La-Whore!

"Lahore—the ancient whore, the handmaiden of dimly remembered Hindu kings, the courtesan of Moghul Emperors, bedecked and bejeweled, savaged by marauding hordes. Healed by the caressing hands of successive lovers. A little shoddy... like an attractive but ageing concubine, ready to bestow surprising delights on those who cared to court her—proudly displaying Royal gifts," writes Bapsi Sidhwa in her introduction, quoting from one of her earlier books, "A Pakistani Bride" in her latest anhotlogy on the city, "City of Sin and Splendour: Writings on Lahore".
Having always been fascinated by the city and brought up on a generous diet of stories, movies and tid-bits of factoids about the city, I've always wanted to visit it as it is. My first brushes with this city was through an Indian "tale of two cities" which was aired once a week on National TV called "Buniyaad", then came Chugtai and Manto, "Garam Hawa" and "Tamas" and ofcourse the cricket matches with camera panning to capture "honey shots" of stunning women wearing shades. Probably I have a fixation with Pakistani women, I don't know.
The city's discussion can't be complete without it's domes, minarets, Kinnaird College , gardens and it' s red light area, Hira Mandi (and the eating place there, Cuckoo's).
The City has bled, turning the waters of the Raavi red but has endured the gashes and stabs to have come out scarred and mellowed. There probably is something about Lahore like Lucknow and Delhi which is dying but ... isn't that a part of the continual evolution? Probably I can sometime visit the city which is like a "bitch in heat on a sultry summer afternoon" before the cycle of evolution moves over...