Dinshaw Avari- Trying my Hand at Blogging!

March 1, 2019 Amid war hysteria between #India and #Pakistan, the #Karachi Literature Festival ( https://oup.com.pk/klf-2019/ ) is ready to kick off this evening at @beach_luxury Hotel. A decade ago, Oxford University Press Pakistan, alongwith the British Council, started this “little” thing called the Karachi Literature Festival, which has grown to over 200,000 people attending over 2½ days. One common objective binds us all - KNOWLEDGE , as knowledge is what humans strive (or should) towards … NOT CONFLICT.   The people of Karachi - regardless of their religion, caste, creed, socio-economic background or domicile – rub shoulders with each other in a fantastic   environment which Karachi has not seen in decades!   Best of all, there are no restrictions, entry fees or barriers to entry. I first attended the Karachi Literature Festival in 2012 and was blown away with the peace, tranquility and thirst for knowledge that Karachi’s citizens wanted. ...

February 22, 2019 Oooooh… I wish I had a TANK ! Nothing … and I mean nothing … irritates me as much as the motorcycle riders in #Karachi. As my father loves saying, correctly, “five fingers of your hand are not the same” – likewise I don’t expect all drivers to be the same nor to drive as his/her co-driver does.   But there must be some basis for uniformity, safety and correct driving.   We all have an obligation to one another to drive rationally, safely and within the law (as I believe I do) – and that’s where our bikers fail miserably. Not following the rules of the road is one thing but crass, irresponsible driving is what they excel in- weaving between lanes, “cruising” in the fast lane, overtaking on the wrong side and not having adequate safety, especially with a family on board, are but a snapshot of my case against them. …and when there’s an accident because of his mistake, it’ll never be the biker’s “fault”!   Then the bystanders a...

February 15, 2019 Why did we select a “yacht” to be our Group’s logo and the logo on all our hotels?                Because my parents were instrumental in setting up sailing as an international sport for Pakistan and having it recognized as such on the world stage!   (I shouldn’t be starting my sentence with a “because”- excuses please! 😊 ) In 1978, my father, Byram, won the Gold Medal for Pakistan at the VIII Asian Games in Thailand   in Yachting in the Enterprise class. Again in 1982, my parents, Byram & Goshpi, together won the Gold Medal at the IX Asian Games in Mumbai, in the Enterprise class.   My mother was not only the only Pakistani female entry in Yachting, but, I believe, also the only woman from Pakistan to have won a Gold Medal then. Due to both these accolades for Pakistan, my father was decorated with the President's Gold Medal in January 1979 and the Pride of...

February 8, 2019 I think you, not only, need to have some “balls” ( pardon my French please! ) but you can’t get emotional.  Let’s see- Definitely, you should be able to take & accept criticism.   You would need to accept changes to your “grandiose” ideas and possibly “idealistic” thinking, which may have brought you into this field in the first place. You need to have a Rhino’s “hide”!   We mortals can’t be public representatives. Your family life is absolutely exposed!   Your every action, words (and thoughts!) are at the mercy of the public – you can’t hide behind “having a private life”!   Oh no, sireee bob!   You should be able to manage people & meetings (boy, will you have plenty of those!) and be willing to accept conflicting viewpoints & opinions (naturally, the buck stops with you so you have to make the final call). You will be in 24/7 crisis mode ! You should be able to hold your own in the face of ...

February 1, 2019 Everyone talks of "them good ol’ days” (yankee accent please 😊) … and I really believe they were!   We were too young to enjoy those days in the ‘70s but I remember talks of cabarets in Karachi, international flights (with layover crew), bars, discos … basically Karachi was just another big, cosmopolitan & accepted city. Our Beach Luxury Hotel used to be one of the hotels which annually hosted the December 31 st New Year Eve dinner & bash.   My parents talked of performers like The Talismen band (Norman is still going strong – good for Norman!), Conchita with Soc Penalosa & his Filipino quartet, Maria Angelica, Rita Elen, The Broadway Sisters and many many more international performers especially flown in just for that one night. Besides New Year’s eve dinners, there were regular shows through the year – and all “black tie”, formal affairs- where the women dressed up in their finest and the men in their tux’s, sporting ci...