Coffee Chai

Does Bombay know? Is it even aware what innovations its formers sons and daughters have wrought in caffeine cocktails? Some time ago urban P...

Does Bombay know? Is it even aware what innovations its formers sons and daughters have wrought in caffeine cocktails? Some time ago urban Pakistan was startled to see Nestle hoardings announcing 8216;coffee chai8217;. Curious consumers rushed to supermarkets seeking this new blend, but could not locate any CC. It transpired that this was an inspired advertising campaign for good old coffee.

And it was reportedly based on existing trends. It seems that in Karachi, migrants from Bombay have a penchant of adding zip and wakefulness to their morning cuppa by fortifying it with a shot of coffee. Pakistan is mostly a tea-drinking country; its per capita tea consumption is estimated to be higher than India8217;s and it likes its tea strong and invigorating. Coffee chai is thus an inventive way of popularising the other caffeine beverage.

Try it. A spoonful of coffee may make the tea go down! Coffee, in any case, is the beverage of choice at Lahore8217;s latest handouts. Coffee bars are dotting the city8217;s food streets. Dessert and beverage outlets are still something of a novelty, but given the business that Coffee, Tea 038; Company does even late on Sunday nights, the concept appears to be catching on.

Indian Chukker

It8217;s an Indian summer here in Lahore. Jasjit Singh has wrapped up a series of concerts, the last one at Aitchison College. Bally Sagoo is on the hunt. At the Gaddafi Stadium, Indian visitors may outnumber Pakistani spectators yet. And at the Lahore Polo Club too an Indian unexpectedly pops up. After a languid contest for the PIA cup, one of the victorious teammates hogs all the applause. He is Dhruv, 8216;8216;our friend from India8217;8217;. Over a lavish tea, Dhruv remains the centre of attention as young men and women sip lemonade and pile their plates with pastry puffs. No points, of course, for guessing the name of the main ground at the club. This is the city where that great polo enthusiast, Qutubuddin Aibak, lost his life in 1210 when he fell of a horse during a chukker.

Strained Similarities

In the Shish Mahal at the Lahore Fort they tell you to take a candle and observe the dance of light. At the Matteela Film Festival which concluded on Sunday, two screenings configured imagery and echo to convey openended narratives in just a few minutes. The annual festival is a primary showcase for Pakistan8217;s fledgling parallel cinema. At the tiny Dorab Patel Auditorium in Garden Town, the attendance is thin but the enthusiasm is catching. The festival, incidentally, included films by Anand Patwardhan and Gopal Menon. Beyond these little pools of cinematic inquiry, however, this is truly Bollywood country. If this Indian tour of Pakistan has a soundtrack, it is certainly not original 8212; strains of Kal Ho Na Ho have swept us from Multan to Lahore!