Smokers’ corner

This is with reference to Nadeem F. Paracha’s article Student Politics in Pakistan: A Brief History.

I know Mr Paracha from the time when he was at Saint Patrick’s Government College, and as far as I remember he used the People’s Students Federation (PSF) and the National Students Federation (NSF) (of which he was general-secretary) as effective bulwarks against the entry of the Islami-Jamiat Talba (IJT). However, I also remember that to do this he insisted that the NSF should ally itself with the APMSO which in those days wasn’t as big as it is today.

When he and his comrades left in 1987, the campus was taken over by the APMSO! Even though he and his NSF comrades used to call themselves Marxists, their main aim remained keeping the IJT out of college.

For a while I thought they were being too narrow minded, but I guess keeping the IJT at bay was a big enough task.

H. Jamshed Warsi

Karachi

Boogey away

In Dawn Magazine’s issue of March 9, 2008, Shobhaa De, in her article Boogey away has incorrectly attributed the song “I love Paris” to Maurice Chevalier, the celebrated French actor of the 195-60. The tune and the lines were composed by Cole Porter in the early ‘50s, music played by the outstanding orchestra of Glenn Oscar.

Cole Porter availed the high pitch of the Las Vegas black tenor, Georgia Gibb for the memorial background, music “I love Paris” for his film, An American in Paris that has Gene Kelly in the lead role and introduced the beautiful, leggy Durban model Leslie Caron.

Unfortunately, the song has a hollow and very sad ring to the lost in transition affair of the debonair Prince Aly Khan and the famous Irish actress of the ‘50s Gene Tierney.

Movie aficionados still recall Gene Tierney for her excellent academy award role of the heiress Isabel Bradley for film “Razor’s Edge” that was set in Paris during 1949, adapted from Somerset Maugham’s novel Razor’s Edge. In June 1953, an engagement dinner dance party was thrown by Prince Aly Khan for his fiancé Gene Tierney at the George Cinq Hotel of Paris, to which were invited the rich and the famous, listed Cole Porter.

He was in Paris filming An American in Paris. The theme of the melody “I love Paris” was conceived by Cole Porter in a change remark of Gene Tierney. Hand in hand with Aly Khan, sporting the three-carat engagement diamond ring, Prince Aly had presented to her on the occasion, Gene Tierney greeted Cole Porter in French with the line “J’aime Paris” and that was the cue, made the composer draft the song “I love Paris” for his musical An American in Paris. The affair of Prince Aly Khan and Gene Tierney culminated in December 1953, when he refused to take her call or answer messages. Gene was head over heels in love with the dashing prince. Six months thereafter, the 33-year-old Gene Tierney turned into a schizophrenic and was committed to a mental asylum in Connecticut in June 1954. Heartthrob of millions of fans who had inspired the number “I love Paris”, Gene was subjected to electric shocks.

MOHAMMED AZIZ HAJI DOSSA

Karachi

Dateline Islamabad

This is with reference to Anjum Niaz’s article Enter a woman prime minister.

I totally agree with her regarding history of White House residents. In their history of more than 200 years, Americans could not elect a single female president whereas we twice elected a female prime minister in just half-a-century. Why aren’t we praised and appreciated for these genuine facts?

The American media has to be fair and candid about Pakistan. Our favourite pastime has never been terrorising or conducting bomb blasts. These unfortunate incidents have damaged our minds and souls quite badly. Please don’t add insult to injury by blaming us for all this evil. We are a peaceful and democracy-loving people.

Ms Niaz, though, did not mention Ms Khar and Ms K Tariq.

MB Faisal

Multan

Diet disaster

This is with reference to the article Diet disasters by Huneeya Mazari (Feb 2, 2008).

Diet mania has spread like an epidemic around the world, especially amongst youngsters. This is because of the growing influence of the media that promotes skinny models rather than role models.

Madiha Kauser

Via email

Quiz-o-Mania

The Quiz-o-Mania section is a great effort on the part of your team. The questions asked in the quiz are intellectually stimulating. I particularly found the recent quiz on geography to be very interesting.

Saman Khan

Via email

Passage to India

This is with reference to Shaikh Aziz’s article Passage to India (Feb 24, 2008).

I agree with the writer that every word has a historical, social and cultural background, and the Indian act to replace difficult words with simple ones in their textbooks is not a very thoughtful step.

Waqar Ahmed Shaikh

Hyderabad

You got mail

This is with reference to the article You got mail by Asha’ar Rehman (Feb 24, 2008).

The writer truly deserves appreciation. The questions addressed to the towering personalities of Pakistani politics were remarkable.

Although the electorate has given its verdict, it’s unable to see the real result.

Mehwish Kayani

Lahore

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