HAPPENING

 Reviving the magic - qissa khuwani tradition

Peshawar and its neighbouring areas have been in news recently for all the wrong reasons. I really don’t want you to bring ‘terror’ or ‘terrorist’ to your mind while reading this because there is so much more to the city than what we’ve been witnessing of late. For instance, it seems like eons ago, but there was a time when young and adults alike would flock around and listen, enthralled, to storytellers as they talked of their adventures far and wide, when a gathering as such was not only normal, but also looked forward to instead of opting for the ‘kindle’ version. They were professionals who knew how to entertain the local folk and passersby well with their stock of epic dramas. This is how I was introduced to Peshawar’s Qissa Khuwani Bazaar or rather to its historic legacy. Times changed, yes, but its charm didn’t diminish. And so for someone who never had the chance to travel to the city and visit this famous site of Pakistan, I was all eager to attend the event – Qissa Khuwani Nights – that was arranged by Mövenpick Hotel, Karachi.

Two things tickled me when I first saw the invite: “experience the authentic Peshawari food, prepared by expert chefs especially flown in from Peshawar” and that “the ambiance will have [traditional] elements”.  Who can say ‘no’ to that? When a ticket to spend a Friday night includes enjoying the special delicacies like chapli kebab in the buffet dinner or sipping Peshawari chai, sitting on a char pai, your back against those bolster pillows (aka gao-takkiya), as you let your imagination drift listening to the songs and music, and watching the lamp flicker in the wind seems perfect as anything, who wouldn’t have done anything to bribe their younger brother to accompany them? I would; in fact, I did!

My obsession with punctuality meant that we were the few attendees who chose to be at the venue at 7:30 p.m. sharp on January 29. (In hindsight, whoever in Karachi could dream of having their dinner at 7 p.m?)   Organised by the poolside,  the occasion had a romantic touch; the light breeze caressing us and the stars shining above were cues the stage was all set for this ‘Bazaar of Storytellers’ (Qissa Khuwani) to commence.

Unfortunately, the inauguration was delayed. It did give me time to assemble the details in order though. “The three-day gala, held from January 29 to January 31 2016, is one of the three events planned for this quarter,” I was told by their management. “Inspired by the historic Qissa Khuwani Bazaar in Peshawar, where traders from various ethnicities used to discuss their stories over a cup of kava at the market’s tea houses, it’s the second time on a yearly-basis that the hotel is hosting this event, with the aim to cater to the Pathan community who have a hard time finding good, authentic cuisine to remind them of what’s native to their hometown.” But then it was also open to guests so it would be more prudent to say the event literally invited ‘everyone [who wished] to experience Pakistan’s early history.’

“The chefs – Haji Anaar Gul, Haji Anzar Gul, Haji Shafiullah – preparing this buffet dinner belong to Namak Mandi, Peshawar.” I was assured that dishes like Lamb Chops, Peshawari Pullao (Kabuli Style), and Kandhari Nan were not messed with in any way. Also knowing that these chefs were masters in the art, cooking the same dishes since generations, I needed to taste only to know why exactly they were so popular back home.

Looking around the food (including dry fruits) and handicraft stalls, I was certainly impressed by the whole concept. However, contradictory to their focus on ‘achieving culinary excellence fulfilling the market needs and expectations’, there were some blunders which surprised me. We didn’t get to hear any folk singers while positioning musicians at the other end of the pool was also disheartening since it lessened their importance in the whole scenario. And, not that the invite promised it, but personally I would have loved it more if there was a session of stories around a bonfire. That was all; the rest was really a night well spent.

I savoured every bit of food that I tasted. Had it been humanly possible to have gone to an essentially Peshawari cuisine and not tried the traditional, steaming Peshawari kahwa from the teeny tiny pyalay it was offered in, I might have bid adieu. It was not, but I do have to say that even as it tasted good, luckily it’s not going to be my preference over the local dhabay ki doodhpatti (associated with Pathans here). 

Where in olden days the Qissa Khuwani Bazaar was said to be THE hotspot to while away time, the incentive becomes the perfect opportunity for families and connoisseurs to connect and bond over Peshawari cuisine. With hosts exuding similar impression from the garbs they were dressed in and the colourful, eclectic shops of brass, marble, and wood souvenirs; tribal trinkets; and a cobbler, the event was enchanting in its own right, in Karachi and not KPK, something I’d take note to tell my Pathan friend about the next time she’s in town. She wouldn’t mind the 1995+tax/person bill in exchange to this variety.