Read it Live
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Rehma lives near ravi. He is an Aitchisonian. Like every lahori, he has to dress in designer clothes, no matter what. He is not flashy, yet discreetly designer- slightly touching the lahori vanity. But then like most of them, he is a ‘jigar’. The concept of being a ‘jigar’ epitomizes lahori lifestyle. It includes ‘kulf’walay shalwar kameez, a stuck out chest(no matter how small), a gold chain and sheer bravado - ‘uthwa day gain’, ‘marwa day gain’ sort of thing. You have to see it to understand.

Ifti has lived in Lahore his whole life. He actually belongs to Sargodha. He too is an Aitchisonian. He symbolizes the elite -the confusion, the manners, the future. The team of servants from ‘lands’, the Toyotas and civics, gymkhana membership, tennis and American education - political correctness taken to a new height. Torn between discipline and frivolity, he throws all-male/no booze parties on new years, dresses in DKNY suits but thinks ‘Pace’ is expensive. The perfect job awaits him on his return from New York.

Aicthison college and hira mandi are the two most famous relics of Lahore. They both are similar in the duties they perform- hira mand produces vulgar prostitutes who sell their bodies while Aitchison produces decent pimps who sell their country. Both of them boast an imperial past of satisfying and serving their british masters - the later more than the former.The difference just lies in the locality they reside in and the clothes they wear. They both adapt to new changes, learn from surroundings and flourish as time goes on.

Lahore celebrates basant like no other city. Females clad in yellow rub shoulders with their society-mates on terrace floors, amid loud music, cautious flirting and bits and pieces of kite flying. Its a status symbol for some and source of fun for others. The higher your status is, the taller your building is and the better your whisky brand. This is the only time when ‘begum sahibs’ tag along with their husbands to the vicinity of ‘hira-mandi’; the rest of the year husbands come alone. Basant is celebrated with all the passion that the city has. The ‘dhools’ and ‘hawai-firings’ dominate the day. Quite a few unlucky citizens die every year. But basant goes on to be celebrated with fervour and intensity. Soon there will be a ‘basant national holiday’.

Lahore lives through the rain. It has lived through everything - invasions, rallies, strikes. Solid walls surround the city, yet pliable people, adapting to changes. Its said, ” if you haven’t seen Lahore, you haven’t been born”. There is an energy in the city life. It touches everyone. Maybe that’s how metropolitan cities are; with a force of their own. The old city is a marvel, with decaying, yet still intact mughal architecture. However, where once shahjahan romanced anarkali, now amir has left his love for shazia, or S has left a heart for Z , and the exact date of when adnan visited the building. Lahore indeed is a fascinating city.