A revival of aesthetics

The All Pakistan Music Conference is my constant 'high-factor' every year since 2004. This year the review published in Images had Abbu's name in it. I am a proud daughter! Another reason for blogging this article is due to my inability to write a review of the event myself. I feel very strongly that I'd never be able to do justice to the conference. It's beautiful and that's all I know. Thank you to the organizers and a big round of applause for making it all possible. - Insiya.


By: Sumera S. Naqvi

The third annual festival of the All Pakistan Music Conference-Karachi (APMC) ended on a jubilant note last week. It was heartening to note that the arts and the aesthetics of our culture are beckoning (or should one say reawakening) to the call of enlightened moderation.

One shouldn’t mince words in stating that the APMC takes the credit of doing the needful in this regard. For one thing, this writer witnessed the young people in the audience observing the etiquettes listed at the flap of the invitation card quite amicably, like not to clap or talk during a performance, etc, especially on Saturday when they waited in large numbers for the Mekaal Hasan Band.

For them listening to the classical performances lined up before the band must have been an alien experience. Though classical is enjoyed by a select few who have a taste for it, it is regrettable that the arts have been behind censors for a long time. “We have tried to revive the culture of classical music,” says Jamil Syed, the APMC chairman, “and judging by the number of people attending the event this year, I think we have been successful.” A tradition that one hopes will grow still further.

Acknowledging the effort made to pay due respect to the treasure trove of singers and instrumentalists who have kept the classical tradition alive,the APMC has brought us maestros like Ustad Hamid Ali, Ustad Zafar Ali Khan, Niaz Ahmed (Pride of Performance award recipient), Akhlaq Hussain (sitar nawaz), Mehnaz Begum, Nafees Ahmad Khan (sitar nawaz), Ustad Salamat Ali, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, Ashraf Sharif Khan (sitar nawaz) and Ustad Abdul Sattar Tari (tabla nawaz).

Accompanied by the impeccable Ustad Abdul Sattar Tari, Ustad Hamid Ali performed the most delightful of renditions and the finale item on the first day, Pyar nahin hae sur se jiss ko, with heavenly control over his voice. Although the latter acknowledged that he was performing with Ustad Tari after a long time, the duo seemed to gel quite well while presenting a memorable performance. Ustad Tari played the tabla with bewitching charm, making it enliven the rendition sung by Ustad Hamid Ali. Now living in the US from where he flew in, Ustad Tari is the student of the Mian Shaukat Hussain and one of the most gifted tabla players today. His solo performance the following night was one of the most enthralling experiences as some people in the audience were seen wiping away tears as Ustad Tari played the tabla with his magical fingers.

It was also a pleasure to listen to Ustad Raza Ali Khan from India, and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan from Lahore on the third and last day of the festival, both illustrious classical performers that the subcontinent has produced. On the first day, Ashraf Sharif Khan (sitar nawaz), who came from Germany, was another delight to hear. With Ustad Tari on the tabla, he presented raag Jai Jaiwanti, playing from a gradual enthral and working up to an elation that could also be noticed by the expression on the performer’s face as he reached an inexplicable state of euphoria. But then so did all in the audience when they heard Ikhlaq Hussain (sitar nawaz), inspired by Ravi Shankar, playing in Poorya Kalyan on the second day.

Amir Khusro’s Chhaap tilak sab chheen reminds one of Mehnaz Begum. Though it seemed she wasn’t putting up the best of performance, Gham-i-dil sunane ko ji chahata hai was an instant hit and also provided a refreshing break from the heavy classical performances on the night of Jan 20.

On all the three days of the festival held at the Hindu Gymkhana this year, the APMC constantly made a laudable effort to encourage the younger and budding lot of singers and instrument players by having them perform at the beginning of each day’s performance. The winners of the ISEO competition performed beautifully and showed tremendous potential and commitment to becoming great singers. Bazicha-i-atfal in raag Jonpuri was nice, though we seem to be hooked on Jagjit Singh’s version of the same.

The Karachi Chapter of the APMC has made a place for itself in the hearts of classical and serious music connoisseurs as the number of people attending the performances for the past two years has been growing constantly. A friend from Lahore recalled how people would bring things to eat from home and sit casually on the grass to listen to the performers. This year, however, it was quite encouraging to see people sitting through the night to listen to the singers and instrumentalists, though many believe that the audience in Karachi appears elitist and unlike the one in Lahore. “Music is instinctive,” says Jamil Syed, “I wouldn’t categorize it as elitist.”
Classical music culture has certainly evolved and as people attend the APMC festivals, the elitist tag will hopefully wash away with time.


First Published in DAWN, Images - Sunday, January 29, 2006.

For the chocolate crazy and coffee mad

Lattétude has become the new buzz word with coffee lovers who also have a sweet tooth for deep dark chocolate...

By: Insiya Syed

It had to happen. After years of watching coffee bars proliferate elsewhere and having no shops locally devoted solely to this brew you may now take a sigh of relief. And take a walk down Zamzama Boulevard to see the streets sprinkled with coffee joints cum restaurants almost exactly alternating between each other. There's Dunkin', Roasters, Chatter-Box, and Espresso etcetera.

While stopping for a Limca or ice cream are still popular in their own ways, the new coffee bars have expanded on these concepts: these coffeehouses are the new hangouts. They're the perfect places to see or be seen, to strike up friendly conversations with strangers, or, conversely, to lose oneself in writing, reading or watching the world go by. They have also added to Karachi's evening scene by becoming showcases for local talent with regular open-mic sessions at Caffeine and small irregular gigs at Dunkin'.

Costa Coffee, the trendy British cafe chain, and Lattétude are located within blocks of one another and dare I say they are geographically the closest competition! Being an international chain Costa managed a hi-fi launch with foreign guests' et al. However, having visited Costa a few times I can safely say: a) its very expensive, b) offers the finest 'Frescato' money can buy, c) the prawn sandwich made me sick and lastly the 'no-smoking zone' depresses me! Chances are you'd not see me there anytime soon.

It was time to move further down the lane... Lattétude is probably the closest to the "coffee house" image. They have an edge over the existing and upcoming coffee houses in the city as they certainly strike it big with a perfect balance of almost everything that one should look for in a coffee house. It's the perfect size that's large enough to accommodate a decent number of people without seeming overcrowded and just small enough to maintain an inviting, cozy and relaxed ambiance. Lattétude offers quite the opposite of conveying a feeling of shabbiness with couches that lend a sense of "home" to the joint. And the wooden interior and the red cushioned wall behind our table played into the shop's hip-ness. There were four of us and we were hungry. And the two hours proved that we had gone to the right place.

The menu, though not extensive, was comforting. In addition to mouth watering starters, sandwiches, deserts, it offered a decent selection ranging from smoothies and energy drinks to lattés and iced drinks. Keeping the nation's growing fondness for espresso-based drinks in mind, Lattétude offers two separate varieties: Hot Coffees (available from 90 rupees for a regular Espresso to 135 rupees for a Mochaccino) and Cold Coffees (starting from 135 rupees for an Iced Latte to 165 rupees for a Traditional Cold Coffee). Oh and if you prefer your coffee hot, do yourself a favor and stop reading the menu beyond the Hazelnut Cappuccino. For those who are chilled out the Frappucino is a must have, an exciting combination of ice blended coffee with whipped cream, this will become your returning factor.

Among the starters they offer the tried, tested and loved French Fries (75 rupees for a plate), the mouth-watering Lemon & Herb Calamari, Onion Rings, Mozzarella Sticks, the divine and scrumptious Jacket Potato etcetera. I've tried a few and frankly endorse them all equally.

I also seem to have learnt that it pays to get a recommendation from the people behind the counter. Usually, the chances of you enjoying the meal are better if you choose something that at least one other person in the world enjoys! As I ordered my Beef with Dijon Mustard Sandwich I was unintentionally hoping to get a sandwich as yummy as the one I had at Espresso. It wasn't as good and surely the recipe could be worked upon but it wasn't precisely bad either. Served with generous portion of French Fries, and Greek Salad (or Potato Wedges) the garnish of all the three sandwiches that we ordered was the exact same. And though it isn't a major put off, it just comes across as a negative on the chef's part. I take my garnish very seriously!

Those with a sweet tooth must inhale the Waffle, Chocolate Mint Cake & Chocolate Orange Cake. As Lattétude 'exclusives', both the cakes are bound to be immensely favored by the chocolate crazy crowds. The deserts are sanely priced with 175 rupees for a reasonably large slice of Rich Chocolate Fudge Cake to 225 rupees for Chocolate Mint Cake.

The first time I ever heard about the café was through an email flyer that I received from my sister who lives in USA! All hail the power of the World Wide Web! The good folks at Lattétude don't seem to rely on advertising, promotions, or other marketing strategies. Instead, the company is counting on word-of-mouth and their main advertising medium seems to be the cafe itself.

At most days from 12 noon till late into the night, it's not at all uncommon to see folks stuffing down food at one table, reading a newspaper while nursing a mug of hot chocolate at the next, and sitting in front of a laptop dead to the world at the next.

Similar to other young industries that grow rapidly, the gourmet coffee business is going through a shakeout. But stronger operators will survive and thrive after the shakeout runs its course. And it seems that along with Espresso and Roasters, Lattetude will win the race of time too.

Lattétude
6th Commercial Lane
Zamzama Boulevard
DHA Phase V, Karachi

First published: Instep, News on Sunday, Sunday 15 January 2006, The News International, Jang Group of Newspapers, Karachi, Pakistan.