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development MOOD
STREET Town
Talk A
culinary genius comes to town A
make-shift arrangement
Everything but cricket By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed Despite the
demise of international cricket in the country, the lovers of the game
have had other reasons to head to the historic Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore,
constructed in 1959 close to the Liberty Market. They have extensively
used the road next to the stadium as a conduit when travelling from
Gulberg to Ferozepur Road and vice versa. However, over the last
couple of years, the place has also become a preferred spot for food
lovers who come here with friends, families or alone to dine out at
outlets of major desi and fast food chains. It’s the availability
of ample parking space and the privilege of being able to dine out in the
open-while seated on charpoys in rural settings or chairs that bring most
of them here. Hot Spot, Café Life,
Blue Basil, Dera, Fazl-e-Haq and Butt are some of the outlets doing good
food business here. Besides, there are book stores, gift shops, travel
agencies, event management companies, marriage halls, caterers and
offices, all leased out by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on long-term
basis. Either they (the lessees) are running businesses here themselves or
they have further rented them out to others. The PCB which entered
into a lease agreement with the Punjab government — the real owner of
the stadium — for its occupation in the 1970s, leased out these spaces
apparently to earn revenues and increase public activity here. An objection raised by
certain quarters in this regard is that the board has absolved itself of
any responsibilities regarding monitoring of the business activities
conducted here. Muhammad Jameel, an
attendant at a gift shop set up at the stadium’s commercial complex,
tells TNS many of the restaurants have occupied spaces on rent from main
lessees. The PCB which pocketed money secured in advance for a 38-year
lease is not concerned about whatever goes here. He also objects to the
logic of leaving it to the lessees to decide the type of businesses they
accommodate. “What if one day they rent out the space to wholesale scrap
dealers etc?” The owner of a food
outlet, who does not want to be named, rubbishes the charges against
restaurants spoiling the environment and ambience around the Gaddafi
Stadium and says that highest standards set for food industry are stuck
to.
He also claims it was
the food outlets which enlivened the whole areas which was as deserted as
a graveyard. “We were approached
when other businesses failed to pick up. Besides, the area gained
popularity as a food arena when the Gwalmandi Street was demolished for no
genuine reasons,” he adds. The owner also has
problems with the district administration, the police and the PCB which
stop general public’s access to the area every now and then on security
reasons. “This severely hurts our business. It’s totally non-viable
for us to open our restaurants whenever there are matches such as those
under T-20 tournaments, music concerts or diversion of traffic due to some
VIP movement.” Architect Nayyar Ali
Dada, who gave a new look to the Gaddafi Stadium in the mid-90s,
disapproves of the idea of opening restaurants and open-air food outlets
along the exterior wall of the stadium. He says the original
purpose of redoing the whole thing and converting the empty space under
the stands into a usable one was to set up art galleries, book shops,
dignified restaurants, arts and handicraft shops etc at the venue. The activity one
witnesses there today is totally unwanted, he says, adding it has
“totally defaced a public building.” “Instead of making it
look beautiful through landscaping and other cosmetic touches, restaurants
have been allowed to cook food and serve it in the open. There is no
regulatory check on them and they are often seen dumping empty crates and
wasted food there, in the open, he alleges. “It’s simply an
eyesore.” Dada believes setting up
of these sprawling restaurants and kitchens, right next to the stadium, is
a major security hazard. “God forbid, there may be a major disaster as
huge ovens operate here throughout the day.” He says that even though
a lot of damage has been done, steps can still be taken to save this
historic structure from further defacement. His meeting with acting
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President Najam Sethi is due within a few
days, and he plans to take up the issue with him. Ferozsons Bookshop at
the Gaddafi Stadium is an outlet where book lovers come with their
families and spend hours searching for books they finally add to their
collection. Raza, a salesman at the shop, says a large number of their
dedicated customers find it highly convenient to come here. With traffic volume
increasing day by day, shrinking of parking spaces for vehicles and
increasing costs of fuel, there is a need for big companies to reach out
to their existing and prospective customers closer to where they live. He
says people are not worried when their accompanying children go out of the
shop and move around in the corridors or the pavement right next to the
Gaddafi Stadium. There is no traffic, so they feel safe. Raza says many of their
customers who live close to their other outlets in the city also prefer to
come here. Their point is that book searching cannot be done properly in
the absence of peace of mind. Here, they do not have to worry about their
cars which are properly parked, safety of their hyperactive children or
getting stuck in the traffic. “They spend hours and hours sifting
through the books and make their purchases in a carefree environment.” caption The Gaddafi Stadium
would be a deserted place, if it weren’t for the food outlets erected
around it. Or, it wouldn’t? By Shahzada Irfan Ahmed
Why do you go on a trip to see The Pyramids, The Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Taj Mahal? To enjoy the brilliant architecture, appreciate the powerful work of our ancestors, get over the monotony of work — or to capture pretty pictures? Sometimes, the latter seems to be the only reason the youngsters go on trips. Here’s how it works. Whether you glimpse a wonder of the world or an advertisement board in another country, rather than looking closer, you hand the camera to a friend/family member to snap your picture as you plaster a smile on your face. Someone passes in front of you at the same instance as the flash goes off (or ‘photo bombs’) and you throw them a glare and request your friend to take another one. Then you move a few steps closer and call your friends to stand next to you for a group photo, taken by a kind stranger. Then you move to the right and oh, wow — a picture from another angle! Maybe you should point at the heritage site this time or make a silly face to spice things up… Professional photographers around these historical sites milk this obsession with photographs, for all it’s worth, by suggesting different poses such as a fascinating shot when it seems that you are actually holding up Taj Mahal between your thumb and forefinger or one in which it seems that you’re pushing the Leaning Tower of Pisa down. Tour guides’ job description now includes knowing the best locations for capturing stunning photographs. Sometimes, it seems to me that everyone is so busy documenting their trip to show it to others or for memories’ sake that they have forgotten to take part in the trip itself. It is almost as if everything revolves around finding a good enough background for the pictures that have to be uploaded on Facebook as soon as they get access to the hotel’s wi-fi. The pictures have to be good to garner as many likes as possible. The ability to specify a location for the photograph is obviously an added bonus. Thus, my Facebook newsfeed around this time of the year is overcrowded with notifications of the display pictures (‘dp’ for short) being changed to pictures snapped on beaches, in front of waterfalls and even in airports! The fact that they are posted online, rather than allowed to lie dormant in cameras’ memory chips makes me cynical of the view that they are only for the sake of documenting memories. After all, everyone would make more fulfilling memories if they put away the camera for some time and really looked around. In fact, I’m honestly at a loss when I try to imagine how tourism was before the camera was invented. I’m sure that tourists would have milled around these sites for less time, for all the hold-ups I see are due to long photo shoot sessions, or because someone feels unhappy with the way their face or pose looks in the picture and requires a retake. Hmm, maybe tourist places suffering from over-crowding should start banning cameras. But wait — the inability to take that perfect picture would probably dwindle the attraction these places hold for tourists!
* ‘I Saw Two Crows Building A Nest Under His Hat,’ Imrana Tanveer’s solo show, is to continue through July 13, at the Drawing Room Art Gallery. * Child Rights Movement-Punjab is holding an orientation session on ‘Nutrition and Human Rights,’ on July 8 (Monday) at 10am. The session, which will go on till 1pm, will be followed by lunch. The venue will be disclosed to those who confirm their participation on iftikhar.mubarik@gmail.com * Girls, this is Your Time! an activity designed by Levi’s exclusively for ladies at its flagship MM Alam Road outlet, on July 7 (today). Drinks shall be served to the ladies as they browse through clothes racks, try on and buy their favourite jeans and other items on discount prices. * Ramadan Toy Drive, started last year as a charity moot, involves taking your used as well as new toys to underprivileged children in Lahore’s hospitals. The idea is, obviously, to “deliver happiness to ailing children.” The drive, which has now spread across the nation, has made multiple collection points for donations in the city. In Bahria Town: House 59, Street 40. In DHA, 231-A, EME Sector and also 121-U, Street 3, Phase II. In Johar Town, 60 J-Block.
travel The two
gurdwaras would have been a mirror image of each other. Facing each other
they are about a kilometre apart. They both commemorate the same event,
when the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind arrived here and spent some time
where these buildings stand. They continue to be a reflection of each
other but of a different sort.
The contrasting state of
the two gurdwaras provide us with a window to how the one in Padhana must
have looked like before it fell into the hands of refugees from Mewat
following partition. The tall, white-washed
structure in Nowshera, across the border, is also a recent development,
different from how it initially looked at the time of its construction in
the 17th century. At that time it must have been similar in architecture
to the gurdwara in Padhana, a double-storey, square-shaped building with a
dome on the top, followed by a spire. Somewhere in between these two
villages is the “most dangerous border in the world.” From the edge of this
village one can see a few milestones placed at equal distances identifying
the border. It is hard to comprehend that these harmless looking
structures are the cause of so much animosity between India and Pakistan.
Just behind the milestones is the border fence on the Indian side
interspersed with watch towers, on the top of which there are floodlights
pointing in the direction of Pakistan. Here personnel of the Border
Security Force (BSF) stand alert touting their guns at harmless animals
and shepherds that graze on the land below them. The animals and the
shepherds are Indians. A young kid, holding a stick in his hand sits on
the top of a milestone looking in my direction as if mocking the entire
exercise of border protection. He is being monitored by the security
officials. At a little distance from him Pakistani farmers are working on
their fields. The kid can only look at them but not talk. The BSF would
not allow verbal communication. The kid does this every day. Sometimes
when the animals cross over they are returned by the Pakistani farmers.
The same cannot be said about humans. In a little while, he
along with his companions would be ushered out of the border area and the
giant gates that are made in between these fences would be locked for the
day. Anyone trying to cross the border after that would be shot dead.
Hanging from the edge of
a black wire is a bulb at the gate of the gurdwara which is locked. There
is electricity but the bulb is dim. I am told by a vendor whose shop
neighbours the gurdwara that this is the first hour of electricity in
twenty-four hours and even that is low voltage. There is no road at this
border village, just a dirt track with huge potholes passed off as one.
There aren’t any other motorized vehicles, only carts being tugged by
bulls. We head towards the
haveli of Jawala Singh. It’s a beautiful structure with giant fort-like
walls protecting its privacy from all sides. At the top, there is a
turret, while there are three tiered arches giving the impression of false
windows. I am lead inside by the great-great grandson of Jawala Singh, a
twelve year old boy who wants to play with my digital camera in return for
his services. The splendour of the
structure from the outside is misleading. The building is hollow from the
inside. All the rooms have been razed, including the ceilings. A herd of
buffalos are the only occupants of this haveli, the grandest structure in
Padhana. Taking the stairs, we
climb to the top of the structure and walk its narrow paths, the only
remains of the ceilings. India is in front of us with its tall mobile
minarets rising from the midst of its villages. Jawala Singh was a
general in the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was awarded vast tracts
of land around this village after leading successful campaigns in Multan,
Mankera, Kot Kapoora and Kashmir for the Maharaja. After the demise of
Ranjit Singh, when his empire became a victim of his progeny, the British,
who were eagerly waiting to take over the last independent kingdom of
India, had no troubles in establishing their control over Lahore’s
government. Jawala Singh at the turn of affair joined their ranks and as a
reward secured his position as a chieftain of Padhana. This haveli was
summoned by him. I am led to the sitting
room of the family where I am greeted by Jawala Singh’s grandson Sardar
Amanullah Khan. He is an old man, with a thick long beard. He is tall and
heavily built. Holding a stick for support he is sitting on a chair, while
his grandson stands behind him. I am intimidated by the size of the old
man and his penetrating eyes. “My real name was Har
Dhayan Singh. I was born a Sikh,” he tells me. “My father was Har
Charan Singh. A little while before partition he converted to Islam and
became Nasarullah Khan. The rest of his brothers remained Sikh and
migrated to India. We keep in touch with them through phone. One of my
cousins is a general in the Indian army,” he says with pride. Amanullah tells us the
directions for the smadh of Jawala Singh and his wife. These are two
simple structures with domes on the top. Families of migrants have made
them their houses, while animals are tied to trees outside. On the way out of the
village, I notice a small structure about two feet from the ground with a
green flag hoisted on it. This looks like a shrine. Graffiti on a wall
behind it reads, “Baba Lal Das.” A Hindu shrine that too must have
converted at the time of Partition. Padhana is a small
village on the border. Driving straight up Burki road, crossing the
village of Hadyara the road ends up at the entrance to this village.
According to Punjab Chiefs, a book written in the 19th century documenting
the prominent families of Punjab, Padhana was first established in the
11th century by members of the caste of Padhana, which is a sub-caste of
Gujjar. However, soon after the village was abandoned for some
inexplicable reason and then repopulated during the tenure of the Mughal
Emperor Akbar by a man called Changa who moved here from Taran Taaran (now
in India). The book notes an
interesting anecdote regarding Changa. It is said that once Akbar was
smitten by the beauty of a Rajput girl somewhere in the Ferozepur district
and decided to marry her. The girl’s father however was not keen on the
marriage proposal and agreed to relay the decision to a council of elders
that included thirty-five members from the Jutt clan and thirty-six from
the Rajput. All the Jutts voted in the favor of Akbar marrying the girl
while all the Rajputs against except for Changa, who was a Rajput and a
member of the council. It was his decisive vote that turned the decision
in the favor of the Emperor. As a reward for his “loyalty” he was
awarded property and other presents. It turns out that Jawala Singh and
hence Amanullah Khan are from the progeny of Changa. Changa had seven sons
and to each one of them he awarded a different village from the
surrounding regions. One of those villages was Nowshera now on the Indian
side. Before the rise of nation-states when villages functioned as
autonomous bodies these seven villages all next to each other were linked
not only through familial connections but also economics. From the
evidence that is present in the book it becomes clear that Padhana was the
principal village of this vicinity. It had a protective wall around it in
which people from these neighbouring villages took protection when the
Afghans raided Punjab following the disintegration of the Mughal Empire.
Now the village of Padhana and its sister village in Nowshera speak a
different story.
A
culinary genius comes to town The Polo Lounge,
located in the heart of GOR-I, has long been known for its classy
interior, breathtaking view of the polo As we found out, the new
menu offers fewer options, but there is still a good deal of variety to
choose from. New dishes like ‘Hand breaded Chicken Tenders’ have been
added onto the menu, whereas classic dishes such as ‘Fried Calamari,’
with herb aioli, remain. Chilled soups are
unheard of in Lahore. However, the Polo Lounge now offers a wide range of
soups such as a ‘Chilled Cucumber Soup,’ garnished with olive oil and
prawns. Cucumbers incorporated into a soup might not sound very appetising,
however Shahnawaz has done a tremendous job to create something that not
only looks amazing, but tastes delicious as well. When you hear the word
“salads,” you think about vegetables, lettuce and tasteless dressings.
Interestingly, the salads in the new menu sound nothing less than gourmet
salads. One of them, prepared by Shahnawaz, is a summer salad — a mix of
crunchy lettuce, fresh seasonal fruits, candied walnuts and cheese. One of the dishes in the
Main Course menu was the Red Snapper, marinated in salt and pepper, served
with a potato The potato gratin melts
in your mouth. Together with the spinach and the orange gastrique, a jus,
which has been thickened into a glaze, the dish may be one of the best
seafood dishes the Polo Lounge menu has to offer. Another dish to try is a
twist on the classic Mutton Chops. It is served with a zucchini and mint
purée, mint chutney, roasted eggplant and mashed potatoes. The meat is
tender and together with the other elements of the dish it tastes
scrumptious. If you still have room
for dessert, four classic items are on offer. The Polo Lounge does not
offer a lot of variety in this category, though. There is ‘Mango Pavlova,’
a meringue, crispy on the exterior and light from the inside, served with
ice cream and fresh mangoes. Sticky Toffee Banana is
a banana cake topped with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Talking exclusively to
TNS, Shahnawaz Khan said that he started out as a chef at Avari Hotel but
soon realised his extraordinary talents for cooking. He went on to receive
training in the culinary arts from École Grégoire Ferrandi, one of
France’s leading professional training schools. He has worked in Dubai,
Paris, Egypt and New York City, with some of the world’s best-known
chefs such as David Bouley, Alain Ducasse and Andrew Carmellini. Now he is
back to Pakistan. Shahnawaz was delightful
to talk to, and the food he offered us spoke volumes about his culinary
genius. Not only was it delicious, the presentation was spot-on and the
staff, extremely courteous.
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grounds and its mouthwatering
food. Recently, Shahnawaz Khan, a young chef who claims to have worked
with some of the biggest culinary hands in the world, joined Team Polo
Lounge as an Executive Chef. He has introduced a menu which is definitely
a notch up on the existing ones. 
gratin, sautéed spinach and an orange gastrique. Not being
a huge fan of seafood you may be reluctant to try the snapper, but having
tasted it I can vouch that it is heavenly. 
