by the public and has performed well at the box office, putting to rest the myth of obscurantist from the filmy circles, that due to the plethora of Indian films being screened local

proved most pundits wrong. The story of a group of friends comprising overseas Pakistani, insulated residents and fire brand activists and the committed journalist called Moosa (Ehteshamuddin) who is willing to take on the established status quos of

movies don’t stand a chance. The film could not have been timed for release at a more opportune or unfortunate time depending on which side of divide one is on. The only certainty is that it has

phirons. Citizens of Falakbad confronted by events that force them to wake up from their slumber the turning point comes when Moosa is shot and killed while leading a hunger strike by vested

24 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

interest, land mafia, religious bigots, and political opportunists. Shahzad Nawaz (Saif ) also the writer and producer then takes on the mantel of leadership, using a sceptre the symbolism of which is not lost on the audience. The story tracks their hopes, desires, fears and insecurities impacting their lives. Losing friends and lovers along the way to help in raising awareness within them that every member of society is capable and responsible for its self and can bring about change. Not boasting of any crowd pulling stars it has some seasoned actors who justify their presence. Appreciable is also the attention paid to details such as the flags, car number plates, the costumes. The situations are also realistic and many may identify with them, even if they haven’t personally experienced them but heard about them from friends and media. Some of the dialogues are inspiring which many in the audience appreciated by applauding during the showing Having said that, the film does tend to become clichéd and drags on at times and seems like a promotional video of a political party contesting the recently concluded elections in the country. Some have argued that it was produced for that simple reason. Having no star power in the cast it becomes monotonous at times, which could have been handled by slicker editing and trimming it by twenty to thirty minutes.

It has to be said that whatever its short comings it has generated enough interest for niche market films by attracting audiences who have appreciated the effort of the makers. The film has been ground breaking in that it is one of first so to say art movies to have been given wide release. I am sure that the response it has received will encourage other young and upcoming film makers continue with their dreams. At the end I just would like to caution the dream merchants of the future not to get trapped in a vortex of anti politician, wadera, feudal themes, like many of our televisions plays have become revolving around the same basic story line. The future holds promise and untold reward. If you are wagering your talent on your dreams... don’t err on the side of caution.

Carrying the tag line ‘Fragrance of Freedom’ released under the banner of Geo Films Chambaili is termed as an unforgettable saga of courage, romance and sacrifice of a group of friends who are led by circumstances and incidences to find themselves at the crossroads of fate. Chambaili is the brainchild of director Ismail Jillani, who has worked for a leading private channel earlier and produced famous documentaries and shows like ‘George Ka Pakistan’. The film is produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Shahzad Nawaz who has also written the film as well as penned the screenplay. This fiction saga comprises a stellar cast of old and new actors namely Salmaan Peerzada, Khalid Ahmed, Maira Khan, Shafqat Cheema, Omair Rana, Sadia Hayat, Saiqa Khayyam, Ali Tahir, Ehteshamuddin, Khalid Qureshi, Fatima, Ali Fateh, Humayun Bin Rathor and Shahzad Nawaz with a special guest appearance by Ghulam Mohiuddin. With the country passing through a critical time the makers feel that such films were the need of the hour. Containing powerful dialogues that are imbedded with patriotism the main aim of the makers is to awaken the love and enthusiasm among the masses for their homeland. The banner Geo Films through this movie hopes to infuse a new life to the Pakistani cinema and consider it to be an important step towards the restoration of Pakistani cinema in the country.

This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 25

RADIO TUNES

No Pakistani wedding can be complete without dance and music. Let’s take a look back at some of the classic songs that were a part of our wedding culture. Here’s to celebration. When we talk about Pakistani weddings music plays an integral part in the festivities. There was always live music be it shehnai, dhol or flute and then we had the women of the family singing tappe on the beat of dholak. And who can forget the infamous song Maine tumhri gager se kabhi pani piya tha, sung by Alamgir and ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡

other songs sung by our artists on which the girls would play dandiya. With the advent of technology and our fast paced lives, the music and songs seem to have become a thing of the past. But today with people having a week of festivity for their weddings and holding multiple dholkis/mehndi to sing and dance it’s

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time to revive the songs that were once a rage. They may be very common songs that are sung or played during wedding celebrations but the basic idea is to have fun and make it a contest match between parties from groom’s side and bride’s side. And it is always entertaining and amusing. Here’s a list of some of the ever green wedding songs to add to your music list:

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05 With a string of successful literature festivals organized by Oxford University Press (OUP), this time round the team went to Islamabad. With the first two-day Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF) held at Margala Hotel Islamabad. ILF was inaugurated by Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark (Head of EU delegation to Pakistan). The festival brings together and celebrates authors writing in diverse languages, genres and traditions. With seventy leading fiction and non-fiction English and Urdu writers, poets and prominent speakers present at the ILF who also interacted with the participants estimated to be over 15,000 attending thirty-five sessions. The festival featured debates, discussions, lectures, mushairah, a book fair, book launches, readings, signing, comedy, satire, theatre and more. The highlight of the festival was the participation of youth, who showed keen interest in literary and current affairs issues.

06

Captions Islamabad Literature Festival given below:

03

(01): Speakers at the Inauguration: (L-R) Asif Farrukhi, Ameena Saiyid and Kamila Shamsie.

07

(02): Book Launch Session: Ghazal-e-Shab speakers were Mustansir Hussain Tarar and Ahmed Shah. (03): Dastan aur Shairi - Readings from Urdu Classics: with speakers (L-R) Intizar Husain, Asif Farrukhi and Zehra Nigah. (04): A talk on Pakistan on the Brink: with speakers Rashed Rahman and Ahmed Rashid.

04

(05): A session on Youtube - Supporting the Electronic Media: with speakers Taimur Rahman, Ali Aftab Saeed, Raza Rumi and Osman Khalid Butt.

08

(06): In Conversation with Kamila Shamsie with moderator Shehryar Fazli. (07): The session on Readings and Conversation with Mohammed Hanif with moderator Navid Shahzad. (08): A session on Popular TV Dramay Main Hum Kia Dekhtay Hain: speakers were (L-R) Seema Taher Khan, Amjad Islam Amjad, Agha Nasir and Shahid Nadeem. This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 27

By Sara Ashraf

GASTRONOMY

,W LV IHVWLYH FHOHEUDWRU\ DQG VSHOOV ODYLVKQHVV 6WUDLJKW IURP WKH NLWFKHQV RI WKH DQFLHQW VXE FRQWLQHQW¡V DULVWRFUDF\ RU WKH 0RJKXO (PSHURUV WKH 0XJKODL &XLVLQH LV NQRZQ IRU LWV ULFKQHVV :LWKRXW D GRXEW 0XJKODL &XLVLQH GRPLQDWHV RXU IRRG FXOWXUH DQG D PXVW PHQX LQ RXU ZHGGLQJV Mughlai food produced in the kitchens of the Royals of the Mughal Empire carries a strong influence of Turkish and Persian cuisines. The Muslims of western Asia brought the Mughlai cuisine in the 12th century when Mughal rulers conquered the subcontinent. During the mughal dynasty dishes were prepared for the Mughal Emperors for elegant dining

with dry fruits and nuts. The hospitality of sharing food with others in Mughal courtly society helped the subcontinent to absorb it as its own while making the cuisine to stand apart with pride. When Babur invaded he brought his distinctive cuisine with him such as grilled meats along with different varieties of fruits and nuts from Central Asia. His son Humayun continued this tradition and also introduced a new tradition of rice-

based pulo and using of fruits and nuts in the meat. Marriages of Mughal rulers to several Rajput princesses added a new dimension to the Mughal cuisines. The reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, marked the evolvement of bountiful dishes in the cuisine. In the mean time, the Nizams of 28 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

Hyderabad Deccan developed Biryani as their own style of cooking, which is now considered as one of the main dishes in the subcontinent. It is well known that the kings and nawabs of the Mughal era were very fond of delicious food and would even reward their chefs for new innovations. The Mughals brought with them many exotic spices. Hence, the cuisine has a distinct aroma and taste of ground and whole spices and the food is famous for the exotic use of spices, dried fruit and nuts. The spices used more often range from being very spicy, hot and mild.

Mughlai dishes are also characterized by rich and creamy curries offering an amazingly delicious variety of food ranging from hot spicy shorba or soup to ginger based roasted meats to kulfi with rose petals sprinkled on it. Cream and milk are two common ingredients that are used in almost all Mughlai dishes. Wheat and rice are the main staples in the cuisine along with meat being an important component. A Mughlai course is an elaborate buffet of main course dishes with a

variety of accompaniments. The names of the dishes are quite often Persian, as it was the official language of the Mughal court. Among various Mughlai foods, most of them are not only very popular but are on our fingertips. From Biryanifried rice containing finely chopped pieces of meat flavored with various spices to Chicken tikka- boneless pieces of chicken marinated in a mix of lemon juice, curry powder, tomato paste, ground coriander, paprika, curd, finely chopped garlic cloves, butter and ground cumin, and cooked on coal. The scrumptious bit doesn’t end here. The cuisine with their delicately flavorful, rich smooth sauces include Navratan korma, Nihari,

Shahi Rogan Josh, Pasandas, Malai Kofta, Reshmi Kabab, Shami Kabab, Seekh Kabab, Boti Kabab and the wonderfully fragrant Pulao. Among desserts Shahi Tukra, which is a rice based bread pudding flavored with cardamom and enriched with dry fruits or Kesari Firni also a rice based sweet dish streaked with Saffron to Gulabjamun, Barfi, Kulfi, Kalakand, Sheer Korma and Falooda are highly popular even today. With the world cuisine at our doorstep one cannot deny the traditionally delicious and alluring Mughlai food on our table and festivities.

By Naema Sultan

LANDSCAPE

use different means to show their individuality. The concept of a thematic wedding is not new, but now people have become daring enough to use innovative ideas in various functions of the wedding. When celebrating a special occasion half the fun is in designing it, and here the arranger’s creativity is put to the real test. If you are looking for ways to make your wedding reception unforgettable for your guests, having a theme wedding is a great alternative. When deciding to undergo a theme wedding first you must define who you are as a couple. Explore what you enjoy doing as a couple or the favourite things you have in common. If over done, it can come across as cheesy. However, if executed correctly, theme weddings can be chic and modern while expressing the personality of the bride and groom. Professional wedding planners can help you in getting thematic wedding and mehndi décor according to your liking, imagination and preference. Here are five top thematic wedding and mehndi décor:

Rose Theme: This backdrop is best for those who want to give a romantic touch to their wedding. In this theme, one can use fresh red colour roses to decorate the stage. Along with colour red other complementary colours such as soft shades of pink, red or blue can be added. Adding more chic to it one can place clear glass bowels with water along with a sprinkle of rose petals in it. One can also give a touch by adding some rose shaped floating candles in to the water. Rose bouquets can also be used in this theme to add more style. Village Theme: It is noted that most people prefer to arrange their wedding in

the more traditional way, which has its own authentic look.Village theme is one of the most popular mehndi themes. One can merge village setup with the event requirements by using traditional village seating setup, clay pots, painted floors, dazzling hangings. Designers use specific colors and, reception

stage décor for this theme. Twilight Theme: This theme is considered quite suitable for the valima reception. With many brides preferring to wear white on this occasion the more elegant and dreamy look is best situated. Fluffy white feathers, cherubs, Grecian columns and urns, and of course, fairy wings are some of the accessories that can be used to bring life to this theme. White rose and motia with the combination of white and gold accents and a soft ivory or silver colour with lilac and white accents provide an elegant touch. Mughal Theme: Very popular when it comes to our weddings and mehndi events. Traditional yet luxurious the

concept can depict the Mughal dynasty, the Taj Mahal or Qila setups giving a huge and lavish look to the function. The use of Shahi Takht (couches) with glass work and Bolster Pillow (Gao Takiya) give it a more authentic look. There is a massive use of floral arrangement in these setups. One can make it more stylish by using long curtains; large vases and a long walk way. The setup and food too can be given the mughlai touch by using Shahi dishes and darbaar uniform for waiters.

Arabic Theme: This theme is also considered one of the luxurious themes for our weddings. Everyone knows that Arabic style is a decorative style that uses many decorative accessories. It may look crowded at a glance but it all depends on how you use the ideas. Low height seatings, metal trays and table tops, large vases and decoration pieces for centre pieces, heavy chandeliers and canopies styles are the best part of this décor. This theme involves the use of an efficient lighting system consisting of lights of many beautiful colours giving it an amazing look.

STYLE STORY

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STYLE STATEMENT

Designer: 6DDL E\ 6DKDU $WLI 22-A-E-1, Gulberg 3, Lahore, Pakistan Also available at the PFDC, and at Fashion Pakistan Lounge (Lahore); Melange (Islamabad); Ogaan (New Delhi) Mbl: Website: KWWS ZZZ VDDLFRQFHSWV FRP Photography: $VKLK &KDZOD ,QGLD

Hair and Makeup: 1HZ 'HOKL ,QGLD

Bridal Rhapsody Encrusted with embellishments, Sanori by Sadia Syed creates a collection of formal wear in georgette with layers of jamawar. A collection in subtle colours with zardozi, kora and dabka work along with diamante and pearls weaves a rich and vibrant feel.

Designer: Sanori by Sadia Syed By Appointment Only Ph: 021-34537156 Hair & Make-up: Asma Nadeem at Illusion Salon B-64 Block 3 Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi Mbl: 0305-3171491 Studio No 17 Rufi Heaven 13-D, 2 Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi Mbl: 0336-2300140 www.facebook.com/illusion.asmanadeem Jewellery: Anum Yazdani Colour Metal Level 3 Shop# 331 Park Towers, Clifton, Karachi. Ph: 021-35834113 www.facebook.com/anumyazdani Photography: Zia Zuberi Mbl: 0300-2345871 Model: Konain

SHE'S GOT THE LOOK Presenting four different looks by Nighat Misbah at Depilex that are classic yet elegant for a beautiful you.

Hair & Make-up: Nighat Misbah @Depilex 3/54, Sirajuddaullah Road, Block-3, Bahadurabad, Karachi. Ph: 021-34858781-2 www.depilexonline.com Photography: Shahbaz Shazi Model: Ayyan

STYLE STATEMENT

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Designer: International Foundation and Garments (IFG) Available at Intimate Fashions Bahadurabad, Clifton, Haideri in Karachi and Islamabad Hair & Make – up: Farzana Mirza Photography: Zia Zuberi Model: Urooj

By Sara Ashraf

HISTORY & PAST

Historic Hideaway A typical honeymooner planning a honeymoon trip abroad may want to enjoy the sun, sand and beach along with loads of shopping, but what they would really be looking forward to would be the privacy that they craved for during the wedding hullabaloo. We at Fortnight suggest adding a little adventure to your trip by exploring the historic aspect of your chosen destination. Here we recommend the pearl of the Indian Ocean – Sri Lanka! Formerly known as Ceylon, the tropical island nation of Sri Lanka has a history dating back to the birth of time. It is a place where the original soul of Buddhism still flourishes and where nature’s beauty remains abundant and unspoiled. It is a culturally rich country, offering a remarkable combination of stunning landscapes, pristine beaches, captivating cultural heritage and unique experiences. Though the whole of Sri Lanka waits to be explored, we have short listed three spots, namely Colombo, Kandy and Kandalama. COLOMBO: The economic capital of the country, Colombo is a mix of old and new. A tour around the city reveals interesting contrast between the old 52 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

world charm of the colonial buildings and modern architecture in the form of skyscrapers. A visit to Colombo Fort would enable one to identify the consequences of the past colonial rule. Many of the buildings are influenced by Dutch, Portuguese and British architecture dating as far back as the 1700’s. For the shopaholics, Cargill’s Departmental Store Colombo Fort is a must visit. You can’t possibly visit Sri Lanka without experiencing the temples. One of Colombo’s most important Buddhist temples, the Gangaramaya Temple is a site with a particularly eclectic mix of the architectural design on display. Established during Sri Lanka’s 19th century Buddhist revival, it is not merely

a temple but a centre for vocational training. Another temple, the Kelaniya Royal Temple carries a legend that the Buddha was invited by the Naga king to partake in a meal on the spot where the temple is presently built. It is believed that Buddha’s hair, the utensils used to consume the meal and the seat used are all buried under the temple. The Belanwilla royal temple has the roots of the sacred Bodhi tree (sacred fig tree) that is one of the thirty-two saplings that sprung from the fruits of the sacred Bo-tree located in Anuradhapura. This ancient temple displays a variety of elaborate statues of the Lord Buddha and the walls of the temple are decorated with murals depicting the life of the Lord Buddha from birth through to enlightenment.

KANDY: Kandy is a city that moves on with the changing world. But no matter how much it changes, this splendid city continues to protect and sustain its unique legacy. Historically the seat of the Kings of Sri Lanka, the city of Kandy is synonymous with beauty and magnificence and remains to be one of the most sacred places for Buddhism in the world. Built around a picturesque lake, Kandy is surrounded on three sides by dense woodland. Many of the legends and folklore that have shaped the history of the country are lovingly preserved here. Nowhere is this more evident than at the majestic Temple of the Tooth Relic, Sri

Lanka’s most sacred temple, where the Buddha’s tooth is preserved. KANDALAMA: Buried deep in the jungle, Kandalama is a beautifully serene city that boasts top-class resorts where one can relax, rest and feel one with nature. Situated 148 km east of Colombo is the Dambulla cave temple also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. It is a World Heritage Site certainly the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. Major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings related to Lord Buddha and his life. These series of five caves is

Gangaramaya Temple

decorated with impressive painted walls and ceilings, and contain a colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of the rock. But the best is yet to come: a must visit at Kandalama, the Sigiriya Rock Fortress, which dates back 1,500 years. A citadel of unusual beauty, the rock fortress rises up to 200 meters into the air, and although the climb is exhausting, the view at the top is well worth it. Say cheers to your adventurous spirit and Sri Lanka the multi-faceted holiday retreat that offers many different settings, climates and backdrops, all within reasonable distance from each other.

Colombo Fort

Kandy Temple of the Tooth

Sigiriya Rock Fortress

The Kelaniya Royal Temple

By M. Hanif Raza

JOURNEYS

The high hills, the low valleys, the fog and serenity all around spell what Dadar Valley is all about. Taking a leaf from the past the following article published in This Fortnight in Pakistan’s September 1966 issue gives a detailed view of Dadar Valley some 35 miles from Abbottabad in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Fog was rising from the low valleys and the hills were gradually fading away and disappearing in the fog. The air was cool and dry, the sunshine was weakened by the fog and its brightness was much reduced. My desire of having a bird’s eye view from the tip of Shimla Hill and getting a pan shot was thus defeated by nature. I was still at the top of the hill, a little disappointed, as the beauty of the view was marred by the fog. Many bright houses perched on the slopes of various hills were glistening in the weakened sun. The lush green background which normally enhanced the beauty of these houses was missing. Yet it was a strange view as things lay wrapped up in yellowish fog which was thickening minute by minute, and thus turning the scene different than normal and making it more mysterious. Then it reminded me of June as the hills and valleys of Abbottabad are normally grey during these months and I remembered well that it was September when I visited the place last year. The rains of August had turned everything green and pleasant. 54 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

I then turned towards Dadar Valley which is about 35 miles from Abbottabad. A fifteen minute drive the road presented to the eyes a beautiful view. On both sides of the road there stood hundreds of beautiful, tall and slim trees in two straight lines, stretched away as far as the eyes could see. The local populace calls these trees as Supaida. Soon I was at Mansehara, sipping tea in the long red roofed corridor of the Mansehara rest house. This rest house situated on the top of a small flat hill is in fact an interesting place. It presents two charming yet contrasting views. On the one side of it down in the valley can be seen the Mansehara town. Beautiful houses of various colours and sizes set in the deep green ground, and the whole town looks like a lunge bed of multi coloured flowers. On the other side there are cornfields and pastures, and small villages here and there. People can be seen thrashing and winnowing the wheat ricks. The green and yellow fields are stretched away as far as the eye could see presenting a rich and varied landscape, rendered more beautiful by the changing shadows which passed

swiftly across it as the thin and half formed clouds skimmed away in the light of the morning sun. It is also the beginning of the interesting and exciting journey onward. The road which is quite wide and metalled is, however, the most satisfactory aspect of the whole journey. It is comfortable, motor able, and metalled right up to Dadar. Beyond Dadar it is jeep-able but exciting of course.

Abbottabad

The nearer I drew to Dadar, the more beautiful the land and scenery became. If compared with Marghazar of Swat, it will be found more charming and more captivating than Marghazar. Every turn of the road, the classic U turns, and S turns and Z turns brings to the mind every inch of Kaghan and Swat. The small villages perched on the slopes of the hills, the terraced house, and the simple and smiling people, the Siran River flowing by the side of the road - reflecting the clear blue sky, glistening and sparkling in the bright sunshine presents to the eye forget-me-notish images. Mansehra

At 11.30, am I was gossiping with the kind hearted Dr. Khan, the same ever happy old friend of mine, now serving in the Dadar Sanitarium. This Dadar Sanitarium is the most lively place one may happen to see.

Situated on the wide top of hills, the small and scattered barrack type buildings with sloppy shinning iron roofs under the thick clusters of huge, tall pines, which seem to be talking with clouds, the Sanitarium presents unforgettable view. Right below the hill flow the river Siran – and its bed seems to be the widest at this spot. The water fighting and struggling and quarrelling with the huge stones lying in the bed, flows quite fast foaming and making large jiggling sounds as if angry and annoyed at the unwanted resistance of stones. In the distance can be seen many lush green terraced fields and many cows and buffaloes grazing on the banks of the river and the innocent and charming country lasses draped in bright coloured clothes with long thin twigs in their hands, guiding and supervising these lazy grazing animals. The time flew away and at 5 pm I was driving back to Abbottabad. On the way I stopped at the huge timber depot which is just at the road side. In fact the scene was so charming that it forced me to stop. Since the valley is flooded with pines, timber is abundant and it is the natural and valuable product of the Valley.

It is cut and brought down from the top of the hills and carried up from the deep valleys with the help of the donkeys and ponies. It is then collected at the depot for onward transmission through trucks and railway. How these poor animals do this tough job of bringing down and carrying up is really worth seeing and the words cannot do full justice to this whole process. At various places on the way many large group of boys clad in Malatia uniforms wave their hands as I passed them. The innocent happy boys returning to their homes from the schools added beauty and life in the picturesque landscape. In fact Dadar Valley is a miniature Swat, rich in splendour and scenic beauty. It is worth many visits in different seasons as in every season it presents different scenes and lovely images.

River Siran Dadar

The city of Abbottabad and its surrounding valleys may have become famous for all the wrong reasons in the past few years but for an average Pakistani the valley beholds a scenic charm that warms the heart. Best describing the scenic valley of Abbottabad Major James Abbott the first deputy commissioner of the district Abbottabad (1849-53) wrote a wonderful poem on the valley that simply said it all: I remember the day when I first came here And smelt the sweet Abbottabad air The trees and ground covered with snow Gave us indeed a brilliant show To me the place seemed like a dream And far ran a lonesome stream The wind hisses as if welcoming us The pine swayed creating a lot of fuss And the tiny cuckoo sang it away A song very melodious and gay I adored the place from the first sight And was happy that my coming here was right And eight good years here passed very soon And we leave our perhaps on a sunny noon Oh Abbottabad we are leaving you now To your natural beauty do I bow Perhaps your winds sound will never reach my ear My gifts for you is a few sad tears I bid you farewell with a heavy heart This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 55 Never from my mind will your memories thwart.

By Atif Badar

CULINARY ART

Throwing a dinner party for the newly-weds? The first step is to create a menu and select the appropriate recipes. Fret not, our guest chef brings a simple yet creative menu for the newly wed’s first dinner party.

TAWA CHICKEN Ikg boneless chicken ½ kg tomatoes 250 gram yogurt (well beaten) 4 tbsp grated ginger 3 tbsp garlic finely chopped 2 tbsp red chili powder 8 – 10 green chilies

½ cup oil 1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds (Mithi Dana) ½ tsp coarse gram masala powder Salt to taste

First of all marinate the chicken in yogurt, ginger, chili powder and salt. Leave it for 4-5 hours. Once marinated you will notice water in the chicken without mixing it you have to drain the water. Take a large size griddle (you can use a wok) pour oil in it and add fenugreek seeds. Fry the seeds over low heat to the point that they are very dark in colour. Now discard the seeds and add garlic frying it to a light brown colour. Add marinated chicken with care and fry over medium heat until the mixture is dry enough. Now add chopped tomatoes and cover the griddle for 10 minutes and let it cook over low heat until the chicken and tomatoes are cooked. Finish it off by adding green chilies and steaming it for 5 minutes. When you pick up the lid you will see a brownish tint on the sides of the griddle that says that the dish is ready. Accompanied by naan, serve the dish by sprinkling garam masala. Also garnish with julienne ginger and green chilies

PASSINDA TIKKA 1 kg passinda (flattened boneless lean beef slices) ½ cup Soya Sauce 2 tbsp fennel seed powder (saunf ) 1tbsp dry coriander powder 3-4 tbsp ginger paste 2 tbsp garlic paste 2 tbsp red chilies crushed 1 tbsp red chili powder

1 tsp all spice garam masala powder 1 tbsp white cumin powder 2 tbsp oil and some for basting the tikka thinly sliced ginger according to the passinda’s quantity (optional) Salt (use less than usual quantity) For garnish onion rings, green chilies and lemon wedges

Place the first 10 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; coat the beef slices thickly with the spice mixture. Cover and leave it to marinate in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. Add salt to the marinated beef and cook in an uncovered heavy bottomed pan or wok over high heat for five minutes. Stir constantly with a light hand to prevent the mixture from burning. Now reduce the heat to medium and cook until the marinade is completely absorbed by the beef and the meat becomes moist. Remove from heat and add 2 tbsp oil to the meat. Mix well and let it cool. Oil the metal skewers and gently thread one piece of sliced ginger followed by one beef slice repeat till the skewer is full. Prepare other skewers similarly. Barbeque the beef over hot charcoal grill until both sides are golden brown and the meat is tender. Baste the tikkas with oil every now and then during grilling to keep them from burning. Garnish with onion rings, green chilies and lemon wedges. Serve with tamarind chutney and parathas. 56 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

BAKED POTATO WITH RICE For the potato 1kg potato 1 cup cream/grated cheddar/ mozzarella cheese 1 cup tomato ketchup or chili garlic sauce 2 tbsp grated ginger 1tbsp coarsely ground black pepper 1 chicken cube 150 gram butter 1 tbsp oregano powder Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degree For rice 1kg rice 2 tbsp white cumin seeds 4 -6 cloves 2 – 3 cinnamon sticks 1 finely chopped onion 3- 4 tbsp oil 4 tbsp ginger/garlic paste Salt to taste

Wash and rub the potatoes do not peel them. Cut them into medium size wedges and soak them in salty water for 10 minutes. In a frying pan add the butter with ginger and fry it for 2 minutes. It is done when you can smell the aroma. Now add tomato ketchup with chicken cube and salt. Cook over low heat until the cube dissolves. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture in a baking dish. Drain the potatoes and add them to the mixture along with black pepper. Now place it in a pre heated oven for 10 -15 minutes. Once done take the dish out and mix the cheese and oregano powder. Again place the dish in the oven and bake until light brown. For the rice wash and soak it for a while. Heat the oil and fry the onion with the whole spices. Now add the ginger/garlic paste and salt. Fry until light brown in colour. Add rice in the mixture and pour water according to your rice quality. If you want the rice to be fluffy control the quantity of water accordingly. Cook the rice uncovered and until the water evaporates. Cover and steam the rice for 10 to 15 minutes.

BREAD AND VERMICELLI PUDDING 1 pinch salt ½ cup crushed vermicelli 12 – 14 big bread slices (one day old) 2 drops vanilla essence 150 gram unsalted butter Preheat the oven to 350 degree

Photography - Atif Badar

2 kilo milk (boiled and reduced to 1 ½ kilo) 3 eggs lightly beaten 1tsp cinnamon powder ½ cup dry milk powder (dissolved in ½ cup water) 2 cups sugar

Add eggs, cinnamon, dry milk, vermicelli, butter and sugar (it can be according to your taste) in the boiled milk except bread. Also the vermicelli’s should be light roasted in butter before adding it to the milk. Do leave some butter to grease the pan. Cook the mixture over medium heat stirring continuously for 15 minutes. Cut the edges and crumble the bread slices, add salt, vanilla essence and mix it into the milk mixture. Let it cook until the mixture is thickened. Now place it in the greased pan and put it in the oven. Bake until the pudding is firm and golden brown in colour. It can be served warm or chilled. Garnish the pudding with roasted vermicelli.

This Fortnight in PAKISTAN 57

LODGING

Looking for a five-star wedding with an attractive and elegant hotel room for the special newly wed’s? The bridal room takes top priority on one’s list along with other arrangements, thus the whole family wants the bridal room to be different and unique depicting the couples individuality. Keeping in view the significance of your most important event and your love for your life partner here’s Sheraton Karachi offering you just that. The Wedding Reception Sheraton Karachi Hotel is the perfect location to host your dream wedding or an unforgettable reunion. Whether you’re hosting an intimate gathering or a large traditional event, we invite you to consider Sheraton Karachi Hotel. The Grand Ballroom truly lives up to its name, recently renovated as a full service luxury banquet hall that accommodates 1,000 guests with plenty of room for dancing and socializing. Our banquet facilities are stateof-the-art in terms of lighting and presentation and our banquet hall’s ambiance exudes luxury. Imagine warm and chic architecture with imported carpets adorning the floors, high ceilings and one-of-a-kind crystal chandelier allow banquet hall guests to get lost in our glamorous and elegant details. Our warm colour, gorgeous furnishings and crystal chandeliers truly provide an event venue that sets the tone for your special event or milestone celebration. The dÊcor at the Grand Ballroom is perfect as a wedding venue or reception hall for any formal celebration. It has

some of the industry’s finest technical equipment for presentations, showing wedding photos and videos or just lighting a DJ or wedding band, our artistic and opulent dĂŠcor will transcend borders and help make your banquet hall event truly memorable and magical. The Honeymoon Suite With a motto ‘New beginnings are better when shared’ the wedding package at Sheraton Karachi specializes in making your dream wedding come true. Let our banquet team take care of you and your special event. We offer:

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Honeymoon Suite

Guest Room

58 This Fortnight in PAKISTAN

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