KARACHI, Nov 9: Few cities in the world command as much love and admiration among its inhabitants, past and present, as Lahore does. A new anthology — ‘Beloved City: Writings on Lahore’ – edited by Bapsi Sidhwa, which was launched here on Wednesday evening, substantiate the above claim. Bapsi Sidhwa was present at the launching ceremony.

The anthology features prose and poetry alike. If there are Madho Lal Husain and Bulleh Shah, there are also Iqbal and Faiz, the common thread running in their verse is the city, which was billed as the Paris of the East before partition.

Apart from excerpts about the city from Sidhwa’s novels like The Crow Eaters and The American Brat, there are such big names as Rudyard Kipling, Sadat Hasan Manto, Khushwant Singh, Ismat Chughtai, Ashfaq Ahmed, Emma Duncan, Krishen Khanna and Habib Jalib. And then, of course, there is Pran Neville, who wrote a book on Lahore of pre-independence days several years ago. Not to be forgotten is the visually impaired Ved Mehta, who migrated to India in 1947 and made a sentimental journey, years later, to his parental home. Sidhwa’s introduction to the anthology is a sentimental piece too.

The launch function began with Zia Mohyeddin reading from Allama Iqbal’s On the Banks of River Ravi (translated into English by Parizad N. Sidhwa).

Prof Amberina Kazi, the head of English Department in Karachi University, who spoke next, referred mainly to the writings from the other side of the Wagah border. She felt that the anthology had some very fine pieces of writings and suggested that the book be included in writing courses as also in the syllabus for South Asian literature in universities. She read an excerpt from the book, so did many others, including Lahore-born Muneeza Shamsie.

Novelist Bina Shah also read an excerpt from her piece ‘A love affair with Lahore’, which was about the Lahore-Karachi rivalry. She was preceded by the parliamentarian Minoo Bhandara, whose hilarious piece drew peals of laughter.

On Sidhwa’s insistence, columnist Irfan Husain was given the mike. He was asked to read his piece narrating his delightful culinary adventures in the city, but he realized that the programme had already extended beyond its planned timing. So, he merely thanked the editor of the book for including his piece.

One was somewhat disappointed that Bapsi Sidhwa hardly spoke at all. She merely read an excerpt. The only quotable sentence that came from the Houston-based writer, and that too in response to a question, was that she still dreamed of Lahore and visited her home town at least once a year.

Earlier, Ameena Saiyid, managing director of Oxford University Press, the publisher of the book, welcomed the guests. She disclosed that a similar book on Karachi was being compiled by Asif Aslam Furrukhi.