Now, Chandigarh-Lahore people-level peace appeal

CHANDIGARH: People of Chandigarh and Lahorehave prepared a joint appeal before the prime ministers of India and Pakistan engage in cricket diplomacy during Wednesday’s world cup cricket semi-final at Mohali, urging them to let people of the two countries explore peace, despite fringe elements on both sides of the divide planning otherwise.

“A declaration has been prepared stating that people in both countries want to explore peace through direct contacts in the absence of the respective establishments taking any definitive step towards this end,” a key figure behind the declaration, representing a Gandhian NGO Yuvsatta, Pramod Sharma, told TOI on Tuesday.

Yuvsatta and peaceniks from Pakistan will stand at the entrance of the match venue at the Mohali cricket stadium and get the declaration signed by spectators from both countries.

The appeal has been made through media to encourage the two prime ministers to be bold while pursuing the peace effort, Sharma said. The declaration signed by the spectators and the people from Pakistan and India will be sent through post to the two prime ministers.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is from Chandigarh, having a house here, while Gilani is from Labore, he said.

The efforts of the residents of the capitals of the two Punjabs to bring peace between the countries is important as normalization of relations between the two countries is going to bring direct economic, social and political dividends to the two states.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Now-Chandigarh-Lahore-people-level-peace-appeal/articleshow/7822587.cms

Shaheed Bhagat Singh chowk

by Haroon Khalid

There are few people who have challenged the status of Gandhi as being the most famous leaders of the Indian Freedom Movement. Bhagat Singh at the age of 23 was able to do that. This name has received immense coverage in the recent years, courtesy of the Indian cinema. Had it not been due to the recent popular Indian movies, not many people in Pakistan would have been aware of this young revolutionary, who shook the foundations of the British Imperial Empire, and gave a new impetus to the freedom struggle. His methods and methodology was a marked departure from the popular modus operandi of the Congress Party. Initially Bhagat Singh supported Gandhi’s cause, but after the sudden end to the non-cooperation movement following the Chauri Chaura incident, he was disillusioned by the non-violence of Gandhi, preferring doing things his own way. Bhagat Singh says in his writings that when the deaf can’t hear, their ears need to be pulled up; ‘To make the deaf hear’. His bombing of the Delhi Assembly was to achieve this purpose. The aim was not to kill anyone, as a low intensity bomb was used, and it was thrown at a vacant location, where minimum damage could be achieved. It was thrown only with the purpose of making their voice reach to the ears of the rulers. Gandhi rejected the ‘cowardly’ act; however both Jinnah and Nehru developed a romantic association with this young patriot and tried till the end to stop the hanging of Bhagat Singh.

Yesterday’s full moon in Lahore

Courtesy Exploring Lahore

Fazal e Haq – aka Phajjay ke Paye

By Aqeel Ahmed

I know the blog has been idle for some time and it isn’t a good thing. Anyway, here I am with another review of Fazl e Haq (nicked as Phajja) chain of restaurants. Now this is truly authentic Lahori taste we are talking about. Not even the neighbouring cities of Lahore have been found to be that keen about Paye (feet) or Siri (heads) of goats. It sounds gross, doesn’t it? But then again, this is us .. Lahories .. and you have already read about us eatinggoat testicles.
Fazl e Haq or Mr. Phajja was perhaps the first person who commercialized the idea by coming up with a Paye specialty restaurant in the Red light district (Taxali gate) named as Phajjay ke Paye. People would (and still) flock to this place every morning and wait in queues to have a breakfast of sticky and rubbery meat of goat feet. The Siri on the other hand is not a breakfast item. A typical Siri meal is accompanied by assortments like Maghaz (brain),

Khusray ke Kabab

By Aqeel Ahmed

I was as baffled to know the name of this place as you are after reading the title. For those who aren’t familiar with the word ‘Khusra’, it means a transexual. We’ll talk about the food in a bit. Let me first share my discomfort for not being able to understand the reason for having such a crude name. I’ll have to resort to guesses since nobody could tell me the real reason. Here is one: There was a chap in the waiters forum in his mid-forties (i think), he was wearing a dopatta and walking ‘that’ walk. He graced us by waiting on our table too. Perhaps it is not them (the management of this dhaba), it is the public that has named the place like this.

State of Denial – Anti-Islam Embassies are Haraam in Pakistan

State of denial at its very best

Tawa gurda kapoora – aka Taka tak

By Aqeel Ahmed

While the world is talking about the weirdness of  Beijing style food, I thought of highlighting the position of Lahori food on the chart of bizarreness. I am sure it stands somewhere in the top 10. So here we go:

Roughly translated, Tawa gurda kapoora means kidneys and testicles in a large frying pan. To avoid the embarrassment of associating such words with food, most of us now call it Taka tak. It refers to the sound made by the skillful chef while frying these organs and hitting the pan with two sharp slicers in a captivating rythm. He keeps slicing and frying them until the kapooray (testicles), gurday (kidneys), dil (heart), maghaz (brain) and chaampain (ribs) become a homogeneous mixture of meat and thick masala curry. You can make your pick and choose which parts to include in your serving. It is DELICIOUS.

Student Biryani

By Aqeel Ahmad

I think now it is official that Lahoris, despite all the struggles, could not come up with a successful biryani. I admit this with utmost distress that all the Lahori restaurants that have had biryani on their menu, haven’t been able to go past a typical Pulao. It caused half of the Lahori population to misunderstand the true taste and potential of biryani and the other half to hate it. Biryani Express (sindhi recipe) first and now Student biryani from Karachi have jumped in to fill the gap. I am not sure about Biryani express, but Student biryani has been a perfect hit so far.

Take a trip to the fortress stadium

Havelis of Lahore

By Chauburji

The walled city of Lahore was not the haphazard jumble of closely packed houses and narrow streets as people are apt to assume, but a masterpiece of design that the city planners of today look upon with awe and respect. The city consisted of designated quarters for trades and had houses of every type from palaces to the humblest of abodes. The gems in the Lahori crown, however, were the havelis – beautiful residences of the affluent class and nobility.
A typical haveli consisted of a huge arched door, large enough for an elephant to get through, leading into an outer courtyard. This was surrounded by rooms, some of which served as accommodation for guests, who were not considered intimate enough to be allowed into the inner sanctum. The other rooms consisted of baithaks, living quarters for domestics and stables.
Another inner arched door provided access to a dewrhi or covered passageway that led to an inner courtyard, which was paved and in many cases decorated with fountains and potted plants. Doors around the courtyard led to multi-storied tiers of spacious rooms with jharokas overlooking the area. Rooftops were expansive with barsaatis or covered verandahs where one could sleep or sit through the cool monsoon season.

Mohammadi Nihari

By Aqeel Ahmad

Take a plunge into the greasiest of Lahori dishes, the famous beef nihari from Mohammadi Nihari. Did I hear ‘Cholesterol’? … Are you kidding? If Lahoris start worrying about cardiac problems, we will be left with nothing to eat and will have to migrate to the nearest Chinese city.

Beef nihari

Nihari is a thick spicy curry with very tender meat pieces of beef. A thin floating layer of cooking oil on the surface is considered a delicacy. You eat it with freshly prepared oven baked loaf bread, called ‘khameeri roti‘. Finely chopped ginger, lemon and fresh coriander leaves are also served for the dressing on the table side. The combination results in a scrumptious meal that you will find very hard to forget.

Sarabjit’s lawyer files petition for reopening of case

By Yudhvir Rana

AMRITSAR: Sarabjit Singh’s counsel has filed a fresh petition in Pakistan’s Supreme Court seeking reopening of his case following the arrest of Manjit Singh in India, on whose identity Sarabjit Singh was allegedly booked in a case of serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Kasur and was sentenced to death.

His lawyer claims that the Manjit Singh arrested in India recently is the person who is responsible for the bomb blasts.

Sarabjit’s counsel Awais Sheikh told TOI on Sunday that he had filed the petition for reopening and re-adjudicating of his client’s case. He said, “The reality has come out in the open following the arrest of Manjit Singh in India and now the case should be reconsidered.”

Murder in Lahore

By Md. Arif Iqbal Khan

Lahore is no St. Petersburg. But at this moment Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment seems so much more relevant to Lahore than any other city. Not that Lahore lacks a credible judiciary, it can boast of a powerful legal lobby capable of overthrowing a military regime. Lahore has its history and culture woven in a long connection with justice, beginning as the imperial city of Mughal Emperor Akbar, who was known for his equitable justice in an undivided Hindustan that belonged to all denominations.

But after two Pakistan nationals were gunned down by US national Raymond Davies recently, Lahore today is caught in a tight place. It wishes to continue the traditional path of evidences and circumstances, but it seems to be failing. Something in Lahore has changed. The bravery and courage of Lahore to resist foreign invaders like Alexander seems to have slightly diminished in this traditional romantic “city of emotions”.