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MOOD STREET Towan Talk special
children Safety in
question RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S
chaupal Literature comes full circle Nasir Bagh is where people
get together to discuss issues in life because literature is all about life In a corner of the famous Nasir Bagh opposite Government College Lahore, is a round raised structure, with windows all around. This is Chaupal, a hub of literary activity in the city. The single round room was
built somewhere in the 1980s and served as a canteen for many years. The
building, where a hundred people can sit at a time, was given the name
Chaupal on January 9, Chaupal, traditionally, is a dera or a place where villagers get together in the evening after a long day's work, to share their joys and sorrows, shed their worries and communicate their thoughts to each other. At chaupals people generally sit in a circle. This room in Nasir bagh is round too and like villagers who get together to share and relax, people who come here, not only share but promote thinking at many levels. Rana Tanveer Naazir, the person who looks after the necessary arrangements at the Chaupal, says he has been listening to all these people for six years now. "Mushairas are decreasing and more people are meeting for critical appreciation of literary works. Halqa Arbab-e-Zauq is probably the only meeting that is held every Sunday, come what may, rain or storm," Rana says. So every Sunday Halqa Arbab-e-Zauq meets at the Chaupal. Earlier in the day Youth Vision holds a lecture here, off and on. Mondays are reserved for Halqa Tasneef-e-Adab which promotes new writers, Idraak holds a mushaira on the first Tuesday of every month, Bazm-e-Manshoor meets here on the third Tuesday of every month. There are no meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays. Wednesdays are booked by Anjuman Taraqqi Pasand Musannifeen who meet for critical appreciation of literary works. On the first Thursday of every month Syed-e-Hajver Naat Council meets. On the second Thursday its time for Carvan-e-Adab. The third Thursday of the month is booked by Sewa Art. These are all different organisations which have a common activity on Thursdays, that is mushaira. Every Friday Punjabi Adabi Sangat holds critical appreciation forum like all weekly programmes. Kahani Ghar meets every Saturday in which people read out fiction and carry on a story with the help of the participants. On the third Saturday of the month English Literary Society holds a meeting. They also take out a magazine, 'Voice of Rights.' There is another organisation Alao which meets off and on. Almost all regular meetings are held after seven in the evening. "Dr Naheed Shahid looks after the affairs of Chaupal," Rana Naazir tells TNS. It was surprising to know that Rana comes here daily out of love for literary activities. He has a private business in Misri Shah and comes here after closing his shop. "This place is being run on a no-profit, no-loss basis. The different parties which hold programmes here are charged nominal fee and pay for tea. The government doesn't give any funds for this place," says Rana. Abid Hasan Abid of Ajuman Taraqqi Pasand Musannifeen says: "This is one forum where we take at least five or more works of a writer into consideration while discussing his/her work and the writer whose work is being discussed, participates in the discussion. This is how our platform is different from that of Halqa Arbab-e-Zauq. They also hold critical appreciation sessions but the writer does not participate or defend his or her work. In such a situation the writer whose works are being discussed, is sometimes ruthlessly criticised and at other times highly praised. People do so in groups." Anjuman Taraqqi Pasand Musannifeen was formed in 1936 with the idea to write on the life of common man -- to connect word to life. Lately, it held three sessions on the topic 'The spirit of the time,' to discuss what issues writers need to take up. They meet at 7:30pm every Wednesday at Chopal. Carvan-e-Adab that meets once a month in Lahore and every week in Sheikhupura, holds mushaira. Abrar Hamid of Carvan-e-Adab says something new comes in every session. "I have held 75 functions so far and the minimum attendance is 40 to 45 people everytime. Popular poets in these meetings are Khalid Ahmed, Najeeb Ahmed, Abbas Tabish and Waheed Ahmed Awan," he says. Idraak is another organisation that is holding mushaira, critical appreciation forums and book launches here for four years now. Qari Sadiq Jamil of Idraak says: "We are meeting for ten years now actually. There are no less than 30 poets in every meeting. We always start in time and are known for that." Qari Sadiq is deputy headmaster at a government school and organises such functions out of sheer interest in literature. He rates Wajid Ameer and Raza Abbas Raza who come to this forum as good poets. Syed-e-Hajver Naat Council holds naatia mushaira here once every month. They give a verse of some famous poet to the participants to write on that theme. This time they had given a verse of Yusuf Zafar. Some old poets' naats are also read in these sessions. Raja Rasheed Mehmood, convenor of the mushaira, has 42 volumes of naats to his credit. He has published 25,500 pages in 19 years of service in this field since 1998. Chaupal is situated in a ground known for many things. It was developed by the British. Dr Naheed Shahid says, "It was called Band Stand garden before Nasir Bagh. English officers and their families came here on holidays and bands were played here. The garden could be clearly viewed from the town hall. Later, it was named Gol Bagh. Then in Bhutto's reign it was again renamed Nasir Bagh." Governor Jilani upgraded the park, added fountains and the room now called Chaupal to it, which brings people to this place in hordes everyday. It's a place where people get together to discuss issues in life as literature is all about life. There are no tickets. The park is well-maintained and well-lit, the fountains are always running and its many gates are all open to public. Parks and Horticulture Authority must be lauded for that. It's a nice public place. There couldn't have been a better venue for such meetings.
MOOD
STREET By Aatekah Ahmad Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. It not only gets me started but also helps me foresee what kind of a day I am going to have. A perfect breakfast predicts a near-to-perfect day. A spoilt breakfast foretells a bad day. Not that the mantra works every time but by now I think I have nearly perfected the art of reading tea leaves. Some days are bad-egg days just like bad-hair days. Some are under or over-toasted bread days. But nothing spoils my breakfasts like marmalades. Marmalade is not the only
kind of jam that I dislike. Perhaps the type that I dislike the most is the
one, not made with citrus, but cars -- a traffic jam. It gets better. Where
marmalades are a type of jams, jams (traffic ones) are a kind of congestion.
Not the medical condition with an ugly cough and Sound familiar? I can almost see countless heads nodding. We in our very own shehr have become accustomed to these. Not many years ago, jams were an alien concept. I used to scoff at the plight of first American and Japanese cities and then Karachi that had to endure what resembled a nightmare with lots of blaring noises. But now, ever since having the same nightmare every day, I've learnt how to sympathise and not ridicule other people's misfortunes. You never really know what others are going through unless you go through the same thing. No matter how hard you try, you can never get the same perspective. It's really amazing how many reasons the city can find to ensure jams. Usually it is the ever increasing number of cars or the rush hour. Last weekend it was basant. On others, it is the weekends. At times it's the rain. At others it is the endless construction and repair of roads going on around the city. Sometimes the traffic lights don't work and sometimes a driver decides to park his car in the middle of the road. Trying to make some sense of the insanity that is so widespread, I looked up traffic jams on the internet. I was surprised to find that traffic jams not only have proper definitions but also classifications, a list of negative impacts as well as mathematical and economic theories. Jams result not only in more frequent worn out tires but also increased fuel consumption and pollution. The theories range from those that apply rules of fluid dynamics and a three phase traffic theory (including synchronised flow and wide moving jams) to being an example of the 'tragedy of commons.' This tragedy can be best understood by Aristotle's quote: "That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it." To imagine the trouble that we all could have been saved if only roads and cars weren't that common. An economist, Anthony Downs, in his books Stuck in Traffic (1992) and Still Stuck in Traffic (2004) comments that jams are inevitable since they are an example of goods allocated by queuing (first come first serve basis) as opposed to going by pricing in a market economy. An unorthodox view but certainly a fascinating one. If only traffic jams were as exciting. Misery loves company and it feels good to know that you are not the only one who's suffering. But there are people who, instead of just gloating about the fact, have tried to come up with solutions. These proposals are also scientific in nature based on induced or reduced demand hypothesis, city planning, road pricing, quotas, counter flow, utility cycling, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) like CCTV and Traffic Operation Centres and automated highway systems. I read somewhere that ants, like humans, hate congestion and try to avoid it by using alternate routes. An experiment was conducted during which the ants had to take food back to their nest by crossing a branched diamond-shaped bridge. It was noticed that the ants had a favourite route. However, if the ants encountered a bottleneck when getting to their preferred route, they chose the other course. But most of the time that I opt for an alternate route; I get stuck in another sticky, 'jammy' situation. Where marmalade spoils my breakfast, a traffic jam ruins my day. Where the former doesn't treat my taste buds very kindly, the latter affects all my other senses. And where marmalade leaves a bitter flavour in my mouth, a traffic jam gives me a headache that lasts for hours. Thus, though I dislike marmalades with all my heart, if given a choice, I would prefer marmalade over a traffic jam on any given day.
• Spanish Film Festival at National College of Art from Monday to Friday at 3pm daily
• Classical Khayal and Thumri Gaaeki Concert by Ustad Badar-uz-Zaman & Ustad Qamar-uz-Zaman at Lahore Chitrkar, on Saturday, 10 Mar at 7pm.
• Women's Expo at Expo Centre Fortress Stadium, starting Friday, 09 March through 11 March. For details, log on to www.thewomenexpo.com
• The Importance of Being Earnest, KB Thespians' theatrical presentation of Oscar Wilde's romantic comedy of manners, to be staged at Cultural Complex, Gadaffi Stadium, from Thursday, March 8 to Sunday, March 11 at 7:30pm. For invites, call 0300-9404810 or 0300-2150121
• Ceramics by Anita Akram, on display through Sunday till March 11 at Nairang Art Galleries
• Baray Tez Ho!, a comedy by Zahid Group, at Hall 1, Alhamra, The Mall at 10:30pm. Performances to continue through Monday, March 5. Fee: Rs 50.
• Kaun Banega Dulha, a musical comedy at Hall 2, Alhamra, The Mall. Time: 10:30 PM. Performances to continue through Thursday, 08 Mar. Fee: 50 Rupees • Maon Ke Naam, a new play by Ajoka Theatre at Hall 2, Alhamra The Mall, on March 8
An organisation is taking care of the handicapped children on a one to one basis By Noreen Haider Few people know of its existence, but in the heart of Lahore near the overhead bridge on FC Road, established in an old Edwardian style big building, is a haven for special children called Compass (Centre of Mentally & Physically Affected Special Students). It is a one of its kind school in Punjab, offering the latest diagnosis and treatment facilities to special children with multiple disorders. Children suffering from mild
to severe disabilities need more individual care and attention. Regular
schools are not equipped to take care of these children although now most
experts believe that Unfortunately, in Pakistan for a long time the state hardly paid any attention to the requirements of special children. Even the parent's attitude towards the special children was apologetic. A special child was taken as an act of God or fate or even castigation and therefore very little efforts were made for any treatment or education of that child. Now with the rising levels of awareness this attitude is improving. Still there is a long way to go. Parents of special children also need therapies, awareness raising, counselling and training to cope with their children. Compass has been organising awareness-raising seminars and parents support groups to let the parents talk to each other and share their problems. The government's statistics show that of Punjab's total population of 73,621,290, 2.48 per cent (1,826,623) are disabled. As for the enrollment, the total number of special children enrolled in 49 government special education institutions, is 4,197. There are 32 schools for those whose hearing is impaired, 11 schools for visually impaired, three schools for mentally-retarded, two schools for physically disabled and one intermediate college for hearing impaired. But there are still thousands of special children in Punjab who are in need of care and treatment and have the possibility of getting better and becoming useful members of the society. Compass is one such institution where the latest scientific research and technically sound methods have been adopted to procure better results. Talking about how Compass was established, its owner and Director Sharmeen Alam said that she was married at a young age within immediate family and both her children, a girl and boy, were born soon afterwards with Microcephaly (a neurological disorder in which the circumference of the head is smaller than that of a normal person). At first it was terribly trying for me and my family but then we decided that we must do everything possible for the children. Sharmeen started her quest for treatment for her children eight years ago. She soon realised that there were very few facilities available for special children in Pakistan and those offered by the government were just not good enough. She decided to establish a school herself in which individualised care and attention could be provided to the children. "I could have had private attendants and highly skilled teachers for my two children. I can afford to spend a lot on my children but I realised that there were so many parents like me who were looking for a better option and it was then that I realised why God has given me special children of my own," Sharmeen says. Sharmeen Alam belongs to an affluent family, her father Shehzada Alam being the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Karachi. The family decided to set up a trust by the name of Compass and establish a special school. Compass School was established in the ancestral home belonging to Sharmeen's father-in-law and all the running expenses were also borne by him. The school started in 2001 with just six children but now has thirty four children and a staff of 54 teachers, trainers, physiotherapists, speech therapists, sports coordinators, music teachers, clinical psychologists and counsellors. The school is housed in a beautiful premises with charming, decorated rooms furnished with specially designed furniture and is filled with toys and play things of all conceivable kinds. "All the toys and sports goods are donations from friends and parents of special children. We get gifts from abroad also," told Sharmeen. The staff-teacher ratio is one to one. Each child is assessed individually and Individualised Education Plans are developed for each child according to his or her unique requirements and the plan is delivered on a one to one basis by qualified teachers. Apart from educational programme Compass provides intellectual, academic and behavioural assessment of special children. The school has a sliding fee structure and each child is charged a different amount according to the affordability of the parents. It starts from as low as Rs 500 per month for children whose parents cannot afford more, to Rs 20,000 per month for affluent parents. But nevertheless the facilities provided at the school are similar for all children. "It is not easy running an institution like Compass. It costs a lot of money but so far we have managed with the help of donations provided by friends and family. We have no support from either the government or any other humanitarian aid organisation." "It is an uphill task. We need resources as well as a purpose-built campus for the school to be able to provide the best possible treatment and care to all special children. People must realise how important it is to have a facility where a child gets care and parents get hope," Sharmeen said. The most important aspect of Compass school is its evening programme for the children of Katchi Abadis. It is a three hour programme for the poorest special children of the slums who have no access to any treatment or care. "My husband encouraged me to have this evening programme for the special children in the slums. When I went to the slums to find children, people were surprised to know that there can be schools for such children also. They could hardly believe it. But we encouraged them to send the children and also provided pick and drop facility. This has by far been the most rewarding experience." Even this programme is not totally free. Parents are supposed to pay Rs 50 or 100 to encourage feeling of participation. Children at Compass school are indeed special. They are encouraged to overcome physical limitations and do creative activities. Children are learning to read, write, sing, paint, make beautiful small handicraft objects and show their creativity in so many ways. Some of the paintings done by the children must be seen to be believed. "We know that they will never be fully cured or be like normal children. Each child is unique, but our mission is to help them become the best that they possibly can. With the right treatment they can become functional and learn a lot. That is what is important." Safety in question Kite-flyers complain of police high-handedness on basant By Aoun Sahi For many Lahoris this year's basant lacked the traditional festivity as the government had announced a number of measures to discipline fans who were celebrating the festival with only two-day permission for kite flying. The Punjab government -- under the Punjab Prohibition of Dangerous Kite Flying Activities Ordinance 2001 Rules 2007 -- had banned loud music, display of weapons and fireworks at locations hosting kite flying on basant. The rules were part of the strict conditions set to seek permission from district authorities to use locations for kite flying. Government also had strictly banned usage of metallic or chemical twine. The orders, according to
government officials, had been added to safe kite flying rules to protect According to Capital City Police Chief, Additional IG Malik Muhammad Iqbal, over 5,000 policemen were deputed to maintain law and order during basant. He tells TNS that government and police had openly announced that strict action will be taken against the elements involved in aerial firing and flouting the kite-flying law. "We had already announced that the house owner would be arrested in case of violation from his residence, and all SHOs had been provided ladders and searchlights for the purpose," CCPO informs TNS. For common kite flyer thinks otherwise. For him, the police in Lahore was not deployed for a peaceful basant but to protect VVIPs, especially President Musharraf. "The restrictions on the sport not only dampened the spirit of the enthusiasts but also provided an opportunity to policemen to extract thousands of rupees from innocent kite flyers. They also arrested many poor kite flyers in the city in the name of violating rules while on the other hand influentials in the city openly violated the law but were not arrested," says 25-year-old Naveed Ahmed, a kite flyer in the walled city. Lahore police data shows that it arrested around 700 people during basant days for using banned material like metallic or chemical kite strings or firing guns. Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Lahore Aftab Ahmed Cheema tells TNS that it is just an allegation that police arrested only the poor and let influentials did what they wanted. "We have seized 281 illegally held weapons on the spot being used for aerial firing during basant; can a poor man afford to have an illegal gun?" he asks. He says it is right that it was impossible for police to arrest each and every one in the city violating the kite flying rules "but with given resources we did the best and did not arrest even a single innocent." Whatever the security arrangements, according to Lahore police's own record seven persons were killed and dozens injured during basant related incidents in Lahore on February 24 and 25. As per the details 10-year-old Omer Farooq was going on bicycle in Gulshan-e-Ravi area when chemical string injured his throat. He was rushed to Ganga Ram Hospital but succumbed to injuries there. In Mozang a child Hassan Nadeem was killed due to serious wound in head by stray bullet while in Baghbanpura locality 17 years old Danish died by falling down from roof of the house. In Quaid-e-Millat Colony, Chungi Amar Sidhu, a labourer Faisal, 30, became target of stray bullet and was killed while in Garden Town a child Maryam Arif was killed by aerial firing. According to Maryam's mother Ishrat, she was just six years of age and was playing with her elder brother on Saturday night around 9 pm when a stray bullet hit her and she died in front of the whole family. "We were unable to understand what happened to us," she adds. She tells TNS that Punjab Chief Minister on March 1 gave them a cheque of Rs 300,000 in compensation of their daughter. The Punjab Government had imposed complete ban on basant after midnight Sunday, February 25 and directed Lahore police to take strict action against the unscrupulous elements who indulged in violation of the kite flying ordinance. But still on March 1, a 25 years old young student Mazhar Ali, resident of Iqbal Town, was injured seriously by a kite string when he was riding his motorcycle on canal road near new campus. RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTIONS TOP10 Traffic bottlenecks 1) Chowk Yateem Khana 2) Davis Road 3) Dubai Chowk 4) Chowk Garhi Shahu 5) Kalma Chowk 6) M. M. Alam Road (At School Time) 7) The Mall (All Day Round) 8) Circular Road (Running around the Walled City) 9) Azadi Chowk 10) Liberty To enlist by popular vote the 'top ten' for next week, send in your emails on top ten 'Paan Shops in Lahore'. Please email at shehrtns@gmail.com
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2001. It was a time when the once popular meeting
places vanished one after the other and even Pak Tea House had closed. The
then commissioner of Lahore, Shahid Najam, arranged an alternate place for
the writers to get together. A literary meeting is held here every day since
then. The literary sessions most well-attended are Halqa Arbab-e-Zauq and
Taraqqi Pasand Musannifeen.
a lot of phlegm resonating
but a road condition. Traffic jams (here on referred to simply as jams) can
be best defined as an extreme case of traffic congestion, which itself is
characterised by long queues, slow moving vehicles and longer trip times.
inclusive education for children with disability is the
best thing for them and the regular schools should be equipped to deal with
all kinds of children.
neighbours' rights and to keep peace during the festival. Kite flyers were
also asked to get permission from concerned union council nazim through a
form. Violators could face six months imprisonment and fines up to Rs
100,000. It was also made compulsory for motorcyclists to use safety wire
during basant days. Those who did not use safety wire on these days were
challaned. The city district government also provided safety wires to
thousands of motorcyclists free of cost to keep kite twines at a safe
distance.
