New Art Gallery in Lahore
Or
In response to Awaz-i-Dost by Mukhtar Masood, Nasim Ansari has penned Jawab-i-Dost. While the former is a stylist of repute and his book in projecting the cultural identity of Muslims in the subcontinent provides a rationale for the Pakistan movement, Nasim Ansari projects another view. A surgeon by profes-sion, he recalls his contempo-raneouS relationship with Mukhtar Masoood and goes on to nar-rate the reminis-cences of his youthful years in school and univer-sity in Aligarh and later of those in practical life. But using his pen surgi-cally, he also provides an analysis of the socio political and cultural events of the subcontinent spanning over 50 years. His prose is exceedingly simple, effort
جواب دوست
The Review, Dec 3-9, 1998
less and fascinating with a flavour of classical prose. First published from Aligarh, it is a reprint, a paperback from Aaj ki Kitaben available with the City Press Bookshop, Abdullah Haroon Road, Sadder. Hasan Abidi
If you take a Stand this week, make
it over an ad cam-paign being run in the English press by THE D’HAMIDI PARTNER-for SHIP Value Chicken, the same peo-ple who brought in KFC and Ava water. A lot of people, especially young women, thought the ad was in bad taste. It talks about chicken, but starts off with an attempt at being funny, courtesy a pun: “Stick to chicks that are quick to fix”. One young woman, an A’
Levels student at a local school in Lahore, thought there was nothing wrong with the advert because they had a right to say what they want. However, the majority of her friends, all women, disagreed and said that though it was funny such ads should be discouraged. They are proba-bly right because the line per-petuates the stereotype that men should dominate women, that women in this part of the world are submis-sive and perhaps that men are the prime decision mak-ers in a family. Such adverts also should be discouraged, in the sense that one needs to draw a fine line, because they have a more sinister insidious effect because of their subliminal (read-between-the-lines-effect). Unfortunately, while in many developed countries there are watchdog bodies which look out for campaigns that send wrong signals in the media, we have no such checks. in the US, Muslims have organized effectively as a strong lobby pointing out, often suc-cessfully. gross distor-tions or neg-ative stereo-types in the American media, especially Hollywood movies. The UK also has an organiza-tion which screens ads for sexist, racist tent. Even our next or related con-door neighbour, India, has a vocal lobby that monitors the media. Let’s see who amongst us rises to the occa-sion. ORQ
If you go to a Coin exhibition this week, make it THE BRITISH COUNCIL’S, antique coins exhibition at the Mozang Branch, Lahore.
Inaugurated last week, it is an exhibition worth checking out. Titled ‘Invitation to Tender’, approximately 150 coins from the 18th and the 19th century are on display at the exhibition. Antique lovers and coin collectors can make a beeline to the Council to feast their eyes. on rare coins. The collection belongs to Mohammad Affan Qamar, a banker, who inher-ited it from his great grandfa-ther. The exhibition will con-tinue for two weeks after which it will be taken to the Council’s Defence Branch to be on display for two more weeks. Navaid Rashid
If you visit one
Gallery this week, make it ART WATER-COLOUR GALLERY AND ACADEMY, Lahore at the Alhamra Cultural Complex. The small gallery opened with an exhi-bition of water-colours by several well-known artists.
Antique coins af British Council, Lahore
Peerzada Najmul Hasan cut the ribbon for the inaugural. Most of the displays are rea-sonably priced. Themes of the artworks range from landscapes, cityscapes, still life, and portraits to famous monuments. Artists partici-pating include Abdul Hayee, Alamdar Hussain Bokhari, M.Shafiq, Sami-ur-Rehman, Mubashara Sami, Babar Amin Chugtai, Anwar Ali, Hasan Ahmed, Tabinda and G.N. Qazi. The exhibition will continue for a few weeks. NA
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