So what’s new and happening?
By Khuzaima Fatima Haque
Khuzaima Fatima Haque sums up the fun scene - the one constant pre-occupation of Lahoris through the years and across all social classes.
Fun, food and parks go together for Lahoris. Nearly all hang outs in Lahore are food-oriented. From downtown Hazoori Bagh, the grassy area situated between the Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort to the upmarket mini-golf course in Gulberg, fun in Lahore has to be accompanied by food.
Lahore has to its credit some of the most well planned parks laid out to suit the lifestyle requirements of the people of the surrounding areas. The Jallo, Race Course parks and Lawrence Gardens top the list in terms of popularity, space and facilities.
Ninety acres of lush green grass, a twenty-five-foot high fibre-glass waterfall providing water through small waterways to the whole park, cemented pebbled pathways, a mini-zoo with peacocks and electronically monitored dancing fountains are some of the landmarks at the Race Course Park. Cupped between GOR I and GOR III, it receives “a daily influx of approximately 7,000 people,” says project director Khalid Malli.
The figure doubles on the weekends. A 2.75km-long earth filled jogging track for the more serious fitness-aware people runs through the park. Seasonal flowerbeds add beauty to the environment. As smoke emitting vehicles rush past the park on Jail Road, the park with its crop of comparatively younger trees, is an oxygen abundant place for Lahoris.
People flock to this place from all corners of Lahore. At two rupees for an entrance ticket, the masses have the liberty to show off brocade lenghas sported over high-heeled shoes and sunglasses that would shame the original Ray Ban. Carrying picnic baskets in hand, crowds of people relax in the winter sun while children play at the swings. In summer, many cool themselves in front of the waterfall. Climbing to the top of the two man-made mounds takes quite a time.
The latest addition of a small open-air study area with magazines and newspapers is making the Race Course Park an essential hangout for a good mix, which on any given day ranges from health-conscious joggers to inner-city weekend visitors to out of town visitors drawn by the sheer spaciousness of the park.
At the Lawrence Gardens, weekends are busy. However, on week days the usual rush of denim-clad youngsters, regular walkers and children, majority of them belonging to the lower-middle class, walk on paths that wind their way through some of the oldest trees the city can boast of.
“The trees are very beautiful and I come here everyday to get away from the polluted city air,” says Salman Shami, a fifty-plus retired peon. Many students visiting the Quaid-i-Azam Library located in the park take short breaks from their study time. In the evenings, crowds of labourers, small-time vendors and mechanics flock to the Bagh-i-Jinnah open air theatre. Theatre of the slap-stick variety, somewhat crude improvised scripts, double-edged innuendoes and impromptu audience interaction, all hallmarks of the commercial drama, going on till past midnight amid laughters of joy.
The Jallo Park is also a favourite place for weekend fun. Open areas and easy availability of the snacks make a good combination. Spread over an area of 456 acres, Jallo enthusiasts have to drive eighteen kilometres from central Lahore to reach this man-made environment-friendly facility. Four log houses under the Department of Forestry can be booked for an outing in the wilderness. Schoolchildren are regular winter visitors to Jallo.
The drive-through zoo with monkeys and peacocks, a mono-train plus the usual slides and swings are the main attractions for kids. A nominal five-rupee ticket is charged at the entrance. Boating in the two-acre lake is a focal point for visitors belonging to the lower-middle income group.
For the more adventurous type, Sozo Water Park is a real treat. Middle and lower-middle class masses flock to Sozo on weekends and national holidays. The main attractions include spiral, speed and free fall water slides, swimming pools, water umbrellas, water guns, a horror house, joy rides and log slides. The rush at the park encouraged the management to add a roller coaster ride with an eleven-foot drop that became functional this past Eid-ul-Azha. Spending a morning at Sozo is a treat for all age groups.
Nearer to town, the Liberty circle and Pace are still favourite spots for street stalkers from downtown. Crowds of self-styled heroes, housewives on a shopping spree, college students trying out the latest in footwear and the huge bunch of boys doing their usual ‘checking out’ rounds, all flock to Pace. “Weekends are busy days”, says a salesman, “but most people are here just to roam about. It’s really hard to sell things here.”
The Defence Y-Block area is the latest addition to Lahore’s trendy hangouts. Designer shops dot the commercial area. As evening approaches thousands of lights dazzle the eye. Neon signs rise imperiously against the skyline. Motorcyclists zig-zag their way in and out of the circular market. Troopers zoom to the beat of loud western music at the Defence Y-block area. Serious shoppers looking for top-of-the-line products as well as window shoppers flock to this area in the evenings. With a new shop opening nearly every day, this area has become a popular hangout in the last three years.
The mini golf course and a small racing track with remote-controlled racing cars are two places where the entertainment-seeking upper-middle class youngsters hang out with friends and family. The golf course is homing ground to all age groups. “Mini golf course is very versatile. We get teenagers coming in as early as six in the evening to eight in the night. Then after nine o’clock families usually come in. After this, by eleven, again younger age group 25-35 comes in,” says proprietor Shah Sharabeel.
Mini golf as a sport is not the only reason why many people visit this place. The hundred-rupee ticket entitles a person to just come in and sit around in the tiled open-air patio. The greenery, the mini-zoo and the ambiance at this place are what make it a hangout for many. “I come here with my family on weekends. Mini golf, the sport is not the major reason but it keeps my children busy while my wife and I sit around and enjoy the fresh air,” says Amir Asghar, an executive at a foreign bank. Snacks are available here so when the visitors get hungry they can take their pick from shawarmas, fries and burgers.
For the more health-conscious Lahoris, Shapes is the place to be seen at. “I go there for a weekly work-out,” says Seemi Ramay, an upcoming model. This seven-year-old “no-frills gym” is the first ever ISO certified health club in the subcontinent. “A lot of people just want to hang out here. It has become a lifestyle,” claims manager Adnan Farooq.
“Members have got stickers on their cars because they just want to make a statement. It is a composite unit and a great outlet for Lahoris.” The management at this place feels that “Health and fitness and leisure activities are things that should go with a casual lifestyle.” So there are no formal dress regulations. “Working out with friends is fun and I come here to relax after my nine-to-five job,” says Arshad Ghani, a 30-plus bank executive.
Fees range between Rs1,200 for a single facility to Rs315,000for an executive lifetime membership. Separate gyms for ladies and gents, aerobic classes, squash courts, swimming pools, table tennis, bowling alley with a Hot-Spot ice-cream counter are all open sixteen hours a day. With an average influx of 600-700 people on a daily basis, this centrally air-conditioned place also has a separate Games Inn.
“It is like an addiction. You always want to come back for more,” says Ali Kamran, a BBA student, who rushes here in his free time between classes to play the latest video games like Medal of Honour and Counter Strike on a multiplayer system. A hundred rupees entitle you to twenty shots in a single game at the bowling alley. Teenagers come in groups to bowl and “spend the evenings here,” says Amir Waqas, a teenaged student.
Although the place was meant to be a single-purpose fitness place, Lahoris have made it into a country club where ladies also sit down to chat after their workouts. Being with friends, laughing it out loud or a stint at the bowling alley is what makes the outfit one of the town’s best hangouts.
The elite of Lahore do not go to Jallo for weekends but party with their own types at the Baidian Road or Raiwind Road farmhouses camouflaged behind acres of grassy fields. “You definitely need invites to these parties,” says Saika, an avid partygoer. The 27-year-old attends “selective parties” with her partner. So who are the people at these parties? “Famous models, business tycoons who sometimes finalize business deals at the parties, top-notch bureaucrats and a whole lot of youngsters,” depending on who’s in league with whom.
Channel V hits, an assembled wooden dance floor, a smoke machine and bright circular strobe lights are included in the party package. To liven up a party, “a DJ is an absolute necessity,” says Mehreen Segal who arranges farmhouse parties. “You will be the odd one out if you dress up traditionally, wearing shalwar-kamiz, that is,” laughs Sheeza, a 20-year-old university student.
