Lahori women are beautiful

* French artiste says travelling in rickshaws needs faith in God

By Hina Farooq

LAHORE: Lahori women are very beautiful and have sharp features, said Django Reinharut, member of French band Caravan Quartet that is performing at the World Performing Arts Festival (WPAF).

Reinharut said he had fallen in love with Pakistani women, food and music. He said Pappu Saeen was fascinating with the dhol (drum). He said Pakistani and Indian cultures were alike. He had seen many Indian performances in Paris, but since there were not many Pakistani performances in France, this was the first time he was seeing the diversity of the Pakistani culture at the WPAF. However, said Reinharut, Pakistani music was no new thing to the French. He said the music of Zakir Hussain, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Zahoor Saeen was as familiar to the French as their food. He said Lahore was full of people. “There are people and activity everywhere,” he said.

Reinharut was amazed how Pakistanis trusted the rickshaw so much. “You need to have faith in God to travel in that funky cart.” He said the only way to travel in the rickshaw was to “close your eyes as you get in and open them only when you reach your destination”.

“At Lahore, I saw the most beautiful mosque in the world – the Badshahi Masjid,” Reinharut said. He said he had seen many mosques all over the world, but Badshahi Masjid’s redbrick structure fascinated him the most.

He said the WPAF was a treat to watch. He said it gave a diverse viewing because it showed many cultures of the world.

Caravan Quartet is visiting Pakistan for the second time in five years to perform at the World Performing Arts Festival and the French Centre. The band has held more than 400 concerts worldwide and has five albums to its credit. Reinharut said the band worked on manouche jazz, a combination of gypsy jazz and Afro-Cuban notes. The band’s performances at the WPAF are a fusion of swing and manouche jazz. Reinharut said the band was trying to fuse in some Pakistani effect into its performances at the WPAF. He added that the group was reviving the music of the 1930s combined with some contemporary compositions.