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A few good laughs Expectations from an Anwar Maqsood satire can be too high to match. A case in point:Sawa 14 August, third-time director Dawar Mahmood’s sequel to Pawney 14 August, on show at Alhamra The Mall By Usman Ghafoor Sawa 14 August would elicit a different response from a different audience. To those watching the play just to enjoy themselves, with little or no care for any glitches whatsoever, it’s got to mean an hour-and-half full of laughter and some arresting performances by its lead actors. But, if you see Sawa 14 August as a script that is coming from the pen of the mighty Anwar Maqsood, especially on the heels of last year’s mega witty Aangan Terha, you are likely to feel shortchanged — again, for no fault of the brilliant actors in the play or even the barely-third-time director Dawar Mahmood from Karachi. mood
street Town
Talk Temporary
relief Dilkash
Lahore?
A few good laughs Expectations from an Anwar Maqsood satire can be too high to match. A case in point:Sawa 14 August, third-time director Dawar Mahmood’s sequel to Pawney 14 August, on show at Alhamra The Mall By Usman Ghafoor Sawa 14 August
would elicit a different response from a different audience. To those
watching the play just to enjoy themselves, with little or no care for any
glitches whatsoever, it’s got to mean an hour-and-half full of laughter
and some arresting performances by its lead actors. But, if you see Sawa
14 August as a script that is coming from the pen of the mighty Anwar
Maqsood, especially on the heels of last year’s mega witty Aangan Terha,
you are likely to feel shortchanged — again, for no fault of the
brilliant actors in the play or even the barely-third-time director Dawar
Mahmood from Karachi. Sawa 14 August purports
to be in the tradition of a political satire but is rather too simple —
if not trivial — at that. Maqsood has a tested-and-tried formula in hand
where the dead come back to the world either to correct a few wrongs
committed to history or they are there as a plot ‘device’ to provide a
serious comment on the state of affairs that be — or both. The play opens in the
present-day Pakistan, with its innumerable social, political, economic and
religious issues. The choice of a railway platform as the setting for the
play comes in handy in that it is one public space where you could have
people of different religious, social and political backgrounds converge.
But it is a rather hackneyed setting. The premise of the play
is quite simple: “Shaheed” Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and “Shaheed” Gen
Ziaul Haq come back to life and face to face with each other in the
Pakistan of 2013. A blame game ensues between two of the greatest arch
rivals in the region’s political history. Both come at each other’s
throats and are not willing to admit their own flaws. A fiery Bhutto,
looking all prim and proper in his safari suit, reminds a glum Zia
strutting around in sherwani that the (death) sentence in 1979 was “a
split mandate.” Zia has his own points to make — “Jahaz na tabah
hota toh abb bhi sadar hota,” he announces. At another point in the
play, he tells Bhutto how Pakistan has suffered because he made it a
nuclear power. Enter Muhammad Ali
Jinnah, in his killer-white suit and hat (the cigar missing?). The Quaid
is agitated and hurt to find the situation of the country which is not
even a shadow of its self at the time of Partition. “[19]48 main kahin
chala gaya tha,” he tells the sweeper at the station; the latter
replies, “Bohat achhe time pe chale gaye aap.” Sadly for Anwar Maqsood
fans, the play fails to rise above stereotypes. In the midst of the Maqsood takes the mickey
out of Zia’s (sham) pan-Islamism, Bhutto’s ‘roti, kapra aur makaan’
slogan, Zardari’s “Bugti rug” (a pun on ‘dukhti rug’), Nawaz
Sharif’s ill-conceived economic daydreaming (“Karachi main Metro
chalayen ge? Karachi main paidal chal ke dikhao!” remarks Zardari) and
Imran Khan’s slogan of “ek naya Pakistan.” Jinnah’s character,
expectedly enough, is spared from satirizing, albeit when a PTI girl
mutters, “A leader should not drink!” The Quaid stops dead in his
tracks for a moment, much to the amusement of the crowd. The play has flashes of
brilliant wit and political humour that are hallmarks of a Maqsood script.
Indeed, the first thing that tickles your funny bone is the incredibly
funny dialogue. Consider the sweeper’s declaration, “Hajiyon ki train
chali gaee, unki haajatein chhor gaee!” (the train carrying the pilgrims
left, leaving behind the pilgrims’ waste). Only a dab hand could create
lines like these. Perhaps, the most potent
thing about the play is its title — Sawa 14 August; it packs some real
punch, while trivialising the situation of the post-Partition Pakistan. Eventually, the
Quaid’s character becomes Maqsood’s voice as he shows faith in the
children of tomorrow — the future generation of Pakistan which alone
carries promise and hope as the moral and social fabric of the country
continues to degenerate. Again, to some, this
would seem to be a contrived ending, where the writer took the easy path.
Or, perhaps, he didn’t want to end the play on a pessimistic note. No review of Sawa 14
August can go without a mention of the cast of characters — beginning
with TV host turned theatre actor Zahid Ahmed from Islamabad who brings
Jinnah to life, literally. Zahid’s rendition is incredibly believable
(the actor confesses to have been on a crash diet of “carrots and
water” for over a month in order to acquire Jinnah’s thin frame.) His
heavy voice adds to the performance, especially in his final speech. Gohar Rasheed, a BNU
graduate and now a budding actor on TV as well as film (remember Kaali
Aandhi from Main Hoon Shahid Afridi?), is simply superb as Zia. And, so
are Wassam Waheed as Bhutto and Talal Jilani as PML-N minister. From among the ladies,
Zainab Ahmed, another BNU graduate, has a huger task at hand as she gets
to play two different characters — a chirpy PTI supporter and the vily
prostitute. She acquits herself well in both. The one actor who never
ceases to amaze us is Yasir Hussain — in the two diametrically opposite
characters of Sindhi and Pathan. This follows his unforgettable
re-enactment of Saleem Nasir’s role in Aangan Terha. The incredibly
gifted TV and theatre actor is now a permanent part of Dawar’s KopyKats
Production. God knows he reminds you of the great comic Moin Akhtar (Anwar
Maqsood should vouch for this). Finally, praise is due
to the 20-something Dawar Mahmood who has another winner on his resume,
the oversimplified plot proceedings notwithstanding. One wonders if he
named his group as KopyKats because they are practically the only ones
doing original scripts these days.
Going to live independently? By Minahil Tariq For most High
School and A-Level students, October marks the beginning of college
admissions. Over the past decade the trend of going abroad for higher
education has become more common. Schools set out deadlines and college
counsellors are swamped with applications to send in. Everyone has his or her
different reasons for applying abroad. For me it’s more about going to
live independently away from my parents and experience college life, and
at the same time getting a good education. When I asked a friend of mine
who I’m helping fill out her college application on UCAS (Universities
and Colleges Admission Service), she had an answer I was beginning to hear
quite frequently: “If I stay here, my mother won’t let me finish my
studies and will just force me to get married.” It seems as if a lot of
mothers seem to think that if their children stay here in Pakistan they
are just going to waste their time and the only solution they can see is
marriage. I recently visited a UK
College Fair held here in Lahore in Pearl-Continental Hotel where various
universities from the United Kingdom such as Warwick University,
University of Bristol, University of Durham, and Nottingham University had
set up their stalls to advise any students who were visiting. After
spending a considerable amount of time poring over the prospectuses for
Undergraduates that the College Representatives had given me I understood
why everyone was so eager to study abroad. It holds a certain fascination,
to have a taste of that freedom. Every year all universities slightly
increase their entry requirements for various courses. The most popular
are of course, Medicine and Engineering but there’s other courses too
such as Law and International Relations that interest many international
students. If you ask someone why
they don’t want to stay and study in Pakistan it’s either because they
want to get away from their parents or because Pakistan only has a few
good universities that are hard to get into. If you just want to go to
college for the sake of having a degree to show to people then Pakistan
offers more than one university for that. I can’t really defend
our country’s education situation as I myself will probably end up going
abroad. After working my way through three years of O’levels and now
transitioning to A’ levels I feel like the journey has only begun. Most
first year A’ level students spend their first year trying to maintain
there pristine transcripts and scholarships while trying to balance out
extra curricular activities. Extra pressure from school advisors and
teachers doesn’t really help the already stressed students who are
pretty much clueless about how to balance everything in life and have it
all. But, after all, who really does?
*Solo exhibition by Mahmood Hayat, an artist and designer from National College of Arts (NCA), continues at Nairang Art Gallery. Hayat claims to paint “beauty” as a “remedy” of the “chaos and suffering” there is in human life. *Weekend Cycle Ride goes to Angoori Bagh Housing Scheme, off the canal, behind Royal Palm Golf & Country Club, for a “cool, quiet and peaceful Sunday morning. Heading back, there may be a chance to stop for the famous Butt samosas.” Meeting point: Zakir Tikka restaurant on Sarwar Rd. Time: 6:30am. *Adabi Sarae, a programme by Dr Shehnaz Muzammil, to take place on Oct 14 (Monday) from 5pm-7pm. Venue: Faiz Ghar.
issue Grill and bake.
Sounds simple? It is. This is just good food, no fuss, no frills. The best
of ingredients put together, not m Dhaba it may be
classified as, but this one’s got its act together. Things are pretty
organised here. They do prefer you pre-order on the phone, which is a good
thing as I discovered. The first time I did so, I was pleasantly surprised
to receive a call while still en route to inf The chap who attends to
phone orders informs you as you order which naan/paratha is basted with
desi ghee, which one with olive oil. And yes, the naans and parathas that
accompany are also not mere accompaniments; they are dealt with the same
loving attention that makes an ordinary meal rise above. A whiff is enough to
confirm the ghee is indeed, desi enough. It is certainly refreshing to be
served up as promised and not been taken for a culinary ride, so to say.
Attention to detail is evident enough in the taste of the food. No
surprise then, that Saffana is not only the head chef, the recipes have
been developed by her too. She prepares the marinades herself, and the
dough for the wholewheat naans is made by either her or Hussain. One can safely say that
all items on the menu do not taste the same — if the Malai Chicken Boti
has a touch of black pepper (and not much else, to its credit), the
Tandoori Chicken Paratha delivers a slight punch of tangy mint and red
chilli flakes. The Lamb Chops taste, simply, like chops. Enough said.
“The idea is to give people the true taste and flavour of meat,” as
Hussain accedes. The menu
can be found to be lacking in variety perhaps, but the food itself cannot
be said to be wanting in any way. This is authentic Lahori barbeque with
the merest hint of post-modernisation. Wholewheat naans, for example,
cannot be faulted for being unhealthy, nor does a seekh kabab or boti
float atop an oil slick. The ones at Grill n Bake most certainly do not
– they are the diet-conscious olive oil or canola oil grilled cousins of
the desi Lahori-style ones. Saffana agrees, “desi
ghee and olive oil are extensively used and we also use canola oil in some
of the dishes.” Mind you, if it is a good karahi you are hankering
after, there are no curries on the menu yet. That, however, remains to be
remedied, among other small hitches such as the fact that desserts are
limited, and salads non-existent as yet. There is, however, the Special
Meetha Naan about which, the less said the better. You just have to have
it to know what this cherry on the pie is all about.
Temporary
relief This Eidul Azha,
the prices of sheep and goats for qurbani are relatively low and
affordable. As remarkable as it sounds, a recent visit to the makeshift
cattle market beside the Saggian Bridge showed that a sheep of average
weight can be bought for Rs15,000 and a goat between Rs18,000-25,000. The
prices of cow and bull are between Rs50,000-70,000 both. This may have been
possible because the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) is trying to
facilitate the citizens in different towns by setting up similar temporary
cattle markets. The markets have definitely helped the traders of cattle
by giving them free space, free electricity and uninterrupted water
supply. The CDGL has also taken
some steps to attract the customers as well as the traders. A ‘Cat
Walk’ of the animals is arranged wherein the winner is awarded
Rs100,000. Moreover, quality food for both humans and animals is available
at subsidised rates. These temporary cattle
markets have been put up at as many as seven different places in and
around Lahore — namely, close to Saggian Bridge for the dwellers of Ravi
Town and Data Ganj Bakhsh Town, China Scheme for Shalimar Town, Shah Pur
Kaanjran for Allama Iqbal Town and Samanabad Town, LDA Avenue for Johar
Town, Gajju Matta for Nishter Town, Harbanspura for Aziz Bhatti Town and
Bismillah Society near Manawaan for Wahga Town. District Coordination
Officer Nasim Sadiq, while talking to TNS, said the CDGL had “taken
every possible step to make these markets a better place both for the
customers and the traders. It is an attempt to compensate them for having
travelled a considerable distance from their homes to buy the cattle for
qurbani. “We have arranged
temporary WCs for those traders who have come from far flung areas,” the
DCO added. “We have to spend almost 20 days here in our area. Quality
food is being supplied at subsidised rates, animal feed has also been
subsidised and uninterrupted supply is ensured as well as the security of
the stock” the DCO claimed. He was hopeful that
these steps would lower the price of the cattle by 20-30 per cent. A number of environment
friendly steps have also been taken. These markets have been placed
outside the city and this step has stopped citizens from being exposed to
Congo virus, which is carried by a parasite on the cattle. This also helps
to keep the environment clean as the magnitude of vehicles carrying Cattle
increases numerously during these days and pollution caused by the smoke
can not longer harm inhabitants of the city. Implementation of Clause 144
of the constitution has been ensured regarding the entry of vehicles
carrying animals. No such vehicle can enter the city without permission of
the concerned authority. Town Officer Regulator
of Ravi Town, Iftikhar Nabi Noor told TNS that almost 1000 tents have been
places and 5 generators of 100KVA and 8 generators of 3.5 KVAs have been
arranged for uninterrupted power and water supply to the traders in this
market. 5 water ponds for stock and temporary WC’s for traders have been
arranged. There is a camp of
Lahore Waste Management Company and medical camp for public has also been
arranged in every market. Spraying to prevent the outbreak of Congo virus
is also done on regular basis, he further added. Iftikhar said that the
concerned TMA’s are funding these markets following the section 54 of
the 2001 Local Government Ordinance and a market would cost 2 to 2.5 m.
“Itwaar Bazar is also regulated under the same section” he added. A veterinary dispensary
has also been set up in every market. Ameer Ahmad, Veterinary Assistant
told TNS that 300-400 cattle are daily treated in one market for fever,
Diarrhea, Flu, cough and minor wounds. People from different
areas were happy to purchase the stock on affordable price. Hammad from
Sharaqpoor purchased four healthy goats for 70,000. Raheel, 22 years from
Iqbal Town got a decent deal as well. He was taking a beautiful cow in
just 47k. Mr. Chohan, a retired Govt. officer from Sant Nagar along with
his wife was satisfied with the arrangements and prices. Traders while content
with the arrangements were disappointed with the sale of stock. “Prices
are lower than the last year and sale is on decrease. I just want to
finish my stock so I am selling on break even basis as I have no market
overheads due to the arrangements from the government.” Nadeem a young cattle
trader from Kangan pur said looking at his sheep stock lined in front of
him. The only complaint he had was the price of cattle feed at higher
price i.e. Rs 400 per 40 Kg.
The cheap
posters atop Alfalah Theatre gate are
an anti-thesis to the campaign to beautify the Mall.
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Bhutto-Zia face-off, you have the ‘burger’ ladies of PTI screaming for
“tabdeeli,” a corrupt PML-N minister (his appearance is too tritely
propped as a paunchy, shalwar-kameez-waistcoat-sporting, awkwardly walking
politician from Punjab), a villainous-but-never-failing-to-smile Zardari
clone who has a Sindhi topi as much as a shrewd head balanced on his
shoulders and, last but not the least is the eye-batting, finger-twirling,
gorgeous “Lucknow ki khatoon” who belongs to the oldest profession. Of
course, you also meet the poor, suffering ‘awam’ who carry on with
their daily grind, only some of them — such as the Pathan — speaking
out their mind. 
asked
by oodles of masala or ladles of oil. That’s what you get at Grill N
Bake. Even though it’s been on the map for some months, perhaps not many
have heard of this tiny dhaba located in the Model Town Extension area;
it’s been a secret well-kept. The patronage has grown slowly and surely.
Just the way they want it. Husband and wife duo Afrin Hussain and Saffana
who own and manage the place testify that the grapevine has been the go-to
way for them. “It was a conscious decision not to advertise. We believe
there is no better advertising than word-of-mouth,” says Hussain. (Sure
enough, I myself also initially heard of the joint from a friend, who went
there with friends.)
orm
me that the order was ready, enquire how much longer it would take us in
getting there. This is all in the patron’s favour, since the system
ensures your order is timed well — fresh off the skewer is how a good
barbeque tastes even better. Plus, since there aren’t any dine-in
premises, it makes sense that your time is valued. You can opt to either
eat in the car, or on the few tables scattered around, al fresco. Or of
course you can pick n go.
