Jehangir’s tomb…

Saad Sarfraz Sheikh has captured these delightful images of the Jehangir’s tomb in Lahore…

emperor jahangirs sarcophagus

emperors jahangir tomb

jahangirs tomb tilework

jehangirs minaret

the emperors chamber

the intricate work of the mughals

the memory remains

April 21, Lahore and Iqbal

by S. R. Mehboob

Another 21st April passed-with not even a stir about Iqbal

In late seventies and early eighties, Iqbal was the central theme in Govt High School Chauburji. The main entrance of school was bedecked in Iqbal’s couplets (Sabaq phir parh, Adalat ka, Shujaat ka, Ammant ka). Morning Assembly would begin with his “Lab pae aati hai Dua”. English Period tortures included cramming the essays including “Thirsty Crow”, ‘A Morning Walk” and “My Leader-Sir Iqbal”. Every teacher insisted upon students behaving as disciples a la “Iqbal and Maulvi Mir Hassan”. When School Chowkidar (dubbed as Chacha Chalen Aap) stopped late-comers from climbing school walls, typical response was what Iqbal reportedly gave to his teacher in Sialkot , “Iqbal hamesha der sae aata hai”. Year after year, senior students were supposed to despise Master Rafique Ahmad Khan (Brilliant Urdu teacher otherwise) as he had reportedly replied in a failed Public Service Commission Interview that Ghalib was artistically a better poet than Iqbal. All this was part of school’s revered indoctrination to which all and sundry subscribed religiously- adoring Iqbal ad infinitum.

And then there was 21st April- the most colorful day in otherwise drab life of School’s teenage students. Kept clinically apart from opposite sex, 21st April was the only day of year when students of Chauburji School got the opportunity of sitting under one roof of school auditorium with girl students and teachers from nearby areas for ‘Iqbal Day Debate Contest”. While Chauburji students were always famous for producing excellent debaters, 21st April debate prizes would almost always be notched by girls as debaters from Chauburji School would ascend and descend the stage aghast-perspiring, blushing, stammering and stumbling at the close proximity of girls. To their and Iqbal’s mutual credit (and girls’ utter peril), even these loosing boys would make sure to recite that fateful couplet form Iqbal in a near wailing voice “Wajood-i-Zan sae hai Tasveer-i-Kainaat me Rang”. The colorful memoirs and remorses of this “Co-Education Iqbal Day Event”-that was how our Head Master liked to put it”- would sizzle the senior classes during ensuing hot and humid summer months of that stifling, black Zia Era.

This 21st April, as I passed in front of Chauburji School, there were no remnants of Iqbal though I saw a group of young students on school gate with T-shirts showing Shoaib and Sania Mirza in dazzling colours. At least, Sialkot lives.

Where’s The Money for Higher Education in Pakistan?

Posted by Raza Rumi

This article appeared in STEP (Science, Technology, and Education in Pakistan), and has been reproduced with their permission.

A Conversation with Dr. Asad Abidi (Part 2 of 2)

By Bilal Zafar and Omar Javed, April 19, 2010

Asad Abidi is a professor at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He served as the first dean of LUMS’ School of Science and Engineering from 2007 through 2009. In the first part of our conversation with Dr. Abidi, we talked about LUMS SSE. In this second part, we talk about the challenges faced by the higher education sector in Pakistan, possible solutions, and what Pakistanis living abroad can do to help.

STEP: Moving on to the topic of higher education. Do you think that the level of financial support that higher education, in general, and the Higher Education Commission, in particular, is getting from the government can be sustained?

Asad Abidi: It is not getting (a lot of support) or it might be getting it for a moment but, you know, Pakistan is bankrupt and all this investment is from borrowed funds from the future. The typical elected government is just running scared, trying to keep its head above water. And, unfortunately, this is not going to change (anytime soon). So, the question is how do you take a country with so many needs and keep higher education running? The only way I can see it happening is if a substantial allocation, such as from the military budget, is diverted toward higher education. The military has never deprived itself of money. In the worst of times, their budgets have gone untouched, their privileges have gone untouched. But, it will take a political leader with guts to do this.

Honestly, I think the only way it could happen is if the United States, which effectively supports the Pakistan military, were to say that ‘we don’t really believe that it is valuable to add more men to your forces or add to your existing perks and privileges; this is actually only going to lead to more disenchantment from civil society and unrest in the region. So, you must cut your budget by, let’s say, 10% or 15% and that this money must go into higher education to deliver some hope to Pakistan’s people. Otherwise we will withdraw our support’. Only then might things change.  So, it’s going to be really hard unless you have massive civil protest in Pakistan. I don’t think Pakistan is quite ready for that kind of thing yet. People dispirited by spiraling inflation, power outages, unemployment, kleptocracy, can hardly be expected to rally in numbers against a bloated military budget.

Dr Ayesha Jalal’s lectures in Lahore

Raza Rumi
The Department of Humanities & Social Sciences and the Development Policy Research Centre (DPRC)
Present Lectures by Dr. Ayesha Jalal

Jinnah’s Contemporary Relevance
Date: April 28, 2010
Time: 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
Venue: NIB Auditorium

Jinnah’s Case for Pakistan
Date: April 30, 2010
Time: 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm
Venue: NIB Auditorium

Mary Richardson Professor of History at Tufts University and currently a Visiting Professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Dr. Ayesha Jalal is among the most prominent American academics who writes on the history of India and Pakistan. Her innovative scholarship has led to frequent criticisms by both Pakistani and Indian establishment scholars. Her most prominent works are on the role of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the partition of India.

RSVP

Building ‘MIT for Pakistan’

Raza Rumi

I met Dr Abidi many years ago. I was pleased to find his interview in my inbox. Readers might find it of interest.

This article appeared in STEP (Science, Technology, and Education in Pakistan), and has been reproduced with their permission. The article first appeared here

Building  ‘MIT for Pakistan’

A Conversation with Dr. Asad Abidi

By Bilal Zafar, April 12, 2010

In Fall 2008, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) opened its doors to 150 freshmen students to study science and engineering at its brand new School of Science and Engineering (SSE). Offering undergraduate degrees in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering, and graduate degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics, LUMS SSE had much grander plans than most Pakistani universities. Indeed, SSE envisions to be not just a “successful research university”, but “perhaps an MIT, Stanford or a Caltech for Pakistan.” To realize this vision, SSE was able to raise a significant amount of money (more than $25 million), including Rs. 1500 and 500 million from the governments of Pakistan and Punjab, respectively.Perhaps equally impressive was the faculty that LUMS was able to assemble for this nascent school. It was a small — perhaps too small — group of promising young researchers, brought together by the project team to set the standard for LUMS SSE.

8th International Mystic Music Sufi Festival (22-25 April)

Sufi Music and Expression of Devotion from the Muslim World is one among a rare festival initiated in Pakistan by Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop. For programme check here

This festival celebrates the tradition of devotional expression through the performing arts in Muslim and other faith communities. In the past artists from Europe, the Middle East and South Asia-these are among the regions from which the performers in previous  festival have hailed. Whether from rural or urban areas, farmlands or great cities, mountains or valleys, they share a common yearning for union with the One.

The commencement of International Mystic Sufi Festival 2010 has a particular relevance.  Especially in these times with so many misconceptions have created a wide gap between the moderates and the conservatives’ minds.

Graffiti art: A new wave in Lahore

Lahore has now been painted in an amusing mix of colour. Mehreen Kasana speaks to Mudassar Zia, the man behind graffiti wall paintings in Lahore

Graffiti is labeled as one of the most outspoken and ‘spunky’ forms of contemporary art. It has been a catalyst for social reform, national unity and freedom of speech. Graffiti is now part of our very own city: Lahore.

The walls in Gulberg have never looked better and funkier, and the credit goes to Mudassar Zia and his team of student volunteers at The Message Welfare Trust. Mudassar took inspiration from the art project initiated by Mustafa Kamal at the Indus Valley School of Architecture in Karachi. The project entitled ‘I Own Karachi’ was a competition held among students for the purpose of constructive art. “You must have seen anti-chalking messages on the walls in Lahore,” Mudassar told iWrite. “But we thought that there could be a better, more aesthetically pleasant way of decorating walls. Thereafter, we started painting the walls in Gulberg.”

A Green Thought

by Amna Kausar

Amna Kausar is a candidate for the degree of BSc (Hons) majoring in Environmental Science and currently studying in her final semester. She works as a programme officer in a Lahore-based NGO.

My colleague and I were sitting together one day, obviously working, and the topic under discussion was my ‘so-called’ and ‘irrelevant’ passion for achieving ‘Environmental Sustainability’, not just in my own country, but around the globe i.e. a World of Intelligent Fools. It is sad when people like me, who are definitely few in number, come to terms with the fact that not many people possess the competence to envision our vision. They seem staggered and actually horrified at it. And what exactly is our vision? A Greener and Resourceful Planet! Ah, Thank-you, but No Thank-you!

Heading back to what this colleague was trying to say, in his highly ill-informed and juvenile manner, was that why the ignorant and unenlightened individuals of Pakistan (including himself) would not comprehend how important it was to cut off those trees situated at the Lahore Canal Road so that it could be widened for traffic control. For a minute I thought I could just punch him in his face, not because I was sensitive about this Road Widening Project, but because of the supremely ‘casual’ manner he employed in saying ‘Cut off those trees’. I did not visibly do it, so I stopped clicking my computer mouse, and thought of how to go about this important dialogue.

Only recently, I had got myself in a not-so-very hot debate on Face-book with an acquaintance about an article that I had posted on my profile relating to the notorious ‘Lahore Canal Road Widening Project’. Although, the man had solid points to put forth, I have to say how also extraneous they were.

So I got back to my colleague and asked him whether he knew what trees did for us and the Earth. He said: ‘Duh! They provide Oxygen!’ I had to come back with: ‘Oh! And do you breathe in Helium?’ He looked offended but managed to smile. All I could say to him was that it is humbly requested to him to look for the importance of trees on the internet.

This man and many others like him need to be informed that by chopping off those trees along the canal, they will only rob the city of its lungs! This project is worth Rs. 3.5 billion. Please think twice about Pakistan’s current situation. An amount as huge as this to be spent on a mere 8 percent population of Lahore that owns vehicles is certainly ‘not’ something that we can afford. What about the rest of the 92 percent? Should they move to Planet Mars?

A recent course lecture reminds me of a factual account that we, the intelligent fools of the world, are facing the situation of ‘Environment’ against ‘Development’. Sure, go ahead with Development. Just be a little concerned with its definition and proper implementation. It is amazing to know that the government has a good budget to spend on this Road Widening Project. Will it be a crime to think about the 92 percent I mentioned above and develop an efficient Public Transport System for them? I mean, we are a poor nation for sure and we need to do something about it.

Those trees are Lahore’s cultural possessions. We have not got much left in our pockets that we start stripping our country with its little left beauty. Grave environmental dangers are already forecasted including rise in temperatures and loss of biodiversity. There is utterly no water resource management and we are very close to wars on the issue.

Why are we so blind?

Lahore- video

posted by Raza Rumi

Fawzia Afzal Khan’s video – mysterious, flippant, fun and soulful

Enjoy

Old Lahore 1864 -1866.

From the collection of photographs by John Burke and William Baker between 1860 and 1890

1 – Huzuri Bagh and Lahore Fort 1864: This photograph was taken from the steps of Badshahi Mosque and shows the square and pavilion in front of the main gate of Lahore Fort. The garden in front of the gates is Huzuri Bagh, Royal Gardens. The marble pavilion was built by Ranjit Singh from materials stripped from the Mughal tombs of Emperor Jehanghir and his brother-in-law Asif Khan in Shahdara on Lahore’s outskirts. Ranjit Singh used to hold kutcheri, court, in this pavilion, which had underground rooms to escape the heat. He used the Badshahi Mosque as an ammunition store.

2 – Jehangir’s Tomb 1864: Jehangir is the only Mughal emperor buried in Lahore, which together with Srinagar was his favourite residence. When he died in 1627 in Rajaori, Kashmir, his body was taken to Lahore. His favourite wife, Nur Jehan designed and built his tomb, a prime example of the classic Indo-Mughal style: perfect proportions, lattice marble windows, red and white sandstone and tile work. She and her brother Asif Khan are buried near Jehangir. She chose a much simpler but still elegant verson of Jehangir’s tomb for herself.

3 – The Exhibition Building 1864: The Punjab Exhibition marked the transition from Mughal to British Lahore. It was meant to begin the process of reconciliation in the Punjab after the war of 1857. Manufactured goods and handicrafts from all over the province and the rest of India were put on display. Over 1,000 people per day came to the building during the first months of the exhibition. Originally intended as a temporary structure, the building remained in use, housing the Lahore Museum until 1890. In the 1870s – 1880s the museum’s curator was J. Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard in whose book Kim this building was the model for the Aijaib Ghar, House of Wonders.

4 – Lawrence Hall 1866: Facing the Mall stood Lawrence Hall on the edge of what became the 12-acre Lawrence Gardens, known as "the Kensington Gardens" of Lahore.The funds for the hall came from public subscriptions raised in 1861-62 in his memory. The building itself was opened in December 1864. Lawrence Hall was the centre of colonial public life in Lahore; the main public building was used for concerts, theatricals and "other entertainments" like magic lantern exhibitions. Minstrels, the Great Australian Circus and variety groups were regular visitors.

5 – A platform at Lahore Railway Station 1866

6 – View from Shish Mahal, Lahore Fort, 1864: The Badshahi Mosque, built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1674, was until recently the largest in the world. Next to it is the tomb of Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Although unfinished at the time of the British takeover, the tomb was completed under Sir Henry Lawrence as a goodwill gesture. In the foreground of the photograph is the naulakha, a marble pavilion, constructed during Aurangzeb’s reign. The name refers to Rs. 900,000, or nine lakh rupees, which was the amount spent to construct the delicate marble building complete

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Lahore’s new Shalimar-interchange

Cross posted from here

Lahore – the heart of Pakistan is known for its built heritage – historic buildings and splendid structures. For centuries the successive regimes have been enriching the city with love and determination. The construction of each successive era; Mughal, Victorian and the modern, has added tremendously to the grandeur of the city.

Shalimar Interchange is a useful addition in the landmark constructions of the metropolis. Constructed on the road to historic Shalimar Gardens, it is a link with our rich heritage and continuation of the artistic vision and the superb building skills that our master craftsmen possess.

Shalimar Interchange is a state of the art project constructed by Frontier Works Organisation – the leading construction organisation of the country. It is the first 3 level interchange in Punjab over the canal and the railway line and comprises of a 1.6 km Flyover, 2 Underpasses, 2 Ground Level Bridges and 11 km service roads around the site.

The flyover-bridge is of the latest design that is most suitable for the locality. Its sleek transoms (pillars) and girders radiate openness. Besides regulating the traffic at a previous chokepoint, it will provide maximum utility for the residents by uplifting the whole area, says Khwaja Ahmed Hassan, Chairman Task Force Lahore Road Rehablitation Project, I).

Welcome to The City: MM Alam Road

Perhaps the most coveted spot on Lahore's inadvertent 'center of nightlife'

I love how you can rediscover a certain place, if you just look at it a slightly different way.

Cross-posted from Studio Sapuri, my personal thingamajig on the internet.

City shifts to candlelight amid unending blackouts

Daily Times reporting:

LAHORE: The unending scourge of prolonged and unscheduled load shedding has forced people to resort to other sources for ‘lighting up their lives’, with candles being the most popular. According to a survey, candles of all shapes and sizes have almost disappeared from the market and those available are being sold at exorbitant rates. A standard-sized candle – which was available for around Rs 8 before the recent spell of load shedding began – is now being sold between Rs 10 and Rs 15, while a large-sized candle costs anywhere from Rs 25 to Rs 40. Amanat Ali, a candle dealer at Mochhi Gate, told Daily Times that he had been forced to increase the prices of candles as the production cost has increased. He, however, denied any ‘artificially-created’ shortage of candles in the market. “Candles are short in the market because of high demand and limited supply,” he added, hoping things would get back to normal as soon as load shedding reduces. Candle-Makers Association Lahore President Ghulam Rasul urged the government to announce a special incentive package for the candlelight industry. “The reason for such high rates of candles is the rising prices of wax and thread,” he added. Moreover, prices of artificial lights and battery-operated gadgets have also skyrocketed – beyond the reach of a common man. Demand for emergency lights has also increased following the unscheduled and prolonged load shedding and they are being sold at 20 to 30 percent higher prices. staff report