* Photographs of the British contemporary photographer Malcolm Hutcheson titled ‘Ganda Nala’ at Zahoor-ul-Ikhlaq Gallery, NCA till 30th April.

* Annual exhibition by young artists at Alhamra Art Gallery from Mon, 12 Apr 2010 To Fri, 30 Apr 2010.

A forgotten hero
Syed Rahmat Ali Shah aka Gadari Rahmat was a freedom fighter and martyr of Gadar movement, whose sacrifices have been acknowledged in India, and not in Pakistan
By Haroon Khalid
Pakistan History, as it is taught in its distorted form in the curriculums of both private and public schools, tends to confound the Pakistan Movement with the independence struggle. These are two distinct phenomena to be dealt with separately. However, for most Pakistanis, the struggle of independence from the British yoke coincides with the struggle of Muslim League to create a separate nation for Muslims.

Mamma… don’t preach
Usman Ghafoor
No serious theatre, it may just be a feel-good musical extravaganza. But that's what Nida Butt's Mamma Mia! means to be

It’s about the pre-DNA-test times. Twenty-year-old Sophie is not sure who — of the "100" former lovers of her mom Donna — is her (biological) father. Neither can Donna know. But Sophie must find him out soon, because her big day is round the corner and she wants her father to give her away. Through a secret diary of Donna, Sophie learns that it could be one of three men — Sam, Harry and Bill. So she writes to all of them, inviting them to attend the wedding. Again, the men are also not sure if she’s their child. But they show up at the fairytale "island" where the young, squeaky-voiced Sophie and her feisty, dungarees-sporting mom have a hedonistic existence. Thus begins some conflict and drama.

But that’s not precisely why the play would be titled Mamma Mia! A feel-good Broadway musical of 1999 whose roaring success spawned a number of British and American theatrical productions before it made its way into cinema in 2008, the play obviously has a lot to do with the seventies’ cult disco band Abba, whose timeless hits have perhaps the biggest part in the concept as well as the success of the play. It is said that writer Catherine Johnson crafted the plot to string together as many as 22 songs of Abba, most of which were used with lyrics unaltered. The prize catch was live singing, by all actors on stage. No wonder when our very own Nida Butt decided to bring Mamma Mia! home, it grabbed popular attention. More so because people remembered her from 2008’s Chicago which was also an adaptation of a Hollywood musical and incorporated live singing. (Chicago had 37-odd performances in Lahore and Karachi put together!). Today, her production house — ‘Made for Stage’ — has earned itself a place in the English-language theatre in Pakistan, and how.

A few months after its successful run at a theatre in Karachi, Nida recently staged Mamma Mia! in Lahore, to an expectedly overwhelming response. Though, an all-Abba musical also meant that those who weren’t fans of the group might choose to stay away. Besides, trying to recreate a lavish Broadway production at the technically impoverished Alhamra had its set of problems. As she bounded up the stage, right after the curtain call, a very agile and articulate Nida spoke to the audience seated inside Hall 1 about how the set had to be manually driven "which is a limitation Broadway wouldn’t have!" and how the mics had to be stuck to the actors’ cheeks, and so on.

Getting together a cast of characters who could also sing — and sing well — was another major concern for Nida. But with Chicago behind her, she had a good measure of confidence. Karachi-based model and actor Sanam Saeed (Donna’s friend Rosie in Mamma Mia!) had had her singing ‘debut’ on stage in Chicago where she had played the lead role of Roxie Hart. Zoey Viccaji as the luscious Tanya was another Chicago-veteran. And so were Osman Mumtaz — Mamma Mia!’s Bill — and Akbar Merchant as Harry. But the three main leads — Kiran Chaudhry, Zahshanne Malik and Omair Rana as Donna, Sophie and Sam respectively — were all working with Nida for the first time. And, it was these three actors who poured some heart and soul into the otherwise all-fluff, sometimes klutzy, plot proceedings.

Kiran, an Oxford educated lawyer who is also the main vocalist of the up-and-coming, all-girl band called ‘Caramel’, showed a terrific voice, matched only by Omair’s rich baritone. Both actors pulled off high as well as low notes with equal grace and control. While Zahshanne, 17, a trained classical dancer with some acting experience in Karachi’s theatre, was relatively new to singing but she left quite an impact.

The Craze Band boys were responsible for playing live orchestra, while the mammoth task of sound-managing as many as 18 mics simultaneously was handled by music wizard Mekaal Hasan who later termed the theatre hall as "the trickiest".

Choreographer Wahab Shah’s group also deserves a mention for making the party dances come alive.

Mamma Mia! is not without its share of campy humour. Consider the following dialogue between Tanya and a friend of Sky (Sophie’s love interest):

"I am old enough to be your mother."

"You can call me Oedipus!"

At another point, the forever-on-a-happy-pill Rosie’s courtship bid to the "spontaneous" Bill where she launches into "Take a chance on me" was charming at the same time as it got numerous laughs and claps from the audience.

usmanghafoor@gmail.com

As days and weeks go by, leaving the winters behind, the heat unveils her true ferocious colours. She relishes in the scenarios unfolding in her wake; hapless folk running helter-skelter for finding cover from the piercing rays of the sun raining down upon them. Exposed commuters and pedestrians cover themselves up with shades and white clothes as if trying to protect themselves from a nuclear holocaust. The baked ground acts like a hotplate with the people treading upon it akin to meat patties, sizzling and roasting. And the accompanying dust and smoke coupled with the assortment of drinks downed by the hot-steppers serve as perfect seasoning.

As if trying to escape from a horde of killer bees, scores of Lahori guys take to the canal that runs like a vein through city. Sadly, every year the famous canal looks more and more like its ugly sister, the ganda nala. Yet the partial skinny dippers are persistent (or desperate) in their efforts to beat the scourge of the Lahori heat, which is also adamant in unleashing her fury.

Though the heat seems to be indiscriminate in afflicting the populace, some citizens have managed to create their own little pockets of heaven. Their homes and workplaces have been equipped with the means of sustaining their little chilled cocoons of bliss. For venturing out in the cruel domain of the Lahori heat, their chariots have already been configured for optimum obedience in providing a comfortable journey.

Yes, there is indeed a heavy price to pay for "progress" and the urban sprawl. The city developers clear more and more foliage to make space for their concrete jungle and the tarmac undergrowth. The natural cooling tree cover is being replaced by plaza parks which require artificial ventilation and cooling. But air conditioning is becoming as rare as a scrupulous employee in a government department. What with electricity loadshedding being enacted at the drop of a hat, cool air has become as sought after as divine mercy.

Soon, we could very well be singing for the rains to come and deliver us from the virtual fires of hell engulfing our parched land. A song by the Latin American pop diva Glorio Estefan comes to my mind. It goes something like "Turn the beat around, love to hear percussion, turn it upside down…. ".It could be perfectly reworded to depict the recent brief respite that the sun chocked Lahories got from the excruciatingly hot weather. So the twist in the lyrics could go "turn the heat around, love to hear percussion (of the rain drops), turn it slowly down".

* Photographs of the British contemporary photographer Malcolm Hutcheson titled ‘Ganda Nala’ at Zahoor-ul-Ikhlaq Gallery, NCA till 30th April.

* Annual exhibition by young artists at Alhamra Art Gallery from Mon, 12 Apr 2010 To Fri, 30 Apr 2010.

* Exhibition of works by Malcolm Hutcheson at Rohtas Gallery from 22nd April to 30th April.

* Theatre festival titled Sanjha Rahs Mela at Ali auditorium from 25th April, 2010 to 29th April, 2010 from 6:30 to 7:30.

* Exhibition of art of grade 2 students at The International School of Choueifat, Lahore on 3rd May, 2010 from 03:15 pm to 05:30 pm.

* Conference and workshop on leadership and management at Royal Palm on 5th May, 2010

* Last day today of Rafi Peer’s Sufi Music Mystic Festival at Puppet Museum

Raiwind Road

issue

The government’s resolve to address the energy crisis may seem sincere, and the four-point strategy for energy conservation proposed at last week’s two-day long National Energy Conference realistic, but the traders and customers are most likely to bulldoze any such initiative.

"Build new dams, eliminate corruption in Wapda and bring us officials who are sincere in coping with the crisis," says a Lahore-based trader. Many traders and customers in the market share his view.

Federal government, along with the provincial governments, in its two-day Energy Conference held in Islamabad, announced two holidays in a week (for the first three months) in the government departments and closure of markets at 8pm to conserve electricity and reduce the long and unscheduled power outages. It also pledged to reduce the use of lights and air conditioners in the government sector and urged the private sector and public to follow the same spirit.

According to the energy conference declaration, the steps will help reduce loadshedding by 33 percent and will save up to 500 MW electricity per day against the current average shortfall of 6,000 MW a day.

For 46-year-old Muhammad Ilyas, who runs a fabric shop in Gulberg, the government-proposed timings are acceptable — "Provided we open shops early too." He says some years ago shops closed at sunset. "Even big markets like Azam Cloth Market then closed at sunset. Now they remain open till 11pm." Because, he stresses, peoples’ habits have changed — "now we wake up late in the morning and stay up till late in the night. It’s become our culture."

Besides, "Since the business is down these days, we stay open till late, expecting some rare late night shopper to step in." Also, Ilyas rejects two holidays a week proposed by the government. "It’ll further affect the business which is already going down."

He holds the power crisis is artificially created by officials — "primarily to justify the setting up of rental power plants (RPPs), and pocket massive kickbacks from such projects."

Likewise, Muneer Malik, another cloth merchant, maintains, "The energy conservation measures will not make any difference. Markets in big cities get busy late evening."

He says, "When the government claims that many power projects have been completed up to 60 to 80 percent then it should work hard round the clock to complete those projects at the earliest — to ease the tension and miseries of general public."

Same kind of scepticism was sensed among customers too. While commenting on the culture of late market hours, Mamoona Khan, a middle-aged housewife, says, "I can come to the market early provided the shops are open. But what about people that work or run businesses?"

She adds, "We watch current affairs programmes on TV, where government is criticised for failing to run the energy projects. I say such projects should be completed at the earliest."

The government announced similar energy conservation steps in 2007, but badly failed. Similarly, around the same time, the Punjab government ordered the Lahore markets to close by 8pm. But, again, the implementation authorities, a special police squad formed for the purpose, failed to do what was entrusted to it and the markets continued to defy the orders.

Mian Imtiaz Habib, an old man who runs a CD shop in a posh area of the city, says traders are always victim of such policies — "You see we are running a shop in a shopping arcade and we have to switch on lights even at day time. Otherwise, there will be darkness in the shop."

The government, he urges, must understand the shopkeepers’ situation. "People cannot be at two places at one time they can either shop or work. Ideally, yes, the shops should open early in the morning and close early in the evening — but sadly it’s become an old habit, and you know, old habits die hard."

On the other side, housewife Sarah Ahmed believes, "If by closing the markets early we can save power, work efficiently, and have more time for leisure and our families, then why not?"

But on a more serious note, she adds, "The early closure of shops is about the basic needs. So, we should be thinking of adjusting to the new routine, changing our old habits and moving on in life. Yes it’s hard to imagine the Pakistani people responding to energy conservation efforts with anything other than contempt. But we have to face it: it is a crisis and it is hitting us hard. As a nation, we have to collectively start making huge cuts in energy consumption — be wise for a change."

The case of five reading rooms

What a pity: the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) has only one public library with five reading rooms for a city of over 10 million people. Further, not much has been done to put it at par with other city libraries, in terms of latest books, computer section, audio-video centres, text and periodical sections, auditorium and specialist library staff since its establishment in 1926.

Donated by religious scholar, Maulana Muhammad Hussain Azad, and named after the great Chishtia dynasty saint, Shah Muhammad Ghaus, the library is situated in the centre of the city on Circular Road, in front of Akbari Mandi, near the historic Delhi Gate.

The eight-decade-old building of the Shah Muhammad Ghaus Library lost its public library look when one of its rooms was converted into a union council nazim office. Now, at first sight, it gives the look of a district government office.

The union council office was shifted to the library premises following the demand of the Civil Defence Department to vacate its building adjacent to the library in the wake of Indo-Pak tension in 2001, disclosed a library employee. He said, "Civil Defence Department wanted to get the possession of the whole library building. But the CDGL PRO and librarian resisted the move and saved it from going to the department."

According to CDGL sources, the second storey of the library was built in 1988 and its old building was first renovated in 1999. In addition to different newspapers, magazines and journals, the historical library has more than 23,000 books on Pakistan, literature, culture, medicine, science, Islam and other topics in Urdu, Hindi, Persian, Gurmukhi and English languages.

More than 2000 members are benefiting from this library with nominal Rs 30 per year fee and Rs 200 security, but the city district government employees are exempt from these charges and the students are offered a concession in membership and security fees. The library also gives lifetime membership against Rs 800 non-refundable security. The members can borrow at a time two books for one month from the library, which opens at 7am and closes at 3pm.

Managed by a lady social welfare officer, the library is visited by 50 to 75 people daily including students who come here with their textbooks to study.

This is the only library in the city which has its five reading rooms in different areas of the City — Sheesh Mahal, Mughalpura, Masomia Park, Qila Gujjar Singh and Bakar Mandi. Assistant Librarian Ashraf Bhatti told TNS there were 13 CDGL reading rooms in the city which have now been reduced to five — "due to lack of interest of UC nazims and councillors or local people who earlier used to donate reading rooms. Though the city district government appoints clerks and naib qasids at these reading rooms, the role of teachers, civil society members and donors is vital in this regard."

In addition to the CDGL library, the city has four other public libraries including Punjab Public Library managed by Punjab Education Department, Dayal Singh Trust Library managed by Pakistan Evacuee Trust Property Board, Dar-us-Salam Trust Library managed by Dar-us-Salam Trust Bagh-i-Jinnah and Pakistan National Centre Library managed by Ministry of Information and National Affairs of Pakistan. Quaid-i-Azam Library, Bagh-i-Jinnah, is not a public library. Its membership is not for all. People having master degrees or studying in final year or in third semester of honours degree are eligible for its membership.

Unfortunately, neither the government nor people realise the importance of public libraries. Otherwise there would not be so few libraries in the city of 10 million.

nizami_shafiq@hotmail.com

A forgotten hero