Re: Dispatches from Lahore
"OutuN lang Ja’a’’
Nice episodes Faisal bhai :k: Waiting for the next…
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Its such a fact, the ground reality in Pakistan is totally different than what its shown on Pakistani media, it just represents the 1% of the Pakistani elite living in urban enclaves. At this time last year I was surprised to see the number of people praying Zoher in a masjid on a working day, ten years ago, less than that showed up for the Friday prayer. The emergence of Hijab is also very significant. There is no doubt that there is this change which is occurring in Pakistan at this time. Since the change is still going on its very hard to pin point a reason for this change or inclination towards Islam. I am sure what Faisal and other are saying about Pakistan is an eye opener for the secular wanabe’s.
Faisal, enjoy you trip.
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
MM..i’ve witnessed the change in the frontier more closely: the situation in the region, as well as in Sourthern Punjab and Northern Baluchistan is not good ..
I wasn’t aware till Faisals post..of how much it had spread into Punjab and Sind though. I’d only disagree with the comment that it is a change towards Islam..rather it’s a change towards conservatism. A lot of its a spill over from 9/11, the events that have happened in Waziristan, the sense of Islam under threat..the marginalisation of civil society and mainstream political parties from ordinary life (i.e., political parties, trade unions, student unions). Another issue is the increased population and the pressures it placed on families..an increased sense of desperation in peoples lives side by side with a major increase in the gap between rich and poor. Altogether these are ominous signs
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Mobile Phone Mania
One thing which is very clear is that people in Pakistan are crazy about their mobile phones. In-your-face-and-emptying-your-wallet kind of crazy.
Unlike United States, where the main emphasis is on cellphone carriers, who sell mobile phones at steep discounts when you sign a contract, here in Pakistan mobile phone makers are freely pushing their wares directly. All major roads are lined with gigantic sign boards advertising mobile phones. And by gigantic, I mean really really huge sign boards. At one major intersection here, LG is pushing its 'Chocolate' mobile on one side, while Sony has four different models lined up on the other. Samsung is also another player selling hard, while Motorola and Nokia are not far behind either. In many places entire road sides are taken over by mobile phone vendors who monopolize street signs for miles on.
Various mobile phone carriers are also pushing aggressively to sell their services and there is immense competition for your mobile phone rupees. A few mobile phone carriers have also started bundling cheap phones with their service.
The biggest change is in Hafeez Center. Those of you who are not familiar with the phenomenon known as Hafeez Center, here is a primer. Its a multi-storied shopping center in the heart of Gulberg Main Bulevard and is arguably the eipcenter of Lahore's smuggled mobile and computer electronics market.
I was looking to buy a new keyboard and mouse for my computer, and like all good Lahoris who cherish a good deal and want variety in selection, one fine day I headed off for Hafeez Center. I recalled that there were literally hundreds of shops in Hafeez Center that sold computer accessories and was looking forward to some great deals on a good late model keyboard. I parked my car and walked in, and what do I see. Shop after shop, almost 100% of the ground floor shops at Hafeez Center are now converted to sell mobile phones. And nothing but mobile phones. Glass show-cases are lined up with all kinds of makes and models. Purchases are brisk and there is an obvious energy in the air.
What the hell is going on? I kept thinking. Ultimately I did find what I was looking for, in the basement shops, some of whom still carry computer accessories, but this overflow of mobile phones on display made me very curious. I walked into one mobile phone shop and inquired the price of a late model Nokia phone - the N90 - that was being displayed in the glass showcase.
"I can give it to you for thirty three thousand rupees", the shop keeper told me.
Keeping my poker face on, I pressed on "is it brand new?".
"Bilkul ji, brand new dabba ho ga!"
I asked him to show me the dabba (box) so I can check out the specs of the phone, but he said he will have to get the dabba for me, and he can do that if I am serious. Apparently all the dabbas are kept at a central place with a whole-seller, from where each retail vendor can go pick up whaichever phone he is currently trying to sell. Personally I didn't care for the brand new dabba, rather my question was about the phone, but it was probably all the same any way. Not that I was gonna sink Rs 33,000 on a phone any way. I consider my self a fairly aware electronics person, and carry one of the finest Smartphones myself, but American marketing system has kinda corrupted me. I had plopped a whopping $300 for my Treo 650 and considered it about the limit for spending on a cell phone. And here, the gentlman was asking for close to $550 for a device which is not even a smartphone in the classic sense.
I walked out of there much more aware of the prices being charged and from then on started keenly observing what phones people are carrying. I met an old friend for lunch and he was sporting Sony's P910. Now that is a beautiful smartphone, however since no carrier in the US had picked it up, so it was being sold at upward of $700 back when I was making my own purchase decision. Clearly I didn't buy it for that reason alone. I asked my friend, how much he paid for his phone and his answer was that he paid Rs 40,000.
"Are you crazy?"
"No, I like the phone. Previously I had HP's 6515 but I gave it away after only two months and bought this one", my friend replied.
"What do you mean 'gave it away'? How much did you pay for that one?", I asked him.
"I had paid Rs 32,000 for that one. After two months sold it for Rs 16,000 and bought this Sony", he replied with a cheer.
I did some mathematics in my head and reconfirmed my original assessment. "You ARE crazy", I told him definitively.
Not all phones are as expensive, ofcourse. You can buy a basic new phone for less than Rs 2,000. "Slightly used phones" are even cheaper and many times are a very good deal. All phones are unlocked and a lot of people use pre-paid plans.
Going around the city, you will notice many people carrying multiple mobile phones. Walking in a public park one day, I saw a guy who was carrying two mobiles in his left hand and one stuck to his ear. Every now and then another phone will start to ring and he will hurriedly say good bye to the earlier caller and switch to the other phone. To his credit, he didn't even break a step, while carrying on, what are most likely very important conversations, for the entire time he was circling the jogging track.
Despite such massive penetration of mobile phones, GPRS speeds are abominable and value add features are minimal. I have yet to meet a single person who has activated voicemail feature in their mobile phone plan. Me, I can't live without one and got a Warid Prepaid plan and paid Rs 63 extra just so I can get a voicemail system and don't have to wonder about missed calls and callers.
Apparently carrying multiple mobile phones is not the forte of very rich and very famous either. Many Tom, Dicks and Harrys are doing it for whatever reasons. In restaurants, I often see a mobile start ringing and people are juggling all their enormous shalwar kameez pockets to figure out which phone is to be answered. In one case, the culprit was safely residing in the shalwar pocket that was accessible only after lifting the kameez from the front and opening a zipper right in front of the groin area. Not a pleasant sight at all.
Apparently mobile phones are cheap and they have penetrated so deeply in our society that everyone and his uncle is now carrying one. Altogether its not a bad thing, ofcourse, but sometimes it makes you wonder about the purchasing priorities of people. Driving on the road one day, I crossed two laborers sharing a ride on one bicycle. The person paddling had a mobile phone stuck to his left ear, while the person riding behind him had his mobile stuck firmly on his right ear.
I sincerely hope they were not talking to each other.
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Very entertaining read. Faisal, please take some pictures of places you visit (that you later mention in your stories) and post them too. You must compile these pieces into a blog entry with pictures somewhere. Very interesting read for your fellow expats.
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
i wanna go to Lahore.....
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Good read,:k: missing Lahore and many pleasant memories.
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Faisal you need to mention the flood of banking ads and the whole installment process..consumer craziness.
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
can you tell us something about the construction and all those new malls and towers coming up.
also talk abit about the resturants and shopping, especially on mm alam road and y block defence
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Have you seen Maajun--Machli ads on the walls?
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
I really enjoyed reading about the traffic situation,and about the mobiles.Everyone seems to have gone crazy.You write really well.I think I can safely say you are my 'favouritest' writer on GS.
Welcome to Lahore,enjoy your stay.It's been raining quite a lot hai na??
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
I miss Lahore 
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
…this was the reason why i joined GS, well written Faisal. :k:
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Very interesting read Faisal, i don’t bother reading all these long posts but i have read all your posts so far 
I have also heard that it’s better NOT to show off your mobile in public places because mobile theft is a huge problem there, someone can snatch it from your hands and run away:hoonh:
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
very interesting read Faisal. keep it up:)
I love Lahore and Lahoris.....even though im not one myself :)
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
great read!
sighs
I miss Pakistan now.
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
Nice read :k:
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
I enjoyed to read.......good to hear from LAHORE
Re: Dispatches from Lahore
welcome, if you come to peshawar give me a call. THere is no "Ruby Sky" here but I can take u to "Charsi zameen" here. :)