Inspite of all our effort, care, attention and training, on 'judgement day' -- the annual Pakistan Sieger Show in this case -- it's up to how well the dog decides to perform

By Aziz Omar

For us ordinary humans, living in a dog eat dog world drives us doggone crazy. Ironically in a world where the average citizen's life has started to resemble the proverbial dog's life, the domesticated dogs have increasingly started to enjoy.the 'good life' that evades us humans.

While we toil for endless hours to make ends meet,the German Shepherd Dog of today is hardly involved in the traditional, exhaustive role of herding large numbers of scuttling sheep. Although they have proved themselves to be invaluable in search and rescue work in disasters such as earthquakes, as a police dog or an aide to the blind, the large majority of these canines lead a pampered and carefree life.

For some among the ones that are kept as pets in households all across Pakistan, the highlight is the annual Pakistan Sieger Show arranged by the German Shepherd Dog Club of Pakistan (GSDCP).

This time around, the event had a big stroke of luck weather-wise. Prior to the scheduled date of Sunday, February 11, it had been continuously drizzling for two days. Although the clouds didn't part to make room for the sun, just before noon, the rain held restraint enough for the show to proceed.

There were over a hundred entries, with the females outnumbering the males almost three to two. Though, the majority of entries were from the Lahore region, a number of them hailed from Sheikhupura, while a handful were from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Multan and Faisalabad. Pakis they all might have been, but many of them had German names, identifying their place of origin, such as Kenzo von Konigsberg.

The dog show has five major categories. Those that are up till one year of age come under Minor Puppy and Puppy, whereas those falling between 12 to 18 months are classified as Juniors. The Youths come next and remain so till 24 months and the ones above two years are eligible for the Open Class. The dogs in all classes are considered in separate groups of males and females and are awarded different levels of grades such as 'Very Good' and 'Excellent'.

The ranking goes from 1-4 for the top dogs while some are sub-ranked as 'all others' . All top rankings carry points ranging from 5,3,2,1 except for the Minor Puppy and Puppy classes that don't have a 5 point award. The points mean a big deal as they contribute to a dog being designated as a champion if it has earned 15 points, albeit with certain conditions that have to be met.

If after reading this you think that your dog can make you proud, please remember that you can't just raise a prize-worthy German Shepherd like a mere mongrel, giving dollops of dog food and taking it out for an odd walk or two. If it isn't genetically superior or does not possess 'natural good looks', you might as well keep it as a burglar alarm or as a scapegoat for any household mess you create. Yet if your Alsatian has the right kind of physical traits and a good temperament to boot, you just might have a champion in the making.

Apart from the usual easily-identifiable features such as the blackest of eyes and nose in addition to a full set of 42 teeth, most of the criteria are ascertained in mathematical precision. For instance, the wither height, i.e. till the top of the front shoulders, must be between 60-65 cm for male dogs and should be surpassed by body length by between 10-17 per cent. The neck should be at a 45 degree angle, the angle of the shoulder blade to the upper arm should be around 90 degrees but is acceptable till 110 degrees, the upper and lower thigh bones should be of the same length crate and the approximate angle of 120 degrees!

Even the contestants of the Miss World or Miss Universe beauty pageants do not have to fulfill such stringent criteria. And it's not just the aspiring beauty queens who have to worry about unsightly body fat. Obesity can be a serious issue for your ambitious Alsatian. A regular exercise regimen along with a well-balanced diet of proteins, fats, minerals and amino acids is essential for the perfect figure and posture required to be a winner.

Inspite of all our effort, care, attention and training, on 'judgement day' it's up to how well the dog decides to perform. The judges make their decision based on things like how well the dog carries itself, while also considering the dog's reactions to the commands of the handler and its resistance to sudden noises and distractions. The prizes are intriguingly in the form of decapitated doggy heads but the glory that they bring along with them is more than enough to elevate the noggins of both the humans and beasts.

By Muhammad Badar Alam

The lure of open/green spaces cuts both ways: Besides being environmetally necessary and aesthetically pleasing, they are also possible targets for the expansion of housing and commerce. In a rapidly growing city like Lahore, creating a balance between the two competing demands should be a huge challenge. Most of the residents of the city and almost everyone concerned about life in Lahore agree that the authorities responsible for meeting this challenge are hardly doing their job, let alone being good at it.

Dr Ajaz Anwar, who heads Lahore Conservation Society and is known for making all the right noises for the city over the last many decades, believes it shows an utter lack of will to do what is required. "Look at GORs (Government Officers Residences)! Green/open spaces there have remained as they ever were because the government wants them so," he tells The News on Sunday. "Why can't that happen for other parts of the city?" he asks.

In contrast, situation in all other parts of the city has only deteriorated. "In neighbourhoods like Samanabad, greenbelts have been taken over by car dealers. From Scheme Morr onwards, Allama Iqbal Town is undergoing a similar transformation. The widening of the Jail Road some years ago utterly got rid of all the green spaces along the road. Even in Gulberg, mushroom growth of multi-storey commercial buildings, built without any provision for parking, are making life hell for anyone wanting to have a peaceful life in the neighbourhood," says Dr Ajaz. "Without availability of parking inside the buildings, green belts and other open spaces along the roads are being increasingly used for the purpose."

He puts it down to crass commercialisation which completely ignores the will of the residents of a neighbourhood. "When someone buys a plot of land in a new housing scheme, it involves a promise that the residential and commercial areas will be separate. But before late this provision is violated with impunity," says Dr Ajaz. And not just in areas where pressure for housing and commerce is fast rising because of a growing population.

In congested areas like the old city, Mozang, Ichhra, Rehmanpura and many localities on the southern and northern outskirts of the city, the only thing visible to a passerby is houses and shops piled upon each other, divided only by roads and streets. Small patches of open/green spaces in these neighbourhoods is not just difficult to find, most of the time it is ill-maintained or encroached or both.

Jalees I Hazir, journalist and environmental activist, believes that the disappearance of open/green spaces, though highly visible in the congested and low-income areas of the city, is happening surreptitiously in the so-called posh areas as well. "The plans to build hotels on The Mall and small modifications in roads are, and will, materialise only at the expense of greenbelts and trees that grow there," he tells TNS.

He, too, stresses the need for having and wielding political will to clear erstwhile open/green spaces from encroachment and ill-thought out commericialisation. "Former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif showed that it could happen," says Jalees.

He also wants building codes and provision of open/green spaces in the official and new housing schemes to be strictly followed. There are guidelines on leaving open/green spaces in houses as well as neighbourhoods, he says, only if we can stick to them.

In a city which is expanding left, right and centre, some people may argue that it makes sense to accommodate people where they live in order not to let the city expand beyond manageable limits even if that takes place at the expense of open/green spaces. Both Dr Ajaz Anwar and Jalees Hazir explain why this should not be allowed to take place.

In Dr Ajaz's words these spaces are 'heart and lungs' of the city and Jalees deems them indicators of a quality life. "If you want a large section of the population to live like androids and do sweeping and clerical jobs for you while you live in your large posh houses surrounded by open spaces and shaded by trees, then of course you don't need to worry about the loss of open/green spaces in the old and congested parts of the city. But if you want people to have 'quality' life then their restoration and maintenance are a must," he says.

Izhar Ahmed Khan, director engineering at the Parks and Horticulture Authority, believes these things are easier said than done. "Political resistance and the long history of encroachments in many areas are too much to allow anyone to do anything about them," he explains to TNS. But he says the government does have plans for some areas like the old city. "We have presented a plan to the chief minister for the restoration of circular garden along the walls of the old city." The garden has an area of 106 acres, out of which only 30 per cent is encroached. If all goes according to the plan, he hopes, the plan will materialise sooner rather than later.

Another area where his office is unable to take any action is the loss of green belts to commercialisation. "Along the commercialised boulevards in areas like Allama Iqbal Town and Gulberg, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) allows commercial concerns to get access to the main road by eliminating the green belts," he says, and warns that commercialisation can make greenbelts disappear from most of these areas.

Izhar claims, apart from commercialisation, PHA is doing all it can to resist encroachments on green belts. "For instance, rescue 1122 has the permission of the Punjab government to build its kiosks on greenbelts. But we make sure that this happens only when no official land is available for the purpose in the concerned area," he says.

Figures provided by him show that PHA maintains around 850 parks of different sizes all over the city (excluding the cantonment and the Defence Housing Scheme) and owns about 70-80 kilometres of greenbelts. "Since the creation of PHA, we have not allowed any of the parks under us to be encroached. In fact, we have removed encroachments from many of them and upgraded many facilities there like the provision of water and lighting," Izhar claims.

This, coupled with a provision for new housing schemes, hold the key for the future of open/green spaces in the city. "LDA provides that 30-35 per cent areas in housing schemes under its jurisdiction remain unbuilt. Ensuring that should mean that we have ample open/green spaces at least in new housing schemes."

For the lure of open/green spaces to cut only way, they are left to stay like that even in the distant future.

Drawing reasonably good salaries, the young people in the corporate sector still choose to eat roadside food as lunch

By Farooq Khattak

Corporate sector is expanding with an ever-increasing number of young people employed with the sector. There are many points in the city near clusters of corporations, business centres and banks that offer affordable and tasty food.

Unlike their bosses who are hired on high salary package and perks running in six digits and who usually take their lunch in some of the posh eateries and pizza outlets in Gulberg, opposite Hafeez Centre or in a hub of restaurants at MM Alam Road, the younger lot working in scores of banks, internet service providers, mobile phone companies etc. go to roadside vendors and at other outdoor stalls in main business centres here.

These roadside food vendors and stalls offer the same kind of food every day like 'murgh chana' or 'paya' (goat/cow feet in broth). Others offer daal chana, saag (spinach), assorted vegetables or chicken quorma and of course the most favourite -- biryani.

Of these, murgh chana is an all time favourite of Lahoris and rightly so. It is highly nourishing, tasty and contains everything that satiates the hunger after a hard day's work. Some of these outlets have gained a name for offering tasty food.

One murgh chana and biryani outlet that is famous for taste is in Barkat market. Another one is in Model Town A-Block market and some assorted ones selling either biryani or curries operate alongside Central Flats in Faisal Town and on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road in Johar Town. There are a group of handcart walas at Mochipura Chowk who cater to food needs of workers of shopping centres at Model Town Link Road, labourers and workers at the cluster of banks, that include almost every bank at Peco Road. Similarly in Ichhra people go to food outlets at Muslim Town Morr or at Qartaba Chowk. A popular nihari shop and a fish corner is located at Mozang Chungi.

What the young people end up spending on their lunches at any of these roadside points is Rs 20-25. These outlets are planned to offer various food items in the same range, be it chicken, plain daal and vegetable dishes.

Talking to The News on Sunday, Waqar Ahmed, 29, who works in an office at Eden centre at Ferozepur Road says his salary is in five digits but he can't afford to go to Salt 'N Pepper, Ginos or Pizza Hut everyday so he opts for roadside food, which he says is still good and nourishing and carries great taste.

He points out a number of rehri walas who come by the centre at lunch time, where there are many other offices too, and offer food items to people at affordable prices.

Asif Chaudhry, running a mobile phones and accessories outlet at Hafeez Centre in Gulberg, tells TNS that a vendor who has set up his shop on the first floor of the centre offers rice and tea round the day to hundreds of shopkeepers and customers alike.

A young Turk of the corporate world of Lahore while eating a plateful of murgh chana at Lakshmi Chowk says there is nothing wrong with eating by roadsides if the food is tasty, nourishing and above all, cheap. "By Gosh, this food is good and I eat it almost every day," he adds, talking between mouthfuls of murgh chana.

Zakariya Joseph, a marketing executive at a multinational beverage manufacturer, adds thousands of hardworking youth in this city eat at food outlets by roadside and spend on average twenty to thirty rupees and why not, "The food is good. It's not a burden on pocket and there are a lot of choices," he says.

So much choice in food at this price can only come with living in a city like Lahore.

Top ten street food vendors/kiosks/rehris

1. Haidery Bong Payay, Neelum Cinema, Chah Miran

2. Taj Din Chanay Wala, Outside Jamia Naeemia, Garhi Shahu

3. Goonga Kabab Shop, Beadon Road

4. Butt Chanay Wala, Link Road, Model Town

5. Koozi Haleem, All Branches

6. Khoay Waalay Kabab, Sadar Bazar

7. Mama Tikkian Wala, Temple Road

8. Shahi Pathooray, Outside Wazir Khan Mosque

9. Yunus Chanay Wala, Chowk Yateem Khana Multan Road

10. Kashmiri Daal Chawal, Lakshmi Chowk

To enlist by popular vote the 'top ten' for next week, send in your emails on top ten 'ways to relax in Lahore'.

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