Town Talk
- Creative Arts and Crafts course for girls starting from 1st July at 142-F, Model Town. Call 0300-8403568, 042-5850969 
- Group Miniatures Exhibition at Permanent Art Gallery of the Alhamra Cultural Complex, off Ferozepur Road till Tuesday, June 30. The gallery remains open from 9am-6pm. 158 selected representative miniatures of 58 artists from all over Pakistan are on display.

Shopping in hyper mode
Hyperstar is a city within the city which houses all the things you need in the most organised manner
By Aziz Omar
For most of our lives, we have only been used to shopping from the local general store around the corner. Be it an oil can, a carton of milk, refreshments and snacks for the unexpected guest; all were procured as the need arose. Then we witnessed the arrival of the departmental stores with their shelves stacked with sundry grocery and other domestic items, all arranged in aisles. Bulk shopping started to catch on and entailed wheeling a trolley or cart and loading it up with enough stuff to last a couple of weeks to a month. Departmental stores such as HKB and Al-Fateh have even added a couple of floors besides the main grocery level that house clothes, crockery, electronics and some specialty household items. However, there is just so much that these stores can stock and hence start to become cramped due to size and space limitations.

On any normal day, a visitor is likely to come across beggars, devotees, pilgrims, addicts, pickpockets and mystics, not necessarily in the same order, at Data Darbar. A place that always appears full of activity and colour is almost quiet and empty now.

The police have barricaded this shrine along with other famous shrines such as Bibi Pak Daman and Mian Mir amid rumours that they will be targets of "female suicide bombers".

Thirteen out of fifteen gates of Data Darbar have been closed. Hundreds of beggars and addicts, who used to live inside the four walls of the shrine, have been pushed away. Police now search all visitors twice, push them through a narrow path and urge them to leave after a few minutes. Even the Qawwals who perform every Thursday are not allowed to get in.

For security reasons, police have also blocked the two roads on both sides of Data Darbar – that lead to Bilal Gunj. The road to Bibi Pak Daman shrine has also been closed to traffic.

This has not only caused a lot of problems for visitors but also to people who live or do their business in the surrounding areas. "It took me 45 minutes to get into the shrine after passing through different security checks. I was searched twice by police and private security guards of the Darbar but they forced me to leave the shrine in 15 minutes," an angry Ajmal Hussain, 35, tells TNS. He was angrier at those who have threatened to hit the shrines.

"They want to hit because they know these places are sources of sectarian harmony and peace. These sufi saints spread Islam through their inclusive character while the terrorists believe in using brutal force." Hussain confirms the number of visitors has dropped drastically in these shrines after the threat.

The surrounding alleys and streets of Data Darbar are centres of a wide range of businesses. People here are going through a hard time since the death of Dr Sarfraz Naeemi. "Everyone is scared of suicide bombings," says Mohammed Shakil, 37, who sells sweets and trinkets near the Data Darbar for the last 20 years.

"Followers of every sect and all faiths come here. Nothing like this has ever happened before. It is for the first time that people are afraid to even to come to Data Darbar. This has caused huge damage to my business. Sometimes, I cannot find a customer the whole day," says Shakil.

"The number of visitors to Data Darbar has dropped at least by 60 percent," says one of the shoekeepers outside the Darbar. According to him, majority of the visitors these days come from outside the city "because they do not know there is a threat to Data Darbar and other shrines in Lahore."

"Data Darbar is the lifeline of Lahore; it is not only a shrine but also a centre of cultural activities for Lahories," says renowned scholar Kazi Javed.

"Those who have given threats basically think that visiting shrines is a Hindu custom and there is no place for such activity in Islam," he says.

"I still remember that Shah Hussain's Urs used to be spread over a three kilometre radius but now one cannot find even hundreds of people on his Urs. The same has been happening to other shrines. But it is not that drastic and that hurts the extremists that is why they want to hit these shrines." Javed thinks that these extremists want to impose their version of 'pure Islam' on the whole society. "They want to break people's connection with these shrines because these are the symbol of peace and tolerance."

Visitors at Bibi Pak Daman seem unhappy with the situation but blame the terrorists. "There is no other option available with the police," says Farukh Majeed Bhatti, secretary general Shia-Sunni Peace Committee, Bibi Pak Daman. "Yesterday, after two weeks, police had allowed people to arrange Milad or Majlis at the shrine for three hours. People are still coming in good number but nobody is allowed to stay for more than 30 minutes in the premises. Nobody is allowed to meditate for days which used to be a regular feature of the shrine."

Both shrines are situated in congested areas. Thus people in surrounding localities are feeling scared. "We are not letting our children to go near the shrine for security reasons," says Muhammad Sajjad, a resident of Muhammad Nagar, a locality near Bibi Pak Daman. Terrorists have been forcing people to change their lifestyle, he says.

- Creative Arts and Crafts course for girls starting from 1st July at 142-F, Model Town. Call 0300-8403568, 042-5850969 

- Group Miniatures Exhibition at Permanent Art Gallery of the Alhamra Cultural Complex, off Ferozepur Road till Tuesday, June 30. The gallery remains open from 9am-6pm. 158 selected representative miniatures of 58 artists from all over Pakistan are on display.

- Exhibition titled 'Logical Progressions' by Nauman Humayun at Alhamra, The Mall from Monday, June 29 till Saturday, July 4.

- An Evening with Mian Muhammad Bakhsh on Tuesday, June 30 at Alhamra Hall 2, off Ferozepur Road at 5:45pm.

- Socrates Cafe: Discussion on 'Is Evolution a Myth' at Lahore Chitrkar on Monday,

June 29 from 8-10pm.

- Remembering Maharaj Kathak today at Lahore Chitrkar.

- Weekend Cycle Ride to start at 5:45pm today from Zakir Tikka intersection. Host: Critical Mass

- Music: Sudh Sangeet at Alhamra Cultural Complex Hall 2, Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday, June 9 at 5:45pm.

- Summer display at Vogue Art Gallery till June 30. Featuring artists: Rashid Arshad, Asghar Ali, Akram Dost, Nusra Latif, Babar Mughal, Raja Changez Sultan and many more. The gallery remains opens from 11am to 8:30pm.

- LEAF Study Group to meet at Model Town Library Auditorium on July 2. Ahmad Javed will speak on Masnavi Maulana Room at 5:45pm.

- Story Hour' at Faiz Ghar for children five years and above on Sundays, conducted alternatively by Shoaib Hashmi, Dr, Arfa Syeda, Naveed Riaz, Salima Hashmi, Moneeza Hashmi and others, every Sunday from 6-7 pm. The event is followed by a sing song session with Zarah David on keyboard.

saving

From Wasim Akram's famous, "Wasim bhai aap thaktay nahin?" "Nahin mein cigarette nahi peeta," to the recent public service Pepco advert, "Jahan aik light say kaam chalta hai wahan doosri band kar dein," or "Set your AC at 26°, cooler rooms lower bills," -- the public service messages have always had their significance, or rather insignificance, as many think.

As a consumer I have always been unable to understand the idea behind these campaigns and as a media student I have always thought whether the consumer 'buys' these ideas or not. This gap between the audience and the media managers is what sometimes creates confusion.

To see the trend of this Pepco-led media campaign I walked down to Model Town's commercial area to take a look at the reactions of the people there.

"I am not sure what they mean by "cooler rooms lower bills" because the electricity bills have been sky-high ever since this advertisement was aired," says Ali Abid, a property dealer.

"The ad doesn't convince me. I know that on the top floor of this bank one just can't bear the heat with the AC on 26°C. It doesn't sound realistic, come on!" says Huma Mir.

"This is a good initiative by the government but I'm not following it because I have young children and at night with the unannounced loadshedding I don't take the risk of setting the AC at 26°C. We want the rooms to stay cool for an hour at least after the light goes off," says Zohaib Ejaz, a web developer.

The majority believes that the star-studded Pepco campaign with people like Wasim Akram, Nauman Ijaz, Asma Chauhdry, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Syed Talat Hussain and others is nothing but an eyewash. Ahmed, a young hairdresser, is of the view that the state can't regulate these things and that too in the name of the country. "How can I save electricity for my country? I can't because how can we conserve something that is hardly ever there?" he laughs loudly.

My office split AC is set at 26°C for the last one month. But my electricity bill has gone up. In May, it was Rs 8,000 and in June it has gone up to Rs 15,000," says Javed Aslam, a businessman.

Next is Lubna, the dress designer. On seeing me she hurriedly switches off the extra lights and the AC too. I wonder why? She probably knew I was loitering around talking to people about their electricity concerns. "Yes. It's our social responsibility to conserve power. See I switched off the lights and AC. I'm doing a much better job than the models in these public service messages -- at least I don't preach energy saving with hundreds of bulbs around me," she says.

There are many messages in these audio-visual commercials but it really depends on what the message is all about -- is it realistic? People ask whether loadshedding will end this year. While persuading TV viewers to conserve energy in various ways Pepco promises to the people that loadshedding will come to an end in 2009.

It is for this reason that Pepco launched the advert saying, "Let's use our electrical appliances more proficiently so that we may conserve energy!" -- consumers should not use electric appliances like AC, water pumps, electric heaters such as irons from 7pm to 12am. "This is hilarious. I mean when else can you do all your chores if not during this time," says Huma.

Ahmed says, "It is not possible to use less power in the 7 to 12 time period. It is at this time of the day that I get the maximum customers and all the work at my saloon is dependent on electricity."

However, Lesco Chief Executive Akram Arain says, "So far we have got a positive feedback on the campaign. There is a dire need for the people to understand that energy conservation can be done by various means, like if you have put on four bulbs in the room, minimise it to two or use energy savers instead. This conserves 30 to 40 percent of energy."

Arain explains that 40 percent is domestic load and 60 percent is commercial, so if only 15 to 20 percent is conserved it adds up to 800 megawatts at Lesco. Similarly, if we manage 30 to 40 percent it will add to 1500 megawatts. "The advertising is effective as it has helped us achieve our objectives in this crucial time. I'm hopeful that if the people cooperate with us we'll be able to fulfil our energy demands," he says.

Pepco conservation plan includes registering against power theft. For this purpose the Pepco and Lesco offer customers services and website interaction to report theft. "We have permanent teams at Lesco at the divisional and sub-divisional level. We have tried to create awareness about power theft through our vigorous media advocacy. The complaint cell makes sure that any such act is prohibited and other than that we have our regular meter-checking," says Arain.

All these people, whether they conserve power or not, have been promised so much for so long that it is natural to ask: when in 2009 will this loadshedding come to an end?

For most of our lives, we have only been used to shopping from the local general store around the corner. Be it an oil can, a carton of milk, refreshments and snacks for the unexpected guest; all were procured as the need arose. Then we witnessed the arrival of the departmental stores with their shelves stacked with sundry grocery and other domestic items, all arranged in aisles. Bulk shopping started to catch on and entailed wheeling a trolley or cart and loading it up with enough stuff to last a couple of weeks to a month. Departmental stores such as HKB and Al-Fateh have even added a couple of floors besides the main grocery level that house clothes, crockery, electronics and some specialty household items. However, there is just so much that these stores can stock and hence start to become cramped due to size and space limitations.

Within the last year or so, stores such as Metro and Makro have emerged as the giants of the shopping market world of Lahore. Recently, another sprawling shopping arena has joined their ranks. Hyperstar started its operations within the past month or so and is located behind Fortress Stadium near Bundu Khan restaurant. I recall that this was also the same place that used to serve as the venue for the industrial exhibition that had been an annual event throughout my childhood.

To access the Hyperstar's premises, one has to pass through the general security check post at the two or three entry points around the stadium. Upon reaching the behemoth structure, one has to drive around it and enter the car parking structure that has been constructed alongside the shopping mall. A high-tech car undercarriage scanner has been installed to counter any possible terrorist threat a la mode PC Peshawar and Police 15 building in Lahore. There are two massive levels of car parking that seem sufficient to cater to a peak time rush.

Customers are able to enter the shopping section from both the parking levels. Two gangways lead from the upper parking level to the shopping one, one each for entering and exiting. At the entry point to the actual shopping area, everyone has to pass through the familiar metal detecting doorway. It is more like a portal to a new world, as on the other side one comes face-to-face with rows upon rows of chock-a-block of virtually all items of personal and domestic use. There are mini streets where you have shelves with consumables. Come to think of it. The inside of Hyperstar does seem like a mini city, with all the signs to guide and direct the temporary citizens, the customers to various destinations. And to navigate amongst these lanes, one has to avail the services of the resident shopping cart that dwarfs its counterparts in the so-called departmental stores. All the edible food items are housed in the ground floor, with the rest being stocked on the first one. There are pots and pans of all shapes and sizes, dishware, cutlery in styles and glassware with myriad designs. There are racks upon racks of footwear, clothes for every age group of both genders.

The most eye-catching are the consumer electronics with their flashy exteriors and mind-boggling functions. Plasma and LCD screens overwhelm the average consumer with crisp images that seem to be as close to the real world as possible. The best thing about this section is the level of interaction that one can achieve as compared to other venues offering similar products. One can have a hands-on experience with even the laptops that are on display, especially with the top of the line ones such as Apple's MacBook Pro. You can immerse yourself to your heart's content in its feature rich software and see for yourself why it is touted to be the dream machine of the computing world.

Of course, the ideal reason to shop from Hyperstar would be to have all the possibilities under one roof, but an added benefit is also the lower-than-market prices and bargains that one is able to grab at such an establishment. For instance, on just one purchase of a box of 12 milk cartons, one is able to save Rs. 50 of the usual cost price. Similarly, on a shopping for a month's worth of items of around Rs. 10,000, say for a small household, one would be able to keep holding on to a thousand rupees! That is truly unparalleled mega saving in these times of hyper inflation.

The entire complex gives the feel of an airport terminal, complete with moving ramps and stringent security checking. Yet instead of receiving passengers, one goes to receive armloads of goods and sees their hard earned cash depart from their pockets. Even the Hyperstar logo looks like a futuristic helipad symbol with two Star Trek like arrows on either side of the 'H'. Indeed, this super mart projects itself to be a cost-effective hub for shopping and that too in hyper drive mode.