E-Notes Veeresh ji, just for you have dug into my passport! The year of visit was 2001. The flight was a PIA Lhr-Del and it arrived in the evening. Surely West side and The Rad had to exist then otherwise I must give myself credit for an extremely well irrigated imagination!

E-Notes Intimation over email of publication still remains pathetic!!! tsk...tsk.... chowk editors yaar bata tau diya karo!!!!!

To all those who liked the article `thank you`
To all those who dint `thank you`

Given that not many people want to give me the `imagination license`, let me clarify... the cow incident was real, so was the food at sheraton, so was the incident with the immigration officers! However the entire episode is approx 3 years old!

btw, a cow is sexy... havent you seen our film actress Saima?

E-Notes Dilli waloon ka qasoor hai that they dint take me to some place more `culturally entrenched`, although Mumbai food was ``tiffin`` and ``thaali fast food`` and pretty much everything at Juhu chopatty.... Btw, ref to ``client ko bill mara ho ga...``.... i was the client!!! :)

t ji... waqai barri mehnat hoti hai itna saara khana hazam karnay mein! magar retire ho gaey tau khayein gay kahan say???

Branding on Pakistan ahsan... ahsan... ahsan... tsk tsk... an answer to a question with rebuke??? now now... somebody needs to teach you some manners! I apologise for my utter lack of knowledge and for the fact that I dared to comment and ofcourse for not knowing that housewives do indeed wait for their husbands to bring back all the pamphlets they receive from outside of mosques and change their opinion henceforth... how utterly rudimentary and how utterly stupid of me not to know. Sorry. Now chill :)

Branding on Pakistan The article should have more concrete and emperical references to surveys and interview.

Your article doesnt state if a similar survey to that of Australia was actually carried out in Pakistan also. If ``pakistaniat`` is being promoted outside of mosques then is it actually influencing the core decision maker for purchaser of most FMCG products i.e. the housewife? Also, the seeming drive towards being a pakistani brand is not so much driven by ``pakistaniat`` as it is by the global trend of all brands communicating to their consumers in their own language... a phenonmenon known as glocalization and which also gave more power to local BMs to develop market startegies and communication messages closer to home rather than closer to the regional headquarter! Only in the case of KFC, Mc Donalds and Pizza Hut was it important for the brands to integrate as ``Pakistani`` due to their presence as a ``foreign`` entity. You should have wrapped up the last two paras as follows: For the Igloo`s and Young`s and Speedex`s of the world, playing up the flag is just a case of creative and strategic constipation.

Thinking of Home Nice! Curious to know if you write in Urdu? Some of the imagery seems to have formed in Urdu and transposed into English...

The 20 best local pop albums … ever! Dont know about Ziyad but Ali Tim`s new lead guitarist Hammad is definitely a gem. His latest jazz-eastern classical number on air on IM these days is a treat. But are we ready for jazz?

I also want to know who wrote+composed Manware for Noori?

NFP also needs to do a piece on all the nameless, faceless composers/musicians, arrangers, producers etc who make the Faakhirs and the Strings and the Hadiqas of the world. People like Shahi, Shuja, Zeeshan, Nizar and so so many more...

Sohail Rana: Musings on music To date I recall the chronology of Islamic months based on the song he composed: ``Peha muharram doosra safar in dono kay peechay peechay...`` He also doubled as our Sesame Street i guess! I remember participating in many of his shows and even getting invited by him on stage once. Yes Anis even at that age I could feel his compassion and love for music and children. When PTV replaced Sohail Rana`s program with that by Khalil Ahmed I remember protesting and refusing to watch the ``ganda program``. I have been wondering for a while about his health and general well-being and I wish he could have given our children similar fond memories and tunes also. One can never thank him enough for making our bachpan memorable. If ever Mr. Rana ever reads this piece I would like to say: ``Thank you for being a part of my life!``

Indigo X Haroon: lovely piece. Us local born n bred also go through the same anguish of finding God, questioning sects, chasing unrequited love and searching for internal happiness. Amazing how matters of the heart can send us reeling on a roller coaster of questions and emotions bringing some closer to God. Re: ``As I had stopped asking, God had stopped responding``... the beauty of God is, God n-e-v-e-r forgets and a-l-w-a-y-s responds. Just re-read what you`ve written. Keep writing.

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee Re saad: the joota chupai did happen... on the chauthi though and not at shadi or mehndi.

Re Farhan and Snow: Yes there is so much more detail to add to the above but really the article got a little too long for my liking too! Kudos to the people who went through it in one go... thats why the valima was wrapped up in one sentence! Thanks for yes reminding of the jewelry - the kaali poat and the distinctive sat larra. The meano songs ofcourse are a must esp the raat kay bara bajay chorus. The one thing ofcourse that i shouldve mentioned was the salaam! My father was a gentle man with a booming voice and the only time I remember him actually getting angry on me and raising his voice a few more decibles was when he said: ``Mundi pait mein daalo!`` . Never seen a more distinctive salaam/adaab.

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee Re Urstruly: Chiksa is like haldi, but green in colour. Choba is grated coconut and missi`s appearance is that of a black ash and is used as a herb. Awadh and Aggarbarian are naturally scented herbs and form a great combo with Givenchy`s Amriage!
Yes, some Hyderabadi dishes are khatti and sorry i dont know the reason why this is so. It has probably evolved over time due to some climatic conditions in Hyderabad Deccan?! What is cooked imli a natural defence against? ...

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee Re freesoul: Rasms only lend ``formalization`` to shadi. It is natural for people to want to ``do`` something at a momentous occasion and be a ``participant``. Yes the money put behind the effort should be questioned but not the effort itself. Weddings, births etc. will always be ``celebrated`` not only because they herald new beginnings, but also because people seeks avenues to ``celebrate`` life.

Dear MIT: ``Thank you``.
The sentences should read ``... if it were published..``; a comma before ``but``; ``...due to the publishing process``, no full stop after ``slow pace``; ``...over time`` and not ``over the time``.
:)

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee Hello all and thank you for your generous praise!

Re cheese: Oh you MUST embrace a big fat lavish vulgar wedding. Keep our/your culture alive ... pls!

Re t: Would love to read a critique from you!

Re Romair: All these rasms are from Hyderabad Deccan (India). And the idiom is ``Is hammam mein sab nangay hain``. This pakki karachiite finds it very entertaining to read ``yahan garam hammam hai`` signs outside not-so-swank babers` shops and hence the conjured up images.... *eeks....*

Re: Banjara: Thanks for that info on Paoon Maiz, had no idea as to its roots.

Btw, am not married! (but the rasms are for real) :)

Shadi For Dummies Dear Chowk eds:

Wrt the ratings, what exactly were the two stars for? The word count?