Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Last Word by Hanif Kureishi

Typical of Kureishi’s style, but not as good and interesting as his last novel (Something To Tell You), this is a tempestuous story of a literary novelist (Mamoon Azam), an Indian immigrant who moves to England as a student, who commissions a young writer (Harry) to write his biography. In old age, and with struggling book sales and depleting income, the septuagenarian novelist sees his biography as a good publicity stunt and to come full circle with ‘the last word’.

A game of wits ensues: finely-crafted and hilarious series of incidents that see the novelist resisting the biographer’s piercing questions, interviews he’s always evading, withholding vital information, not wanting the curtain of secrecy to lift from his past, and basically requiring the biographer to write a loud paean hailing the great services the novelist has rendered to the post-colonial literature.

Things begin to fall apart when the biographer insists on interviewing a lover of the novelist whom he’d dumped for an Italian fashionista. The biographer is put through a lot of mental pressures, but he comes out with the book when the novelist suffers multiple strokes and goes bedridden, but at the cost of losing his partner and mother of his twins to the dying novelist’s amorous advancements.

It’s a dark satire of the modern literary world, its penchant for showering plaudits on writers who can be best described as mediocrities, of the necessities of the publishing business, and duping the public with what’s worthwhile and that what is not. The narrative also critiques the faux halo of superiority around great writers: they are normal people like us, not necessarily more intelligent than non-writers, but certainly special as ‘word-masters’, but despite all, they have the same fears and desires like the rest of us.

But I have to say, Kureishi’s characters are perfect examples of a Freudian world in which everyone responds to their libido in a freewheeling, uninhibited way. In fact, a person’s life trajectory is dictated by their privates. Fidelity is not possible, no one is happy with their spouses or partners for long, and there comes inevitable infidelity, adultery, and sexual depravity – an unavoidable reality that is much challenged and condemned by our social mores, albeit unsuccessfully.

Kureishi expends a lot of space pontificating on the relationship between love and desire and whether both are compatible. It seems they are not, if honesty be made the judge.

Filled with piercing insights, loaded with cleverly-crafted sentences, charged with politically incorrect statements (‘surely’, says the character of Mamoon to a black feminist academic, ‘being black isn’t an entire career these days, is it?’) and a clever laying out of the story through long and interesting dialogue-writing, it’s quite an enjoyable novel.

Living conditions in multi-storey flats for low income




Living conditions in multi-storey flats for low income

The study design will include these headings as follows:
•           Introduction
•           Literature Review
•           Methodology
                        Instrument (interview guide)
•           Data analysis
•           Conclusion and Recommendation
Introduction:
“Buildings or structures that individuals and their family may live in that meet certain federal regulations. Different housing situations vary for individuals and may depend on age, family, and geographic location.” This was the brief definition of housing. As the world’s population is increasing terribly especially under develop countries are suffering with this serious problem. Housing is considered as the basic necessity of Life. Every one need a shelter and it is state’s responsibility to provide basic necessities of life to their citizens. Housing is defined as urban issue but now all parts of countries are suffering with this problem. Everyone needs a shelter and safety there and depends on the economic condition of person or it's the tact of person's to choose owns houses.  Some people prefer to live in a house, while others feel that there are more advantages to living in an apartment/flat.
With the advancement of science and technology, there is a vast improvement in the structural and architectural engineering. In the modern world, we could see the people staying in independent houses as well as in the apartments based on their necessity, comfort and social needs.
Firstly, security is one of the primary concerns of the people. In the houses, features like security, sanitation provisions, gardening, taking care of any other requirements will be whole responsibility of the house owner. Whereas, apartments are built for a group of families, who can stay in flat and form a community. They themselves will establish a small body which governs the community by taking care of providing all the provisions required like security guard, employing the workers to keep the apartment clean and neat, taking care of water facilities, sanitation, providing escalators, parking slots, etc. This provides lot of scope, thereby distributing the work among the respective families.
Secondly, in apartments people can develop socialization, celebrate festivals, can organize events etc. In a small area of land, large number of families can stay, by having the basic amenities like gymnasium, garden, swimming pool, jogging track, conventional hall to have parties, playground, etc.
In case of houses, having all the facilities available in the apartment's scales up the cost of maintenance, increasing the burden of the house owner. But individual houses will have the privacy, ownership of the property, no disturbance from the neighbor’s and there won't be any restrictions. With the help of this study we will be able to know the problems of low income housing, their social and financial, environmental factor.
The shortfall of five million units around the country has increased the housing problem in Pakistan, particularly in big cities. The government has also failed to devise a comprehensive and long-term strategy to cope with the problem that has resulted in congestion and overcrowding in cities, consultant engineers of different organizations told PPI on Saturday.
The 1998 census showed that there were 19.3 million housing units in Pakistan. Among them, 67.7 percent were located in rural areas and 32.3 percent in urban areas. The fifth housing census revealed that 34.8 percent houses in the country were made from the mud of unbaked bricks, 58.2 percent were made from baked bricks, concrete blocks or stones while 7.3 percent houses in the rural areas and 1.4 percent in urban areas were made from bamboo or wood covered with thatching.
The representatives of the Punjab Contractors Association said that the government should provide soft loans to people for the construction of houses and also the interest rate on loans given by the House Building Finance Corporation should be reduced. They also demanded that the construction industry should be given incentives to help end the slump in this sector.




Literature Review:
Apartments or flats seem to be not a popular choice in Lahore. In general people prefer to have single storey houses. The weather of Lahore and the lack of constant winds make flats very harsh choice. In Lahore there also seems to be a social perspective of people, they want to live in single storey houses because of the dominant social views.
Muhammad Nisar said that the housing problem in big cities including Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Multan and Hyderabad was getting complex. He said that the government should construct housing schemes in the suburbs of big cities. He added that the housing problem could not be solved without the government’s support.(Daily Times) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk
The consultant engineers said that the housing problems were increasing in the country owing to the concerned authorities’ lack of interest. They stated that if immediate steps were not taken, the problem would become more complicated.(Daily Times) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk
The rate of rural-urban migration in Pakistan is rapidly increasing. According to Murtaza Haider Assistant Professor of the school of urban planning, McGill University:
 “Over the next 25 years the urban population in Pakistan is likely to increase by 140%. This dramatic increase in urban populations will add another 80 million to the urban population in Pakistan bringing the total urban population to 130 million people.”
According to Dr. Nouman Ahmad, 45 percent population in urban Sindh and 50% in urban Punjab lives in one room house.(An overview of present housing crisis in Pakistan and a way forward by Dr. Noman Ahmed)
Currently, Pakistan has an overall housing backlog exceeding 6 million units with an annual addition of 300,000 units – based upon conservative estimates from the Population Census of 1998 and the National Housing Policy of 2001. Roughly 30-40 percent of the demand is addressed by mainstream developers who cater to the high-end market. The remaining units fall under the category of the low-income segment.
Objectives:
The objective of this study is to know about the living conditions of the residents of flats in Lahore, to know about their environmental or social issues.
Methodology:
The survey was carried out in the flats in Lahore, two flat housing schemes are selected which are:
1-      Model Town Q Block Dhalay Flats
2-     Rewaz Garden Flats Lahore.
5% of population was selected from each. I visited both Model town Q block and Rewaz Garden flats and selected 5% of population as sample. My total population was 1514 and randomly selected sample was 77.





Schemes
Category
Numbers
Company
Rewaz Garden
Flats
380
Housing and physical planning department 1974.
Model Town Q block(Dhala stop)
Flats
1138
Lahore Development Authority


A Chronological review of housing policies:
1949
a.      Newly formed Ministry of Rehabilitation was entrusted the responsibility of housing the refugees.
b.      Locations identified.
c.       Blue prints made for refugee colonies and displaced people’s  townships.
·         1955-60 First Five year Plan
a.      – Major emphasis was laid on housing.
b.      – 10 percent of public sector spending was allocated for the purpose.
c.       – Government focused on direct inputs/expenditures in the housing sector.
·         1960-65 Second Five Year Plan
a.      Approach remained the same as first five-year plan.
b.      Government remained directly involved in the planning, execution and management of the housing.
c.       Shortfall started appearing in urban sectors.
d.      First generation of squatter settlements became prominent as a repercussion of policy failure.
·         1965-70 Third Five Year Plan
a.      Private sector was encouraged to participate in housing development.
b.      Tax incentives were provided.
c.       Government spending shrank.
d.      Public funds were diverted to the construction of capitals in Islamabad and Dhaka.
·         Fourth and Fifth Five Year Plans
a.       Maintained emphasis on public sector control of housing development.
b.      Land development and allocation was a key control in this respect.
c.       Credit facilities from HBFC started expanding.
·         1983-88 Sixth Five Year Plan
a.      Sharp decline appeared in housing related public investment.
b.      Policy makers concluded that housing is a capital intensive exercise where government alone cannot play a direct role.
c.       However land allotment and supply remained tightly controlled by the government.
·         1988-93 Seventh Five Year Plan
a.      Support to housing process.
b.      Government formally recognized the informal housing/squatters programmes for KATCHI ABADI UP-GRADATION formed.
c.       Informal supply of land was thus formally accepted.
• 1993-98 Eight Five Year Plan
a.      Aimed at increasing the provision of land. Land acquisition programmes were planned for local agencies.
b.      Comprehensive land information system was planned.
c.       Reforms in land registration laws were proposed.
·         1998-2003 Ninth Five Year Plan
a.      Emphasis on private sector participation.
b.      Reduction in the direct support of the government in housing Provision
·         National Housing Policy 2002
a.      Recognition of prevailing housing conditions in the country.
b.      Emphasis of implementation on local bodies.
c.       Federal government limiting its role to a ‘facilitator’.           
Number of Houses in Lahore
According to the 1998 Census there are 881,708 units in Lahore District. Out of these 82.9% are in URBAN Areas and the remaining stock is in RURAL Areas. Whereas the 1980 Census gave the total figure of units as 536,724 in the whole District which included 83.4%of housing units in urban areas.
It will be interesting to note that between 1981 and 1998 population increased 3.46% per annum whereas the stock during this period increased 2.79% only. This shows that the increase in the stock has not kept pace with the growth in population. This depicts the non- affordability of housing by the lower income group resulting in the increase in household size.
LAHORE
1980
1998
INCREASE/ANNUM (%)
No.
%
No.
%
District
536,724
100.0
881,708
100.0
2.79
Urban
447,509
83.4
731,348
82.9
2.76
Rural
89,215
16.6
150,360
17.1
2.94

Housing Demand:
Based on last inter-census population growth rate, the demand for housing in the LMA has been worked out. The annual requirement would be around 30,000 housing units just to take care of the increase in population.
Average Annual Demand for Housing Units in Urban and Rural Areas of Lahore District (March 1998-June2001)
Sr No
Locality
Population
Average Housing Size
Housing units
Average annual Demand
1998
2001
Increase
1
Ex-Mcl
4577744
5652507
464760
7.1
65459
20,141
2
Cantonment
565751
659074
93327
6.9
13526
4162
3
Other urban Areas
65593
73305
7712
7.3
1056
325
4
All urban Areas
5209088
5774886
565799
7.1
80,004
24628
5
Rural Areas
1109657
1266953
197296
7.4
21256
6540
The supply in the formal housing market does not exceed 2500 plots per annum. Out of this meager a large number is held by the speculators resulting in further distortions in the housing market.
Historical Population Lahore
The gap between demand and supply results in illegal sub-division of agricultural lands situated in the peripheral areas, especially between Ferozpur Road and Harike Road in the South-East. This is how to shelter needs of the middle and lower income group who are in immediate need of Land to construct houses is largely being met. Those who do not afford to buy a piece of Land they tend to squat and live in Jhuggies thus making addition to the ever increasing housing backlog.
Various estimates have been made to indicate housing backlog in Lahore. The Master Plan for Greater Lahore (1966) estimated housing shortage to be between 39,086 and 80,399 dwelling units, whereas the LUDTS (1980) estimated this backlog to be as high as 300,000 dwelling units. The recent (2001) estimated worked out by NESPAK indicate the present backlog in Lahore District (Urban) to be around 154,000 house units as detailed below:


Urban Population in Lahore district
5, 774, 886
Houses required (assuming optimum HH size of 6)
962, 481
Existing housing stock
808, 484
Housing backlog
153, 997

Government Housing Schemes
            Government housing schemes are  provided by PHATA, LDA and PHA.
Provision of Serviced Plots by LDA
Plot Size
Plots
Percentage
2 K
5,237
4.8
1 K
17,897
16.4
10 M
32,557
29.8
7 M
6,702
6.1
5 M
23,195
21.2
3 M
20,936
19.2
2.5 M
2,701
2.5
Total
109,225
100
MOHLANWAL SCHEME, LAHORE
Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation (PGSHF) was established as a corporate body under the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation Act, 2004, promulgated on 10.03.2004, to introduce a scheme for providing houses or plots on “no profit no loss” basis to Government Servants on their retirement or to their families in case of death during service.
Mohlanwal Scheme, Lahore Map





Tatal Area
1241 Kanals
Type of House
No. of Houses
Type ‘D’ (5-Marla)
597
Type ‘C’ (7-Marla)
334
Type ‘B’ (10-Marla)
303
Type ‘A’ (1-Kanal)
107

Ashiana Housing Project (AHP):
Objectives:
1.       Increase and improve the supply of housing, available and affordable to low and moderate income groups
2.      Establishment of a sustainable community living
3.      Ensuring decent and modern ambiance in each housing scheme
4.      Bringing down the cost of the houses while not compromising on the quality
5.      Making the project affordable for the target groups through easy installment plans
6.      Ensuring transparency and fair play at every step
Allotment/Eligibility Criteria:
1.       Target Population will be individuals having income less than Rs. 20,000 p.m.
2.      Monthly Installment of the allotted house not to exceed the monthly rent of same size of house.
3.      Speculation will be curbed at all cost.
4.      Special quota for widows, orphans and disabled.
5.      Nuclear Family
6.      Age Between 25 & 60 years. (Applicable for bank loan only)
7.      Living in a rented house or in joint family, the applicant should not posses his/her own house.
8.     Physical verification of the credentials of each applicant through third party
Salient Features of the Project:
External Infrastructure:
Transport (Lahore Only)
Internal infrastructure to cater for all the needs of decent and modern living:
·         Carpeted roads
·         Sewerage
·         Drainage
·         Water supply
·         Electrification
Amenities:
·         School
·         Open Spaces/Landscaping/Parks
·         Commercial Area
·         Graveyard
·         Entertainment
·         Community Centers
·         Health Clubs
·         Playing Grounds
·         Food Chains/Stalls
·         Management of Schemes by the community itself – Community
·         Executive Committees
Payment Plan:
1.       25% Advance, remaining amount to be paid in easy installments.
2.      Subsidy by the Government of Punjab on monthly installments.

Data Anylsis:

The survey showed that about 80% residents are female, whereas 20% male.
About 80% were housewives, about 15% had their own business, about 5% were students and a negligible number had private jobs.
About 5% had an income below 10000, 60% below 15000, over 30 had below 20000 and a negligible amount had over 25000.
Over 60% had 6-9 members, over 20% 3-6 and a negligible 1-3.
About 50% had 2 working members, 40% 1, 5% 3-4 and about 8% none.
Over 60% had rented flats and below 40% owned.
Over 50% had been living for 11-15 years, about 18% 16-20 and 1-5 years, about 10% 21-25 years and 5% 5-10 years.
Over 60% were from other areas of Lahore and below 40% were from outside Lahore.
Over 80% were from Punjab, and about 5% from Sindh and Balochistan.










100% had basic facilities.
Over 80% didn’t have internet and below 20% had.
50% were nutral, 40% had normal relationships and 10% werefriendly.
Over 60% found it uncomfortable, 20% dirty, 10% peaceful and about 5% noisy.







Conclusion:
From all the data collected and analysis of it, I’ve come to conclude that the living standard differs significantly in Rewaz garden and Q block, Model town flats. The people of Rewaz garden have a better life compared to that of Q block. The difference is based mainly on the structure and size of flats which is far better and spacious in Rewaz garden. The flats in Rewaz are mostly owned whereas that in Q-block are rented. This could also be because the people in Rewaz belong to middle class and that in Q block are either students or  belong to lower middle class. The people of Rewaz were satisfied with the ambiance and size of their apartments where as that from Q-block had contrary opinions.  Although government has provided both these places with basic facilites, the major cause of difference is the socio-economic conditions of people dwelling in these areas.









Special Thanks:
·         Zahid Bukhari, Architecture PHATA Lahore
·         Shaker Mahmood,
Assistant Professor
            Department of City and Regional Planning UET Lahore.
·         Irfan Bashir
Assistant Director, State development, LDA.