AUGUST 2013
The Main Bar
ihe origin of this area dates
T back to 1891 when considerable
expansion took place at the Club.
In that year, it was decided to
start a library and the question
naturally came up with regard to
the housing of it. The main block
was fully employed and in order
to house the library there, it
was necessary to find other space
for the Smoking Room. The only
place available was the site
beyond the Billiard Room. However,
that was far too large for one
small room, so gradually the plan
was evolved to build a large
Smoking Room (the
present Bar),
Dressing Rooms and
Bathrooms, which
were badly needed,
four Chambers and
the Lavatories. In
1893 the three
storied block, which
completes the Main
Block, was finished.
The members' area's
pedigree is colonial
and hence it's unique
in design. Where
Englishmen gathered, conversation,
power, eccentricity, and manners
converged. Present day members
maintain that tradition by using
this area to unwind, socialise
with other members, share battle
stories, and light gossip in a
relaxed convivial manner.
However, there has been many a
shenanigan taken place in the
Main Bar and its environs. During
Fin de Siecle, a small group of
Officers were a constant source
of trial to the Committee, for
after Mess, they frequently came
round to the Club, had a thoroughly
enjoyable time, and in the process
there was often considerable
damage done to Club property.
They were all well off and
invariably the next morning the
NEWSLETTER
Honorary Secretary received a that they solemnly collected all
cheque, fully covering the
replacing value of any damage
done, even on the Club scale of
the furniture in the Bar, (sofas,
chairs, tables, etc.) and made
one big pile of them in the middle
six times the value. This of the room. They then sat down
completely disarmed the Committee, and surveyed their work until the
until on one occasion the offenders early hours of the morning; their
exceeded even the limits of their meditation being accompanied by
patience by bringing a ticca- considerable quantities of drink.
gharry pony into the Bar, mounting The Vice President, who was acting
it there, and riding it through in the absence of the President,
the Billiard Room. After was one of the old school, having
considerable correspondence their joined the Club in the '70s, took
apology was accepted, but they a very serious view of this matter,
were told that the "next offence and decided to make an example
would have more serious of the members concerned. He
repercussions". therefore ordered that the Bar
Another member very should be left as it was for one
shortly afterwards, was day so that, members, when they
asked by the Committee came there in the evening, would
to give reasons why he realise the extreme gravity of
should not be charged, the offence and take a lesson
on the usual basis, for from it. Unfortunately for him
damage done to Club the members took an entirely
property. His reply was different view, for they saw the
ingenuous though not humorous side of the incident and
convincing. The reason thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
he gave was that "the As and when they required seating
damage was caused by the accommodation, chairs, and tables
fact that he had thrown were gradually removed from the
a chair at a fellow pile, so that by the end of the
member which had unfortunately evening all signs of the incident
missed the mark through the member Continued on page 3
dodging". From the tone of his
letter it would appear
that he was sorry that > 1
the chair missed its
mark than for the
feedback
damage done. He was we would welcome renting
duly fined.. On another members' wives or tter Feedback ca"
to the Monthly Newsletter. Feeaater.al
occasion, two members
include comments on pubii^ ^
had dined together on
New Year's Eve and
finished up at the
f l e f s f address correspondence to:
Club to bring the New
Secretary
Year in, expecting to Sind Club
find a large and
newsletter@sindclub.org .pk
convivial crowd there.
But there was no one
there and they were so
incensed at the
Please
**- r .rr'& ' swrssa
membership no.
or child.
enforced loneliness,
Saleem Majidulla
hen the sun was setting on the British

W Empire, changes came thick and fast,

but they were mainly connected with the
governance of the country.

Karachi, together with Bombay and Calcutta was

at the centre of British Commerce in India,
which had been fine tuned to provide factories
requirement for shipment to the UK. This
predominantly was for agricultural produce.

The Sind Club as well as the Calcutta Club and

the Bombay Club were garnered to provide a
place of entertainment and social contact with
all the young Brits. The civil services also
greatly benefitted, and it is notable that the
President of the club was more often an ICS
official than a "Boxwala" a word that was used
by the superior trading classes.

There was great exhilaration when the Sind

Punjab Light Railway was inaugurated to bring
cotton down to the port of Karachi. During this
period, the Sind Club was the centre of Karachi
society amongst the colonials.
Partition in 1947 brought with it the problems
of adaptation to a new scheme of things. Because
of the dominance of British Business, the Sind
Club had a special Annual Dinner to honour the
British High Commission. As a concession,
Pakistanis were permitted to be invited by the
head of their companies. (It is interesting to
note that the first Pakistanis who were elected
was 5 years after the end of British rule)!
It is during this period that a remarkable
"revolt" took place. The British High Commissioner
was duly invited for the Special Dinner. He
was generally known as a dull old bore. He
decided to make the subject of his speech the
great benefits that British colonials had given
to the people of Pakistan. As the Guest of
Honour droned on and on the invitees became
more and more restless. Two of the people
present on this special occasion representing
Mackinnons were Icky Shafi and Tony Davenport.
Tony Davenport's claim to fame was that he was
engaged to "Gorgeous Gussie" Moran, who introduced
frilly panties to Wimbledon! Icky looking around
spied a bread basket full of bread rolls. He
picked up one and threw it to Tony who was
surprised at the assault but took his time to
take another bun from the table and flung it
back to Icky. A battle ensued and the club
became the scene of another Battle of Miani
except that there were no sides and it was free
for all. As the contestants became more accurate,
a new element of surprise became apparent in
that the missiles were coated with butter.
During this melee, it was hardly noticed that
HM Ambassador after receiving a direct hit beat
a hasty retreat.

EMPLOYEE The Club is sad to announce the

OF THE MONTH 43 demise of

Muhammad 5 Col. A. J. Iqbal

CD
Asif Ismail o
Waiter

02
 Continued from page 1
had ceased to exist. The two
offending members were each fined
Rsl50 which they paid willingly,
for they also had enjoyed
themselves.
The Main Bar is the central part
of the Member's Area and is
protected by the sign stating
"Ladies Not Permitted Beyond This
Point" still standing sentinel
outside. On entering the Main
Bar; the space, the design, the
furnishings and the artifacts
immediately take one back to
another era where times were less
complicated and life more
leisurely. On the right side is
an antique Victorian, Kirkman &
Sons upright baby grand piano
presented by Mr Jurgen Bergfeld
in 1992, soon to be restored to
its original glory. Then there
is an elegant granite Fireplace,
which was brought out from England
in 1893, which can easily be
missed because so many other
unique items snatch one's
attention, but on a cold winter's
evening it comes to life when a
fire is lit for members to enjoy.
The walls are almost entirely
taken up by trophies most of which
today are of protected species.
Dominating them all is the
magnificent tiger skin and head
presented by M. Asafuddin. We
also have the horns of a Marco
Polo Sheep, shot by Asad Ali Shah,
the first ever after the creation
of Pakistan.
Old smoothbores, pistols, rifles,
muzzleloaders or breachloaders,
muskets, flintlocks and all manner
of antique hunting arms also adorn
the walls of the Main Bar, amongst
them, on the pillar dividing the
bars, is an antique Toupek from
the Mazari/Leghari Wars, presented
by Sadar Sherbaz Mazari.
The bell of the "Tasman Spirit"
has also found a berth within the
Bar, whereas her hulk has now
been grounded and broken up. It
is said, that if anyone rings it
then it is "drinks-all-round for
those in ear-shot to the
perpetrator"!
On the wall nearest the "Deep
End" there are the polo sticks
and stirrups of the famous 'Hesky'
Baig, who captained the Pakistan
Team against India.
Next to the piano is the "Weighing
Chair". We still have the original
Weight Book and on the wall is
a plaque that shows the heaviest
member was H.L. Murray at 391
lbs. Orval Landis, who presented
us a chair, weighed in at a mere
290 lbs.
On the walls are some of Lieut.
William Edward1s original "Sketches
in Scinde" that enrich the
character to the Bar.
The bar continued to be used to
introduce prospective candidates
to the Balloting Committee.
Now it's most memorable and
developing tradition is the Deep
End Lunch that are held on Saturday
afternoons. This is not to be
mistaken with the Shallow End
where ladies are also welcome in
the Masud Karim Room (but that
is another story). Interestingly,
the terms deep and shallow ends,
come from two sides of the bar.
The "Deep End" of the bar was
closer to the Billiard Room and
was, at one time, usually occupied
by titans of industry, commerce,
and civil service, whilst the
"Shallow End" of the bar was where
the junior executives and the
younger members would gather. In
typical British method of
administration and rule, the bar
too had a demarcation to indicate
one's standing in the social
hierarchy.
Sitting or standing around the
room required the use of tables
and the club has some outstanding
ones made of copper. A certain
Watson of Mercantile Bank, who
was posted here from Chittagong,
would arrive after work and had
a whimsical habit that put it to
unique use, he would order a glass
of 'Chartreuse' a French liqueur
made by Carthusian Monks, and
then pour it onto the brass surface
and then light it with a match
and to watch the dancing blue
pyrotechnics.
With the introduction of
prohibition, the bar fell in to
hard times and eventual neglect
due to non-use. But the club
protectively hung on in the hope
that better times lay ahead. The
artifacts kept coming, generously
donated by members, the upkeep
went on but the relaxed, stress-
free days of openly enjoying ones
tipple were now a shadow of the
past.
During the nineties, an infamous
bunch of younger members calling
themselves 'The Dirty Dozen'
decided to do something to revive
the Main Bar. Once a month these
14 or 15 young guns would descend
to the main bar to promote
traditional activities with fine
dining.
Members could not be disturbed,
one of the quaint practices adopted
was whenever the memsahib called;
the bearers would say "Saab
nikalgayeh"!
About the same time, restrictions
were imposed and the Main Bar
became a "Members Only" area.
But of late, the Committee decided
to relax this restriction and
have allowed gentlemen guests to
be introduced there once again,
opening up the bar for its original
purpose, to meet prospective
members in a relaxed environ.
The Main Bar has seen many a visit
of cricket teams who have signed
on the walls and there amongst
the signatures is the notorious
Douglas Jardine, who captained
England for the infamous Bodyline
Ashes Series 1932-1933. With him
you can see the signatures of
'Plum' Warner, and Hedley Verity.
The first team to "Sign-In" was
the MCC in October 1926 followed
by Jardine's in 1933 and then Lord
Tennyson's Team in November 1937.
There is also a framed
commemorative document of Samuel
Hoare, the Secretary of State
for Air's visit to the Sind Club
in 1927.
03
 A Very English Garden
Durdana Soomro
ooking at an old photograph
L of the Sind Club I was struck
by the fact that its garden
looks more like an English garden
today than it did in its early
days under the British. The
bird's-eye-view dating back to
1928 shows the club surrounded
by a dense thicket of trees with
little sign of the expansive
lawns and flowerbeds so beloved
by the English and which, since
the past several years, have
allowed the Sind Club to run
away with the top prize in the
annual flower shows of the
Horticultural Society of Pakistan
(HSP).
One reason could be that when
the British founded Karachi it
was a dry and dusty place and
it was only after they had
arranged for sweet water to be
piped in that vegetation began
to flourish. Sind Club, located
in the heart of the new city,
was one of the first areas to
be supplied with water and, in
fact, in the picture referred
to you can see the vegetation
become sparser as you move further
and further away. Deep-rooted
hardy trees were easier to grow
in the arid saline climate of
Karachi, whereas grass was much
more difficult - "a clear
impossibility" according to Sir
Richard F. Burton, the explorer,
anthropologist and translator,
who was among the earliest
visitors to the city.
However, the British, with their
love of turf, did not give up.
We know that soon after its
establishment, a grant of Rs
200 in 1886 allowed a lawn to
be laid out in the Sind Club in
front of the billiard room. And
Lady Lawrence, whose husband
Henry Lawrence was Commissioner-
in-Sind in 1916 mentioned the
"perfectly kept grass lawns" of
the Government House in her
memoirs. But it certainly became
easier to have lawns after the
introduction of Dhaka grass.
Sir Roger Thomas, chairman of
HSP's flower show committees for
6 years in the 1950s, may have
been the first to introduce this
species. He found there were
four species of native lawn
grasses in Karachi but none of
them were entirely satisfactory
as the most popular one died
down in winter. Then he had the
opportunity to visit Dacca and
found a fine-leaved grass growing
there in a public park. He
brought a pocketful of it back
to Karachi and within 6 months
it had covered his garden and
was a "pleasure to behold."
Although they do need maintenance
Dhaka-grass lawns are now
ubiquitous.
Over the years the lawns of the
Sind Club have expanded to
accommodate the social activities
of the club and the needs of
the members. While bowling, one
of the early activities, first
mentioned in the committee minutes
of 1901, is no longer played,

the garden is very much in use
for the annual garden party,
for balls and members' dinners
and receptions. A croquet lawn
has also been laid out in front
of the Married Quarters (but
there are no flamingos as yet!)
and there is a well-used walking
track which winds all the way
around the garden.
While the club has lost its
dense fringe of trees I am told
that the committee is mindful
of conserving the trees that
it has and ensuring that no
more are cut. New trees have
been planted such as the
Tabebuia, both yellow and pink-
flowering varieties. Two
saplings of Kigelia pinnata were
obtained from the Karachi Golf
Club where two magnificent
specimens of this tree can be
seen with hanging clusters of
purple flowers and enormous
sausage-shaped fruit. There are
also a pair of bluish-green
Bismarckia palms, natives of
Madagascar, which are doing
very well and, of course, the
imposing double row of Royal
Palms that line the driveway,
in addition to the older peepul,
neem and badam trees. Secretary
Shuja Baig was very enthusiastic
about the grove of 40 lemons
planted near the wall opposite
the former Metropole Hotel next
to the walking track and hopes
;
that very soon the members will
be enjoying home-grown nimbu
pani. Many have begun to fruit
and it will certainly be a
wonderful sight to see them
laden with lemons. They are a
welcome addition and it would
be good to see more productive
use of the enormous space with
perhaps some coconut palms to
provide home-grown pina coladas
and even vegetables.
W.U.Nicholas, who was president
of the Sind Club in 1920-21 and
is credited with having developed
the gardens, had started a
vegetable plot in front of the
Married Quarters. When I visited
the gardens last I did see a
small patch of aubergines which
were flourishing and Ghulam Ali
the Head Mali, who has been with
the club for 29 years, informed
me that soon he will be making
a vegetable patch in the lawn
in front of the Married Quarters
for the winter season.
Winter is when the club gardens
are at their best with Ghulam
Ali and his team of 20 working
round the clock to ensure that
the gardens are at their peak
for the flower show judging.
Four lakh seeds are imported of
all varieties and colours of
flowers, such as petunias,
marigolds, pelargonium, salvia,
Busy Lizzie, etc. The club raises
seedlings not only for its own
use but also for sale to members
with the proceeds going towards
the garden expenses.
Many gardens look quite drab in
summer but the Sind Club has to
look good all year round. When
I visited recently the flowerbeds
were looking quite
colourful with
cosmos, gomphrena,
and multi-coloured
vinca. There was also
a lovely purple
flowering plant which
grows wild and seems
to do well in shade
and would be
worthwhile
cultivating.
I missed seeing the
Moenjodaro Bull
sculpture gifted by Anjum Ayaz
and was informed that it had
corroded with the weather and
it was not possible to preserve
it. Marble ages better outdoors
than metal and there is a new
addition in the form of the
lovely marble fountain gifted
by Sumayra and Fakir Ayazuddin
which needs an appropriate
base and a suitable location.
It is not easy to carry on
the English gardening style -
velvety lawns and multi-hued
seasonal flowers over such
a huge area in a city where
water is a perpetual problem.
The club is making efforts to
recycle water but power
breakdowns and fluctuations
affect its efficiency and
tankers have to be resorted
to. Despite this they have
managed to uphold their
traditions and the result is
a beautiful garden which is
constantly being renovated and
upgraded; gives pleasure all
year round; and deservedly
wins many prizes.
05
 NEW ARRIVALS
FICTION
Stay Close Harlan Coben
Breath of Death Saad Shafqat
Sweet Tooth Ian McEwan
Among Others Jo Walton
Classic Khushwant Singh Khushwant Singh
Not Exactly Shangrila Martin Moir
Questions of Travel - Michelle De Kretser
Me Before You Jojo Moyes
The Sins of the Mother Danielle Steel
The Doomsday Key - James Rollins
Easy Money Jens Lapidus
Hidden Riches - Nora Roberts
Rainshadow Road - Lisa Kleypas
Someting From Tiffany's Melissa Hill
Dry Bones That Dream - Peter Robinson
Inferno Dan Brown
NON-FICTION
Ataturk: Founder of a Modern State Ali
Kazancigil
Sunset of the Sikh Empire Sita Ram Kohli
Descartes: A Guide for the Perplexed
Justin Skirry
The History of Mathematics: A Reader -
John Fauvel
BOOKS
Heirloom Recipes from Pakistan Shamsi
Qurashi
Partial Recall - Arvind Krishna Mehrotra
Pakistan Economic Survey 2012-13 Government
of Pakistan
Lee Kuan Yew : The Grand Master's Insights
on China, The United States, and the World
Graham Allison
The Great War For Civilisation Robert
Fisk
The Thistle and The Drone - Akbar Ahmed
Reinvent: A Leader's Playbook for Serial
Success Fred Hassan
The Judiciary of Pakistan and It's Role
in Political Crises Syed Sami Ahmad
BIOGRAPHIES
Half of Two Paisas: The Extraordinary
Mission of Abdul Sattar Edhi and Bilquis
Edhi Lorenza Raponi
Champion of Choice: The Life & Legacy of
Women's Advocate Nafis Sadik Cathleen
Miller
JUNIOR BOOKS
The Adventures of Tinin
- Herge

Inferno Champion of Choice: TH E LIFE &

L E G A C Y OF

By Dan Brown The Life & Legacy of Womens W O M E N 'S

ADVOCATE

In the
Advocate Nafis Sadik NAFIS
fSA BIK
By Cathleen Miller
heart of
Italy, A dense biography of Dr. Nafis Sadik, who *
Harvard changed the world for women through her
professor work on population control.
of Miller (Creative Writing/San Jose State
symbology, Univ.; Desert Flower: The Extraordinary
CHAMPION
Robert Journey of a Desert Nomad, 1998, etc.) OF C H O I C E
Langdon, is researched Sadik for 10 years to give us
drawn into this biographical view. The book follows the improbable path
a harrowing of the Pakistani Sadik through partition, medical school, her
world early work in local population control and her efforts for the
centered on U.N. Population Fund, which she directed for 13 years. Sadik's
one of family "celebrated her femininity, valued her wishes, gave her
history1s the same educational opportunities as her brothers, then
most enduring and mysterious encouraged her career and independence." She worked passionately
literary masterpieces - Dante's against genital mutilation, obstetric fistula and childhood
Inferno. marriage. Through Sadik's tenure at the U.N., the organization
Langdon battles an adversary and was "able to bring respectability to the concept of family
grapples with an ingenious riddle planning." She helped set the tone for controlling population
that pulls him into a landscape growth by empowering women through education and ensuring basic
of classic art, secret human rights. The apex of Sadik's career was the U.N.'s 1994
passageways, and futuristic International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.
science. Drawing from Dante's She outmaneuvered even the Vatican to support reproductive
dark epic poem, Langdon races choice for women, brokering consensus for a 20-year plan to
to find answers and decide whom address world population and development. Miller intersperses
to trust before the world is each chapter about Sadik with vignettes of women she met while
irrevocably altered. researching this book.

06
 SIND CLUB
results of tournaments and matches IN JULY

WINNER R U N N E R UP
DATE BILLIARDS Mr.Faisal Farooq Khan
Mr.Azhar Hamid
10-Jul One Red Volunteer
Snooker Tournament RUNNER UP
WINNER
DATE BRIDGE Dr. Tahira Naqvi
Mr. Bobby Sheik
3-July Sind Club Weekly & Guest
Pair Bridge Competition & Guest

Mrs. Fatima Raza Mrs Nadera Shiek

10-July Sind Club Weekly & Guest
Pairs Bridge Competition & Guest
Mr. Bobby Sheik Mr. Mahmud Dossa
17-July Sind Club Weekly & Mrs Gulzar Dossa
Pairs Bridge Competition & Guest
Mr. Bobby Sheik Mr. Mahmud Dossa
24-July Sind Club Weekly & Mrs Gulzar Dossa
Pairs Bridge Competition & Guest

RUNNER UP
t WINNER
DATE FUTSAL Spurs
Sind Club Summer Futsal Tournament a h
5-July Spurs
Sind Club Ramadan Futsal Mini League Ku-Sc
19-July

SPORTS PROGRAMME
16th A ugust 2013 to 15th Septem ber 2013
Billiards Futsal
For members and male guests For members their families and guests
Quaid-i-Azam Centenary Mcginty Handicap W e e k l y Futsal *
Singles 2013 Every W e d n e s d a y /
Sunday, A ugust 18, 2013 Venue: Chi l d r e n Tennis Court _
Venue: Billiards Room Time: 8:00 p.m. onwards ^ ^
Time: To be determined
Basketball
Bridge For members their families and guests
For members their families and guests
"3 on Three" Basketball Tournament - 2013
Every Wednesday C o m m e n c i n g Thursday, A u g u s t 22, 2013
Venue: Khalid Ali Khan room < Venue: B asketball Court
Time: 06:00 p.m. onwards ^ / Time: To be deter m i n e d

Ladies Game Morning Volleyball

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 For members their families and guests
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Venue: Aviary W e e k l y V olleyball
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. E v e r y Mond a y
Venue: Ch i l d r e n Tennis Court
Time: 8:00 p.m. onwards
Cricket
For members their families and guests
Yoga Classes
W e e k ly Cricket Coaching For Ladies & Gents
(Only for members' children 8 to 13 E v e r y Monday, W e d n e s d a y & Friday
years old) Venue: O ld Bridge Ro o m
E very Saturday Time: 10:30 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.
Venue: Sind Club C o n d u c t e d by: Ke h k a s h a n N a d e e m
Time: 03:30 p.m. onwards A professional and certified Yoga ^teacher

W e e k l y Cricket Nets Sportathon Kids Championship 2013

Every Thursday Thursday, A u g u s t 22 onwards
Venue: Sind Club Age: 8-14
Time: 06:00 p.m. onwards Time: 4:00 p.m. to 06:00 p.m.
 Sind Club Events Calendar
16th August 2013 to 15th September 2013

AUGUST 2013 SEPTEMBER 2013

Fri - 16th August 2013 Sun - 01st September 2013
Movie Night at Pool Side Sunday Brunch

Sat -17th August 2013 Mon - 02nd September 2013

Club Buffet Lunch Dance Sessions with Anees Hussain
Deep End Lunch 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m
Tue - 03rd September 2013
Sun - 18th August 2013 Billiards Evening Bara Khana
Sunday Brunch For Members and Male Guests
Mon - 19th August 2013 Bara Khana "Bell" will be rung at 09:30 p.m.
Dance Sessions with Anees Hussain Venue: Billiard Room Time: 07:30 p.m.
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Wed - 04th September 2013
Club Buffet Lunch
Thu - 05th September 2013
Jazz Evening
7:30 p.m. onwards

Tue - 20th August 2013

Billiards Evening Bara Khana
Wed - 21st August 2013
Club Buffet Lunch
Thu - 22nd August 2013
Dance Sessions with Anees Hussain
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Fri - 23rd August 2013 Dance Sessions with Anees Hussain
Karaoke Night 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m
10:00 p.m. 1:00 a.m. Sat - 07th September 2013
Sat - 24th August 2013 Club Buffet Lunch
Club Buffet Lunch Casablanca Night

Fez Night (No Smoking Event) Sun - 08th September 2013

Guest Couples can be invited Sunday Brunch
10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Mon - 09th September 2013
Sun - 25th August 2013 Dance Sessions with Anees Hussain
Sunday Brunch 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m

Mon - 26th August 2013 Wed - 11th September 2013

Dance Sessions with Anees Hussain Club Buffet Lunch
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Thu - 12th September 2013
Wed - 28th August 2013 Dance Sessions with Anees Hussain
Club Buffet Lunch 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m
Piano Recital

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