Why is Munni Begum Singing from the Bathroom?

I was told to have my bags packed and be ready to hit the road by 8 am. My hosts didn’t realize that I could’ve met this deadline in my sleep.

Its not everyday that you’re visiting Lahore after twenty years…

Two loaded cars and the four hour (and change) drive on the M2 motorway was uneventful except for when our driver felt nauseous and my cousin had to take over the wheels for a while. I guess he didn’t anticipate ever driving the driver but there’s a first time for everything. And since we were on the motorway (vs. GT Road), there flew my second chance to hit up Mian Jee’s for his legendary daal at Lala Musa (roughly half way between Islamabad and Lahore). I guess it was not meant to be…

It was around noon when we entered the outskirts of the city. Soon we were on Mall Road, entering the heavily fortified entrance of Hotel Avari right across from the Lahore Zoo. My cousin had booked two rooms for the Islamabadian entourage. Avari Lahore is nice (certainly better than its counterpart in Karachi) and the staff knew my cousin well since he was a regular.

The first item I checked off after settling in to my room was to inspect the bathroom (an old habit) both aesthetically and functionally. I closed the door shut and went on about my business (recall that I just endured a 4 hour drive)

And then it happened.

Munni Begum started singing. Her melodious voice, unmistakable. It had to be her.

For a fraction of a second, I felt an intense invasion of privacy. You know that horrifying feeling when you realize that you’re not the only occupant in what is supposed to be a very private place? That horror was immediately replaced by an extreme curiosity. Where the hell were the speakers? And finally, awe. How did Munni know I was in the bathroom?

Mind blowing.

A little, yet significant touch of Avari’s brilliance. A complimentary set of Ispaghol in each room.

My cousin had to attend some meetings so I was on my own for a few hours. I arranged for a rental (with a driver) and was on my way shortly after checking in. First stop? Bundu Khan. Dining hours started later in the day so I had to order and eat in my car, which felt strangely conspicuous. Perhaps it was a case of jitters, being by myself for the first time with nothing but my wits and placing trust in a driver who I had only known for 20 minutes (Bundu Khan is just down the road from Avari). Basically, my first culinary experience felt a bit (for lack of a better word) forced.

Not a bad way start things off in Lahore.

Now it was time be a typical tourist. Based on previous recommendations, I opted to check out the Lahore Museum. What’s interesting about Lahore Museum is that while its facade is drop dead gorgeous, the inside is anything but. It also didn’t help matters that I had to hand over both my cell phones to security before going in. The lack of a companion coupled with a decidedly dull interior pretty much guaranteed that I wasn’t going to stick around for long. The only section that I spent comparatively more time in was the pictorial history of the subcontinent from the tail end of the Mughal era all the way to the creation of Pakistan. Captivating, to say the least.

Side view of the museum facade

There was time for one more escapade before I was due back at the hotel and the Tomb of Jahangir was next on the list. My rental driver was a bit iffy on the location, but he got me there without much fanfare. This time, I asked him to accompany me instead of waiting in the car. I paid for his ticket and we strolled inside the courtyard. It was here when the city first tugged at my heartstrings.

Entrance

View from inside the tomb into the courtyard.

Here lies Emperor Jahangir.

View of the courtyard from the roof of the tomb.

Baba ji (caretaker) allowed us entry to the rooftop and one of the four pillars for a small donation. He wasn’t happy with how small it was.

View from pillar to pillar. These are angled outwards so if they were to break, they would crash outwards.

After paying respects to Jahangir, we drove back to the hotel in time to catch my cousin’s seminar on education. He introduced me to the seminars’ chief guest, Musharraf Ali Farooqui, a well known author, translator and essayist, who was giving a talk on how to tell stories to kids. The session was interactive and I enjoyed it a lot. Before the end of the seminar, I snuck out.

A master at work. Musharraf A Farooqi addressing his audience

Celebrity or not, Musharraf Ali Farooqui can’t compete with Lahori food and I had to give my two cents on dinner options. After much debate, we opted for Salt & Pepper Grill. Karachi boasts a branch of the same restaurant, but I heard the original flagship venue is the one in Lahore. The setup was the same and so were the culinary options. There’s something for everyone here. In other words, its one of those ‘you can’t go wrong’ kind of bets when you’re going with a large contingent with multiple age groups.

I had a Firni. Or two. Or perhaps I cropped the third one out? Who knows. What happens in Lahore, stays in Lahore.

Thus ended Day One in Lahore and the start of something beautiful. The next two days, an unforgettable crescendo.

Originally published at khashmi.wordpress.com on June 10, 2015.