Typically while visiting a new country one takes a few days to get adjusted to the conventions, the language, the food and the people. I needed no such time. I was comfortable from day (or rather minute) one - ofcourse the immigration officer made things slightly easier ;) For obvious reasons, I feel totally at ease and at home here - the
language is the same, the food is the same (a tad tastier and oilier though) and the people are the same (the women are, ofcourse, prettier, daintier and more delicate in looks as well as deportment - sigh! A separate loooooooong mail on the beauty of the Lahori women will be sent in due course). Everything else here is the same - the chaos, the serenity, the colour, the drabness, the history, the warmth. It is exactly like being across the border (India!). I am still trying to spot differences (apart from the superficial ones - like the signs being in Urdu or the men wearing salwar kameezs) but am still yet to spot any significant ones.
Walk into any shopping mall (they are aplenty), music shop or restaurant and an "Indian" (I desist from using the word "Hindi") film song would be playing. The craze for bollywood and Indian TV in Pakistan is well-documented but what took me by surprise was the level of knowledge everyone had about Bollywood, its films and actors/actresses (Aishwarya Rai and Kareena seem to be the overwhelming favourites). They even know all about B-grade actors! I received the ultimate insult when I was compared (nomenclature-wise) to a certain Ms. Paudwal. "Aapka naam Anurag hai? India ki eik Singer hain Anuradha!". That did it !!!!!
Now onto some sights of Lahore - The Mall area in Lahore has a very British feel to it. The buildings here (like the High Court, the Cathedral, Tollinton Market, Atchison or Chief College) are much better maintained than in Delhi. The Museum (or ajayabghar, as i found it is called, after arguing with many an auto-driver telling them that THERE is something called a museum in Lahore!) is also situated in this area and has an extremly beautiful building which was designed by Kiplings father. The museum has a collection similar (though much smaller) than that of the National Museum in Delhi (at the time of partition the collection was neatly divided into half). However, this museum has a much prettier inside and houses the famous "Fasting Siddhartha" and numerous stunning Gandhara Buddhas amongst other things. There is also a tail wing of a shot-down IAF plane! The Museum book shop (called Kim's bookshop after Kipling's masterpiece) is recommended by all (including LP) as a great travel book shop. The owner complained that very often he is called as "Mr. Kim" !!!!!
Outside the museum, I asked a "Janaab" walking on the street to take a photo of mine. He saw the India Flag (which I have pinned on to my jacket) and the process of taking the photo took half an hour as he just got chatting. He wanted to know all. What it is like across the border. How I feel being in Pakistan and Lahore (Lahore-ites are exceptionally proud of Lahore. I can see why - it is a beautiful city). When we finally parted ways, he invited me to his house for tea (which i stupidly declined) and then said that he would definitely be in touch. This kind of genuine warmth and hospitality is what has made the trip really memorable for me.
Though, due to fatigue, I have been sleeping well, I happened to be awake yesterday morning when the early morning namaaz is read. Namaaz calls from the mosques all over the city made it an extremely surreal experience.
Lahore is known for its gardens. Some of the gardens are old ones - Shalimar Bagh (where I decided to be intrepid and bought the entry ticket as a Pakistani and not as a 'foreigner' - this saved me PakRs 190 - I did it for the kicks but not for pecuniary reasons. This Garden evokes the grandeur of a bygone Mughal era) and Lawrence Gardens. The latter is now renamed "Bagh-i-Jinna" and has a most beautiful library (Quaid-e-Aazam Library) in its midst. The membership of the Library is exclusive and only a Post-Graduate can apply for membership. Members are not allowed inside the Library but I used the "I am from India" trump card and it opened all doors for me!!!! It is a great place to have a library - in the midst of beautiful sprawling gardens.
The only time I felt out of place was when I visited Wagah from this side of the border. I was the only Indian in the midst of 500 pakistanis (I had wisely removed the India flag from my jacket lapel though in hindsight it would not have made any difference). It was an extremely emotional moment for all - especially for me since I was just about 10 metres from my country (mera Bharat mahaan!). The ceremony (those who have seen it from the Indian side would know) is extremely impressive and is interspersed with shouts of "Hindustan Zindabad" and "Pakistan Zindabad" from the crowds in the respective sides. I was itching to shout "Hindustan Zindabad" whenever my fellow countrymen shouted it from 'across the border' but wiser counsel prevailed and I decided to keep my patriotic tendencies in check. Surprisingly the men in the crowd on the Pakistani side were silent and the women were the ones who were involved in making the maximum noise !!!!! There was however one Pakistani supporter who was dressed in the green of Pakistan and was also carrying the flag. He was exhorting the crowd (on this side, naturally) to shout and make noise. But there seemed to be no animosity on either side just exuberant patriotism. When the flags were lowered, they were, at on point together - at that point everyone, on both sides, clapped - which was really heart warming. Overall, it was an extremely moving experience for me and I missed India !!!! But I have to grudgingly admit that the Pakistani Rangers did put up a more stylish and aggressive show than their Indian counterparts (For the record, I posed with a Pakistani Ranger was a good 18 inches taller than me!). But the bottom line is "Saare Jahaan se accha Hindustan...."
Food is the main passion here. I have visited a couple of excellent restaurants here where the food is yummmm - my stomach is protesting though. Most of the food (non veg only please) is usually swimming in copious quantities of oil and masalas. But since I am on holiday and am walking a lot these days, I guess it is ok to indulge. But as far as the Lahore-ites are concerned, someone needs to tell them of a word called Cholestrol. One of the restaurants here which is know all over is "The Village". It is a must-stop for any visitor to Lahore (and is also frequented by the P3Ps of Lahore). There is a buffet spread which is inordinately lavish, to say the least. The food there unleashed the hitherto dormant glutton in me - I hogged and hogged. The Beef curry and the Chicken Haleem were par excellence and the kebabs and the chicken simply melted in my mouth (the teeth were required to do no work at all!). The taste is still fresh on my palate. Btw, Pakistan is a dry country and if you ask for a 'bottle' you will promptly be given one of Coke or Pepsi !!!! A sumptious breakfast of Poori-Alu-Channa-Halwa at Old Anarkali is something I am really going to miss when I am back in India.
For those who actually read my previous mail would remember the description of Badhshah-shahi mosque. It is beautifully lit up at night and there is a wonderful rooftop restaurant next to it (Coocoo's Den). As I got down from the 3-wheeler to go to that restaurant I was immediately accosted by a shady looking gentleman "Kya chahiye aapko". For those who are wondering, this is in an area called "Heera Mandi" (the red light area). Since this is family reading, I will desist from providing further details.
A visit to Government College was awe inspiring. The building is very beautiful and well maintained. I spent some time at the Economics Department - the women to men ratio in that department is 80:20 (why did i study in Delhi). The GC college students are extremely proud of their college ("Ravi-ians" is what they call themselves) and many of our grandfathers (including mine) have received their education in its portals. I spent a good couple of hours exploring the campus and chatting with the students there.
Sadly, my visit soon comes to an end and I am back in Delhi soon. But, as Arnold so eloquently put it, I'll be back.
Insha-allah.
(Jan, 2006)
