The Dancing Girls of Lahore

The old city of Lahore is famous for it’s rich culture and one of the most prominent aspects of this culture is the dancing girls. The culture of ‘the dancing girls’ emerged from Mughal days and is still practiced. This tradition has been passed down through generations, being slightly modified over the decades. In the eyes of the world, it is categorized as pleasure, but for the dancing girls themselves, it is indeed work. These women are trained by professionals since tender ages and are promoted by their families, teachers and also, by their fellow dancers. They take pride in being a part of this and take offense if their occupation is compared or contrasted with prostitution. Moreover, they take this to be a very respectable profession, as their ancestors were from the same work line. Sounds of tablas and ghongroos are heard in the Old City of Lahore soon after sunset and this is when these people come out to work. This profession has reverse timings, as these people practice and rest during the day and work at night.

The dancing girls of Lahore attract many tourists and locals, as they have been doing since decades. Their charm never fades, and that is what they are best known for. From the world’s point of view, they are mere dancing dolls but for them it’s not just a dance but a connection between their heart and soul.

SARAH SIKANDER MALIK

Shrines, dhols, and addictions.

The walled city of Lahore has so much in it. You can call it a city of landmarks as it offers various such places regarding history. Amidst these landmarks is the Tomb of Shah Jamal which is located in the town of Ichhrah, Lahore. The tomb was built for the great Sufi Baba Shah Jamal and includes a Masjid combined with graveyard. People visit this tomb every Friday after midnight. Everyone takes part fully in the Majlis. It is said that this tradition is being acted upon from hundreds of years.

The whole architecture of the tomb is quite enchanting and the lighting there is worth seeing. The shrine gives the attendees everything they want like food, shelter and a living Majlis. But people consider the fun there more important than other things provided in the Majlis at the Tomb of Shah Jamal. So, whenever you visit Lahore, you must attend this Majlis once in your lifetime.

Baba Shah Jamal is known to have used drums and dancing to preach his beliefs and following the tradition , popular drummer Pappu Saeen performs at the shrine every Thursday evening. Pappu Saeen has performed in Germany, Switzerland, Britain and a number of Muslim countries, but is at his best only when he plays at the shrine.

This year too, Pappu Saeen began the grand event with a spectacular performance as several devotees whirled to his dhol, and left the charas-smoking audience spellbound.

 The shrine is more than a historical site for many, who visit it for food, shelter or solace. Baba Shah Jamal’s shrine is different from the other major shrines because most of the people visiting it take hashish. A number of foreigners and the youth of both upper and lower middle class also visit it for the same purpose. After taking the opium derivative, they perform what they call “holy dance” on high beat of drums.

Abuzar bhatti

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the painting process.

“All you need to paint is a few tools, a little instruction, and a vision in your mind.”
― Bob Ross

work in progress
by Syed Mustafa Mohsin

Basketball: not just a mens game

I grew up in a family which was dominated by boys so most of my hobbies were associated with boys. I liked sports and and activities that boys usually liked! So when i went to school which was an all girl school it was very weird because most of the girls were completely different from me!
However my spirit did not died i used to play games with my family members and started to play it in my school as well some girls started following me! School passed away and i joined Lahore School of Economics, it seemed to me like a fairy land as there were girls who were really into sports and the university had the best basketball team in Lahore

It was a challenge for me to get into the basketball team as i had a lot of competition. There were regular practices which i had to attend, i had to miss some of my classes too but it was worthwhile because only after 6 months the big break came i got into the LSE basketball team though i was not starting the games but i knew if i countinued to practice hard i will have my chance soon! 😀

I had some opportunities and i managed to impress my captain and coach and soon got the nod for the first team. I went on to achive great things with the team and i know there are big things to follow too! It was a good change to play alongside people who worked really hard! I started playing volley and football soon afterwards and i am now learning to play these games as well.

Sports is generally regarded as a game for males. This is not true i have seen women beating men in sports. In Pakistan all we need is to make women aware that they are not bound to do “womenly things” and that they have the right to play at a level where men play! There should be proper coaching and awareness seminars so that more and more women are attracted to sports as they have tromendous talent too! And i believe that they can match male athletes too if given the chance and right training

Written by:
Midhat Yasin
Lahore School of Economics

Let Basant Be Celebrated.

Basant is a centuries old cultural tradition of Punjab. This festival was held annually in spring and was celebrated with great gusto. Festivities were actually held at different venues around the city on rooftops which mainly included kite flying, musical concerts and barbeques. Most of the time haveli’s were used to celebrate this festival. Basant celebration reached to the point that invitation cards were printed out. It was celebrated in different ways so that the spirit of basant was kept alive and people could participate in it on a national scale. Reputed hotels have their rooftops booked for the whole night. The whole night was spent in flying kites with different type of music blaring on loud speakers in the background.

But now the Lahore skies are not full of kites any more, or atleast not as full as they used to be before the 2005 Supreme Court of Pakistan ban on kite flying. But its not good to ban one of the few events which provide entertainment to our people. A ban was imposed on basant seven years ago after several people, including children, lost their lives when their throats were entangled in the glass-coated threads used for kites. Or when deaths occurred due to people falling off from roof and firing in air just for the sake of entertainment.

All Pakistan Kite Flying Association Chairman Khawaja Nadeem Wayn said that around 150,000 people in Lahore and 180,000 people in Gujranwala and Kasur had lost their jobs due to the ban on kite flying and were facing hardships as they had no other means to earn a livelihood.  Thus level of unemployment in Pakistan has increased. Further this ban on kite flying has caused a major impact on Tourists. Our government can earn foreign income as many people living abroad visits Pakistan just to celebrate this event.

Instead of taking measures to address the few problems, the entire festival has been banned. This is a major disappointment. Government should not end this festivals from its roots and should take other safety measures for e.g bringing strict laws and enforcing them,  hatered towards this festival will never end, but will make matters more worse. Thus this festival should be promoted. Further My recommendation is to make this festival a environment friendly and safer for all human beings living in a society. Further government should impose strict laws on motorcyclist’s that they should use the wire to cover the top of the bike and wear helmet.

The Supreme Courts reasoning that people die can be handled with by good governance. Open grounds can be reserved for flying kites and police should play their role in checking whether the killer thread is being use or not. In other words Basant should be celebrated just like other spring festivals are been celebrated in Pakistan. Let us reclaim our shared South asian culture, The festive atmosphere and the skies full of color, good food, girls in yellow and green dresses and the triumphant cries of  “ BOO KAAATAA”  (which means I have cut it!!).

AHSAN RIAZ

Lahore School of Economics 

Defence Housing Authority, the best housing society in Lahore.

Defence Housing Authority is a housing society located in southern Lahore.This housing society was started in 1975. At first there were only 4 phases butnow DHA Lahore has grown to 11 phases. It is also known as the “The Living Spirit of Lahore”.

There are a lot of facilities in DHA Lahore like:

Defence Public Library:

Defence Public Library was constructed in April 1999 and was inaugurated on14 April 2000. Library is equipped with modern IT tools and technologies. It provide services like book lending, online information searching, internet, photocopying, reference services e.t.c. It also provide courses like designing, language learning, and computer courses. Recently a tuition center has also been opened in Defence Public Library.

Education:

Top Business university of Pakistan ‘Lahore University of ManagementSciences’ is in DHA Lahore. This university is internationally recognized as well. If you talk about schools then there are famous schools in DHA Lahore like Beconhouse Defence Campus, Lahore Grammar School E block and phase 5, TheLahore Alma.

Sports:

There are three major clubs in DHA Lahore, J-Block club, R-block club, and FF club. In these clubs you can play various sports like tennis, squash, swimming. Gymnasium facilities are also provided in these clubs. Then there is another club known as ‘Defence Raya’, this club is located in phase 6, this clubs provides you an ultimate golfing experience. Besides these clubs there are two sports complex as well which are located in phase 5 and the other one is in XX.

Sports complex in phase 5

Food:

DHA Lahore is very famous for its food. There is a food street in H block, this is the place that never sleeps. Besides the food street there are other restaurants and fast food chains as well like Mcdonalds, KFC, Bundu Khan, Hardees, Subway, Barbeque Tonight, Arizona grill, Nandos, Gourmet grill. Then there are ice cream parlors like The Hot Spot, Gelato Affair e.t.c. There are also places like Tutti Frutti, Yogun Fruz, Menchies, these places are known for its frozen yogurt. If you talk about cakes then there is Masooms Bakery in DD,there cakes are very delicious.

Clothes:

There are famous clothing brands in DHA Lahore like Stoneage, Limelight, Cambrigde, Textilion, Levis, Outftters, Khaadi, Ideas, Mango, e.t.c.

Cinema:

There is only one cinema in DHA Lahore, it is known as the ‘DHA Cinema’. In this cinema you can watch 2D and 3D movies as well.

Then there are a lot of Parks and Mosques in DHA Lahore.

By

Muhammad Haseeb

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Sporting Infrastructure in Lahore

Infrastructure can be defined as those elements that provide framework for the entire structure to support a society. Infrastructure is generally referred to roads, buildings, grounds, power stations, fly-overs, and so forth. It facilitates the society to improve living conditions. Hence, it can be simply stated that infrastructure is an essential part of life and is an everyday necessity. Infrastructure however, plays an integral role in sporting activities but sadly the importance of it for sport participation is commonly ignored. For one athlete, it is necessary to have the appropriate kind of facilities provided. A sportsperson will only engage in sports if they have the equipment to play a certain sport. In the same way, if well-developed infrastructure is provided, those athletes will be encouraged to participate in sporting activities. To achieve a professional level, an athlete progresses through various phases which make them achieve an optimum stage. At that stage, an athlete has explored all of their abilities and focuses on to accomplish desired goals by reaching their potential. In any way, during such phases, if the athlete faces difficulties or interruptions they might get demotivated and lose the will to perform well.

Factors such as; political influence, education, training, provision of facilities, and importantly infrastructure are crucial for an athlete at every time. For a person, to pursue a career in sports, these factors have a huge influence. However, if such aspects lack, a sportsperson might drop the courage to fulfil their dream. It is upsetting to see how children, who have great ability to do sport, unwillingly do not choose it as their profession only due to under-provision of facilities. During daily routine, it can be seen that in surroundings bunch of teenagers are playing cricket on the road. Only because they do not have any ground to play on or if there is, it may not be in that condition where cricket or any other sport can be played. This lack of infrastructure proves to be vital in life of those who are passionate about the sport they do and cannot look at sports as a career.
In Lahore, the society does not have sufficient opportunities available in parks around them. It can be seen more often that, a park situated in a community is either not well structured or may not have much facilities. It also may not even enable a sportsperson to engage in any physical sport. To have the right set-up, an athlete has to go to a specific ground. There are several grounds and centres where many sports are conducted. For residents in Defence Housing Authority (DHA), DHA Sports Complex is sited. Qaddafi Stadium is also situated in the city, where many sportspersons comfortably take part in sports. Infrastructure they have is remarkable and surely an increase in number of athletes can be seen. It is also essential for schools and colleges to arrange for a good infrastructure. Government supported institutes in the city, lack an adequate setup however privately controlled institutes have better formed infrastructure. A recent example of a private institute with good sporting infrastructure is Beaconhouse Newlands, located in DHA Phase-VII. (Sharing a previously written article by me).

Some images of sporting infrastructure in Lahore:

By: Muhammad Hazim Chaudhry

Post election Scenario

How did the elections go? A question for all concerned Pakistanis.How could a person just come on the top of a roof and declare that he is the Prime Minister of a country? A question still unanswered. Leaving everything behind, most of the politicians accepted defeat but their followers did not. The only reason being that before elections they were given a hope that a vote can change everything. But after elections they were shown that a vote is a formality.

Pakistan muslim league (n) grabbing most of the seats followed by Pakistan Tehreek -e-Insaf and Pakistan peoples party.Now is the time to deliver and to fulfill all the promises.But power is an addiction.And when a person is addicted he cant be trusted.This is whats happening.

Our ruling party Pml(n) just forgot the promises it made.Josh-e khitabat is what they call it.And the story is all over.

What they did in this tenure is what matters and that is not so different of what they have already done in their previous tenures.The only difference is that they brought everyone on one bench on an APC ( all parties conference ) and came to a decision that war on terror should end up and all of them stood up against drone attacks.But that too not for a long time.

After the killing of Hakimullah by a DRONE it seems that the dialogues between Pakistan and TTP are in danger but by the threat of Imran Khan to stop NATO supplies we can still hope that the drone attacks may stop. Let us wait for the 20th of November the deadline given by Imran Khan.

In short the dollar price have increased, petrol has become unaffordable. Summers are without electicity and winters we are short of sui gas.We are moving back towards stoneage and the world is progressing.Mr PM keeps on saying TRADE NO AID and MR>Dar keeps on taking aid. It should be simple but its complex because its Pakistan.

The only hope is to really hope that the next elections will be PEOPLE’s election.

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD

PAKISTAN PAINDABAD.

Posted by

Hadi Nawaz

Lahore School of economics