My Pakistan Diary: Lahore Aaya Main Othay Dil Chhod Aaya!

Dear dost-mittarji:

You have been spoilt rotten! I obviously cannot relate to Basant, but the reference to `Maajha` reminded me of the Bambaiyya phrase, ``Kaala maanja (sic) lapeit`` (meaning, ``Go ahead with your tall stories``). Lahore is supposedly more fashionable and forward, though I don`t know exactly what the latter conveys. So you saw a few women in the streets and the quality made up for lack of quantity! Wah janaab...Anyway, nice read...

PS: Hum bohat khafaa hai...yeh Pakistani Chowkies ki itnee taareef ho rahee hai...Indian Chowkies ne kya gunaah kiya ke unka tau zik`r hota hi nahin? Ya phir woh polite-sholite nahin hai, aur jaise yahaan waise wahaan bhi hai :)

Regards waghaira,
Farzana

chowk staff:
Please change the author to my chowk nick. Sorry for not saying so in submission once again. Thanks.

Another interesting article.

I haven`t been back to Lahore for a long long time. Doesn`t seem to have changed much. The only two changes I have noticed are that Basant has now turned into big business, as opposed to just kite-flying. It is probably the premier event in Pakistan now. I wonder what would happen if Basant and Indo-Pak cricket series were to occur at the same time...

The other difference is your description of the marraige ceremony. Everything is the same, except, during my days, ten years or so ago, the brides did not giggle, talk nor smile. They just sat their, looking down, trying hard not to giggle, talk nor smile.

Lahore is definitely the party town of Pakistan, though. And it is more Punjabi than Pakistani. Has been for as long as I can remember. Unlike people of other cities, Lahoris can trace their ancestors back many generations to the same city.

Good to see you enjoyed it......

dost mittar: Thoroughly enjoyed reading part 2 of your travelogue. This is certainly the same high spirited place I remember from student days in Lahore. And you are right - Lahoris are a spirited lot who have more important things (like food, and dressing up to see and be seen, cultural activities) to worry about than stupid domestic or regional politics. Thus, the islamist ideologues have traditionally been strong in karachi and peshawar, but Lahore has been the base for the secular types (ZAB, NS). And that is good, because ultimately Pakistan goes the way Lahore goes, since in a number of ways it is the heart of Pakistan. If a government loses support from Lahoris (as happened with Ayub Khan, whose days were numbered once Lahoris took to the streets against him), the government is finished.

/Indeed, those Mohajirs from the land of Ghalib and Zauq would be aghast if they heard their progeny speaking Urdu like that Sialkotia, Iqbal. /

Dost-Mittar, tusi theek jay? Lagda Lahore veykh key zada excited ho gaye jay.
Iqbal is considered as one of the finest poets of the Urdu language. What do you mean
Ghalib and Zauq would be aghast if they heard him speak it?
Eh hun tusi lamyan lamyan na na chuddo.

/Despite the all-covering shalwar-kameez, they manage to look glamourous, even sexy, with clever use of the cuts of shalwar-kameez, variations in the length and girth of the kameez and shalwar, and sometimes using thin fabric. Their choice of colours and fabric is tasteful, though ostentatious./

Chalo ji...the same thing has been described as ``tasteful and yet ostentatious``. Haha. Cute!

Dear Uncle...

Great article..:)


Aisha is upset that you called her `Yasser and his wife` and didn`t mention her by name.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Nand:

This is an excellent piece, although after reading all these articles, this Punjabi love affair is beginning to give me a headache :-)

I think its about time I revisted Lahore, a city that I have visited only once in last 25 years for extended stay from tourism point of view.

I am looking forward to reading an interesting series.

CHANNO KI AANKH MEIN IK NASHA HAY is sung by ALI ZAFAR.

interesting `traveloque`, anxiously waiting for more ...

Thank you Sirji, and I think Aisha and her husband did The Chowk proud too.

I think Delhi is in a separate class of its own on the complete sub-Continent. It is a Government city, a huge megapolis, and far bigger.

I would like people to consider comparing Lahore with Amritsar, not Delhi. On the following heads, scoring out of ten, maybe?

a) offroad and street food.
b) historical locations.
c) religious locations.
d) warmth of people.
e) environmental, city and environs.
f) availability of entertainment.
g) theatre.
h) international exposure.
i) cost of Big Mac.
j) cost of can of Coke.
k) cost of full tandoori chicken.
l) more?

Notorious Paki-bashers missing from this board also.... Can`t handle the truth?



Veeresh,

From what I know Amritsar is a lot smaller.... Lahore is more than half the size of dehli... so I think the usual comparison is accurate.

I think the points you have brought up was answered by Aakar Patel`s article.

re: this article
Nice read.
I only envy Dost-mitterji. He is at the right place at the right time. One year from today (perhaps sooner), the fascination will vanish. Familiarity breeeds contempt, remember?

This dude YLH does know how to pull strings!
Alas, there is not much fascination for me in Lahore. If it is anything like Delhi (where i lived for more than 20 years before emigrating), then i have seen it all! As far as culture is concerned, this ``khata-peeta, sab chlta hai`` culture is no culture. I can live without it. But i know this visit has a special meaning for the author and i hope he enjoyed it.
Sridhar

...mittarsaab, as hackneyed as it may sound by now, it really was a pleasure meeting you and your lovely wife...thank you so much for the painting and i`m extremely sorry for not being able to see you again before you left lahore...

Now this is more like the Dost-mittar that I enjoy reading.

I notice that you have an eye for Lahori women ...

Sounds like another older Canadian that I am familiar with...

Enjoyed this segment much more than the first (with masala).

Now I am hoping to visit Lahore too.

Hope that Aisha and her husband can show us around.

Agar ``Naseeb`` main hua.....

First stop in Lahore ``Food Street``.....


Ras

There are really only five cities in Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad/Pindi, Faisalabad, and Peshwar (kind of). Lahore is quite unique, within Pakistan. I am not from Lahore. But have lived there. The distinguishing feature of Lahore, in comparison to other Pakistani cities, is that Lahoris have a multi-generational loyalty to their city. The city has a sense of ownership. One rarely hears of any ethnic or social violence in Lahore. It basically consists of people whose past couple of generations have grown up in Lahore.

This is different from cities like Karachi. Which has no sense of ownership. Everyone there traces their roots back to some other city in Pakistan, or in India. Ditto for Islamabad.

Other distinguishing features of Lahore are that Lahori girls are quite a bit more confident than girls from other cities. It is the only city in Punjab I have seen, where even highly educated people have no qualms about speaking Punjabi (which is kind of considered the language of illiteracy in Pakistan). And Lahore is the only city that has a well-entrenched cultural base - poetry, music, theatre, food etc.

Interestingly, one would think that Lahore would have the most educated population in Punjab. However, Lahore is third. First is Pindi. And the second in Jehlum.

I think if Lahore ever gets cleaned up, and becomes a first world city, it could probably compete with any city in the world.

Speaking of cities, I think the Indians next trip may be to a place called Gwadar. A few years ago, myself and couple of people had joked that Gwadar was going to be the next party town of Pakistan, and we should all buy some land there. Little did I realize that this may come out to be true. The following site is worth checking out:

http://www.westbaycity.com.pk/