Save this Cultural Heritage

Re: # 6

Truly Sahib, that quote is from 7th century Arabia, a different place, a different era. Today, mothers and sisters do not need protection provided to them by their men, but by the Law of the Land. And in some cases, it is the brothers and the fathers that they need protection from.

The essay is about saving our cultural heritage, and not about mothers and sisters. Sex trade is only a very minute %age of the businesses associated with Hira Mandi. It is dance and music that is suffering because of increased Islamicization of the society.

Re: # 7

I think, of all the accomplishments of satan, one that he can be really proud of is the semantics. Bhai sahib, adultery and fornication, by any name, destroy homes, families, cultures and civilizations. Besides, the phenomenon that we call culture, cannot be preserved, it is a dynamic entity, which changes at every tick of the clock. The culture of late 90s was quite different from the culture of today; so in fact the cry for ``save the culture`` is just an excuse for preserving the practice of prostitution, debauchery, and immorality. Please do not lower womankind to the level of animals in the name of your culture. Give them the dignity, respect, and honor as you claim for yourself. A woman is not a piece of meat hanging at a butchers shop, she is human being. She is a mother, a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend, and a lover and first of all a human being. Of all the crimes that men have committed against women, probably, prostitution is the worst of all - even worst than rape, for rape is an attrocity that woman endures once but prostitution is a crime that has no end.

Re: # 8
Truly Sahib, that’s’ not entirely accurate. The clamping down on Hira Mandi actually resulted in more and widespread prostitution. In Lahore, one only has to go around the corner to get sex. I am talking here about “Dancing” (Kanjars) and “Music” (Mirasi) business, and not necessarily sex business. These two communities should be allowed to live with dignity without someone imposing their 7th century morality crap on them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these businesses and they should not be targeted on religious grounds. Immoral are those who impose their fake sense of morality on others.

Jang Ji, I beg to differ. The obliteration of the Hira Mandi culture is everything to do with the increased Islamasization of Pakistan. It started during Bhutto, and continues to day. Not just Hira Mandi, but Chaklas (brothels) in other major cities (e.g., Haram Gate in Multan) that legally conducted their trade were tightened during Bhutto’s regime (under Mullah influence) and permanently closed during Zia. The culture of dance and music, did not ‘die’ per say, but keeping with the Islamic tradition (Moguls patronized music and dance, however promoted it as a pastime for the rich and the powerful) – the British left it alone, and it was during that time that the music and dance was popularized in the Indian subcontinent (barring the temple dance, which survived centuries of pandemonium, and survives to day). So it is very much to do with the recent Islamicization of the country. It pains me to see their livelihood being spoiled because someone believes it is against the teachings of Islam.

Masadi Sahib, the difference between Hira Mandi residents and the impression of Globalization is that HM folks are being displaced by their own people, and not by the M’effing IMF. Your attempt to equate their plight with that of the Native Americans makes no sense. I would be interested to know what your views are on Hira Mandi, and what can be done to preserve this cultural heritage of ours? I am all ears.

kulharee, perhaps the neighborhood declined naturally..nothing to do with islamizatoin.. as kotha bussiness lost its rich clientale. in india, the musical arts moved out of kothas since the kadardars or the yore, the zamindars and petty rajas were replaced by the middle-classes buying tickets. mujra artist now are mostly absorbed by bollywood, though ``private nauch`` is still around.

but yeah..it will be nice to have a neighborhood for artistes and courteseans.

Kulharee writes <<< Please do not let this neighborhood turn into a rich man’s pretentiousness on cost of displacing the natives. >>>

You are a hypocrite Kulharee, when I talk against US led globalization that does just that on country wide scales you dismiss all of that because you live off of just such displacement and killing of natives and on the other hand you talk about preservation when whole cultures are blown away due to just such globalization and US cultural imperialism. Or maybe you want to operate through a different avenue, you want globalization to reduce third world wages so much that the only alternative left for people to ``make a living`` is to prostitute themselves. In either case you have a perverse mind, and like your ``baji`` told you ,`` get lost``- you have been roaming the streets of Chowk long enough too, we recognize you enough by your brain farts to conclude that such crocodile tears coming from you are quite meaningless and hypocritical.

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If you close the Hira Mandi down, it doesn`t go away; it just moves…and why is it illegal to sell something that`s perfectly legal to give away for free ?