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emergency Odd things they do From rescuing cats to catching an absconding baboon and venomous snakes from houses, Rescue 1122 staff is seen in all forms of action By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed A miser of the highest order was sitting next to the charred structure of his burnt house soon after the tragedy struck and was crying loudly. A passerby stopped, sympathised with him and asked whether the Rescue 1122 people responded in time. The person, who was completely broke, replied he gave several missed calls at their number but the Rescue 1122 people did not bother to call back. MOOD STREET Town
Talk event On
the rock Humour on stage
emergency Odd things they do From rescuing cats to catching an absconding baboon and venomous snakes from houses, Rescue 1122 staff is seen in all forms of action By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed A miser of the highest
order was sitting next to the charred structure of his burnt house soon after
the tragedy struck and was crying loudly. A passerby stopped, sympathised
with him and asked whether the Rescue 1122 people responded in time. The
person, who was completely broke, replied he gave several missed calls at
their number but the Rescue 1122 people did not bother to call back. This is just a joke for
most people but a fact for this emergency service staff, claims a Rescue 1122
officer who shares it with the scribe. “May be its only such missed calls
that we cannot respond to. Otherwise we reach all the places where we are
called by the public and respond to every call we receive,” he says. The officer believes every
citizen has an equal right over the emergency service staff which he can
exercise in times of emergency. The benefit of doubt is always in favour of
the caller even when it is not clear whether he is really facing an
emergency. A review of the calls
responded to by Rescue 1122 since its inception in 2004 shows the number has
multiplied. This is partly because the public trust in the service has
increased and also that they are calling them to help in situations which
they had never expected to confront. The job description, as a result, has
also modified with every passing day and the list of odd jobs done has kept
on expanding. The service has rescued
endangered specie of vultures from electricity wires, cats caught in water
pipes and washing machines and large sacrificial animals trapped in manholes.
Besides, they caught a baboon which had escaped from Lahore Zoo, after
hours’ long drama at the Mall Road, dozens of poisonous and non-poisonous
snakes, lizards and even an ant-eater. This week TNS gathered
interesting information through discussions with Rescue 1122 both on, and off
the record. Only a few of the interesting narratives have been carried below
due to space constraints. To start with, there is an
incident about the misuse of rescue services by the general public on the
advice of another official service provider. As narrated by a staffer, the
rescue team received a phone call about a child falling in a manhole. The
team reached there without delay and some of its members entered into the
manhole and spent hours searching for the child but could not trace him.
Meanwhile, they had removed tonnes of silt and solid waste that had choked
the channel. While they were still
struggling, a local approached a rescue worker and told in his ear that a
Wasa employee had advised some people in the locality to call them. No child
had fallen in the manhole; it was just a ploy to make the rescuers clear the
choked channel. The official sharing the
incident tells TNS they hardly share such incidents with the public and the
media and there are reasons for this. First such incidents bring
embarrassment for the staff and secondly it may give idea to people to use
such ploys for their benefit. Other oft-received calls
are about some dead body lying next to the bank of a drain or inside a ditch
or next to a filth depot. One fine day, Rescue 1122 staff reached a locality
to recover a body from a drain. What followed was a drama witnessed by
hundreds of people. The person lying motionless was a drug addict and the
moment he was retrieved, he started quarrelling with the staff asking them to
compensate him for disturbing his sleep and infringing on his privacy. People often want Rescue
1122 to remove drug addicts from their locality and get them admitted to a
hospital or hand over to a police station but no one agrees to such
transfers. “The scope of our work is
too wide and we cannot strictly define our job. Everyday we expect to face
different challenges,” says Dr Ahmed Raza, District Emergency Officer,
Rescue 1122 Lahore confirming the occurrences involving drug addicts. He tells TNS people
sometimes call them and seek emergency medical service. Once they reach their
place the patient seems fine though pretending he is not. There have been
cases where the families of the patients called Rescue 1122 just to transport
the patient to a distant government hospital where he had a pre-arranged
appointment with the doctor, he adds. Raza says they simply
appeal to the people not to play pranks at the cost of people genuinely in
need of emergency help. “We can proceed against them under the Punjab
Emergencies Services Act but we don’t as we feel we must serve people and
not act against them. The public must itself realise this.” He says Rescue
1122 responded to well above 1300 fake emergency calls which cost a lot of
time and resources. On rescue of animals and
catching of snakes, he tells TNS the staff has got training from a reptile
expert and have equipment like snake catching rods specially for this
purpose. The rescuers have the knowledge of behaviour patterns of animals
which helps them a lot in catching them. Wild animals are left in their
natural habitat and only poisonous snakes are given to veterinary
institutions as they can be used in preparation of anti-dotes. Raza tells TNS, on the
basis of the number of calls received for animals rescue, a separate Animal
Rescue Wing has been formed in the department. “Technically speaking,
rescuing and catching animals is no more an odd job for us. It’s very much
regularised now,” he says with a gentle smile flashed across his face.
It was three past midnight. My younger brother woke me up as he was writhing in severe abdominal pain and doing frequent vomiting. The day earlier a GP had suggested him an antibiotic and some other medicines, but these could not help him. I drove him to nearby government-run Jinnah Hospital in Johar Town, Lahore. I dropped him near emergency department’s gate and moved ahead to park the car. He was convulsing with pain, but there was no attendant to support him or take him to the caregiver. He kept standing near the gate for a few minutes till I got there and gave him support to walk towards the Emergency. After 40-50 paces, an official stopped us and asked to get the admission (or registration) slip after payment of a very nominal amount. I searched my pockets for change and got the ‘parchi.’ The official asked us to go inside the front room. I thought the three gentlemen sitting in the room are doctors. I approached one of them and told him about the condition of my brother. He told us to go to the other man sitting on another table. I again explained the condition of my brother to him, thinking he is the relevant doctor, but it came out he was another clerk. He told us to go to the medical emergency and stamped our registration slip. I asked him as to where the room of medical emergency was? He gave us the direction. My brother was standing and moaning in pain. I clutched his hands and we walked towards the medical emergency room that was at a short distance. It was a big hall with two partitions, all strewn with beds occupied by patients. I looked around for a vacant bed. On one side, I found one dilapidated bed with filthy bed sheet on it. I made my brother sit on it and went to a counter where three young lady doctors were sitting close to each other. One was dozing on a chair with her forehead on the table; the other was fashionably dressed with frosty looks. I addressed the third one who seemed to me a bit receptive. I explained the condition of my brother. She asked me to wait. She went ahead to attend some other patients who were looking for a doctor before us. The other two caregivers stayed put in their chairs. After 10 minutes or so, she came to me. She saw the registration slip and asked us to get it stamped by another official. She spoke in such a hurry that I could not get her. I went for help to one of the nurses sitting on their separate counter in the middle of the hall. She explained me and gave me the direction. I went out and searched for the room where they stamped it again and stitched another piece of paper to the slip. I realised completing official procedures and formalities were more important than the treatment of my brother. Meanwhile, my brother asked me he wanted to vomit. I looked for a container and fetched one bucket with lots of stains on it from a nearby bed. He threw up, but no doctor or nurse came near him. After a while, the doctor again came to us. She prescribed the patient some medicines; she did not utter a single word of comfort to the patient or tell us any reason what could be the possible cause of his severe pain. In my heart, I feared it could be a dengue attack as it had just started appearing as per media reports. The doctor gave me the prescription and asked me to get the medicines from the pharmacy outside. I rushed outside. The pharmacy man gave me the required medicines for free. I was holding two tiny glass bottles of injections in my hand. So far, no nurse had come near us. I went to the nurses and asked one of them to do the needful. Meanwhile, a bottle slipped out of my hand and the liquid and the broken glass spilt on the floor. I again went to the pharmacy; the druggist gave me another injection bottle without any questioning. The nurse administered the intravenous injections. My brother was lying there on the bed. Around him dozens of patients were lying on their beds. A couple of doctors were still dozing in sleep in their chairs, while a few were attending the patients. It was a filthy, crowded room with people. Each patient was being nursed by his or her attendant(s). In front of us was a patient with some urinary problem. His attendants brought a screen around his bed to help him pass the urine. He was crying out loudly, making it more painful for other patients. We spent almost half an hour there. My brother started feeling slightly better and said that we should go home. I could not dare ask a doctor as to what had happened to him. They looked too cold and clinical doing their duty in a mechanical, robotic style. I asked one doctor to allow us leave. She did not ask me anything about the patient. She grabbed the slip from my hand, kept one page with her and gave the prescription to us. We left the Jinnah Emergency around 5 in the morning. I tried to think positively at least some qualified doctor saw my brother and prescribed medicines to him; had there been some serious issue involved, the doctors would have mentioned it to us or not allowed us to depart. The next day by afternoon, my brother was feeling much better.
*Exhibition of Paintings by Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi at Ejaz Art Gallery, 79/B-1 M.M. Alam Road, till April 10. *Open Mic at Institute for Peace peace and Secular Studies (IPPS) on Wednesday at 6:00 pm. People not just share intellectual works like essays, papers, articles, poetry but also other talents like songs, music compositions, monologues etc. *Weekend Cycle Ride to start today from Zakir Tikka Restaurant, Sarwar Road, Lahore Cantt at 10:30am. *Kailash Kher Live on Friday, Apr 13.
event There are more than 15
types of gypsies in Pakistan’s big and small cities, according to GODH, a
non government organisation, which arranged a “Gypsy Mela and Women Expo
2012” in the city in collaboration with the Punjab government departments
but it was hard to find them in this annual festivity held at Children
Complex, last week. More focus was on women’s expo. “Have you seen any gypsy
here in the fair?” TNS kept asking a number of women standing on many
handicrafts stalls but getting the same reply, “No. Not yet. Did you?” The number of gypsies in
the festivity was negligible. Those that were there could be seen sitting on
the front door or hired for activities like songs, short plays, fun items
etc. “It seems the gypsies are not openly invited to the event or they have
not been communicated to come and spend two good-days here,” observes a
woman who was running a handicrafts stall. “It seems everybody is
having fun in this festivity in the name of gypsies except the deserving
ones,” she viewed, adding, “the focus of the festivity is on stalls of
handicrafts, clothes and women’s artificial jewellery and accessories which
are hardly getting any public response due to people’s poor buying
capacity.” The two-day Gypsy Mela was
held at the Children’s Library Complex “with a call to acknowledge and
safeguard the rights of nomads – the most neglected community in the
country.” There was a banner on the
front gate of the complex urging people to sign it to demand from the
government to start a National Gypsy Day. In the rest of the complex, every
variety of stall was there, from Desi health studios to understanding Quran.
How to control obesity and be slim, Sharbat-e-Papeeta, women’s made
handicrafts, Roshni Association agenda, Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan Committee, Rescue
1122 stall, one million signature campaign for education and the NGOs working
on liberal visa policy between India and Pakistan were some of the prominent
stalls in the ‘Gypsy Mela.’ The event, however, was
full of fun with many local school children invited to play in the ground and
enjoy swings. A large number of visitors, including students, professionals
and families, enjoyed the event. Selective gypsy artists from all over the
country, especially, from Cholistan and Thar, took part in the festivities
and enthralled the visitors. Gypsy singer Krishan Lal Bhail sang folk songs
with his troupe at the opening and closing ceremonies. Bhail and his troupe
gave a colourful performance presenting folk dresses and songs. “The aim of the Mela was
to bridge the gulf between gypsies and other members of the society address
the needs of the homeless community, highlight the issues of nomads,”
observes Nazir Ghazi, Godh NGO’s head and one of the main organisers of the
event. It was jointly organised by the Social Welfare Department in
collaboration with the Grass-Root Organisation for Human Development (GODH).
He demands from the government to conduct a national survey to determine the
actual number of gypsies in the country and start a process of their
registration. Social Welfare Department
Deputy District Officer Ashraf Janjua says the gypsy community is the most
neglected in the country. He says more than 40 NGOs had set up a stall each
under the auspices of the Social Welfare Department while 16 stalls had been
set up by Godh. vaqargillani@gmail.com
On
the rock Although there might not be
sufficient written and anecdotal evidence to manifest its existence, hard
rock music in the country is very much a reality. Blood Moon Therapy, an
American rock unit, is currently on a tour of a land of synthesised pop
melodies and tamed Sufi rock; a venture initiated and made possible by the
American consulate. One of the pit stops in the nation-wide tour, the
Beaconhouse National University (BNU), aptly so, as it has oft acknowledged
to be called the first liberal arts institute in the country. As the Hard Rock genre renowned as the abode of the Zeppelins and Metallica’s may not be considered the language of the masses (as the band quickly realised in lesser-cultivated universities), the band visited the Lahore-based institute’s new campus to impart a two-hour long workshop on the fundamentals of hard rock to the university’s music society. Blood Moon Therapy is led by Michael Lombardi, the lead-singer and a well-known face in part due to his television career as an actor. The band is a conglomeration of individuals from as far off as Boston to Los Angeles, with well-spaced meet-ups held throughout the year in which they come together to create music and perform. “This particular trip here is the result of an effort to connect the youth of both countries and to spread a message of peace,” Lombardi articulates. As the lead guitarists
underwent the usual bit of tweaking and tuning with their instruments, an
ensemble of students starved for interaction with a working, performing
international rock band, soon had ears full with the questions and answers
flowing between the band and attendees. “Aside from the technical input on the basics of rock music, the motivating confessions in terms of not giving up and the hassles they faced in their careers were the most memorable and aspiring points,” remarks Subhan, an aspiring guitarist present amongst the alumni. It was emphasised by Nick, one of the group’s guitarists, that the struggle for upcoming bands in Pakistan was a mirror image of the troubles seen overseas in the states – a venture which does not initially pay well. Lombardi played Sherlock by uncovering the mystery of the missing band member: “Unfortunately, our bassist is missing today, he’s gotten a bit too carried away with the local food.” After an impromptu jam session and an in-depth walkthrough of the creative development of their lead single ‘Synthetic Self’ – from the initial idea to the final version, it was a thoroughly engaging learning experience for the talented young musicians present in the audience, many of whom had the privilege to perform alongside the band. “To be honest, we were completely taken aback when we realised there was so much knowledge of Rock music and so much talent here. It’s really amazing, these kids know everything about it,” Lombardi adds. Aside from performances and workshops, the band has also collaborated with Abbas Ali Khan. “We connected immediately, we were doing his thing, and Abbas supplemented it beautiful with his (alaaps). It was fantastic.” Lombardi and gang, on a musical journey themselves, have had surefire success so far in imparting their expertise and energy to the aspiring rock stars of tomorrow.
Humour on stage The thespians of LUMS brought the play “Rumors” to life at Ali Auditorium across the weekend of 30th March to 1st April. It was not the first time this farce had visited the stage of Lahore, but this rendition too was a slick affair earning warm reviews. “Rumors” can be best
described as a story of confusion, speculation and exasperation that
terminates in a great cover-up. Perhaps the opening scene captured it best
where Mahnoor Khan, recognisable from her cameo in Bol, was found to be
wringing her hands in despair as she vacillated between a ringing phone and
her petrified husband. The hosts of the grand house were in a state of
disarray: Mr. Brock was inexplicably discovered with a bullet hole through
his earlobe while his wife was nowhere to be found. Eccentric guests arrived
one by one and were initially conned into believing all was well. Gradually
everyone discovered that the Brocks are in no position to host the party but
no one could fathom how such a situation arose in the first place. Each of the guests had a carefully crafted personality which added depth to a relatively small cast. Ernie was the rationalist who maintained a demeanor of suspicion. Claire was the gossip-monger who managed to insert the most irrelevant comments at the most opportunistic moments. Ken managed to add to the confusion by mis-firing a gun at himself and temporarily denying himself the faculty of hearing. Glen and Cassie played out a bickering couple whose travails supplemented the primary plot. If there was one performer who stole the show, it was Abdul Ahad Ayub as Leonard Ganz. Starting off with a somewhat distasteful comment about his resemblance to the paralysed Stephen Hawking, he won over the crowd with his mix of idiosyncrasies and banter of witty comments. Another strong performer was Aamina Siddiqi as Cookie who continued to repulse the others with her dress sense and punctured particularly poignant moments with her bouts of physical pain. Given the simple premise
and basic set layout, much of the variety was provided by the occasional song
and dance sequences and flashbacks which involved creative light and sound
effects. The dying moments of the play in particular were quite a treat as
Leonard Ganz re-enacted a hypothetical series of events to satisfy Officer
Welch who was investigating suspicious behaviour in the area. All this
culminated in a memorable surprise ending. If I had to identify some sources of criticism, I might point out that I missed a non-trivial amount of dialogue even while sitting in the front row since the sound setup was just not able to carry some of the rapid streams of convoluted conversation. While the ladies were decked in dresses ranging from the elegant to the bizarre as per their personality, the mens’ costumes were quite a bit more varied than what I would have imagined under the circumstances. Following the conclusion of the show, scores of LUMS students converged on stage to receive their accolades. The Director Mariya Dada, who was involved in a cameo role herself, and Assistant Director Sana Warraich were recognised for their good work while the management team admitted it was difficult to draw the masses to see an English play constructed upon clean humour. Omair Rana of Real Entertainment Productions, a guest at the show, lauded the performers and hoped for a day when an original script would be conceived and executed. He pointed out that he had learned more about management from dramatics than any of his coursework and hoped these students of management and sciences felt the same way.
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