LECTURE ON GARDENS OF SRI LANKA
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Time:
5.00 pm sharp
Venue: Garden Centre
Date: April 1,2008
As part of HSP’s 60th anniversary celebrations
we will be having a lecture by Professor David
G. Robson MA RIBA on Brief and Lunuganga the outstanding
gardens created by the renowned Sri Lankan architect
Geoffrey Bawa, and his brother Bevis.
Robson is an eminent scholar and
architect who had a close association with Bawa
for over 30 years. He is the author of Bawa: The
Complete Works (2002) and Beyond Bawa (2007),
which explores Bawa’s impact on architecture
in South and Southeast Asia. Robson has also written
books on low-cost self-help housing for the poor
and the elderly. He is currently working on a
monograph on the Sri Lankan architect C.Anjalendran,
who will also be coming with him.
All
are welcome. Seating is limited and will be on
a first-come-first-served basis. This is a lecture
not to be missed!
At
the Extraordinary General Body Meeting of the HSP
held on Friday 29 June it was decided to revise
the annual subscription, and life membership fees,
which were last adjusted in 1995. In view of rising
costs the annual subscription of individuals was
raised from Rs 500 to Rs 1000, Life Membership for
individuals was increased from the present Rs 5000
to Rs 10,000, and Life Membership for firms to Rs
20,000. (As a special concession any applications
received before July 31 will be considered at the
old rates.)
It
was also decided that the present two-year term
for the Chairperson should be retained and further,
that he/she may be allowed to stand for two consecutive
terms only.
There
was much discussion on ways to increase revenues
for the society. Khalil Sattar reiterated the proposal,
which had been floated earlier as well, of allowing
companies to display their products such as lights,
garden furniture, etc at the Garden Centre on payment
of a monthly rent. Another proposal suggested by
a member was that a bazaar should be held once or
twice a year for sale of gardening related products.
Naushaba
Sattar enquired whether the HSP represented the
whole of Pakistan or whether it covered Sindh only.
She said that occasionally the government received
invitations for participation in shows abroad but
it seemed that the HSP was not being included. In
this connection Farida Kaleem mentioned that the
Floral Art Society had gone to attend a major plant
show in Thailand where they saw stalls had been
set up by many countries including India, Bhutan
and Bangladesh. Pakistan’s name was included
in the list of countries with stalls and with great
keenness they went to check it out but to their
disappointment they found the stall empty. They
were of the view that as the Government some times
sponsored participation in such shows it could help
to create further interest in joining the society
if it was also included in such shows. The President
clarified that the society was presently restricted
to Sindh only but that an approach could be made
to get its name on any governmental list that exists.
INCOME
AND EXPENDITURE FLOWER SHOW 2007
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Total
income from the flower show went up by 68% from
Rs 932,330 in 2006 to Rs 1,567,753 in 2007. This
was primarily due to a generous sponsorship of
Rs 435,983 from Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd. Stall
fees registered almost a 200% increase from Rs
120,000 in 2006 to Rs 357,000 in 2007. This is
a welcome sign and indicates that the show is
being recognized as a lucrative venue by vendors.
There was however a small decline of 11% in competition
fees and of 19% in advertisements.
As
against this there was only a minor increase of
3% in total expenditures from Rs 802,805 in 2006
to Rs 827,002 in 2007. Accordingly profit figures
showed a healthy growth of 156% from Rs 288,635
in 2006 to Rs 740,751 in 2007.
| BLACK DAY IN KARACHI'S HISTORY |
May
12 was a black day in Karachi’s history.
Watching the footage on TV – gun toting
hooligans dashing from one wall to another firing
with impunity, cars being ripped apart by frenzied
crowds or set ablaze, dead bodies lying on familiar
roads – it was hard to believe that all
this was going on in Karachi and not in some remote
war torn city in Iraq or Africa. Given the number
of dead and injured there is justifiable anger
and the demands that those who are responsible
must be punished should be heeded. And quickly.
That may help to defuse the situation otherwise
one can only see it deteriorating. Every day there
are calls for strikes, which are disrupting daily
life and hurting people’s livelihoods already
badly affected by the frequent and prolonged power
cuts.
Disregarding
the basic needs of the people our leaders are
losing their heads in grandiose plans of making
castles in the air (pun intended) and expressways
in the sky. Who cares how much foreign direct
investment they have brought in if people don’t
have electricity or water, if roads are lying
broken and there is no law and order on the streets.
It
seems frivolous to talk of gardening under the
circumstances. But we must talk about it because
to live surrounded by greenery is a basic necessity.
All around us trees are being cut in the name
of a dubious progress and even Earth Day could
not make a difference. Such days are meant for
reflection and commitment rather than photo opportunities
and meaningless statements. But while trees were
being mercilessly hacked down on University Road
and Shahrah-e-Faisal we were being force fed with
statistics on how many trees had been planted
last year. Apparently this number adds up to 0.7
million. But there is no point in going out to
look for them. Many of them must have died by
now since no one seems to be bothered with meaningful
numbers or trends: such as what is the survival
rate of the trees that are being planted, is this
trend going up or down, i.e. is the horticulture
department getting more efficient or less, how
many trees are being cut down every year, why
were they cut down, what is the age of the trees
that were destroyed?
The short-term approach to developmental work
does not allow for successful plantation. Green
verges come up overnight– and then disappear
just as quickly, their only purpose being to provide
a backdrop for the inauguration of a new road
or flyover. And now the City Government seems
to have got carried away by the zeal to build
flyovers. The 25-km long expressway for which
more than a thousand trees will be felled is going
to be our own hellish nightmare for years to come.
What about the other alternatives that have been
surfaced – the circular railway, a ring
road around the city, or simply improved public
transport? Does the road taken always have to
be the worst one? Or is this yet another of those
unwanted “gifts” dumped on the city
of Karachi, about which no objection can be entertained?
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