Train from Pakistan, 2004: The Return

veeresh #176
``the ruling classes and the babalog/babylog media keep the cost of their newspapers and magazines so high that the average common wo/man can`t afford them. That`s the honest truth in a country where a newspaper costs 15/- rupees and a magazine between 70 and 100/- rupees. ``

It is quite puzzling why the economics of newspaper publishing is so different in India and Pakistan. It is futile to expect the pansies here to spend two minutes pondering the puzzle, but if no Pakistani cares that circulation of newspapers in Pakistan suffers because they are priced out of range of readers, it is their choice and their loss. As people to people contacts continue, the Indian media might also start speculating on this difference, and at that point, expect the Pakistani govt. to cut down people-to-people contacts and bring down the iron curtain again, in `national interest` aka, protecting someone`s business interests.

This article, if it had been about India, would have been viewed as quite sympathetic compared to the normal day-in day-out negative media coverage by anyone anywhere which Indians have been used to for decades. Perhaps Pakistanis are not much used to being written about by foreigners, except by the Western press (which must have been very friendly in the Cold War years). The Western press probably always took Pakistan at Pakistanis` own evaluation - until 9/11, after which it became literally a matter of life and death for the West and its press to collect its own information, much to the `image` crowd`s dismay.

Veeresh,

Oh my my ... aren`t we touchy.... so let me rephrase ... You didn`t LIE, but you merely OMITTED the truth. Now that is much better isn`t it? No! It isn`t... In any event it is clear that you didn`t have a proper response to my post. And a word about Aakar Patel`s excerpt and also about Dost Mittar`s... please rest assure I am not cutting and pasting it for your benefit... as a fanatical bigo-t you are unable to see the truth... The reason I post Aakar patel`s article to prove to my Pakistani compatriots and myself that while there are some like you who are deceitful liars, not every Indian is a deceitful liar. So that the negativity that you have created by lying ooops Omission of the truth on these boards is not directed at a whole people ... but you alone.

The point stands... you didn`t visit 80% of the city calling ``Gul-burger` (not very original oh great one) ... so you have no right to call yourself an expert.

-YLH

Veeresh

Post#176

Quote:

`` the Imperial Coffee Shop still gives you the option of sitting out in the lawns, so may I suggest you re-visit?``

Is that an invitation? :) Nah...just kidding...

Quote:

`` I await the answer to your question, too. But that`s Yasser, first he throws allegations, next he will collect signatures for a petition and then eventually he will cut and paste Aakar Patel`s article.``

And self proclaimed claim of his is that he is the most logical thinker at Chowk..:) Perhaps, I/we have been time travelling as the meaning of logic, and logical thinking has completely got changed, during my/our time travelling..:)

He uses the words arbitrarily and when questioned on the applicability, he comes back with, `` but I will spare you this time... ``

Wonders of logic or logical thinking do not cease ..:)

After this, would be responding to his post ...(clarifying as sometimes posts appear in different order)

Ref veeresh #176

[harimau/126 - actually that stretch of road is fairly decently paved, just crowded so much sometimes you can`t see the road.]

Oh well, I was hoping Soulat would pop an artery when he read about how the Ummah gets mistreated in Dal-ul-Harb.

Mantolives

Post#143

Quote:

`` Some objectivity .... after Veeresh`s one sided lies... ``

Pray, what objectivity is there in Aakar Patel`s words, which have been quoted? He is calling a place/city Paradise and that is objectivity? That man is leaning all the way towards Lahore, and praising Lahore. Is that the objectivity?

You have accused that that article consist of lies or Veeresh has lied and I have asked you to show us where and how has he lied. And you write a post #177 but one does not see any lies shown in that post. So once again, what lies has he come up with, that you have accused him of? If, you are unable to substantiate this accusation then the conclusion others would have to draw could be that it is you yourself who has been lying and not the other way around...

Having said that, now let me come to your post#177

Quote:

`` ofcourse you have an alternative view but I will spare you this time...``

Sir, I am eternally grateful to you for having spared me this time. Heavens bless you for having shown this such a kind gesture towards me. How can I ever repay for this generousity (spl?) of yours. You see, prior to this, the mere thought of you used to make me shudder to my bones but now that you have obliged me by sparing me this time, has made me to look at you in an awe inspiring manner. Thank you ever so much for this magnanimity (spl?) of yours. And I pray that you continue to spare me...

In the meanwhile, do let us know how the quoted excerpts are showing objectivity, and what lies have been written in the said piece/part of the travelogue...

Ref salim #179

[Harimau #169,
{``If in fact the urine is collected and bottled, I am sure there is good economic reason behind it. ``}

Yet again, I am shown the light. Amazing! First I was enlightened by Jansinghi about Gujjus out-tipping Punjabis (that itself is no amazing feat!) - all without the inducement of ``firewater.`` Now Harimau has aptly demonstrated the value of the fluid we waste down the sewers. I ain`t no dummy, from now on I am going to donate mine to Harimau and take a tax deduction. Matter of fact, all the beer-drinking rednecks at my club will line up to contribute to Harimau. Thank you gentlemen for this addition to my limited knowledge. I am indebted to both of you.]

Oops, I forgot you guys are literalists and have been taking The Book literally for the last 1400 years. And that you guys lack a sense of humor. Or just plain lack sense.

tahmed32/178 - Mr. Modi got re-elected under the same set of laws and Constitution that prosecutes him. I can appreciate that you may not understand this logic. Try again, please?

mantolives/180 - please let me know specifically where I have ``lied``, and provide data therein, otherwise keep your peace and continue cut-and-paste of the same Aakar Patel article. Nothing you or I say about Lahore changes the truth, which is that it is a decaying city.

Also, I did not leave out Gulberg. My articles, however, were about travels from India to Pakistan, so that took precedence. I am glad to hear that Lahore has a destination called SHAPES. Congratulations. Gabon also has one. I did not call it Gulberger, I said ``Gul-burger``, there is a difference.

salim/179 - for you, dear hunter, Lahore was, briefly, liberated from its Pakistani occupiers in 1971 by the Indian Army. However, as history reveals, the Pakistani occupiers of Lahore chose to make peace with the Indian Army, then they agreed to part with all of East Pakistan so that they could get back Lahore and the Bata factory therein, as well as the Club.

Rajsinghi,

Knowing you, I am sure it is possible in your world of distorted reality, but no two people can have such variance in perception of reality... ofcourse you have an alternative view but I will spare you this time...

Veeresh has never hidden his motives for visiting Lahore. Veeresh has revealed his aim and objective many times before.... even before he visited Lahore, his every word smacked of jealousy and contempt... his sensibility has been offended by people who have visited Lahore and told the truth.... he made it clear that his aim and objective in visiting Lahore was to berate it... and yet he couldn`t find anything .. so he resorted to making misleading statements...

-YLH

veeresh: ``Mr. Modi is being tackled by the judiciary and democracy. ``

Ha! ha! I swear you come up with these things deliberately in order to outdo Baghdad Bob. The man got re-elected as CM after he had literally reduced the opposition to ashes, for crying out loud!!

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Veeresh...

Your pathetic defence of your article is even more shameless than the article itself... your admission that you left out `Gulberg` ... but thats not all you left out you also left out Model Town, DHA, the Canal Bank, the University area, EME, Green Forts, Jubilee, Faisal Town, Johar Town, Lalazar, Canal View, Green Forts 1-2, Raiwind Area, Green Acres, Wapda Town, BOR, Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, Akbar Chowk, Fortress, RailTown, Izmir Town, MM Alam Road, Cavalry Area, Wahdat Road, Allama Iqbal Town ...

So you basically left out close to 80% of Lahore.... and now you are an expert. Good for you.

1)Most (though not all) elite now lives in Defence not Gulberg. Gulberg makes a huge chunk of Lahore... right from Shadman to Cantt, from the Mall Road down to Ferozepur road... and Gulberg is not inhabited by rich and famous alone ... Gulberg is where the middle class resides in large numbers... 5 and 10 marla houses of P and M blocks... the houses in Canal Park etc are all owned or rented by lower middle or middle classes.... If you had mentioned DHA or the residential colonies alongside the canal or Raiwind road your statement would have made sense... but by your admission you`ve left out Gulberg and Model Town areas which make up something like 25% of Lahore, and some 35% of its housing... it is amazing how you after visiting the Lahore on the otherside of Government College which is the `walled city` and less than 5% of the total area of Lahore are making judgements about the city .... while leaving out of the major chunk of it, calling it `Gulberger`... excuse me... your entire analysis is warped... Leaving out Gulberg in Lahore is like leaving out Manhattan in New York.


2) Punjab Club is one of the lesser clubs of Lahore frequented by the Government officers. It is a very small club. The Lahori elite prefers the Gymkhana or the Royal Palm ... or the Defence Club and even the Model Town Club... the hipper younger crowd prefers to just hang out at Shapes.


3) Is Dost Mittar an apologist for Lahore as well?

rsridhar/120 - vegetarian food, or for that matter most food (including sweets) in Pakistan are cooked and then fried, triple fried sometimes to make them tastier and crackly . . . in animal fats. Does wonders to taste retention, but I got more than a few Indians who went on and on about how food in Pakistan was so tasty gagging into their pure-veg vhestis when I told them this home truth. So if you really want to be a vegetarian, stick to fruit. However, wait till I tell you what the Pakistanis use for fertilisers for their amazing grapes . . .

harimau/126 - actually that stretch of road is fairly decently paved, just crowded so much sometimes you can`t see the road.

rajsinghi/127 - the Imperial Coffee Shop still gives you the option of sitting out in the lawns, so may I suggest you re-visit? Sunday brunch-lunch buffet eminent value for money and if you take youngsters along, they don`t object to ``pack a few desserts please`` . . .
also, the cold cuts at the Oberoi, can sometimes be found at the Pastry Shop too.

tahmed32/var - Mr. Modi is being tackled by the judiciary and democracy. WOuld you know what that means, btw?

tahmed32/138 - that is so scatalogically sad but apt on your part. The signboard is from Sulabh International - an NGO which recently (after Japan and China) has been invited to Pakistan. Read up about them before making your ass public, or a public ass of yourself please?

shahid/140 - sorry, I write the way I see it.

salim/141 - at least we have a free media in India that reports on aberrations like Gujarat/2002. But things are getting better again, thank you.

Yasser Hamdani/142 - will you please let the readers and visitors know what specifically I wrote about Lahore and Pakistan upsets you? I agree I didn`t write about the Gul-Burger scene, my apologies, though I did throw in a line about the Punjab Club (been there?).

arjun_m/144 - Colombo?

orangepeko/146 - the ruling classes and the babalog/babylog media keep the cost of their newspapers and magazines so high that the average common wo/man can`t afford them. That`s the honest truth in a country where a newspaper costs 15/- rupees and a magazine between 70 and 100/- rupees.

wapster/152 - Lahore today is like an expanded form of Daryaganj, from Delhi Gate on one side to Kashmere Gate on the other, bounded by the river and Ajmeri Gates. Falling apart, with spots of brilliance being enroached upon.

salim/158 - actually Lahore was liberated, not threatened, in 1971.

rajsinghi/160 - I await the answer to your question, too. But that`s Yasser, first he throws allegations, next he will collect signatures for a petition and then eventually he will cut and paste Aakar Patel`s article.

warpster/171 - what do I say? Here is this group of people from Lahore, they have never been on a city or long distance bus, they have not been to Lahore RS in the morning or late night, they have not broken bread and drunk tea with cabbies at stalls where the jihad boxes proliferate . . . and when I write about it, these petite fios grass gul-burgers, they call me a liar? Next they will co-opt ``bh***ee`` colonies in Dadar and tell me that I imagined Moghulpura.

Veeresh is basically a pathetic loser. Though he would call himself a `jack of all trades` he has failed in everything he tried doing in his life...... so sham patriotism is the last refuge of a scounderel. He needs to feel good... he needs to feel good about his City Dehli and his country... there are others here who want to accept his lies because they also suffer from the same disease... also it is possible that the heavy Dehli pollution has gone to his head..

Ofcourse his article has very little to do with the truth....

I am posting again some alternative (or should I say mainstream) points of view...

---

Aakar Patel`s view of Lahore

``Lahore is paradise. It has huge gardens splashed through the middle of its roads. An enormous canal glides through the middle of a thoroughfare.
Indians will also be amazed with how much at ease the Lahauri is with his culture and how little this culture has to do with religion.

To me that culture is alien because it is Punjabi, not because it is Muslim.
To me, the groups of Sardars walking again in the streets of Lahore’s old city with the kirpans by their side and the shopkeepers at their elbow, seemed to belong there. They were Lahauris.

But for all of Pakistan’s foreign-ness, it had everything that we pride India for. It was pluralist, it was joyous, it was tolerant. In the colourful Indian crowds, clapping, shouting, shopping, Pakistans also discovered something perhaps foreign to themselves and perhaps something of themselves.
This was the greatest series ever played in the history of cricket, perhaps because it was not about cricket at all. Cricket was not the winner here; cricket was not even in the running.

With their teams in the vanguard, the legions of India and Pakistan met in an embrace half-combative, half-friendly, fully emotional.

People will cite Douglas Jardine’s Bodyline series as the defining moment of cricket, when it matured into an aggressive modern sport from being a gentleman’s leisurely pursuit.

It is a white man’s world, but if ever a series was historic, it was the one we just won.

This series was a conversation and a debate between the pluralism of modern, irreligious India and the pluralism of modern, Islamic Pakistan.
I’m not sure who won that. ``

---

http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00003406&channel=gulberg

Lahore, The Charmer!

By Dost Mittar

Part 1: My Pakistan Diary: A Bus Trip Like No Other
Part 2: My Pakistan Diary: Lahore Aaya Main Othay Dil Chhod Aaya!
Part 3: My Pakistan Diary: The Feudal
Part 4: My Pakistan Diary: Retracing the Conquerors` Steps
Part 5: My Pakistan Diary: A Rich Heritage Neglected
Part 6: My Pakistan Diary: Roots! A Spiritual Journey

This is a wonderful time for an Indian to be in Pakistan, especially Lahore.

The bus from Delhi reached the Faletti’s Hotel at 7 PM. Imran was there to receive us and, with the help of the picture he had emailed to us, we had no problem spotting him in the crowd. He had traveled more than five miles to transport us to the Holiday Inn, which is literally across the street from the Faletti’s. The hotel wore a merry, festive look for Basant and was decorated with festoons and lights; Panjabi songs were playing in the background to create a proper Basant atmosphere. Sorry, no generosity for Indians here! We were charged triple the normal tariff for the first two days because of the popularity of the Basant festival.

We phoned Yasser, the secular “fanatic” from chowk. Within an hour he was there with his wife and his charming young cousin. Meeting this young chowkie in person was a pleasant surprise. Unlike his chowk persona, he is very soft-spoken and respectful in real life. Soon, we were on our way to our first engagement in Lahore, a Mehndi ceremony in a leafy neighborhood. The ceremony was in a shamiana (a tent) set up for this purpose. The music was mostly songs from Bollywood films. The ceremony was not very different from similar ceremonies in India – chit-chats, followed by food served in buffet style, followed by impromptu entertainment. Women were dressed in their fine clothes and jewelery, as was appropriate for the occasion.

But a few things did surprise me. Having been to a few Pakistani parties in Ottawa, I expected men and women to be seated separately but they were freely mingling with each other. Nobody was wearing burqa, a few girls were wearing hijab but this seemed to be more a fashion than a religious statement: when people started dancing on the stage, the hijabi girls were no less vigorous in their “thumkaas and jhumkaas” than the non-hijaabi ones. Another surprising element was that the bride seemed to be not at all bashful, she was talking, smiling and giggling – very different from the image I had of a conservative Panjabi bride.


Basant
The next day was the Valentine’s Day and the day before the Basant festival. The hotel sent us a package of gifts for the occasion, which included some candies, a yellow basanti chunni (long scarf) for me, a set of bangles for my wife and an invitation to a roof-top basant party. This was a nice gesture and made up for the somewhat inefficient hotel service and the exorbitant tariff. The hotel had laid out an elaborate brunch buffet whose highlight was basanti halwa and poories.

The Basant festival symbolises the end of winter in Panjab; a Panjabi proverb says “aaya basant, paala udant” (when basant comes, winter flees). The festival has taken a somewhat different turn in Pakistan than the original festival. The original Basant Panchami takes place on the fifth day of the month of Magh of the desi calendar. It is still the day on which it is celebrated in India and was celebrated on the 25th of Januuary in Delhi and elsewhere in India this year. But in Pakistan, the day is arbitrarily fixed each year by the Lahore municipality, usually the second weekend in February. The festival in Lahore means kite-flying, partying, fun and merrymaking: Unlike India, where it is also associated with Sarswati Puja in some parts of the country, it has no other significance in Pakistan. As far as I am aware, it is not a big festival in Sindh where a sizeable number of Hindus still live.

For us, the most memorable event of the day was unrelated to Basant. It was the luncheon get-together arranged by the Lahore chowkies. In addition to my wife and me, guests also included Nazar Hayat Khan who is from Karachi. Nazar and his lovely niece, an expatriate like ourselves, came to visit us at our hotel and joined us and Feroz, who had come to take us to The Village, the restaurant chosen for our get-together. The legendary Lahori hospitality was on full display. Before going to The Village, all of us were shooting the breeze in our hotel restaurant when a young man celebrating his engagement brought a large slice of cake for all of us.

The chowk get-together was a grand success; we were not only able to put faces to the names or, more accurately, nicks, but also able to establish instant rapport. The conversation covered all topics except those covered at chowk. The food was plentiful and could easily meet the needs of every taste bud, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, desi, oriental or western. The atmosphere was friendly and revealed chowkies to be a jovial, youthful and fun-loving bunch. We stayed at the The Village until almost everyone else had left and the place had emptied out. The party ended with gift-exchanges and picture-taking.

We had invitation to two Basant-Eve parties. We first went upstairs to the roof-top party of our hotel. A stage had been set up and elaborate arrangements had been made for food, entertainment and kite-flying. All servers, male and female, were wearing the colours of basant and many of the guests too were wearing the basanti scarfs gifted to us. We left that party just when it was beginning to warm up, to go to another invitation-only party in Gulberg, a fashionable commercial district of Lahore. The party was arranged on the roof of a large building. In the typical sub continental style, it seems that more invitations had been issued than there was room for and many people were using the same card for multiple entries. The number of people must be in thousands and there was a virtual stampede both outside and inside the party. I was somewhat unprepared for this type of party in Pakistan; men and women were jostling with each other to get inside the building and then climb up the stairs, the concept of self-discipline being alien to Panjabis.

The kite-flying was in full swing. I asked one enthusiast if he had “killed” any kites yet and he proudly answered, seven. He generously invited me to hold his dori-string for the next pecha fight. I thankfully declined the offer, which was a good thing, as the next pecha proved humiliating for the young enthusiast – his kite suffering a bo-kaata (cut by the opponent), with him left holding a limp string.

We followed the crowd to the food stalls. The food was plentiful with all types of favourite Panjabi preparations –fruits, juices, pops, corn-on-the-cob, halwas, poories, naans, kebabs and meats of all types as well as desserts, but there were fewer plates than the people chasing them. There was a pandemonium but people were still enjoying themselves. The entertainment program started before the dinner was over. It was a mujra-type set-up - chairs all around with an empty space in the middle for the dancer to perform. The dancer was a scantily-clad girl who started dancing to some popular, mostly Bollywood numbers. When she was tired, another more scantily-dressed dancer took her place. Alas, it was getting late and the ladies in the group hurried us back to our hotel, but I was told that the dances continued all through the night and the dancers’ costumes became skimpier and skimpier with each change of performer.

The next morning was the actual day fixed for Basant. On my morning walk, I could see the aftermath of last night’s ``battles``. The streets were littered with ‘dores’- the basant weapons of kite-mass-destruction; dore is a razor-sharp string fortified with “maajha” or metallic concoctions to cross swords with the opponents’ kites. Every kite that goes into the battlefield in the sky eventually falls onto the ground. Newspapers and TV channels were full of accounts of deaths due to kids falling off roofs while flying kites or chasing fallen kites or even due to electrocution as metallic strings tangled with electric wires.

While walking towards the famous Lakshami chowk, I passed by a chai-dhaaba where a few taxi drivers were having chai-naashta, their breakfast. I approached one and asked if he would be interested in taking us for a sightseeing trip of Lahore. He agreed and I asked him to pick us up from our hotel at 10 AM. The driver’s name was Anwar but he said that he was better known as ‘Lala’. I recognized Lala’s accent and asked him if he was from ‘Pindi. He was. I tried to reactivate my rustic potohari and we developed a good rapport. From then on he was our driver as well as a guide for part of the trip. Lala was very happy that the two countries were talking peace; he philosophised that there was no enmity between Indians and Pakistanis, it is only siaastdaaans -the politicians- who create problems between the two countries. I did not ask him if he included military brass among the siaastdaans.

Our first stop was the famous Lahore Fort. The construction of the Fort is generally associated with the Mughal emperor Akbar although it is said to be built on an earlier mud fort mentioned in Al Beruni’s Kitab Al-Hind. This is perhaps the oldest monument of Lahore. Lahore, an ancient city, is said to derive its name from ‘Luv’, the son of the Hindu god-king Ram of Ramayna. Not too far from Lahore is Kusur, which is said to owe its name to Ram’s other son, ‘Kush’. The Fort was closed for the rehearsal of some play to be staged there. But not to worry! The subcontinental “culture” came to our rescue. Lala found a Guide who was in cahoots with gatekeepers and who let us in through a side door for a small consideration. But the same culture also led to disappointment; the Guide did not tell us that we would only be able to see a small part of the fort, the inner part and the museum was still closed to us.

The area around Fort has many attractions of historic interest. There is the famous Badshahi Masjid built by Aurangzeb and the tomb of Allama Iqbal. But there is also the lesser known Dera Saheb commemorating the place where Maharaja Ranjit Singh was cremated. It is also a place to commemorate the martyrdom of the fifth sikh guru, Arjun Dev. The gurudwara is well kept, with daily langar/community kitchen. From its ramparts one can have a nice view of Minar-e-Pakistan. This Minar is the newest monument in Lahore where a resolution to create the state of Pakistan was passed in 1940. Although there is no monument to mark the place, these are also the grounds from where a young Jawahar Lal Nehru gave the clarion call for India’s freedom on January 26, 1930 and the day on which India now celebrates its republic.

From the Fort, we went to spend a few minutes in Lawrence Gardens – a really massive, well kept garden which is home to several species of plants and trees - and on to the Museum and Daata Durbar. We spent quite some time exploring the shrine and paid our homage to the great sufi, Daata Baksh Ganj. This is the place to go if one wants to meet the awaam-janata of Lahore. This is also the place where one probably sees more burqas than anywhere else in Lahore. The place was quite crowded on that Sunday afternoon but I was told that it is always crowded. The Darbar reminded me of the Haaji Ali Masjid of Mumbai but without the scenic Arabian Sea backdrop and the loud music blaring from the commercial stalls lining the approach to the Haaji Ali Masjid. There were the same large crowds of men and women (though none in saaris!), old and young, rich and poor; the same rush of faqirs and beggars, the stalls selling food and trinkets and people eager to receive the blessings of their patron Sufi saint. There seemed to be more malangs at Daata Darbar and more people seeking you out for donations to Tegs (food for the poor) without your knowing whether your donations would feed the poor or the family of the canvasser. Like the Haaji Ali shrine, the couples have to separate and enter the shrine from different directions and try to find each other in the crowd after paying homage to the Daata.

In the evening we were taken to another invitation-only basant party, this one hosted by none other than the grandson of Allama Iqbal, who is doing an admirable job of aesthetically renovating his grandfather’s old haveli, Barood Khaana, located near the famous Heera Mandi of Lahore. This was certainly a party of the elite and we got an invitation only because of Yasser’s extensive network in Lahore. The who’s who of Lahore was at the party, including the Junoon artists and Wasim Akram, the Pakistani cricket legend. Wasim was being mobbed for photographs by his fans and had just escaped the mob after great effort when he was approached to come back to pose with the guests from India, which he readily and graciously did. The keynote entertainer at the function was Zafar Abbas whose song, Chunno ki aankhon mein kitna nasha hai, is all the rage in Pakistan these days. Unlike the previous evening, this was a much better-behaved and disciplined crowd. As at last night’s party, men and women mingled freely. Both men and women were dressed in their fineries. Lahori women are perhaps the most stylishly dressed on the subcontinent. Although, there is not the same variety of costumes as in India, Lahoris have made creative use of dupattas and chaadars to create pleasing variations in fashion and styles. 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. The event was being covered by the Pakistani TV channels, one of whose correspondents approached both my wife and me for our comments on the celebrations. When the food was ready, we were the first to partake of the typical Panjabi meal of sarson ka saag and Paraathas and headed out with Yasser and his family for a round of old Lahore, including the vast complex of the Mayo Hospital.

This was the end of the first phase of our Lahore visit. The second phase, towards the end of our Pakistan trip, was spent mostly in shopping and a visit to Anarkali, both old and new. Anarkali was decorated for Moharram at this time with some stalls creating ‘jhaankis’ or kiosks depicting scenes from old Lukhnow. Here, we again got a chance to see what the ‘magic’ word Indian can do in Pakitan during these days of bonhomie. We arrived to visit a newly opened chic gallery-cum-restaurant at Anarkali just when the doors were being closed, but a word from our hosts about their Indian guests got the doors opened again. The gallery was displaying the works of an artist who was present in the gallery and was being interviewed, I believe, by Indus TV. After the interview was over, the interviewer approached us for our reactions, followed by the artist himself who spent quite a few minutes chatting about his work with us.

It is customary to compare Lahore and Delhi and there are, indeed, many similarities between the two cities. The vibrant Panjabi culture of `khao-piyo-aish-karo` - eat drink and be merry - dominates both cities. Ostentatious living comes naturally to Panjabis and is as visible in the lavish parties of Lahore as of those in farm houses outside Delhi. But while the Panjabi culture dominates both cities, one cannot say the same thing about the Panjabi language. Panjabi is not the formal language of either city – it is English/Hindi in Delhi (though some road signs are in Panjabi and the language is taught in many schools) and Urdu in Lahore. And while the street language of Delhi is Hindi/Hinglish, Panjabi still rules the roost in Lahore. Urdu spoken in Lahore has a distinct Panjabi accent, even when spoken by the descendants of Mohajirs. Indeed, those Mohajirs from the land of Ghalib and Zauq would be aghast if they heard their progeny speaking Urdu like that Sialkotia, Iqbal.

Both cities are a dream come true for the connoisseurs of food. But vegetarians would have a somewhat hard time in Lahore; one is likely to find meat even in samosas, vegetables and parathas. If more Indians are to visit Pakistan, there is a good opportunity for an enterprising Lahori to start a vegetarian restaurant, even one that serves Idlis and Masala Dosas.


While Lahoris complain of traffic, one visit to Delhi will cure that complaint. There are many more cars clogging the roads of Delhi than of Lahore though Lahore seems to have a larger proportion of bigger, imported cars. Despite dozens of flyovers and many more under construction, Delhi is a driver’s nightmare. There are several roads in Delhi, especially old Delhi where the fastest mode of transportation is often by foot. Even the traffic sense of Lahori drivers is somewhat better than those of Delhi drivers. But one notices fewer women driving cars in Lahore than in Delhi. Indeed, one sees very few women, especially unescorted women, on the streets. But quality makes up for quantity.

Lahoris love life and love themselves. If it is true that puritanical Islam abhors fun and frolic, then the Mullah has met his match in the Lahori, whose motto in life is captured by the saying:
Guddi vee udaavange! [Like it or not we’ll fly kites]
Te akh vee ladaavange! [Like it or not, we’ll have fun]

Next: The Feudal

kkkandk/92 - yes, we all now about the hawkers selling windup toys and pushing dirty photos as well as lup-lup free shows. Question is, what were you doing there looking like such an easy mark?

sac/93 - as a matter of interest to you and others, the serial I am looking at writing on is being promoted jointly for Indian and Pakistani television. While there shall be the relevant bits and pieces about parties for La Petite Poulet de Gul-Burgers and GK-VV-DefCol, one shall also look at covering some ground level truths. I am only 16, too young to retire into the mountains, though I do blast a car through them every now and then when teaching elders the finer points of 4-wheel driving on ice.

tahmed32/94 - actually I decided to wait till you put your foot into it as usual. And thank you for being so predictable. Please go back to the episode where my friend LG comes to the Islamabad Regency to pick me up and has a cup of tea with me at the hotel cafe, and tips more than a 100%. I shall let you and others look for it.

kaurasach/97 = I have ambivalent views on this whole tipping thing. BUT within the South Asian scenario, if you are looking at spending a few thousand on booze and grub, then a hundred or two slipped into the barman`s hand earlier on leads you towards better times. Simple economics. Works in Pakistan as well as it does in India. Look at their ``freedom fighters`` for example - willing to accept tips from anybody and everybody!!

kkkandk/98 - No, he did not take me to G`Walla. I did get driven around, however, Yatimkhana, Nankana Sahib/Sheikhupura and elsewhere, before reaching GOR/Lahore.

mohar11/104 - the jihad donation boxes in Pakistan are now aimed at fixing enemies closer home. See, the Yanks control the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the Iranians block off the Pakistan-Iran border and the Indians now run the Indo-Pak border. The Indian Ocean is there along the coast, but it is wet. Incidentally, my cabbie friend sent me an email saying that the haftaa for jihad box (along with haftaa for traffic cop and parking) goes up when the Shalimar arrives late at night.

saint/109 - actually I went on a trip to Pakistan to see my father`s land, that`s all. And nothing anybody says changes that.

romair/111 - well, I personally found Lahore to be kind of crumbling and dusty, with people on the street tired looking in anticipation of a hotter summer probably? Pindi, on the other hand, was blue skies and mountains and energetic people. You can do a ``geree`` inside an aircon car in Lahore and call it livelier maybe, but if you take the other route, which is go about in a taxi with a local driver, you may probably find Pindi livelier. Just my perception. Lahore, in my opinion, is finis.

Sure, there is an upper class in both cities having a blast, I got to meet more than a few, but that`s not what I was referring to.

sadna/113 - I don`t think population is an accurate parameter. Lahore, IMHO, is trying desperately to cling on to its position as it used to be a city of some eminence at one time. Now it is not just Karachi and `Pindi/I`bad, but also other centres like Multan that are moving ahead. To give just one example, compare the EK flight loads into Pakistan lately.

Lahore, in my opinion, will revert to being a sort of gateway to India for Pakistan. If it is lucky, and other border posts don`t open up soon. And yes, you are correct, there are as many Lahore apologists in India as there are in Pakistan, crying about days gone past.

warpster: OK, I went too far in using the f.. word, and your post was certainly not unreasonable. So, I am sorry that you were offended by my use of the word.

I actually fully agree in appreciating other cultures and countries (see my post to rsridhar) rather than putting them down. Veeresh is a bit like bagdhad bob ... but let me not get into that for now......

Ref mohar11 #131

[And as for the Land of Pure, life would be back to where it was .... Jihad will be back in full action ...... Jihadis and closet-jihadis will finally get their life back to practice the most peaceful religion in the world.]

You forgot to mention the milk and honey flowing down the streets paved with gold bricks!

And the 72 virtuous women! (For each man; I REALLY didn`t mean in all of Pakistan!)