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issue We love eating or at least I do By Haneya H. Zubairi Actress Saima is a true Punjabi woman. Her healthy buxom body is signatory of not just the fertile soil but also the fact that she comes from a khaatta-peeta khandaan — a well-fed family. Same is the case with all the aunties that I gym with. They would advocate desi ghee over other forms of oil, speak about kulfas and faloodas while marching on treadmills while their excessive fat wobbles and jiggles. God bless their adipose tissues for storing all the fat content!
Town
Talk
Harvest time
Safe workplaces In our society, women have always been harassed by men whether walking on the road or working in an office. The attitude of men towards them has always been derogatory, offensive and degrading. Even in this modern age, it is really hard for a lot of women to pursue their career because of this attitude. Safe working environment has always been an important concern for working women. Unfortunately, most working women do not find such workplaces.
Chicken beyond kitchen
issue A campus argument By Khan Shehram Eusufzye The month of
April saw Punjab University being caught up in yet another row which
threatened the peace of the varsity environment, It began with the shameful incident that took place on April 1, 2010, when some students, allegedly belonging to the Islami Jamiat Tulaba, attacked and beat up Prof Dr Iftikhar Hussain Baloch who was heading the disciplinary committee which ordered to expel some students believed to have violated the varsity’s discipline. The environment in PU, after the attack on the faculty, clearly suggests that student organisations with political backings are growing stronger by the day. Today and for the foreseeable future, no other element poses a more potential threat to the educational environment than student political chapters such as the IJT. In reaction to the abovementioned incident, the varsity teachers went on a strike for an unannounced period of time, boycotting lectures and postponing all examinations that were in progress at the time of the incident. Whereas the teachers are adamant on not calling off the strike until the culprits are dealt with, the students are upset with the administration’s decision of postponing the exams and announcing vacations. “Why should everybody
have to suffer just because a handful of students created an untoward
situation?” questions Ali Mehmood, a student at PU’s Institute of
Communication Studies.
“The call for strike by the faculty for an indefinite period of time is a wrong move,” he adds. “The varsity faculty members should have come out with a better plan of action to deal with the miscreants without putting the futures of serious students at stake.” Contrary to the students’ perspective on the episode, the PU teachers maintain that by banding together they (the teachers) have set up a front against the miscreants. A lecturer, on conditions of anonymity, tells TNS, “The Vice Chancellor and the Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) are aware of the fact that amidst us are many IJT sympathisers who have, in the past, remained active members of the organisation. Our main objective is to convince such faculty members to leave the institution.” There is a popular grouse against IJT’s lack of tolerance towards other student organisations, whether or not they have any affiliation with a political or religious party. Speculations are even doing the varsity rounds regarding a (covert) nexus between the police and the IJT. Keeping in view the fact that the university machinery is infested with members of just a particular organisation — with its particular ideology — it is hard to foresee a solution to the problem. Or, so the students believe. “In my opinion, the formation of a student council which would work under the watchful eye of the administration is one possibility,” says Arslan, a student of Law at PU. Many second Arslan’s opinion about introducing a student body which will have representation of students from all departments over the idea of holding clear and transparent elections. A majority of students say the criteria for the selection of the student council should be based on merit, considering the contestants’ respective track records in curricular and extra circular activities. Periodic checks within the student body by the administration may as well be required, in order to preempt any plot-hatching before they mature into disturbing and horrible incidences. Student councils would be a good move to help politicising of campuses. Though this doesn’t mean that the political grooming of students should be looked over. An organisation like IJT might like to preserve the status quo and resist giving away its stronghold, but the varsity cannot afford to constantly halt the educational activities on campus.
MOOD STREET Actress Saima is
a true Punjabi woman. Her healthy buxom body is signatory of not just the
fertile soil but also the fact that she Then the same aunties express feelings of remorse when they mount the weighing scale. They are now firm believers that the weighing scale is a deceiver, cheater, liar which never fulfils any promises. They are heart broken but hey, what are the gulab jamons in the fridge for? They can mend hearts and give instant happiness. I am amused with the Pakistani law of one dish policy at the weddings. It is “prohibition of ostentatious and wasteful expenses at weddings.” The government had a noble motive behind it. It wanted to simplify weddings in a way that it reduces economic burden on the people. Numerous petitions were filed against this law. It turns out that people want to spend on meals at marriages. Now who doesn’t want spice, variety and fulfilment when it comes to food? No matter how much the educated and the fearing comply with it, the loopholes are always there. In the fear of them being reported, I recently attended a few weddings where the implementation of this law was not seen. Let’s face it, we love eating or at least I do. Food is a very funny aspect of Pakistani shaadis. I was amused at how everything starts and ends with food. You go to a shaadi, meet the bride, groom, and then the food wait begins. As soon as you see the waiter movement, you alert yourself and the others around you. Smiles bloom on faces which were dull and edgy a few seconds ago. Khana lag gaya! What turns into a crisis situation is when the human walls block you from the food as you queue up for it. The smell seduces your senses, you have forgotten all about the bride, groom and the small talk you were making with an auntie who was talking about her son going to Princeton and how proud she was. The seduction is so intense that you want to drill through the many suited and bejewelled people buffering between you and the divine things, which will bring fulfilment to you. Suddenly the crisis is so intense that you need UN intervention, which takes place in the form of your relative auntie. She grabs you by the arm, hands you over a plate, fork and tissue paper from the corner and winks at you. You reply back in the form of an enthusiastic smile. Life is good. You are suddenly exposed to the meaty delights. The moist chicken makhni, the gullible biryani, the flavourful kunna gosht, the juicy sheesh kabab and the delicate chicken roast fill your senses and plates. You try to keep everything modest. No elbowing, no stepping on feet accidentally of those who have already elbowed you. With a few fake smiles and deceiving looks over the dinner buffet and finally you have what you want. You stride towards the dinner table like a soldier who was successful on a battlefield but wait a minute, you forgot your drink. So you take a U-turn, that too in heels, to get your diet drink but when you reach the buffet table the drinks have finished. You gesture the waiter towards you, give him a smile and ask him to get you a drink and then you leave after pointing him where you are sitting. The drink is served at the table and as soon as you are done eating. It is time to leave. As much as we deny it, food is the most essential part of our weddings. One dish or no one dish, no one can stop us from digging the pullao platters. What is funny is that at a Pakistani wedding, food takes more points than the bride and groom sometimes. The next morning at the gym you will find the same aunties on the cycles, treadmills and steppers regretting eating too much at a shaadi last night and trying to compensate it by working out for ten minutes extra. Even if they don’t lose weight, it is okay; after all they belong to a “khaatta-peeta khandaan”!
* Photographs of the British contemporary photographer Malcolm Hutcheson titled ‘Ganda Nala’ at Zahoor-ul-Ikhlaq Gallery, NCA till 30th April. * Play: Dara on the life and times of Mughal prince Dara Shikoh on April 16, 17 & 18 at Alhamra Hall 2 at 7pm written & directed by Shahid Nadeem. It’s an Ajoka Theatre production * Play: Mamma Mia — the Musical! Producer, director and choreographer Nida Butt (of Chicago fame) returns with another theatrical extravaganza, based on a recent Hollywood musical. The play opened April 15 at Alhamra, The Mall. Daily performances will continue through April 21, 2010 * Calligraphy: Arif Khan’s exhibition at Nairang Gallery till Apr 20, 2010 * Thesis exhibition: MFA students of University of Gujrat at Lahore City Heritage Museum Mall Road formerly Tollinton till April 21, 2010 * Exhibition: Young artists exhibition at Alhamra Arts Council, The Mall, till April 22, 2010 Harvest time Attending vaisakhi mela at the village of Ram Thaman in district Kasur which used to be a huge affair By Haroon Khalid The April 13, 2010 corresponded with the 1st
of Vaisakh in the desi Bikrami calendar. This date also marks the
beginning of the Vaisakhi The celebration of Vaisakhi marks the beginning of the wheat harvest season. And since wheat is the most important staple in South Asia, this festival is significant to farmers both in India and Pakistan. Having origins in seasonal changes, this festival is rich culturally as well as religiously. The Hindus pray to their local deities during this time of the year. For the Sikhs though this festival is more religious than cultural — because it was on the 1st of Vaisakh that the 10th Sikh Guru finalised their religion. He gathered all his followers at Anandpur, India, where he gave them the famous 5 Ks of Sikhism. He also ordered them to end their names with Singh. Every year, Sikhs from all over the world, flock to their religious sanctuaries to commemorate this auspicious day. The celebration begins from Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hassan Abdal, and moves on to Amenabad, Gujranwala. Besides the melas at Sikh gurdwaras, other important shrines of celebrations are Ram Thaman, in district Kasur and Sakhi Sarwar in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan. Another village where this festival is celebrated with some zeal is Jaman that lies on the India-Pakistan border. However, the festivities there are more parochial in nature and much smaller in scale. It is reported that the mela of Vaisakhi at Ram Thaman (originally in Lahore district, now in Kasur) used to be of an immense magnitude. Around Vaisakhi, special trains from Lahore, Amritsar, Ferozpur, and other areas used to come to Kalu Khara, where the temple of Ram Thaman is located. In the Intelligence Reports of Police, found in the archives of Lahore Secretariat, it is said that around 35,000 people were present at this mela in 1946 — when it was celebrated for the last time. Munawar bibi, an old woman in her 70s, living in one of the various houses constructed in the complex of the temple, said that when the festival was at its zenith her village would be invaded by devotees — “We would stock our kitchens with food and water supplies, and then would lock ourselves inside the house for three days, because there wouldn’t be space for villagers to walk on the streets.” It is said that people used to attend the festival from all over the country, even after Partition, but slowly it lost its vitality. Now only a few hundred people come every year. Faisal, who had come to attend the festival from Pak Pattan, said that he had heard about the magnificence of the event in Pak Pattan but found it to be rather disappointing. He might not come next year. During my conversation with Faisal I noticed that he referred to the Baba Ram Thaman festival as that of Baba Rehmat Shah. I didn’t want to correct him, as this is an oft-repeated phenomenon — a celebration or a sanctuary, associated with a non-Muslim person, has so often been Muslim-ised to retain its status as a revered phenomenon. Baba Ram Thaman was an elder cousin of Guru Nanak. He is revered by Hindu Udasis and Sikhs. Though he belonged to the neighbouing village of Kalu Khara, he settled outside the precincts of the village — and when he died, a Smadh was built where he rests. Over time, this smadh developed into a huge complex. It spread over an area of around 22 acres, with the adjacent pool as big as 8 acres. There was a concrete boundary wall and various magnificent gates led into the temple. Now most of these moats, gates, and walls have been lost to the encroaching population. Besides the two main buildings of the temple, one of which is the Smadh, and the other a Hindu temple, all the remaining structures house occupants, who have wrought changes to the original architecture to suit their needs. Inside these various compartments are remnants of glorious art work. Any keen observer of art history is advised to visit Ram Thaman before the relics are lost to vandalism. The village is on the Kasur-Raiwind road, about 7 km from Raiwind and 20 from Kasur. It is next to the railway station of Raja Jang. The Vaisakhi mela at Ram Thaman has found its way into the folk songs of Punjab. In Heer-Waris, when the writer is describing the scenario of Heer’s Barat, he says: “Jevein log nigahein te raatan Thaman dhol marde te rang lawande ne”. Thaman is Ram Thaman here. He is comparing the festivities at Heer’s Barat to those at the festival of Ram Thaman. Amongst other folk songs are: “Tumba wajta Thaman nu jawe, te rukhan wale dhaad wajti” and “Jage wadiyan Thaman dein Kudiyan te Pind che Paachal ah gaya”. Farmers all over South Asia have celebrated this day for thousands of years. The Muslim farmers continued to celebrate this event, along with other religious events, even after accepting Islam — naturally by becoming Muslims, the farmers didn’t cease being farmers. The ability of Vaisakhi to bring together people beyond their religious pales is the reason why even after so many years of Partition, and decades of puritanical propaganda, people on both sides of the border continue to celebrate this event. It is really a pity that an event of such cultural significance should be neglected. Vaisakhi festivals all over the country are slowly fading away from the face of Pakistan. Pakistan government must view the festival of Baisakhi beyond the narrow window of religion and see it as a cultural event, which marks the beginning of the harvest season. Vaisakhi should be celebrated at the state level, like the way it is in India, and all religions should be encouraged to participate in it. Harunkhalid@hotmail.com Safe workplaces Majority of the people still don’t know about the law on harassment against women By Saher Rabbani and Umber Nawaz In our society, women have always been
harassed by men whether walking on the road or working in an office. The
attitude of men Harassment is one of the basic problems for women and this means abuse of authority, creating a hostile environment, retaliation and verbal comments. Women have to tolerate it because there are no proper procedures to file complaint against these harassment acts within the organisation. Rabia, a working woman, says, “I was verbally abused by a colleague but I didn’t have anyone with whom I could have shared this. I couldn’t complain against him because he was a senior to me. I was afraid that he could sack me so I kept my mouth shut.” There are hundreds of women who have been tolerating the harassing behaviours of men at workplaces. Many NGOs and private organisations have been working on this issue to bring it to the forefront. Fortunately after a long journey, this issue has been brought in National Assembly and Senate in form of a bill. The recognition of this important issue by government resulted in the passage of a bill to provide safe working environment to women. This bill is called Protection from Harassment at Workplace bill 2010. President Asif Ali Zardari has signed this and now it has become a law. Harassing women is now declared as a crime. The objective of this bill is to make a safe and healthy working environment for both men and women, which is free of harassment, abuse and intimidation. This bill provides a proper code of conduct to be implemented at all work places. Bill also provides a proper procedure to file a complaint against harassment, its inquiry and decision. It gives the right to file complaint against any harassing behaviour at workplace and after proceeding of complaint if accused is found guilty, he’ll face major and minor penalties depending on nature of complaint. Here the question arises: do people know about this
bill? We conducted a survey and asked a number of people about it.
Surprisingly majority of the people we interviewed didn’t know about this
bill. Many people responded in this way, “yes, we have heard that a bill
has been passed about harassment at workplace but don’t know the details.”
This is quite a depressing situation that people, especially working
women, don’t know that they have been given protection against harassment
at workplaces. However those who knew about this bill appreciated it and
gave credit to women activists, parliamentarians and members of civil
society organizations. Aisha works in a bank, when asked what she knows about harassment bill, said, “I heard about this bill in the news but I don’t know anything about it except that it is for working women and it is related to protection against harassment. But we, the working women, will be pleased if this bill is implemented successfully.” Sharjeel, employee of an engineering company, says, “Women harassment at workplace bill is a very good step taken by government. It will certainly make women confident and secure, they will no longer be afraid of being harassed by their coworkers, which is simply great. Over all it will have a good impact on working environment of organisations.” Mamoona, a practicing lawyer, commented on the harassment bill, “Our society badly needs this kind of legislation because harassment is one of the basic reasons due to which women avoid to come into practical fields. Those women will definitely feel secure at their workplaces, at least I feel so. Because I know that if someone will harass me, I have the right to complain against him whether he is senior or junior or even head of the organisation and the best part about it is that the complaints and its further proceedings will be kept confidential. This bill will be very helpful in creating a healthy working environment. All that we need is the proper implementation of the bill.” This was only one side of the picture; there were also some people who were not very welcoming towards this bill. Ali, a teacher by profession, responded aggressively and said, “The bill is just another special favour for women. Women have already been given ample of freedom. There was no need to pass such a bill.” And when we further asked him how much he knew about the bill he said, “Why should I know about this bill? It is related to women and they should know about it.” Saima, working in a multinational company, is not very happy about working environment of her organisation and says, “Apparently this bill is quite beneficial for working women but how can we be so sure that it will be implemented honestly in organisations. And just like many other laws that are still unimplemented this bill will also be limited to papers only.” Sexual harassment has always been a problem for working women but fortunately now they have got something to look forward to. This bill is the first and basic step towards protection of women from harassment at workplaces. But its implementation in organisations countrywide is the second major step. This bill will be properly implemented if there is public awareness about it. Chicken beyond kitchen What exactly are the reasons behind the rising poultry prices? By Tariq Bin Khalas Price of chicken has risen from Rs 140 per kg to Rs 220 per kg – and is by no means likely to come down. Hatchery cartel, lack of incentives, rupee depreciation and high electricity cost has been blamed for the price hike, leading to closure of almost 40 percent poultry farms in the province. Poultry farming on a commercial scale started in Pakistan in the early 1960s, and has now developed into a vibrant industry. Pakistan’s poultry industry in terms of breeder population is considered among the top ten poultry industries worldwide. Country’s broiler production is approximately 800 million per year. Fixed investment in poultry sector is over Rs.200 billions with present turnover of about Rs.300 billions and growth rate of 10-12 percent annually. There are about 25,000 poultry farms in the country that generate employment for about 150,000 people. Around 50 billions-worth of agriculture produce are being used in poultry feeds. 13,936 metric tonnes of chicken meat is being produced annually that fulfills 40 percent of the total meat requirement. A nutritionist told that in our country per capita consumption of meat is only 7 kg and 60-65 eggs annually, whereas in the developed world about 41 kg meat and over 300 eggs per capita per year. When asked about reasons behind this continuous hike in poultry products, Provincial Minister for Livestock and Dairy, Ahmad Ali Aulakh, said, “This unrealistic trend can be checked only through effective consumer courts and active consumers. Unfortunately here both are missing.” Raza Mahmood Khursand, Vice Chairman Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA), north zone Lahore, said that the price of chicken has escalated because of the wide demand and supply gap in the market: “From November to February, chicken price remained in the range of Rs150 to 160 per kg and now is at Rs220 per kg. Similarly egg price in December–January was Rs110 and now is at Rs42 per dozen,” says Major (r) Javid Bukhari, zonal secretary PPA Lahore. Some poultry experts say this was expected because the cost of production has increased drastically during the past year. The cost of chicken feed has raised by 60 percent, day-old chicks to 30 percent and electricity, worker salaries, medicines and vaccination charges to roughly 10 percent. “Chicken feed mainly contains grains like wheat and maize. And last year the price of wheat suddenly shot up from Rs535 to Rs950 per 40 kg. This resulted in 90 percent rise in the price of chicken feed,” says Raza Khursand. But Provincial Minister for Livestock and Dairy, Ahmad Ali Aulakh, disagrees. “Very small amount of wheat is used in feed. It consists of others ingredients like maize, rice, canola, Khali and minerals. We have a bumper crop of maize this year. The grain prices are stable but somehow chicken prices are on the rise,” the minister elaborates. Malik Hassan, a small poultry farmer, holds the mafia in the feed industry responsible for the price hike. “It presently costs Rs180 per 50 kg. The price of maize and wheat, though, remains constant.” Small farmers also say that chicken prices are going beyond Rs200 per kg because of the potential hatchery cartel which is selling chick of one-day at the rate of Rs73 while it costs them round Rs15-16 including all inputs. This extraordinary price hike has made the poultry meat out of reach of the already inflated-stricken people. Raza Mahmood Khursand, Vice chairman PPA, rejects it completely. “I have left the hatchery business after conceding losses of Rs4 crore in 4 years.” “Prolonged load-shedding is also adding to the cost of production since survival of chicks is almost impossible even for a few hours if power supply is cut off. “Electricity through generators costs Rs25per unit against Rs6.50 per unit charged by WAPDA, thus adding to the cost of production,” says Malik Hassan, a poultry farm owner.” On the other hand Aulakh has a different view. “The tragedy is that poultry has become one of the biggest industries of the country with high margin of profit, but no one is willing to pay taxes or ease the consumer.” Some market experts foresee great potential of industry in Halal food. The global Halal food trade is projected at about $650billion and overall halal trade is between 1.2 to 2 trillion dollars. France exports 750,000 tons of halal chicken to Muslim countries. From Asia, Thailand is the biggest exporter of halal food products even bigger than Malaysia. Pakistan too can get a substantial share being a Muslim country. “We can work wonders in this regard provided the government address our problems,” claims Major Bukhari. Aulakh says: “A poultry development board is being established by the Punjab Government .in which all stakeholders including consumers would be given representations.”
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besides bringing
educational activities to a lamentable halt.
comes from a khaatta-peeta khandaan — a well-fed family. Same is the case
with all the aunties that I gym with. They would advocate desi ghee over
other forms of oil, speak about kulfas and faloodas while marching on
treadmills while their excessive fat wobbles and jiggles. God bless their
adipose tissues for storing all the fat content!
festival, also known as Baisakhi across the Indian peninsula. 
towards them has always been derogatory, offensive and degrading. Even in
this modern age, it is really hard for a lot of women to pursue their
career because of this attitude. Safe working environment has always been
an important concern for working women. Unfortunately, most working women
do not find such workplaces.
