Behind the scenes: Sonya Battla

Designer: Sonya Battla
Photographer: Amean J.
Hair& make-up: Altaf@Nabila’s
Coordination: Kiran Iftikhar@18% Grey

Being driven towards the 18% Grey studio roughly around half-an-hour after the scheduled time for the shoot, I was met with the sight of the photographer driving away when he should have been in the studio shooting the model. Needless to say, I panicked. A quick phone call to the designer assured me that the shoot had not been rescheduled and/or the location had not been changed.

Once inside, his assistant Kiran, told me he’d gone to pick the model up from Nabila’s Salon where she had been for the past three or so hours getting her make-up done. The clothes presently arrived and so did Amean with the make-up assistant and the model, Annie. Altaf, who had done the make-up, had painstakingly drawn perfect black squares around her eyes, also taking in her eyebrows. He had delicately made small waves on one side of the perimeter and had fringed it with fine black glitter. Her hair was bundled high on top of her head and put into place by carefully-placed black ribbons tied around it. Overall, the look was definitely eye-catching.

Sonya Battla presently arrived with a bag full of different-coloured fur, a variety of hats and… the perfect earrings! When the shoot did start, one noticed that as a model, Annie takes direction really well. Taking her cue, she would manipulate her body into a pose, often playing along with the outfit as well. With each indication from the photographer to change this or that (often very subtle changes), one could see the way she would attempt to translate that direction. She also seemed to hold her breath while posing and would audibly breathe out every time she slid back into a regular standing position. Even when she’s not being shot, Annie tends to look as though she is still posing or is thinking of the next one.

Sonya stayed outside the studio for most of the shoot and seemed to prefer sitting on the stairs with one of Amean’s coffee-table books on photographers’ works. After making sure the outfit and the accessories on the model looked perfect and with the model inside the studio clearly visible from where she was sitting, she would often look up to see how the shoot was progressing, occasionally venturing inside to offer her feedback. One felt that she wanted to give both the model and the photographer space in which to work in.

As a photographer, Amean isn’t too wordy with his direction, often using keywords or small phrases with which to pronounce the look he wanted the model to establish. Not wasting too many frames on a certain outfit, when once satisfied with a set, he would move towards the next outfit. His manner was quick, but it wasn’t hurried. Everything he did seemed… planned.

“When you said you wanted something which was a high-fashion shoot that’s what intrigued me and I wanted something that gave a visual impact and showed some of the ambience that surrounds the clothes, and therefore came up with clothes that would enhance the picture more than just show the clothes,” said Sonya, after the shoot, talking about what she had in mind for it. “Then we discussed it, Amean and I, that we would do a black-and-white shoot with spot colouring. And then accordingly we would work with colours that would work with spot colour,” she added.

“I was thinking construction. I am very inspired by a very old idea of what Fritz Lang did in the movie, The Metropolis. It’s all about factories, machines, construction,” related Amean about what he had in mind, “I was trying to ‘construct’ my photo shoot together with a lot of ingredients. With this one, the cement was Sonya Battla and Altaf did a fantastic job because he was also a very important part of this shoot, without that kind of look and make-up I wouldn’t have been able to construct what I was trying to do.”

But how did Amean get Altaf to do the kind of make-up he did? “Sonya and I had initially brainstormed about what could have been done. We thought about various things, some of which couldn’t be done for a lot of reasons. One of the factors that were in our minds was the execution,” replied Amean. “What happens is that a lot of people don’t think about the execution of the campaign which is why a lot of our shoots look bad. Even though they’re fantastic shoots but just because tbehind2.jpghey’re not placed properly, they look bad. You have to think: ‘Can you build a certain building in a certain environment?’

“So for the hair and make-up we brainstormed and had an idea. It was related to a shoot we had done a while back with Nabila. It was Vinnie’s profile and that was a bit of inspiration where Vinnie did not look like Vinnie and there was a bit of construction into somebody else.” he continued. “Annie is probably the most popular model right now, she’s been photographed by several people in several manners, several looks, several themes, several you know… moods. And I wanted to give her something other than what she’s used to doing. And I thought she pulled that off really well.”

“I thought she grew into the character,” added Sonya about Annie’s performance in the shoot.

“We also thought about squares and things like that. We were thinking geometry as well,” said Amean bringing the conversation back to hair and make-up. “And that was one of the things I told Altaf and he took it as a brief and he constructed his, I mean his execution was obviously taking things on to another level.”

Talking about how the shoot was planned, Sonya went on to mention that “I showed him (Amean) quite a few outfits, he selected some and I didn’t realise how he was going to build it. When you mix two materials that don’t traditionally go together and then go forward, it was… I think the best thing about this shoot was that it was completely impromptu and there were no references, no magazines, just our brains and imaginations played with the given. It was completely original. I love the fact that there was no reference!”

When it came to Annie’s contribution in the shoot, Sonya said “I think Annie was a sacred part of it. Because we were working with a new personality and she’s carried it off.”

“Initially I was not happy with the facial expressions, but then she made bigger character innovations and in the end I did not have to tell her anything,” said Amean while offering a more insightful look.

The fact that this is the first fashion shoot for Images wasn’t left out of consideration either. According to Sonya, “the motivation factor was also that this was the first shoot for Images. It just made us feel responsible that we had to… ”

“…set a standard,” completed Amean for her, continuing, “we actually even discussed the idea that ‘should we do it or should we not do it?’ Because if something doesn’t come out right, we are not the kind of people who like to do compromising work. There is responsibility, there was pressure. We actually thought about it and Sonya said that ‘if you think we can’t do it, let’s not do it.’”

At this point Annie ventures in to comment, “The shoot was fantastic. They gave me so much more room to do stuff. If it had been regular shalwar kameez or if it had been regular, sort of opaque clothes, I wouldn’t have been able to do much. And Altaf was amazing.”

“You know, the first second I saw her I wasn’t too sure,” said Amean, adding the following with a hint of amusement “now I don’t know if I will be able to recognise Annie without it.”

What was pleasing to note was that throughout the shoot the photographer, designer and model seemed to communicate well and as a result, work well with each other. “I’ve worked with Sonya and Annie several times before,” said Amean, “there is something we’ve developed, not three of us together but simultaneously: If something’s not coming out right, we’ll tell each other.”

– behind-the-scene photos by Amean J.

First Published:
Images
October 28, 2007

In fine fashion print
“This is the kind of magazine I always wanted to see on newsstands and when when I didn’t, I thought I’d do it myself. So it’s my baby,” says former model-turned-fashion editor, Andaleeb Rana, about her latest venture, Xpoze Fortnightly, a magazine which is 60 per cent fashion and 40pc lifestyle.

She’s teamed up with hubby Farhan Zafar for the venture and says the magazine will be “unbiased and will hopefully raise the bar” when it comes to fashion in print.
Confirming rumours that the magazine includes fashion editorials from designers based outside Pakistan, she says that having worked previously in publication and having built solid contacts, they have all been very generous. “Some have sent fashion shoots for print as well,” she says.

Spilling the beans further, Andaleeb says that the magazine will launch in the first week of November and the cover will showcase Reema in “a completely new avatar”, wearing Sadaf Malatere who, according to Rana, is the next big thing in fashion design.
– Photo by Rizwan Ul Haq

First Published:
Images
October 28, 2007

Greener on the other side
India has always had her arms open for our local pop musicians. After a successful launch of their debut album, Sampooran in India, the Mekaal Hasan Band is back in Pakistan and they couldn’t be more excited: their album was very well received to raving reviews and they already have a little tour scheduled in India sometime later this year.

Adding to their already busy schedule, they are also simultaneously working on finishing recording their second album at the Digital Fidelity Studios, the release of which has been eagerly anticipated for over a year now.

What is interesting to note is that other than having a lineup of well-established musicians within the band, they are also perhaps one of the very few bands in the local pop rock music industry, established after the media boom, to continue working on their music with their original band-member lineup.

lso planning a trip across the border is the Lahore-based band, Call. Having already established themselves in the Bollywood industry (although it did require them to slightly customize their music to Bollywood tastes) they will be going to Delhi somusic-box-xulfi.jpgon to shoot the video for yet another Indian movie.

he name of the movie is Asmaan and the song is called Yeh Pal. Zulfiqar Ali Khan aka Xulfi from the band has lent his vocals to this song as well, the first time being for the Indian OST of Ek Chalees Ki Last Local, the massively popular song Laree Chotee.

First Published:
Images
October 28, 2007

Taking the lead

There are different kinds of storytellers — some prefer to express themselves vocally, by song while others prefer to communicate via the written word. Omar Rahim, on the other hand, chooses to express himself via a medium that isn’t literal in its context and known for the sheer amount of discipline and hard work needed to master it: dance.

Upon meeting Omar the connection between him as a dancer makes sense — motion is deeply entrenched in his being and he tends to carry himself with a pronounced but controlled agility and gracefulness that tends to separate him, although not very starkly, from the rest of the crowd.

His interest in this study of art began at an early age when he was encouraged into gymnastics, discovering that he had an innate love for movement. Joining the Student Television Arts Company (STAC) during high school, Omar received training in music, drama and dance among other things while also being exposed to music, dance and Broadway productions in New York City. He then pursued his interest in dance in college, enrolling in a programme titled College of Letters (CoL) that incorporated the study of history, literature and philosophy. He also went on to attain a scholarship to study ballet and subsequently went on to join Susan Marshall and Company (SM&Co) and worked with them for three years, retiring from the company in 2000 — also the same year that Susan Marshall was given the MacArthur Fellowship (the Genius Grant) for her contribution to the field.

What is interesting to note is that Omar also performed a cameo in the Hollywood film, The Guru, where he made an appearance as the Indian prince opposite Heather Graham and also assisted Mary Ann Kellog in choreographing some of the dance sequences.

“I was a pretty good student, so I didn’t compromise on my studies,” says Omar when confronted with the question about his parents allowing him to study a field not considered as the approved norm, “in college the compromise that was made was my major was CoL which was my declared major and my additional, undeclared major was dance.”

What is interesting to note is that his thesis was based on the works of Chandralekha — an controversial Indian dancer who combined the disciplines of Bharatnatyam, Kalarippayyat and Yoga in her choreography, and who is also known for reinterpreting classical traditions in dance and was often criticised for the inclusion of erotica in her sequences.

The fact that Omar was brought up in the US and that his field of study exposed him to western studies of dance, one can’t help but wonder why he chose to single out the works of Chandralekha as a subject to form his thesis on? “Although my major gave me terrific tools of analysis, of understanding history, contexts, how to see one thing in a different meaning. I was interested to spend all of that time and research not in the western cannon,” said Omar, going on to state that he had read about her in a magazine sometime in 1993-94 and as luck would have it, she happened to be showing her work at the Brooklyn Academy of Music around that time.

“When I saw the work I was mesmerised because I could sense that there was a depth of meaning that was very non-western. But even as a South Asian aesthetic it also had an abstraction, it had a philosophical kind of content. I found tremendous depth there, depth that I could sense but I couldn’t necessarily articulate. I then reached out to her but she was initially very skeptical because her politics were very interesting.”

Chandralekha has been deeply involved in women and human rights movements at several points in her life. “There wasn’t very much written about her so it was a challenge for me to do research,” said Omar about preparing for his thesis. “But it was great because that became the springboard for a very deep and profound friendship between Chandralekha and I. She unfortunately passed away about a year ago. I had the privilege of being able to spend time with in and out of hospitals when she was unwell.”

Whereas most writers interpreted her work as being deeply feministic, Omar is of the opinion that: “Her life can be seen as a struggle between the superficiality of decorative art, dance as decorative art, versus dance/performance/action as a political process, as a political dialogue, even within oneself.”

Hearing him talk about Chandralekha, one can’t help but wonder whether Omar attempts to consciously make a statement when choreographing a set himself? “Honestly, I don’t know how much people know how to read what I do. Because in Pakistan, I don’t think we’re a very seasoned dance nation: People are not used to watching and analysing dance. We have this notion, that I get from my grandmother often that ‘tum to mirasi ban gaye ho’. It’s sort of like you’re a low-class entertainer,” he says and then adds thoughtfully, “And I think that’s changing. But again, there isn’t that kind of respect given to dance as a text. Also as something that deserves legitimate study.”

Does he think it is because, as certain local musicians are of the opinion, that a dominant part of the local population does not understand music or art that is not literally spelt out to them? “I think that’s part of it. Among the so-called higher arts in Pakistan, I think abstraction isn’t understood. However, we have another, very fertile cultural space that embraces abstraction in a very sophisticated way. If you go to Bhit Shah and listen to the fakirs, they make the strangest most unusual sounds. There is an abstraction to this experience of sound. To me that is how seriously and how humbly people are exploring abstraction in their art. It’s also very emotional, touching and moving. But it’s not so obvious, it’s not so crass.” Pausing for a moment, he concludes, “But there is a way in which the literalness of everything else is dumbing us down.”

A part of what Omar does, other than dance, is that he’s established his own home-textile business as Soof Designs in New York and London, working in collaboration with designers such as Paul Smith and Tracy Feith. It predominantly focuses on the print and textiles that have been indigenous to Pakistan — which also explain his frequent trips to the Bhit Shah and other interior areas of the country.

“I think that to understand this culture, this land a little more deeply, one has to step out of the living room. What interested me, first of all, as an entrepreneur, was to find terrific folk heritage and artisanal tradition which is very much alive still. It’s hanging on by a thread but it’s still here in Pakistan,” he says talking about how the idea of introducing local textiles in a foreign market took place. “I could see that that kind of work is really appreciated in the states. I thought it would be worthwhile spending some time and money investigating that.”

Talking about his plans for himself, he says, “I’m at a point now when I want to invest a little more in my own performance, because I haven’t been performing for the last many years but I do want to get back into performing and get back into making work that is not perceived simply of as entertainment but is actually, in a sense, ‘textual’ dance.” Adding further he says, “Something that people would want to study, that’s content driven.”

-- Photography by Amean J.

First Published:
Images
October 21, 2007

Zaki strikes back

The last collective piece of work he released as a solo artiste was a little more than 10 years ago. Back then, Aamir Zaki’s much-awaited album, titled Signature for the sole reason that it contained tunes that were original and entirely composed by him, was considered a promising first step to what was expected to be a successful and fruitful career by someone considered to be one of the country’s greatest guitar maestros.

But things didn’t go as planned and Aamir Zaki disappeared instead, surfacing now and then to perform at select venues, collaborating with individuals at small and at times incomplete projects, hopping in and out of the country to and fro from Canada.

For a little over 10 years, there was no second album, only a couple of compositions released via the Internet and/or released via CD by a local music magazine.

His collaborative effort with Hadiqa Kiani, Rough Cut, which had been generating buzz for the last three years released recently to disappointing reviews. This collaboration also saw Aamir return to the realm of music videos in the Jami-directed hauntingly brilliant (both musically and visually) Iss Baar Milo and the Sohail Javed-directed Living this Lie.

Sohail Javed is also expected to work on another video from the album, City of Fallen Angels, which is also the only song in Rough Cut that features Aamir on vocals. With all of that being done, Aamir is now set to finally release a second solo album, titled Radio Star. Unlike other musicians, he hasn’t turned towards a record label to release this project of his, but via FM radio stations.

In a rare but short interview, Images managed to get several statements from the reclusive musician himself about this album and what happened to the ones that were supposed to be released prior to it.

“This one is called Radio Star because I wanted to separate myself from the heavily video-dependant musicians of today. It’s kind of like a response to the Video Killed the Radio Star syndrome,” he said talking about his chosen title for the album and relating it to the infamous song by the British band, The Buggles.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering that Aamir has, via his conversations or writing, always stressed on how music is a medium that should predominantly heard and not ‘seen’. But is he even considering making a video for the album? “No, there will be no video from this album, ever,” going on to add, “there might be a video about six months to a year later when I release another album. Let’s see.”

One has to wonder what happened to the much-anticipated album, The 10 Year Eclipse, he was supposed to release a couple of years ago? In fact he even released a video on a song from the album, Bhula Daina which showed him mysteriously appearing out of the darkness playing a bass guitar — a shot that was supposed to be symbolic of his comeback after a decade.

“I had to delete two albums before this one because I could just not agree with the expectations of the record labels wanting eye-candy videos,” he replied, “I had to delete The 10 Year Eclipse and another album before that because record labels and TV stations only seem to worry about videos and have no interest in music really. I’m just wanting to break away from the pretentious video/artiste expectations that accidentally came into my life through the release of Mera Pyar.”

About the videos he made for Rough Cut he says, “The videos had nothing to do with the lyrics of the song. The latter were the most important thing for me as a songwriter. The record label managed to print them all wrong, and after so many requests and resending of the lyrics file from my computer, they are still being printed all wrong. That is one very important reason for my breaking away from the videos and record labels in Pakistan.”

Talking about his plans Aamir says, “I will only be releasing music through FM radio and playing live, because that’s what music is all about. I also want to keep releasing albums regularly, at least one or maybe two a year through FM radio. I just want the music to be the most important communication between myself and the listeners.” Hopefully so, Aamir Zaki, though he doesn’t venture out much into the public eye, does have a tendency of announcing plans that... well, either don’t work out or take the longest time to do so.

First Published:
Images
October 21, 2007

Hash on a new roll

The artiste formerly known as Hash is looking to relaunch himself as Hashim via the release of his first video Loading the cannon, from his currently-unreleased second album. Featuring VJ/model Anisa Shaikh, the video has been directed by Zeeshan Parwez.

The video was shot in Karachi earlier this year and has, according to the director, a very ‘clubby’ theme. “It isn’t really based around a certain concept and it’s perhaps my first ever video which has a bit of commercial element to it — in the sense that it looks glamorous”, says Zeeshan about the video, “and it was my first ever 35mm project”

Continuing about the video, Zeehsan says that “a lot of effort from my side as well that of the DoP’s was on shots, frames and lighting. We experimented with what kind of lens would work on what shot according to the storyboard that I had. I loved working on 35mm and would love to make more videos on it”.

However, his projects with Hashim aren’t over yet. Another video in the making is a remake of Hashim’s (or Hash, as he was known back then) My Moment. The first video for the song had been directed by Aseph and since My Moment happens to be one of Hashim’s most favourite songs from his first album, he’s looking to add a little more to its video. According to Zeeshan, his version of My Moment will be a semi-animated video. “The cast was shot in front of a chroma-screen and then merged into a pre-made 3D environment. After that was done, everything was then digitised into vectors”, he says, talking about the video-making process. On the content, he says that the video has to do with his “fascination with super hero movies. The video has a very comic book feel to it in the sense that it features exaggerated action personalities”. The Zeeshan Parwez directed version of My Moment is expected to hit the tube sometime in December this year.

First Published:
Images
October 21, 2007

Opening in style

They’re the new kids on Zamzama, Karachi’s featured Fashion Street, but they aren’t very new to Pakistan’s fashion industry. Launching their second outlet in Pakistan (the first being in Lahore) Asifa and Nabeel recently opened shop in an event that was attended by some of the fashion industry’s most well-known names which included runway choreographer Imran Kureshi, popular singer Hadiqa Kiani, and designer Umar Saeed amongst others.

The interior of their outlet has been designed to look like cross between a tastefully done-up living room with a couch in the middle and a set of photos displaying their current line on one wall. Boasting a line that includes western, formal, semi-formal, saree and bridal wear, Asifa and Nabeel are sure to be a welcome addition to the fashion in Karachi.

First Published:
Images
October 21, 2007

To 'string' a guitar


One of Pakistan’s most popular music acts, Strings have been working for last five to six months exclusively on their upcoming album, due to be launched in January 2008. As yet untitled, the album has been fully recorded and is currently being mixed.

“The video-making process will begin after the album has been completed. There is massive touring to follow the launch of the album because we are also excited about having 10 new songs to perform and our fans also want to listen to something new,” says the band’s vocalist Faisal Kapadia while speaking to Images.

When asked whether they have decided upon a set of directors who will work on the videos, Bilal says that they are still looking at their options and that “Jami has obviously always been on the top of our list”, but nothing has been confirmed yet. They also added that almost every video from the new album will feature an original Gibson guitar in it!

That doesn’t come as a surprise when one finds out that band is the first music act from the subcontinent to be signed up by one of the largest guitar manufacturers, the Gibson Guitar Corporation (GGC). This will give them access to everything that the firm has to offer which includes guitars, the use of tour busses and amphitheatres if and when they need them.

One couldn’t help but wonder whether this will make touring outside the subcontinent easier for Strings? “All we’ll need to do is call them beforehand and let them know when we plan to tour, if the amphitheatre is available, they will book it for us,” says an obviously excited Bilal Maqsood.

Presently GGC’s portfolio of artistes include B. B. King, Sheryl Crowe, Sir Paul McCartney, Slash, Billie Joe Armstrong, etc. Does this also translate into making it easier for Strings to come in contact with other (foreign) artistes signed up by them? “They have opened avenues for us in the international market by giving us access to their tour busses and eventually, musicians,” responds Faisal. However, on a more pragmatic note, Bilal is of the opinion: “I don’t think so. They have artistes signed up everywhere in different countries, even in Japan. I don’t think that means it will be easier for us to have access to their other artistes.”

Considering that we have a fledgling music industry and with that particular brand of guitars being relatively highly-priced, do Faisal and Bilal think there is potential for them in Pakistan? “Previously, you had guitar shops here but the instruments weren’t that good. Serious musicians had to go out of the country and buy their equipment from there. It will make things much easier for them to get good equipment especially if an authorised distributor is based here. Until now there was no market for expensive branded guitars but GGC is trying to establish itself in India, and for the first time in the subcontinent and eventually to Pakistan,” says Faisal. Bilal, on the other hand, adds, “They’re realising the potential in our music. They should come to Pakistan if they’re looking to promote rock music and they’re looking into the options that they have. It would be great for local bands here”.

Perhaps what Bilal really means to say is that it will give local bands a direction in which to go in the industry? “Direction comes when you have an infrastructure to work on,” says Bilal, adding “the firm has its own workshops, studios, amphitheatres, etc. Obviously if they come here they will only start with a small shop, but it would go a big way in promoting our local bands.”

First Published:

Images

October 13, 2007

Moonstruck!

On Chand Raat, women are out to spend, and spend they will at any cost.

Through Ramazan, I struggle with attempts to fulfill my religious duties and obligations along with unbelievably short banking hours, people with a holier-than-thou attitude, short tempers and a tendency to consider it their birthright to interfere and comment on your beliefs; crazy traffic and as one co-worker pointed out, hordes of hungry people rushing to go home at iftar.

The best thing is that Ramazan culminates into Chand Raat. There is a magical festivity in the air. At times it seems, as if people are celebrating the fact that they don’t have to go hungry anymore nor put themselves through an endurance test. Sadly, they soon forget that the crash course in discipline was to train them for the year ahead.

On Chand Raat, chances are that it really doesn’t matter whether you need to or not, but especially if you’re a woman, you’ll find yourself in an already-crowded shopping mall browsing through jewelry, shoes, bangles and what not or haggling with a shop owner over the price of one. The sheer level of bargaining that takes place on Chand Raat is much more heated, intense and interesting than the fluctuations in the local stock market. The shop owners know that this is that one time of the year where they get to make as much money as they can and customers, fully aware of that, are hell-bent on making sure they don’t — at least off their purchases.

However, no matter what the price of the product or the relative stubbornness of the shop owner to stick to it, most women will never leave a shop empty-handed. On Chand Raat, they are out to spend, and spend they will at all costs.

One of the most delightful things about Chand Raat itself is the sheer abundance of women who sprout outside malls as expert henna artists, promising to apply the most exquisite designs on both your hands in 15 minutes flat. However, experience has taught that it is always wiser to stand and watch the designs unfold on someone else’s hands and then choose your artist accordingly.

Although known as the ideal place for women looking for traditional henna designs and application techniques, I strongly advise against going to Karachi’s Meena Bazaar on Chand Raat (or the day before Eid as well). The bazaar, which is off-limits for men, is full of women who wait for an unsuspecting customer to pounce on, as I once learnt several years ago.

Upon reaching the venue, even before you climb the stairs to where the bazaar is, you will be inundated by male relatives of the women working within Meena Bazaar, showing photo albums upon albums displaying pictures of either hands deeply decorated with henna or of women with extremely gaudy makeup (the white face, red checks, lips and eyes type) on with henna on their hands. The photos of the women are also shown if, God forbid, you happen to be there for getting hair and makeup done as well.

Take one step inside the bazaar and it takes less than 15 seconds for the first henna artist to grab your hand and proclaim loudly to the others that “Yeh mera haath hai” (this is my hand). Pretty soon you find yourself pushing through tens of artists reaching for both your hands, while others fight over who ‘saw it first’ and with some offering you shelter in their small shops provided they ‘get your hand’. By the time you, by some miracle of nature, manage to pull yourself out of there, you feel strangely violated.

Marketing personnel and firms producing consumer goods recognise the potential that Chand Raat holds for them. In agreement with certain popular shopping outlets, they will have put up small stalls with their products on display creating an ambience of a mini-fair. However, since they almost always encroach upon whatever available parking space there is, finding adequate parking near the shopping outlet itself becomes a nightmare.

Several years ago, a firm decided to go all the way when attempting to build a positive image for its brand. Hiring 15 or so henna artists at a designated place near a popular mall, just about anyone interested in having henna applied could get these artists’ services for free. It didn’t end there, every single ‘customer’ who had henna applied walked away with a set of bangles, courtesy of the firm itself. So what if they weren’t of the right colour or size? The gesture seemed to embody the spirit of Chand Raat itself, so what if the firm never ventured to be as generous in the following years?

The interesting thing about henna application on Chand Raat is that it goes on and on till the wee hours of the morning. Women, some of whom will be gaudily dressed, will arrive every couple of minutes demanding that the already-overworked and tired artist decorate their hands as well. Dutiful sons, husbands, boyfriends, fiancés etc., at their chivalrous best or what seems to be, will either stand alongside their womenfolk or wait in their cars for them to finish. And more often than not, will then carry their bags, shoes and handle their dupattas all the way to the car after the women are done.

Chand Raat ends when you come home and realise that Eid will bring with it dozens of guests knocking at your door right from morning. Not only does it imply that the house must be prepared to receive them at all hours, but also that local culinary delights symbolic of Eid such as dahi barey, doodh sawayan, chohlay etc., must be prepared in enough quantity to feed a little army.

Interestingly enough, Chand Raat, which marks the end of Ramazan also signals the beginning of Eid which is all about meeting people you haven’t met the entire year and forcibly stuffing yourself with every single piece of cooking conjured up in every single household you visit. That’s the spirit of Eid.

First Published:

The Magazine

October 13, 2007