10 I January 22 - 28, 2012

12 I January 22 - 28, 2012

14 I January 22 - 28, 2012

16 I January 22 - 28, 2012

20 I January 22 - 28, 2012

22 I January 22 - 28, 2012

24 I January 22 - 28, 2012

32 I January 22 - 28, 2012

34 I January 22 - 28, 2012

‘A human being is a reflection of the celestial beauty’, is one of the philosophical ideas of the mindset which Amna believes in. And it doesn’t heal if it isn’t whole, is a

fact of life. One of the first few people to bring Yoga to our country, Amna has been taking yoga classes for the last 20 years. Four years ago she began with a tiny room, all by herself to lay the foundation of her healing centre called Arammish. Today, it has expanded phenomenally, occupying various rooms in nooks and corners of the huge house, covered with greenery. Taking a tour of these rooms, I could feel a strong pull of the healing energy, calling me into its lull and warmth when it was a bitter cold and cloudy January day outside in Lahore.

Having been interested in alternative healing methods all her life, Amna Habib managed to obtain a degree in cosmetology and aromatherapy as well as learn many therapeutic methods on the courses she took in England, USA and India. Here she takes yoga and Pilates classes and on an average, she now

has about 60 to 70 students. By the overwhelming response she has received from her loyal clientele, Amna has been encouraged to open a spa and healing centre on a mega scale in FCC. She will also be re-launching her bridal makeup over there in a much bigger way. Amna has taken her time to go big, as she has been extensively training her staff herself as well as getting trainers from abroad for this. She is maintaining very high standards of hygiene. Sterilized instruments are opened in front of the clients to give each client, peace of mind.

The factor that gives this energetic woman, her unusual spark is her honesty and sincerity to her profession. ‘I am not here to mint money, but

By Injila Baqir Zeeshan

One of the fi rst few people to bring Yoga to our country, Amna has been taking yoga classes for the last 20 years. Four years ago she began with a tiny room, all by herself to lay the foundation of her healing centre called Arammish

Holistic healing at

Arammish

Interview

‘Whatever is applied to the skin is absorbed directly into our blood, hence the healing process is faster’

I 35January 22 - 28, 2012

‘Whatever is applied to the skin is absorbed directly into our blood, hence the healing process is faster’

to change the mindset of the Pakistani woman,’ she tells us. ‘A change in lifestyle is what is required. People need to learn the importance of organic and eco-friendly products. It is our health that

we play with when we use sub standard or bad quality products on our skins and hair. It is criminal and somebody has to speak up against the risks of treatments such as botox and skin lasers.’ Amna

says that no cure is permanent but yoga along with organic treatments can help make a colossal difference without the detrimental affects to our health.

With the use of three fantastic ranges of products namely Alteareh, Laphyto and Ayurvedic treatment, this healing centre covers all your beauty and health needs. What is beauty if not from within? And beauty that is only skin deep is not what Arammish aims at. Recently, Amna has started work on her very own Arammish line of organic products. In the new complex about to be launched, there will not only be an organic café but also a boutique that will sell all these products for those who do not want to let their beauticians mar their skins and hair anymore. The world is switching to herbal and organic and so should we.

Talking about aromatherapy and colour therapy, Amna explains in detail how working with colours and smells leads to healing. ‘Whatever is

The factor that gives this energetic woman, her unusual spark is her honesty and sincerity to her profession. ‘I am not here to mint money, but to change the mindset of the Pakistani woman,’ she tells us. ‘A change in lifestyle is what is required. People need to learn the importance of organic and eco-friendly products

36 I January 22 - 28, 2012

applied to the skin is absorbed directly into our blood, hence the healing process is faster. Chakras have vibrations which are colour dependent and can work miracles in healing.’ And let’s not forget how yoga helps with problems such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and obesity.

Amna will also be introducing some of the ancient treatments of ‘hikmat’ and old rituals soon. The ritual of ‘ghussal’ or bath with the scrubbing of the entire body with aromatic herbal products is a superb therapeutic technique. One of the rituals she talks about is the massage of about a litre of milk into the scalp in a way that all of it is consumed entirely by the hair and absorbed into the scalp.

I was entirely impressed by the condition of the massage rooms and manner in which the facials and various treatments were being carried out. In the dead silence, I was afraid to even breathe as I sneaked a peek into the dimly lit serene little places, hidden away

from the world like a peace of heaven, where you were pampered till you felt completely rejuvenated.

Amna is a patriot at heart. In the new setup, she has not used anything imported, as has become the common practice of people here. She has used all products which are purely local. When I asked about how she expects to compete in a city where foreign masseurs are available easily, she calmly replied how she had managed to train her girls in such a way that they were perhaps as good if not better than the imported masseurs. One of her clients who happened to walk in on us during the interview at this point, caught Amna’s last words and excitedly reported how she and all her friends had become quite addicted to Arammish now and refused to try all other options. Amna’s most intelligent career move has to be the fact that she herself is present throughout the day, managing everything on all levels, personally catering to the needs of all her clients.

Those of us, who believe that beautifying ourselves is something which is not allowed in our religion, also need

‘It is criminal and somebody has to speak up against the risks of treatments such as botox and skin lasers.’ Amna says that no cure is permanent but yoga along with organic treatments can help make a colossal difference without the detrimental affects to our health

I 37January 22 - 28, 2012

to pay a visit to Amna. She is on a mission to teach people how beauty is only a result of a human being’s inner health and harmony. She wants to tell everyone that a good person in a person who has found a balance in life. Even if someone feels that applying nail colour, for instance is ‘haram’, it does not mean that your cannot make your nails look beautiful without it;

in fact nail colour contains many harmful ingredients! She is surely someone who determined to providing a total and complete way of life, leading to a more beautiful, healthier you! And in a life where we must deal with so much tension and anxiety on a daily basis, an hour or so of self healing, a couple of times a week can do wonders.

Amna will also be introducing some of the ancient treatments of ‘hikmat’ and old rituals soon. The ritual of ‘ghussal’ or bath with the scrubbing of the entire body with aromatic herbal products is a superb therapeutic technique

Photography by Asmat Khan at Studio Afzal

38 I January 22 - 28, 2012

46 I January 22 - 28, 2012

Lounge LovesBy Sahar Iqbal

Crepe Factory Crepe Factory located at 20-C, 10th Commercial Street, Off

Khyaban-e-Shamsheer, Near Labels, Karachi is a one-stop shop for the best crepes in town. From a scrumptious Nutella Crepe with banana slices to a filling Crepe Florentine with grilled chicken smothered in cheese and spinach. Crepe Factory also does mini crepes for catering events and live crepe making at birthday parties. Crepe Factory has recently introduced an extensive and vast selection of pastas as well.

Club X: A new brand of Leisure ClubLeisure Club recently launched a new chic urban

wear brand for men, women and kids, Club X, at a flagship store in Vogue Towers, Lahore. Club X promises a variety of statement pieces that will be a valuable addition to any young individual’s wardrobe. Be it lounge-wear or a perfect pair of denims, you get them all under one roof. To cheer up those layers of dull clothes this season, Club X offers colourful

stripes and diagonal prints. Some of the designs draw inspiration from 50’s fashion and remind you of Audrey Hepburn glamour. The brand also stocks some exquisite military vintage inspired pieces that can be mixed with bold colours for extra oomph. From high waist khakis to classic

pencil pants, Club X offers everything. For those who like more drama and can pull off 80’s flare, the brand stocks some beautiful batwing tops to be paired up with leggings. http://www.facebook.com/leisureclubsocialhttp://leisureclub.pk/clubx/

Chaaye Khana!Chaaye Khana

is a hot favourite for breakfast for people in Islamabad. Located in F-6, the hub of Islamabad, Chaaye Khana is solely for the love of tea. It offers breakfast every morning from 8 to 12. The menu for breakfast includes a range of eggs, sausages, pancakes, French toast, and croissants. Pancakes come with an option of syrups like maple, strawberry, honey and others. French omelets are a Chaaye Khana specialty and quite a hit item. The breads offered have options too including onion and cheese, garlic and rosemary. Having Chaaye Khana’s breakfast by the Victorian fireplace is a very elegant experience at a very affordable price. Nothing on the breakfast menu is above Rs 300 per head, which is great considering the food quality and the whole experience that comes with it. By Hafsa Sarfraz

I 47January 22 - 28, 2012

Chanel’s timeless creations

1. Chanel No. 5 is the first perfume launched by Parisian couturier Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. The French government reports that a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every thirty seconds and generates sales of $100 million a year.

2. Chanel No. 19 Poudre is the new twist on Chanel No. 19 which was first marketed in 1971 to commemorate Coco Chanel’s birthday, 19 August. The perfume was launched a year before she died. While retaining the original perfume’s crisp green notes, No. 19 Poudre, recently relaunched, has supplements of mandarin orange, jasmine, white musk and tonka bean.

3. Like all Chanel perfumes, Allure has a rich and complex composition. Fresh and citrusy at the beginning, it opens in lavishing floral heart to wooden and vanilla nuances and leaves lingering and fickle scent. The perfume was created by Jacques Polge in 1996.

5. Coco Perfume by Chanel, Chanel created coco perfume in 1984. It is the result of the following fragrance notes: mandarin, pimento and coriander. The middle notes are rose, carnation and cinnamon and the base of the fragrance is amber vanilla and honey. Coco Chanel perfume is labeled as a classic fragrance.

4. Chance Chance Eau Tendre was developed by Chanel’s in-house perfumer, Jacques Polge, and the fruity floral features notes of grapefruit, quince, hyacinth, jasmine, amber, cedar, iris and white musk.

Style Savvy

48 I January 22 - 28, 2012

Maryam MamdotSpreading beauty and cheer

What kind of experience do you have professionally and personally?

I have experience of more than 10 years of working in Toronto, Canada. I did aesthetic courses in hair, skin, nails and makeup from Canada. I am a born makeup artist who has deep passion for colours and makeovers. I had been learning massage therapies from Thailand, Canada and USA. I believe in learning everyday and have attended several workshops of L’Oreal of Paris and Dermalogica.

What was your greatest failure that ended up being your greatest success?

I wanted to be a doctor in my childhood, but, unfortunately, I left medicine and got myself enrolled in business management and economics. Today, I am a successful aesthetician/beautician who is running Beautex bride and beauty designer salon.

What do you love about your field?I love the services that we are giving

to people with excellent hygiene and international standards. I have great passion to make other women feel good and happy. I also give free skin consultations to my clients and love to pamper them to release their stress at Beautex.

What is your claim to fame?I have been blessed with fame by

the great blessings of Allah and people love me as a person and the way we treat them at Beautex. I had been working for social welfare of women and orphans because of which I received blessings of a number of people. I believe that we must learn to give and love others for life is too short.

What are your goals for the next five years?

I want to take Beautex to an international as well as national level. I want to provide such treatments to

Pakistani women which are not available as yet in skin or hair. I am also running a skin care products’ company by the name of ‘Face Logic’. I definitely have plans to expand its distribution network, globally. I want to receive great love and blessing from people around the globe and really want to train my female employees on international standards, so that they can make their own living.

How do you look after yourself; beauty wise, health wise, mental stimulation, etc?

I am very particular about personal hygiene as our religion promotes it as well. I love doing Yoga and work out at least for an hour. I love to use fragrances like body sprays, shower gels, body lotions, perfumes, etc. I am fond of peach, pink and nude shades make up. Sometimes, I also love using bright and cool colours, but that depends upon the weather. Weekly hand and foot therapies are important to me. I have a lot of milk and yogurt and drink fresh juices to bring natural glow on my face. I believe breathing in fresh air is extremely healthy. And music is the ultimate thing that releases stress.

What turns you off the most?Gossiping and lies really turn me off.

What suggestions do you have for women who like to read about beauty tips?

Women who stay true to themselves always interest me. Reading expands exposure so I believe women must read about developing themselves as a better person and of course beauty tips.

How should men approach a woman like you?

A man should be a gentleman and courteous enough to approach a woman.What are the haircut and styling trends

that you currently love?I love new haircuts. I like bangs and

chin length front layers in hair. I love using L’Oreal of Paris, Richesse hair colours and hair styling products. Their treatments forhair problems like damaged/colour treated hair, dandruff and hair fall treatments are awesome. I use them personally as well as in my salon. Hair serums by L’Oreal are also extremely good.

What sort of hair styling do your clients currently like to go for?

Blow dries and hair straightening treatments. Also, hair problem treatments and highlights of L’Oreal products are our specialty at Beautex.

What do you enjoy about owning your own business?

The fact that I can maintain international standards. I myself am very

hygienically conscious.

Interview

Maryam MamdotSpreading beauty and cheer

What kind of experience do you have professionally and personally?

I have experience of more than 10 years of working in Toronto, Canada. I did aesthetic courses in hair, skin, nails and makeup from Canada. I am a born makeup artist who has deep passion for colours and makeovers. I had been learning massage therapies from Thailand, Canada and USA. I believe in learning everyday and have attended several workshops of L’Oreal of Paris and Dermalogica.

What was your greatest failure that ended up being your greatest success?

I wanted to be a doctor in my childhood, but, unfortunately, I left medicine and got myself enrolled in business management and economics. Today, I am a successful aesthetician/beautician who is running Beautex bride and beauty designer salon.

What do you love about your field?I love the services that we are giving

to people with excellent hygiene and international standards. I have great passion to make other women feel good and happy. I also give free skin consultations to my clients and love to pamper them to release their stress at Beautex.

What is your claim to fame?I have been blessed with fame by

the great blessings of Allah and people love me as a person and the way we treat them at Beautex. I had been working for social welfare of women and orphans because of which I received blessings of a number of people. I believe that we must learn to give and love others for life is too short.

What are your goals for the next five years?

I want to take Beautex to an international as well as national level. I want to provide such treatments to

Pakistani women which are not available as yet in skin or hair. I am also running a skin care products’ company by the name of ‘Face Logic’. I definitely have plans to expand its distribution network, globally. I want to receive great love and blessing from people around the globe and really want to train my female employees on international standards, so that they can make their own living.

How do you look after yourself; beauty wise, health wise, mental stimulation, etc?

I am very particular about personal hygiene as our religion promotes it as well. I love doing Yoga and work out at least for an hour. I love to use fragrances like body sprays, shower gels, body lotions, perfumes, etc. I am fond of peach, pink and nude shades make up. Sometimes, I also love using bright and cool colours, but that depends upon the weather. Weekly hand and foot therapies are important to me. I have a lot of milk and yogurt and drink fresh juices to bring natural glow on my face. I believe breathing in fresh air is extremely healthy. And music is the ultimate thing that releases stress.

What turns you off the most?Gossiping and lies really turn me off.

What suggestions do you have for women who like to read about beauty tips?

Women who stay true to themselves always interest me. Reading expands exposure so I believe women must read about developing themselves as a better person and of course beauty tips.

How should men approach a woman like you?

A man should be a gentleman and courteous enough to approach a woman.What are the haircut and styling trends

that you currently love?I love new haircuts. I like bangs and

chin length front layers in hair. I love using L’Oreal of Paris, Richesse hair colours and hair styling products. Their treatments forhair problems like damaged/colour treated hair, dandruff and hair fall treatments are awesome. I use them personally as well as in my salon. Hair serums by L’Oreal are also extremely good.

What sort of hair styling do your clients currently like to go for?

Blow dries and hair straightening treatments. Also, hair problem treatments and highlights of L’Oreal products are our specialty at Beautex.

What do you enjoy about owning your own business?

The fact that I can maintain international standards. I myself am very

hygienically conscious.

Interview

I 49January 22 - 28, 2012

Desi shows, foreign influence

There has been a change in our programmes. They seem more influenced by the west and India. Where are the norms which we

established through Fifty Fifty, Tot Batot, Showtime, Studio 2, Moeen Akhtar Show and Zia Mohiuddin Show?These programmes were for the family. The dress code and script was not vulgar. There was a clear message in these about our religious, social and cultural norms. We have taken a 360 degree turn. Dress codes in our programmes these days have become vulgar, which we are depicting as modern fashion. Styling and script is pathetic and meaningless. The youth is being spoiled. Women are turned into sex symbols. Time has come now that we say no to such content. Where are the marvelous dramas that PTV used to show? We need dramas such as Tabeer, Aakhri Chatan, Waaris, Ankahi, Tanhaaiyaan, Samundar, Totaa kahani and many more. We are destroying our kids’ personalities with programmes which would let them idolize dancing heroes and heroines. We need information based programmes which are in line with our culture and religion and not in line with Indian culture. A massive chain reaction has started to destroy our kids who will run this country in another 10-15 years. Media’s role in keeping the youth on the right track is needed now more than

ever. We can’t teach our kids to ridicule their parents and seniors. We need to make them tolerant and humble and not arrogant fools. We should not enjoy vulgarity. It is a time to wake up. We could save our kids from demoralization and corruption. A point of return is very near and we are waiting for our government and NGOs to do it for us. They can’t help us, we have to focus on

our individual households and start correcting things from our own home rather than condemning the system. Our youth is not bad by nature it only needs a good level of guidance and support.We can’t afford to see our youth turned immoral due to the culture being promoted by most television channels that heavily rely on financial support from invisible hands of the west. Parents, teachers, scholars, media giants, educational institutes, NGOs, welfare organizations, religious organizations, armed forces, private sector and everybody should join hands

to save our Islamic Identity which is the core to our survival. Our leaders should take emergency steps to save the image of an independent Islamic state.

By Mishal Asif Dress codes in our programmes these days have become vulgar, which we are depicting as modern fashion. Styling and script is pathetic and meaningless. The youth is being spoiled. Women are turned into sex symbols

50 I January 22 - 28, 2012

By Nadeem Alam

In Memoriam – Mrs Anwar Afzal:An Affectionate Mentor

I 51January 22 - 28, 2012

52 I January 22 - 28, 2012

Mrs Afzal is no more; she died in the last week of 2011, but her contribution and efforts in shaping the early period of Pakistani art will never be forgotten

The Department of Fine Arts owes so much to the women of substance! Anna Molka Ahmad founded it, and since then, there have been many graceful, charming

and refined women, who showed a great deal of practicality and wisdom, in their work as well as in their approach towards life without losing the flair of womanliness. Mrs Anwar Afzal is one such woman who with all her affection, love and rationale, nurtured the first generation of artists at the Department of Fine Arts of the University of the Punjab. Mrs Anwar Afzal was born after the World War I in 1923, when in the west the anguish of Dadaism was changing the conceptual and visual meanings of art. She studied at the Department of Fine Arts, Punjab University from 1941 to 1944, the era smudged with the destruction of World War

II that sowed the seed of Post-Modernism.In our beloved city Lahore, that epoch is marked with the birth of the Fine Arts Department, under the umbrella of the University of the Punjab in 1940. Mrs Afzal is one of the first makings of this very department and from the first batch of teachers as she was appointed lecturer here in this department in 1947; the year when Pakistan came into being. Therefore, she had the honour to teach the first ever class of art students at the Fine Arts Department in Pakistan along with Mrs Anna Molka Ahmad. The archival record of Punjab University suggests that Mrs Afzal was a regular participant of the exhibitions arranged by the Department of Fine Arts in 1952, 1954, 1955 and in 1959 with her paintings. Not only she was creative with her expression as a painter, but at the same time she was an academician, fully aware of the depth and linkage of art-criticism and visual arts. She

wrote on some very sensitive and insightful subjects and expressed her unique ability to comprehend delicate issues related to the technique and concept of painting.In one of her essays ‘Landscape in Mughal Art’, published in the Vista, the Research Journal of the Fine Arts Department, she discussed the dilemma of a painter in these words: “The painter is attempting to translate a three-dimensional object on a flat surface – with a two-dimensional character. The material, that is the brush, paint, pen and ink wash, line and tone-work, all have different implications and potentialities. The pen demands that when drawing an object it should have the quality of a line as well as resemble the object to be depicted. The colour has to be harmonious as well as possess a resemblance to the colour of the object seen. Therefore, the artist has to take into account these two opposite forces and has to find a reconciling point between them.”

Here we can listen to the resonance of the pounding thoughts of a mentor, who is trying to explain the complexity of the procedure an artist has to face in giving the tangible shape to the intangible ideas and concepts, through various mediums of painting.Mrs Afzal was also appointed as the Chairperson of Fine Arts Department in 1973 and in 1979. However, the way she served this department as a teacher, and influenced many with her soft

She was one of the pioneers of art in Pakistan, who not only introduced the modern and western trends to this part of the globe, but also excavated the oriental and traditional heritage

nature, malleable personality and affectionate approach towards her students would remain eternal.She was one of the pioneers of Art in Pakistan, who not only introduced the modern and western trends to this part of the globe, but also excavated the oriental and traditional heritage related to the infinite visage of the visual arts.Mrs Afzal is no more; she breathed her last in the last week of the year 2011, but her contribution and efforts in shaping early period of Pakistani art, will never be forgotten.May her soul rest in peace!

I 53January 22 - 28, 2012

54 I January 22 - 28, 2012

Tauseef Tabassum (Dr.) (b.1928), an acclaimed academic and litterateur, and Zafar Iqbal Mirza (ZIM – b.1936), a veteran journalist

have in the recent past published their

personal reminiscences (Urdu) and

columns (English) respectively.

Band Gali May Shaam

Tauseef Tabassum’s memoirs read

like an impressionist’s recollections

encompassing some engaging

biographical details and a graphic

description of a host of literary men

and matters drawn from within a

selective range of his socio-cultural

pursuits/interaction.

The metaphoric cul-de-sac of the

author’s memoirs pulls the reader

back into a dreamy but humming

past featuring writers and poets like

Munshi Tiloke Chand Mahrum,

Abdul Hameed Adam, Ahmad Faraz,

Shaukat Wasti, Mohsin Ehsan, Shahid

Naseer,Yusuf Zafar, Mukhtar Siddiqui,

In Retrospect

Band Gali May ShaamBy Tauseef Tabassum

Publisher: Akkas Publications, IslamabadPages: 331; Price: Rs.350/-

Last Man InBy Zafar Iqbal MirzaPublisher: New Line, St. 6, Cavalry Ground, LahorePages: 328; Price: Rs.480/-

Books

By Syed Afsar Sajid

I 55January 22 - 28, 2012

Dr. Syed Safdar Hussain Zaidi, Sadiq Nasim, Prof. Khalil Siddiqui, Aftab Iqbal Shamim, Ahmad Shamim, Syed Zameer Jafery, Abul Ala Ata Chishti a ka Haji Laq Laq, Baqi Siddiqui, Ata Hussain Kaleem, Naresh Kumar Shad, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, Mehbub Khizan, Aziz Hamid Madani, Raghib Muradabadi, John Elia, Ubaidullah Alim, Jamal Ehsani, Sehba Akhtar, Safi Haider Danish, Prof. Irshad Ali Khan, Jamil Azar, Mohib Arifi, Partau Rohila, Akhtar Ansari Akbarabadi, Salam Machli Shahri, Prof. Manzur Hussain Shore Alig, Prof. Syed Karamat Hussain Jafery, Syed Nasir Jahan, Iftikhar Arif, Bedil Haideri, Riffat Sultan, Adeem Hashmi, Nisar Nasik, Ahmad Nadim Qasmi, Maulana Abdul Majid Salik, Ehsan Danish, Zaheer Kashmiri, Ahmad Rahi, Ustad Daman, Shahzad Ahmad, Qateel Shifai, Moeen Ahsan Jazbi and others.

The style of the writer is quite homely and the delineation of characters, anecdotal but realistic. The stream of his consciousness moves him back and forth all through the narrative. A blend of lively humour further tends to enrich the texture of the narrative. One cannot but marvel at the vividness and accuracy of the author’s memory in recounting the details pertaining to the enormous characters so vivaciously portrayed in the book.

The author’s remarks with regard to Prof. Syed Karamat Hussain Jafery are manifestly attributable to his lack of first-hand knowledge about the latter. Professor Jafery, on all counts, was an academic, educationist and above all, a fine human being. His tussle with Prof. Shore Alig was none of his making. Curiously enough both of them were unwittingly dragged into it by some common ill-wishers, Prof. Shore Alig’s gullibility notwithstanding.

Last Man InIt is a collection of the veteran

journalist Zafar Iqbal Mirza’s selected columns, written under the pen-name of Lahori, appearing in the daily Dawn during the years 1984-2005. He has dedicated the work to Ahmad Ali

Khan, the illustrious editor of the daily with whom he worked for twenty long years.

ZIM has had ‘a wide and varied experience in the print and electronic media in a career spanning well over 42 years’. In his preface to the book, he suggests that it wouldn’t have seen the light of day without the overt insistence of his friends publisher Aamir Riaz and Kashif Bukhari who selected its material from an assortment of columns written by the author for the Dawn over a period of 20 years.

As per the publisher, the work in hand was one of the series of publications on the cultural history of Pakistan intended ‘to document an ethos and its politics as relected in popular writing’ that mirrored ‘the auhtor’s temperament and the fermentation of his ideas on various subjects’.

In an interview with Jugnu Mohsin appended to the prefatorial space in the book, the author proclaimed that he was ‘sufficiently immersed in the liberal tradition’ whereas the interviewer calls him ‘an accomplished and entertaining guide’ for the readers ‘who enjoy his acerbic writing’. Farah Zia, another interviewer, has gone a little farther in assessing the person and art of ZIM. She avers that ‘having lived all his life in the city of Lahore and using the pen name Lahori, ZIM has, in a way, identified himself with the city’.

In the year 1993 (the year of this interview), ZIM felt ‘an urgent need for a third literate force which, even if it doesn’t win elections in a few years or even in a generation from now, can bring sanity to our politics’. This is an augury pronouncing the emergence

of Imran Khan as the aforesaid ‘third

literate force’ on the national political

horizon. ZIM faithfully followed the

veteran journalist Mazhar Ali Khan’s

advice in his journalistic career that in

order to be able to write well, a writer

must read well.

The book comprises 88 articles

divided into seven heads viz., (1) Lahore

and Lahoris, (2) Personalities, (3) Politics

& Politicians, (4) Media, (5) Sindh, (6)

Sports, and (7) Miscellaneous. These

writings in collectivity demonstrate the

knowledge, wisdom and vision of the

author at their best. He seems to enjoy

a perfect command of the language

and its idiom. His observations on

different men and matters including

current affairs are very insightful. The

range of his experience is quite vast and

variegated.

His style is an amalgam of wit and

nostalgia. His candid accent as also

statistical skill, seems to buttress his

credibility.

The book is thus a compendium

of knowledge and information on a

variety of subjects including literature,

history, culture, economics, politics,

sports, profiles and social criticism. The

rich textual import of the book is likely

to induce the reader into condoning its

errors of composing and proof reading.

Two writers, both possessing a vast perspective on life and events

share their experiences with the readers in a markedly different but

still highly skilled manner

56 I January 22 - 28, 2012

The Sense of An Ending, winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, ironically never leaves it at giving its reader

just a sense of things. The narrative is marked by a determination to meticulously spell out all the thoughts it wishes to provoke – a feature which is inviting for those who admire self-conscious, ruminative narratives, but slightly disappointing for those who prefer subtler yet harder-hitting ones.

Julian Barnes, winner of the David Cohen Prize for Literature, once again tackles the theme of memory wrapped in subjectivity in his novel, The Sense of an Ending. In his words, it is a book about “memory and time…What time does to memory and what memory does to time, how they interact.”

The novel certainly does

lay bare our attempts to reconstruct

past events in such a manner that they lead to a bearable,

brighter image of ourselves

Recycling memory and time

Books

I 57January 22 - 28, 2012

Through a story that is rendered gripping by the revelations of the past rather than the present or future, Barnes demonstrates that memory is “not only faulty but sometimes over reliant on the imagination”. Memory and imagination are, in a sense, the protagonists of this novel, and mementos from “long ago”, (where it takes the mind “a while to reach”), proofs of what actually happened, the unforgiving antagonists. The novel, thus, is not simply the story of Tony, it is the story of how he tells his story; how he recounts past events to others and, more importantly, to himself.

The book is divided into two parts, separated by a gap of forty years. The first part surpasses the second by far in terms of style and wit: the remarkable combination of humor and profundity which imbues the novel with brilliance at several points, is missing in the second part. The latter, however, is much more intriguing owing to the tautness and strength of the plot upon which it is founded. The series of shocks that hit Tony’s later life, forcing him to reconsider the validity of memory, the accuracy of events embedded in memory, succeed in holding the reader’s attention until the twist-ridden end.

Further heightening the reader’s level of interest is Veronica, the “mysterious woman”, who baffles both Tony and the reader of Tony’s story, as she attempts to make him “get” something she, nevertheless,

relentlessly keeps insisting he “never got and will never get”.

The plot of the novel is, on the whole, one of its strongest and most commendable features. Although marred in some instances by providing Tony too much space for conducting luxuriously long self analyses, it effectively furthers the novel’s aim of demonstrating the self-preserving fallacies that we, (half consciously, half unconsciously), compel our memories to commit. In addition, it provides adequate sustenance to the novel’s theme of how time affects us, and how we react to it. As the movements of the sun mutate and shift the shadows it produces, so do the movements of time mutate and shift the perspectives it produces. What Tony and his friend once considered a “first-class suicide”, as admirable as a “first-class degree”, degenerates into something else with the progress of time. Degeneration, in this novel, is widespread: it touches also the image of the self and the credibility of memory, especially when it comes to self-construction based on past events.

Stella Remington, chair of the Booker judging committee, praised the novel for “talk[ing] about the human kind”. The book shows, she went on to say, that “maybe the ways we present ourselves are not how we really are”. The novel certainly does lay bare our attempts to reconstruct past events in such a manner that they lead to a bearable, brighter image of ourselves. However, a bit too much of “talking”

is done in the novel. The narrator is given to talking, almost chatting, to the reader. All of a sudden, Tony either directly addresses the reader with the pronoun, “you”, disrupting the style and flow of the writing, or throws at her rhetorical questions such as, “We live with such easy assumptions, don’t we?”; “They say time finds you out, don’t they?” “And that opens up the field, doesn’t it?” “He survived to tell the tale – that’s what people say, don’t they?” However, instead of making the narrative more effective, the technique of using questions rather than statements serves to stylistically weaken the book.

At some points, one is forced to admit, Tony’s excessive philosophizing and questioning conspire to create lengthy passages that come across as banal and repetitive. At others, however, the book yields up remarkable insights which are worthy of being paused at. When one of the most profound differences between youth and old age strikes Tony, for instance, he articulates it brilliantly, “when we are young, we invent different futures for ourselves; when we are old, we invent different pasts for others”. And what is more striking is the central fact that the book elucidates: when we are old, we invent different pasts for ourselves, too. Just as Tony “recycle[s] … and decorate[s] [his] flat to keep up its value”, we recycle and decorate our past to keep up our value in our own and others’ eyes.

When one of the most profound differences between youth and old age strikes Tony, for instance, he

articulates it brilliantly, “when we are young, we invent different futures for ourselves; when we are

old, we invent different pasts for others”

58 I January 22 - 28, 2012