Low Graphics Site
 
 
 
 
 
 
|
|
|
|
August 06, 2007
|
Monday
|
Rajab 21, 1428
|
Potter and Ghalib
Potter and Ghalib
Dramatic as it may sound, it does seem like the city of lights is once again plunging into darkness. Of course, I am referring to the law and order situation that we have been facing for quite a while now. And unfortunately when Karachians in the past couple of years had just begun to relax and seek recreation a bit farther out of their TV lounges, they were forced to retreat.
Take for instance, the launch of the famous book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was a children’s night out in real terms, what with publishers and dealers promising the little muggles unforgettable magical moments.
Unfortunately, the event had to be called off at the last moment, courtesy a bomb scare at the venue.
And needless to say, it was an anticlimactic ending to one of the most hyped events for kids; their disappointment was quite palpable.
In a city where there are already very few recreational diversions for children, this was a new low. It had felt great to see that events particularly of international scale were happening in Karachi, especially for kids.
It is frustrating to see such events fall victim to insecurities that have dogged this city for years. After all, we had been seeing better days for a while now.
This was the same city that hosted the World Social Forum just about a year ago and welcomed the celebrities not just from across the eastern border, but the likes of Bryan Adams.
A year down, the same Karachi is forced to postpone events like Jashn-i-Ghalib festival, scheduled for Aug 2, which was facilitated by people from both India and Pakistan. Even a weekly event like Koocha-i-Saqafat seems to be bearing the brunt of the law and order situation. So, is culture, the fresh breath of air of this metropolis, being snuffed out?
With other ‘more important’ repercussions of the law and order situation bagging the front seat, the effect on Karachi’s recreational life has been cruelly ignored. However, in a city of blocks where the green colour is found more in decaying nullahs than in so-called parks, one cannot ignore this aspect.
Why rob them of their few sources of entertainment? If the trend does not change, I fear that food may really become the best source of leisure for Karachians, and a sorry state that will be.
There is no denying that, by and large, Karachians are tenacious. Having gone through various upheavals, we have mastered the art of bouncing back from any disaster. Perhaps this attitude will eventually spark some hope for the city.—Sa’adia Reza
Wedding wizards
Pakistani weddings are the epitome of all things grandiose and it seems as if they are getting grander by the day. A recent trend that has been noted, especially among the ‘upwardly mobile,’ is the growing dependence on wedding planners.
Back in the days, the planning of weddings was largely a family affair, where elders would get together, come up with a logistical plan of action and assign various tasks (food, decoration, entertainment) to the relevant parties.
What today’s wedding planners have done is achieve unity of command, so that all the families do is simply make their selection and leave the logistical and operational matters to them. At a recent wedding this writer attended, their efforts were on display with all pomp and glory.
As one entered, one noticed the expansive lawn covered with a canopy and draped in a luminous veil of lights and buntings. After greeting the family brigade posted at the entrance, one was met by a somewhat garishly-costumed waiter (done up in a travesty of Mughal garb) who was serving iced (Sharia-compliant, of course) drinks, that sort of made up for the sheer ridiculousness of the poor man’s costume.
Along with the regular tables and chairs that are to be found at shadis, there were comfy-looking couches placed as if one was in a giant living room, along with a live shehnai and tabla duo in the middle of the lawn. Finding a remote-looking table away from the punters, “impressive” I said to myself, a la Darth Vader.
And, lo and behold, the force responsible for all this finery was placed in the middle of the table: a conical cardboard advertisement that spoke of the wonders the wedding planner was capable of. Admittedly, looking around me and later feasting on the bounteous spread (the sajji took the cake), these folks had done a might fine job, and most probably charged a small fortune for it.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. Nowadays there are everything from themed weddings to imported musicians to God knows what. Whereas officialdom has tried to clamp down on ostentatious weddings (one dish, no dish, some dishes, caps on the number of guests etc), these efforts seem to have been in vain as we seem to be getting more flamboyant by the day.
And methinks a major part of this might have something to do with Indian influence, as wedding planners and extravagant weddings have taken off next door like anything.
Wedding planners might actually help lessen the organizational load on families, but speaking to the chap who recently organized one of his relatives’ weddings and had made use of the services of a wedding planner, he still had to run around like a headless chicken.
Discounting any possible benefits of frugality, looks like wedding planners are here to stay. But still, one cannot help but feel nostalgic about weddings in the days of yore, when the simple joy of attacking a pot full of valima biryani was far more exciting than all the brouhaha of today.—QAM
Compiled by Syed Hassan Ali
Email: karachian@dawn.com
|