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Interview

The allure of quality fabricAn interview with Ayesha Mansoor the brains behind Mausummery

Q. When did Mausummery begin?A. Mausummery was launched in 1997 by me and my cousin. 15 wonderful years later, we still remain relevant to our wonderful customers.Q. Who came up with the name Mausummery? A. The name is an inspiration from my

father. Mausummery is actually a flower and my father has a green thumb!Q. How did you get into designing? A. I guess I was always interested in the rendition of traditional motifs into a modern interpretation. I have an extensive in-house team that designs Mausummery. I am a business graduate

with an MBA from LUMS and I look at the business from an entrepreneurial and not a designer point of view. Mausummery is a brand and is not dependent on who the designers are behind it.Q. Mausummery was one of the first brands to get involved in a retail lawn

brand: what inspired you to launch lawn at a time when this concept was very new? A. It was a logical extension of our textile business of the last four decades.Q. How has the look and feel of Mausummery changed over the years?

I am a business graduate with an MBA from LUMS and I look at the business from an entrepreneurial and not a designer point of view. Mausummery is a brand and is not dependent on who the designers are behind it

Mausummery

By Ayesha Nasir

34 I March 11 - 17, 2012

A. We have evolved from a small design house with a few prints every year to our largest collection to date with 19 prints. Furthermore, we are a lot more organized now with premiere stores in Lahore and Karachi. Our website, www.mausummery.com is now taking on-line orders from its e-store for deliveries across the globe. We just launched for the first time our fall/winter collection

in 2011 and got an amazing response. Our new logo launched in 2012 is a clear sign that Mausummery has big surprises in the near future so stay tuned!Q. What inspires the design aesthetics of Mausummery? A. Every design passes through my simple litmus test: it needs to inspire me. Therefore, over the last 15 years we have developed a unique design sensibility

that our fans can spot instantly.Q. Looking back, how would you describe the 15 years you have spent with Mausummery? A. Wonderful! The journey itself has been most rewarding. Our small brand in 1997 is now being tracked through facebook across 25 countries. Q. This year, you have launched your most ambitious collection to date

I 35March 11 - 17, 2012

which is based on 50 prints/ colour combinations: What prompted you to launch such a huge selection? A. 2012 is our 15th anniversary year in which we want to share our success with our wonderful fans! This was one of the key reasons why we had launched such an extensive collection.Q. Do you feel threatened by so many new lawn brands in the country? A. We encourage the entry of responsible players! The media attention on lawn today has enabled customers to sit up and pay attention to this segment. Q. Did you always know that textile designing and managing a lawn brand is what you wanted to do? A. Not really! As I said I have a business background. The opportunity came up almost by accident.Q. Where do you see Mausummery in the next five years? A. We need to consolidate ourselves across the country and then go regional.Q. Do you have a favourite in the new collection? A. The clichéd response is that I can’t choose a favourite but I am especially enthusiastic about our new chiffon collection.Q. Do you base your design aesthetics on market research or instinct? A. Basically on instinct as this is what has got us here so far but we also understand that we need to consider the wishes of our customers. We were able to launch linen in winter, and launch chiffon this year.Q. Tell us about a rewarding aspect of the job. A. We make a lot of husbands’ wishes come true in surprising their wives. They show up at our stores in search of a suit or colour that has been completely sold out. You can’t imagine the look on their faces when we are able to source a suit for them in time for Valentine’s or a birthday.

36 I March 11 - 17, 2012

Q. What inspired your decision to launch a premier outlet in Karachi? A. Our customers in Karachi who continue to inspire us wanted us to launch in their city. We’re glad that we made the right decision in partnering with Dolmen.Q. How was the response to your exhibition in Karachi? A. Amazing! Our largest turn-out to date! Thank you Karachites once again!Q. Do you plan to take Mausummery international? A. Yes, very soon.Q. Do you feel there are too many lawns in the market?A. We believe that it is not quantity but quality that is required today. The Pakistani lawn industry needs to establish quality standards if they want to place the country as a hub for quality lawn internationally.

Every design passes through my simple litmus test: it needs to inspire me. Therefore, over the last 15 years we have developed a unique design sensibility that our fans can spot instantly

I 37March 11 - 17, 2012

Lounge LovesBy Sahar Iqbal

401 bakeshop: Every bite tells a story 4O1 is one of the youngest addition in the bakeshops of

Islamabad. It is one of its kind in town because premium quality ingredients are used by their highly experienced Chef in a very hygienic environment. The most liked items of 4O1 are: Chocolate Cupcakes with secret topping made with imported chocolates, Fudge Brownies, New York Cheese Cake, Sinfully Delicious Chocolate Kit Kat Cake, Chocolate Fudge Cake Strawberry shortcake, Tiramisu, pies, pizza, lasagna, quiche and healthy sandwiches etc. There are theme based designer cakes and a lot more.

4O1’s Premium desserts and other bakery items are available at Urban Lounge (F-8, Medina Market), Cave Diner (Blue area) and one can easily order directly on +92 301 5 401 401. They are also aiming to be the first Socially Responsible Pastry/ Cake shop in the town. Whatever you eat from 4O1, your share is being added to a certain amount given to the needy, as they are planning to provide scholarships to a few poor and deserving students.

An unbeatable combination: Kamal Limited and Élan!

Premier home textiles exporters Kamal Limited is set to launch their first local initiative with a lawn collection for 2012 in collaboration with fashion designer Khadijah Shah of Élan. The launch of Kamal Lawn by Élan is scheduled to take place on 13 March 2012 at PFDC, Mall One on the Main Boulevard in Lahore, with an exhibition which will continue till 15 March. Kamal Lawn is also being exhibited in Karachi at Imperial Garden and Dynasty in Faisalabad on 14 March, in Islamabad on 15 March at Kapas. Elegance, style and panache is what you can expect from this collection which will be accompanied by customised design kits with requisite borders, laces and embroideries. With 15 designs in total, each in two-colour variations, Kamal Lawn by Élan is indeed an unbeatable combination!

Mahnoush by Arjumand Amin in stores Arjumand Amin’s premium lawn collection Mahnoush will be

available at all leading outlets from 13th March across Pakistan. First launched in 2010; Mahnoush is a niche brand, which has fast gained renown for exceptional fabric quality and inspired design sensibility. This season, Mahnoush will introduce nine unique designs in two colour variations. So get your hands on this exclusive lawn.

38 I March 11 - 17, 2012

Books

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1618-1707) was the most controversial amongst the last of the glorious six of the dynasty. He was criticised by his

opponents as anti-Hindu and anti-Shia, but his supporters viewed him as a symbol of justice and a ghazi of Islam. Historians often used example of both his piety and butchery with pride and prejudice. In fact, he was a traditional king and, as was the wont, conducted himself as an monarch yet in the age of nationalism, communalism and sectarianisms he is a victim of contradictory ideologies. Many have written about the emperor yet Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859) was among the few early historians who wrote about him in the nineteenth century. For the uninitiated, Elphinstone was a Scottish politician and historian, who served as the governor of Bombay and also wrote books on India and Afghanistan. In 1815, Elphinstone had published his diplomatic mission to Peshawar and Afghanistan in two volumes which depicts Britain’s Frontier Forward Policy in the Great Game with the Tsarist Russia. In 1841, he wrote History of India, the Hindu and Muslim period. Dividing our history in Hindu and Muslim periods was

Aurangzeb, the Mughal EnigmaWhatever the later historians of all hues may say, Aurangzeb was a past master in the kingly arts and in the leadership of men

By Aamir Riaz

I 45March 11 - 17, 2012

a British stratagem from which both Hindu and Muslim nationalists benefited. In 1929, selected chapters of Elphinstone’s book on Aurangzeb were published separately. Sri Ram Sharma, a professor of history in DAV College, Lahore edited that work. While writing on Aurangzeb, Elphinstone used many accounts published in the mid and early eighteenth century; one of them was Mantakhab-ul-Lubab written by Muhammad Hashim Kafi Khan in the early eighteenth century. In this preface Sri Ram stated that three chapters and six appendices had been added in 1841 edition. Born in 1618, Aurangzeb was the fifth child and third son of Shah Jahan. Dara Shikoh was the eldest son and the heir apparent to the throne. At the age of 16, Aurangzeb became the commander of 10,000-strong cavalry (in those days parlance, Das-hazari). From 1636 to 1644, he served as the prince-viceroy of Deccan. His eldest son was born in 1643 from his first wife Nawab Raj Bai Begum. At that time Kabul was under the Mughal rule while Kandahar was under Persian control. In 1645, he was sent to consolidate Mughal power in Balkh and Badakhshan, where he fought against Abdul Aziz, the king of Bukhara, but failed in his mission. From 1648 till 1652, for more than four years, he tried his best to get Kandahar vacated from the Persians but he did not succeed. From 1652 till 1658, he undertook his second viceroyalty in the Deccan and fought against the local kings who happened to be Shia Muslims. Fighting with Persians at Kandahar on the frontier and the Deccan Nawabs in the South was not his choice but compulsion of the empire at that time under the traditional pull of expansion. Yet such incidents provided ample space for later sectarian historians to twist it for their own angles. Interestingly, one of the surrendered Nawabs, not only gave money as annual tribute but also married his daughter with Aurangzeb’s son Muazzam (Shah Alam) in 1657.There was no method of succession of the throne at that time except nomination by the King which usually happened in favor of eldest son, yet it was not a prevalent practice. Shah Jahan himself was the third son of Jahangir yet he succeeded him. The bloody battle for the throne among brothers was the order of the day and Aurangzeb too followed that practice. While writing about the war of succession, the author compares Dara Shikoh, Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad in these words, “Dara Shikoh was a frank and high spirited prince, dignified in his manners, generous in his expense, liberal in his opinions, open in his enmities; but impetuous, impatient of opposition, and despising the ordinary rules of prudence as signs of weakness and artifice. His overbearing temper made him many enemies, while his habitual indiscretion lessened the number as well as the confidence of his adherents. Shuja was not destitute of abilities, but given up to wine and pleasure. Aurangzeb was perfect contrast to Dara Shikoh. He was a man of mild temper and a cold heart; cautious, artful, designing; a perfect master of dissimulations; acute and sagacious, though not extended in his views, and ever on the watch to gain friends and to propitiate enemies.”During the war of succession, all the four brothers conspired against each other, yet it was Aurangzeb who played his cards shrewdly and overcame all of his brothers. He became

King in 1658 and ruled for 48 years and 215 days. During the reign of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire not only reached the zenith of its territorial expansion, but also victories in the south expanded the Empire to more than 1.25 million square miles, ruling over more than 150 million subjects, nearly one-fourth of the world’s population. Throughout his reign, Aurangzeb remained busy warring either in the Punjab and the Afghan frontier or in Bengal and in the South. The author relates detailed accounts of his wars against the Marhatas, Shivaji, the Deccan kings and the Punjabis yet he fails to mention shifting of sea route politics in favour of new pirates. The incident of Gang-i-Sawai (September 1695) is one such example, when an English pirate Henry Every perpetrated one of the most profitable pirate raids in history with his capture of a grand Mughal convoy near Surat. The ships had been returning home from their annual pilgrimage to Mecca when the pirates struck, capturing the Ganj-i-Sawai, reportedly the greatest ship in the Muslim fleet. In response to Every’s attack on the Mughal convoy, a combined bounty of £1,000 was offered for his capture by none other than the Privy Council of England and the East India Company, leading to the first worldwide manhunt in recorded history. It is recorded in a book “The Pirates’Pact: The Secret Alliances between history’s most notorious buccaneers and colonial America”, by Douglas R. Burgess and published by McGraw-Hill New York (2009). Every, had captured up to £600,000 in precious metals and jewels, making him the richest “ King Pirate“ in the world. Gang-i-Sawai was a heavily armed trading ship belonging to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and used between Surat and Aden, and goods were then taken to the Mediterranean Sea through land trade route via Mecca. With the help of pirates and the East India Company, the English power took hold on the sea routes and the rest is history. The sooner we understand trade benefits and geo-politics, the better we may be able to change our pride and our prejudice.

The writer can be reached at newline2100@yahoo.co.uk

46 I March 11 - 17, 2012

Books

Michel Boivin, a distinguished French scholar and historian, is a Research Fellow at the Centre for South

Asian Studies (CEIAS) as well as the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris. Trained in Islamic Studies and Contemporary History at Sorbonne University (France), he heads an interdisciplinary study group on Sehwan Sharif in Sindh and is also currently Director of the Centre of Social Sciences Karachi (CSSK), created in 2011. A specialist in South Asian studies with particular reference to Sindh, Michel Boivin’s research is focused on the interaction between society and religion in this region, during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The book is meant to spotlight the “words and things” which are produced by the Qalandariyya Sufi fraternity and convince the reader that such ‘material cultural goods’ bear ‘a meaningful representation of the world in a regional context’. A worldview (Weltanschauung in German) of this denomination could have been best unfolded by constituting a repertoire classifying the items, with their topical ‘identities and definitions’, and their significance within the Qalandariyya discourse. The main issues discussed in the book centre on Islam, Sufism, and society in this part of the world. The book also traces the link of the local

and regional discourses to the political, social, and cultural changes lately emerging in South Asia in general and the Muslim world in particular.

(Dr.) Carl W. Ernst (b.1950), professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US), has penned the foreword

to this book. In his view the Indus Valley has a ‘rich heritage of complex cultural formations’ with ‘distinct characteristics’ faithfully preserved in and outside the region. The Sindhi culture retains many of its ancient characteristics in both form and substance.

The monuments of Sehwan Sharif are associated with Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar born as Syed Usman Marwandi (1177-1274), so known for his usual red attire, noble and divine spirit, and his Sufi affiliation. Dr. Ernst dates the distinguished saint’s ‘larger-than-life’ posture to the time when he became ‘fervently adopted as one of the sons of Sindh’. In his opinion the present

work is ‘a dossier that is beautifully enriched by a pictorial archive from the British colonial era, enhanced by contemporary architectural elevations documenting the physical presence of the monuments of Sehwan, and highlighted by photographs of monuments and artefacts’. The material

culture embodied in the ‘Sufi repertoire’ ranges from ‘portable shrines or artefacts that can be cheaply purchased by pilgrims, to the massive mausoleums dedicated to Sufi saints and other, more obscure, figures from the heritage of Sindhi religiosity’.The book comprises four chapters titled ‘Highlighting the Sufi Culture of Sindh’, ‘The Core of Devotion’, ‘Circles of Devotion’ and ‘Artefacts of Devotion’ besides mainly the excursus, glossary and the bibliography.

The author seems to have an intimate acquaintance with the subject and its multiple corollaries. The spiritual aspects (Chapter 1) of the Sufi culture are graphically juxtaposed with its material manifestations (Chapter 2-4). Facsimiles of relevant inscriptions and illustrations, and photographs of architectural structures as well as humans further tend to enrich the content of the book. In the excursus, followed by the glossary, the author summarily explains/comments on the technical lexicon used in Sehwan, the motifs used in adornment, numerous architectural styles found in Sehwan, partial features of the Sufi paraphernalia, and the mapping of the urban space in Sehwan having an

Divine spirit of the SufiThe author seems to have an intimate acquaintance with the subject and its multiple corollaries

‘Finally, the Sufi repertoire of Sehwan reflects the multi-faceted aspects of local history and society’

By Syed Afsar Sajid

Books

Michel Boivin, a distinguished French scholar and historian, is a Research Fellow at the Centre for South

Asian Studies (CEIAS) as well as the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris. Trained in Islamic Studies and Contemporary History at Sorbonne University (France), he heads an interdisciplinary study group on Sehwan Sharif in Sindh and is also currently Director of the Centre of Social Sciences Karachi (CSSK), created in 2011. A specialist in South Asian studies with particular reference to Sindh, Michel Boivin’s research is focused on the interaction between society and religion in this region, during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The book is meant to spotlight the “words and things” which are produced by the Qalandariyya Sufi fraternity and convince the reader that such ‘material cultural goods’ bear ‘a meaningful representation of the world in a regional context’. A worldview (Weltanschauung in German) of this denomination could have been best unfolded by constituting a repertoire classifying the items, with their topical ‘identities and definitions’, and their significance within the Qalandariyya discourse. The main issues discussed in the book centre on Islam, Sufism, and society in this part of the world. The book also traces the link of the local

and regional discourses to the political, social, and cultural changes lately emerging in South Asia in general and the Muslim world in particular.

(Dr.) Carl W. Ernst (b.1950), professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US), has penned the foreword

to this book. In his view the Indus Valley has a ‘rich heritage of complex cultural formations’ with ‘distinct characteristics’ faithfully preserved in and outside the region. The Sindhi culture retains many of its ancient characteristics in both form and substance.

The monuments of Sehwan Sharif are associated with Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar born as Syed Usman Marwandi (1177-1274), so known for his usual red attire, noble and divine spirit, and his Sufi affiliation. Dr. Ernst dates the distinguished saint’s ‘larger-than-life’ posture to the time when he became ‘fervently adopted as one of the sons of Sindh’. In his opinion the present

work is ‘a dossier that is beautifully enriched by a pictorial archive from the British colonial era, enhanced by contemporary architectural elevations documenting the physical presence of the monuments of Sehwan, and highlighted by photographs of monuments and artefacts’. The material

culture embodied in the ‘Sufi repertoire’ ranges from ‘portable shrines or artefacts that can be cheaply purchased by pilgrims, to the massive mausoleums dedicated to Sufi saints and other, more obscure, figures from the heritage of Sindhi religiosity’.The book comprises four chapters titled ‘Highlighting the Sufi Culture of Sindh’, ‘The Core of Devotion’, ‘Circles of Devotion’ and ‘Artefacts of Devotion’ besides mainly the excursus, glossary and the bibliography.

The author seems to have an intimate acquaintance with the subject and its multiple corollaries. The spiritual aspects (Chapter 1) of the Sufi culture are graphically juxtaposed with its material manifestations (Chapter 2-4). Facsimiles of relevant inscriptions and illustrations, and photographs of architectural structures as well as humans further tend to enrich the content of the book. In the excursus, followed by the glossary, the author summarily explains/comments on the technical lexicon used in Sehwan, the motifs used in adornment, numerous architectural styles found in Sehwan, partial features of the Sufi paraphernalia, and the mapping of the urban space in Sehwan having an

Divine spirit of the SufiThe author seems to have an intimate acquaintance with the subject and its multiple corollaries

‘Finally, the Sufi repertoire of Sehwan reflects the multi-faceted aspects of local history and society’

By Syed Afsar Sajid

I 47March 11 - 17, 2012

ostensible bearing on the artefacts of devotion.It would be pertinent to wind up this appraisal by reproducing the author’s own concluding remarks in the book: ‘Finally, the Sufi repertoire of Sehwan reflects the multi-faceted aspects of local history and society. From the outside, the variety of styles, materials, colours, shapes, framing, and so on, could lead one to think that the city is very eclectic. The evidence displayed by the artefacts of devotion implies that the whole scene plays a leading role in integrating heterogeneous elements in a double-sided process, that involves the circulation of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s baraka (blessing; his spiritual power) towards the devotees, and the circulation of wishes and vows from the devotees to the Sufi saint, in their turns through their use of artefacts. In present-day Sehwan, one could hardly find any element referring to the medieval qalandar’s way of life.’

‘In present-day Sehwan, one could hardly find any element referring to the medieval qalandar’s way of life’

Artefacts of Devotion – A Sufi Repertoire of the Qalandariyya in Sehwan Sharif, Sindh, Pakistan

By Michel BoivinPublisher: Oxford University Press, Karachi

Pages: 166; Price: Rs.2100/-

48 I March 11 - 17, 2012

By Sadiya Babar

Ingredients

1 box uncooked cannelloni shells (14 shells)2 cups Italian cheese blend (3/4 cup of cream cheese spread, ¾ cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of fresh parmesan cheese)¼ teaspoon crushed coarse red chillies1 cup homemade ricotta cheese (2 tbsp milk, ¼ cup plain yogurt, ½ tsp vinegar¼ cup cream and a pinch of salt. Mix all)1 cup spinach drained, squeezed dry2 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 egg, slightly beaten1 jar pasta sauce (Ragus or Salman’s)

Method

1) Heat oven to 375°F. Cook cannelloni as directed on box. Rinse with cool water; drain well.

2) In medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese blend, the red chillies, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic and egg.

3) In bottom of ungreased 13x9 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into cannelloni, place over sauce in dish. Pour remaining sauce over cannelloni.

4) Cover tightly with foil; bake about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Uncover dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Spinach cannelloni

Recipe

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50 I March 11 - 17, 2012