The three-day ‘Urs’ or death anniversary of the 11th century saint Syedna Ali bin Usman Hajveri also known as Data Ganj Buksh (R.A) or simply ‘data sahab’ starts today in Lahore at his mausoleum, popularly known as Data Durbar. Governor Khalid Maqbool and Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (r) Ejaz Nisar will inaugurate the event with the traditional chaddar-laying ceremony and a milk-sabeel (free distribution of milk) at the shrine. As the preparations for the 964th urs are in full swing, security has been beefed up in the city.

It is generally thought that in his lifetime the great saint was called as Gang Bakhsh but afterwards he became too famous as ‘ Data Gang Bakhsh’. Ali Hajvery (R.A.) was a Persian sufi and a scholar. The greatest saintof the sub-continent born in Hajver, a town of Ghazni in Afghanistan, in 1000 A.D (400 H) and died in Lahore in 1063 or 1071A.D. In the course of his spiritual journey to God, he journeyed physically to many countries, including Turkistan, Transoxania, Iran, Iraq, and Syria where he met innumerable Sufis and Sheikhs, many of those have been mentioned in his book ‘Kashf-ul-Mahjoob’.

During the urs the shrine and its whereabouts are beautifully lit. A large number of devotees from different parts of the country besides tens of thousands from the city will visit the Data Darbar to pay their homage by reciting verses from the Holy Quran, qawalees, and recitation of naats and poetry to the saint. Separate arrangements are made for women to visit the shrine. ‘Langer Khana’ (distributing free food) and milk sabeel also attract a large number of people. The tradition of milk-sabeels traces its roots to a time when the people of Lahore used to give tax in the form of milk to the city keeper Ray Raju Jogi. Legend has it that when Hazrat Data Gunj Baksh arrived in Lahore, he stopped them from this practice. As a result, their businesses flourished and followers began giving the milk to the saint to give to the needy. Today, milkmen continue the practice by donating milk to destitutes.

Sultan al-Hind Hazrat Khwaja Moeenuddin Chishti paid his homageto Data Ganj buksh in the following words:

Ganj Bakhsh-e faiz-e aalam, mazhar-e Noorr-i Khuda
Naqisaan ra peer-e kaamil, kaamilan ra rahnuma

“The bestower of treasure (Ganj Bakhsh) in both the worlds, the reflector of the splendour of God, An accomplished spiritual guide for the learned and a guide for the ignorant”.
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Time! Time is the second four-letter word which has the single-most influential and controlling factor in the world (No prizes for guessing the first one ;).It’s been more than week from now (eleven days to be precise) since the charismatic, much loved Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto passed away, yet her fans are still into so much grieving. She died on Dec. 27th, 2007 and the cause of her death is still a mystery.

In her honor, a silent gathering has been organized in the afternoon at Minar-e-Pakistan on Jan. 8, 2008 (tomorrow). The schedule for the gathering was announced at a prayer ceremony organized by the All Pakistan Minority Alliance (APMA) and the Campaign for Democracy and Rule of Law in Pakistan (CDRLP) at the Cathedral Church on Sunday. The ceremony was held to pay homage to Benazir for her struggle against dictatorship and for the revival of democracy in the country.

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Here are some of the remaining updates which were not delivered to the LMB due to constant network failure there at Jatti Umrah, Link Raiwind Road. The updates are really late coz I just got home a while ago but; they (updates) are factual, unlike the ones aired by the media to favor/promote/support the Sharif’s arrival.

Updates:
(read the updates from the bottom)

12:15 am - I left the scene for my home.

12:00 am - Security increased and a bus carrying 25 policemen arrived with the indication of more vans to come.

No police force is seen except 4 to 5 personnel.

The roads are deserted at Jatti Umrah at about 8:30 pm.

No person is seen except the media and the management. They both combined to form a group of about 25 to 30 people total.

10:00 pm - The banners are being displayed and are tied with the trees, on the fences and above the roads.

9:00 pm - The chairs from the catering company arrive for the seating arrangements arrive.

8:47 pm - Son Hussain Nawaz arrives with two cars following him. The second car was having black covered screens and no one came out or showed one’s presence inside the car. It’s doubtful that the wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz had been present in that car.

8:45 pm - Daughter Mariam Nawaz and her husband Captain Saffdar (Retrd.) arrive at Jatti Umrah.

6:25 pm - DSP Raiwind City Police Station, arrives with his squad of 12 policemen. (no special forces or no special security arrangements) The policemen were from the police station and were on their regular duty and were not especially assigned for Sharif’s arrival.

Senior US diplomat as well as a distinguished journalist, Mr. Phillips Talbot was in town to revive his memories of the time he spent in Lahore and to get feedback on his latest publication; ‘An American Witness to India Partition’.

Talking to Daily Times during his recent visit to Lahore, he recalled memories of Lahore, a city that he considered the loveliest and relatively liberal in Pakistan. He wished to visit the place - Minto Park (now Minar-e-Pakistan) - where once Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had passed the Pakistan Resolution and historic buildings like National Museum on The Mall. He termed consistency of democracy key to Pakistan’s progress.

He said, “I still remember the tall buildings of the Aitchison College and the National Museum. He said, “Lahore is the only city in Pakistan I am affiliated with.” During his stay in Lahore, he said, he used to write for several newspapers.

He said he had a bulk of memories, which he later published in his book An American Witness to India Partition. “I have heard that Lahoris are conservative, but I have still to see any evidence of this.”

News Source: DT

I hope you guys remember this date and time. I am talking about the moment that changed the face of Kashmir, Bagh, Mansahra, and many other areas including Islamabad. We cannot be mournful enough for the damages that fatal earthquake caused.

Lahorees, please do remember those departed souls in your prayers and don’t forget to pray for stability and prosperity of those areas today.

Four panicked Post-graduate students, One fast-approaching research paper deadline, Trillions of drizzling droplets of rain, and what do you get? A memorable trip down to Lahore’s Quaid-E-Azam Library, situated smack dab in the middle of Bagh-e-Jinnah, in pursuit of Library membership.
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In 1947, Subhadra Butalia was only 26 years old and used to work as a teacher in Delhi. At the time of partition, she had her family, including her mother and brother, living in Model Town, Lahore as they all orginally belonged to this city.

Subhadra Butalia [Image Courtesy: BBC Online]

In a touching memory recall, Ms Butalia shares her own experience of the events; scenes of massacre & utter madness; a family’s suffering and the circumstances in which her own brother refused to leave for independent India and did not let even their mother go, falling victim to insecurity, greed and selfishness and finally converted to Islam due to social pressure and inside fears.

Audio Slideshow: A Memory of Partition

If I’m not wrong, Ms Butalia’s own daughter has also written about her reunion journey to Lahore where she met her lost maternal uncle and his family. Her story, which has been published in several newspapers and books, was titled as ‘Ranamama’ (Uncle Rana).

Sharing a beautiful evening with you guys. I took this picture almost two months back. Enjoy.

Of course, its not the name of my directorial debut for FiLUMS ;), not Ajoka’s new stage play, and even not some famous personalities around me, but they are the “words” that are full of affection, care, warmth and friendliness. Most of the Lahoris use nicknames to call a person whether he is a neighbor or a passerby, just to show friendliness and frankness. Other than our rural areas, it only happens in a big city like Lahore that Fazal is called as Phajja, Mahmood is known as Mooda, Ghulam as Gaamaa and many others are known by other famous nicknames like Guddu, Munni, Nanhi, Pappu, Chota, Munnu and Chunno and lot more. Moreover, its not only the name but its the eccentric way these names are called with, a special tone with a tinge of interwoven musical notes, a Khalis Lahori Style (a true Lahori style). I still remember a kid Abid from Lahore, who was known as Abud :)

O ChoooouuuutttTayyyyyYYY :)

Media used to portray such phenomenon and Lahori style is always loved by people, when we were kids we used to copy Lahore Television’s most celebrated characters, specially the way they talk and their “takya kalams”, …….Pachanaaa, Nai Pachana?

Now unfortunately, these names have become extinct or may be the integral warmth related to these names has just vanished. Most of the new generation of Lahore has now turned into Sunny, Bunty, Micki , Jef etc. etc. Even the people from walled city now prefer to be called with their real first names, not with caricatured nicks.

I think we are going to lose “Gaamaa” and “Phajja” and associated friendliness, in fact our true style somehow, and as well, we failed to keep the essence of our style of communication so far, which we are famous for.

Imagine yourself sleeping comfortably on your bed. Suddenly, you feel violent shaking that wakes you up. You sit up and try to figure out what’s going on. Windows start rattling in high pitch while wall-hangings, things on your fireplace and study desk start falling off. Scared like hell, you put your feet on the ground just to feel it pounding like if you stepped on a strong water current.

You know something dangerously deadly is going on. At last, gain of full consciousness triggers you to run for shelter under the nearest door panel. As the realization comes, fear overcomes your whole body and mind while you experience a violent, ground shaking earthquake.

It’s 8:55 in the morning and five minutes of fierce ground movements have made you feel like you are standing on board a ship in severe thunderstorm. The earth, that you always took as unharmful for granted is in wave motion under your feet as you feel violent thuds and whirlpool movements under each of your feet.

The noise and shaking mounts to an extent when you are feel sure that a railway engine is just going to rip the wall in front of you and turn your place into a rubble. Every single second dreads you with the fear that this structure, under what you are standing for shelter, may fall down of violent shaking with everything coming to an end.
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