Perfect weather and an easy ride for everyone...it’s on the road so all kinds of bicycles can join!

We will cycle to the Rose and Jasmine Garden -a public space located within the recreational area of Shakarparian -near the Sports Complex on Kashmir Highway. The park contains numerous kinds of roses, over 10 kinds of jasmine, and an array of other flowers. A horticulturists haven,the garden hosts many festivals and flower shows annually!

Here is your chance to relive the bygone era at this very special 'Royal Hyderabad Deccan' cuisine event!

'The real gems were in the kitchens of the fabled Nizams of Hyderabad Deccan, of the Indian Subcontinent- and not in their treasury… the ‘'haute cuisine" became a princely legacy as it began to further develop under their patronage…’

Hyderabadi /Deccani culinary style of cooking and presentation is an amalgamation of South Asian, Mughal, Turkic, and Arabic-along with the local Telangana and Marathwada influences. It comprises a broad repertoire of rice, wheat and meat dishes and the skilled use of various spices, herbs and natural edibles...slow cooked to divine perfection, the taste lingers on- because it is not just simple food- it is heritage!

Nida Aamer has been cooking and catering for over fifteen years and comes from a couple of generations of cooking connoisseurs. She enjoys sharing her love of cooking with other foodies like us! She will be making a few of the most famous dishes like the delicious Biryani, Mirchi ka salaan, Bhagarey Baingan, Special Achaar ghost… and for dessert- the utterly divine Double Ka Meetha...not to be missed.

Join us and indulge!

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING ASG'S 49TH. ANNIVERSARY!

"Ishq"( The Passion)- the musical staged at the prestigious Saddlers Wells theatre in London- produced by Serendip Productions- is Pakistan’s first Anglo- Punjabi- Sufi musical based on the immortal legend of ‘Heer Ranjha’ one of the most famous Punjabi romantic tragedies in South Asian literature.

It predates Shakespeare’s era and is often claimed that the bard may have been inspired by the tale for his famous Romeo and Juliet!

In 2017…the musical celebrated 70 years of Pakistan’s independence and Pakistan / UK friendship by bringing together talent from both countries for an extravaganza of song and dance that ran to critical acclaim.

In a recap…the director Huma & Dr. Farooq Beg will take us back on a journey of how this mega premier musical was brought to the stage in a record time of three months!

Through behind the scenes scenarios, video clips, interviews and audience reactions the director gives us an insight into the trials and tribulations, the agony and ecstasy of working with and within two diverse cultures to create a show that is not just a love story, but also a powerful portrayal of women empowerment!

Established in 1997 by Huma Mustafa Beg and Dr. Farooq Beg- an International, award-winning producer & director duo...Serendip Productions is one of Pakistan's premier fully integrated Production & Media Communication Company based in Islamabad,

'ISHQ'

• Producer: Huma Beg
• Direction & lyrics: Dr. Farooq Beg
• Script: Mushfiq Murshed
• Music: Emu (Fusions band) & Ian Brandon
• Choreography: Suhaee Abro & Owen smith

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Heer Ranjha is part of the 'Qissa' genre of tragic love stories- as the plot involves a romance opposed by family members and ends with the two lovers dying. One of several popular tragic romances of Punjab, There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being Heer by Waris Shah written in 1766 who stated that the story has a deeper meaning, referring to the unrelenting quest that man has towards God...

AS LEGEND GOES:

Heer, an extremely beautiful woman, belongs to a wealthy Rajput family & Ranjha, to the tribe of Jats. He is the youngest of four brothers and lives in the village of Takht Hazara by the river Chenab in Punjab. Being his father's favourite son, unlike his brothers who toil in the lands, he leads a life of ease, playing the flute.

In Waris Shah's version of the epic, after his father’s death-Ranjha leaves home because his brothers' wives refuse to pander to him.Eventually he arrives in Heer's village and falls in love with her. She -mesmerized by the way he plays his flute – reciprocates. They meet each other secretly until they are caught by Heer's uncle, the evil Kaido.. Heer is forced by her family to marry another man.

Ranjha heartbroken wanders the countryside alone, until eventually he meets a Jogi (ascetic), and becomes a Jogi himself, piercing his ears and renouncing the material world. While reciting the name of the Lord, he wanders all over Punjab, eventually finding the village where Heer now lives. Finally Heer's parents agree to their marriage…but alas- On the wedding day, Kaido poisons her food and she dies. Hearing this news, Ranjha rushes to her, but is too late. Brokenhearted, once again, he eats the remaining poisoned food and dies by her side. They are buried in Heer's hometown, Jhang.

Love-smitten couples and others often pay visits to their tomb to seek benediction...

Join us for an exciting and thought provoking evening showcasing the talents of a cast of rising stars, each of whom brings their own unique style, voice and perspective to the page. A collection of poetry in English, that cleverly uses language to explore a range of themes, inviting passionate responses and critical reflection. The presentations do not shy away from challenging topics and subject matter!

Curated by poet Risham Amjad, the readings will feature poetry written in English- and read by Islamabad based poets, among them Syed Jarri Haider, Mavra Tanveer as well as Risham Amjad herself. Their work has appeared in print and online journals here and abroad…

A rare opportunity to see how early Islamabad looked like ...and has evolved over time!

Gerard Brigden OBE. This British former fighter pilot turned architect was seconded to Pakistan by the management of the Colombo Plan in 1962. He spent approximately six years supervising the construction of the new capital city, as well as finding time to design some of Islamabad's first buildings: the Covered Market in G/6, the Polyclinic, the MNA hostel, as well as many of the government residential blocks in sector G/7.

Unfortunately he never got the recognition he deserved from any Pakistani Government entity or department of that time.

In 2006- however- Gerard Brigden was invited to return to Islamabad to an official welcome by the British High Commission and in a splendid ceremony by the Pakistan Institute of Architects, he was presented with the key of the city !

He has left a legacy of buildings and art work that will endure into the future. Now 55 years after he left our shores, through the presentation of original drawings, blueprints, and photographs donated by Gerard's son, we hope to shed some light on this forgotten hero of Islamabad!

Pakistan became independent and a member of the Commonwealth in 1947, with its capital at Karachi. This city, however, was unsuitable as a long-term capital and the Pakistani government set up a commission in 1958 to select the most suitable site for a new national capital. It chose an area in the north of the country, on the Potohar plateau below the Himalayan foothills and close to Rawalpindi, lying on the historic route from Tehran to Calcutta.

The Greek architect and town planner, CA Doxiadis, who had been an adviser to the commission, was selected in 1959 to prepare the master plan of the city that was to be, in 1960, named as Islamabad. The resultant plan was a grid of principal roads about two kilometres apart that fanned out from an administrative centre south-west towards Rawalpindi.

The diplomatic enclave was planned just to the south-east of the administrative sector and bounded by the Murree Highway and the National Park. Within this area, sites for offices and head of mission residences were to be slightly separated from the residential accommodation of other staff…

Guest Presenter: Jahangir Khan Sherpao

Architect /a City and Regional Planner.

Served as:

• President of the Institute of Architects Pakistan
• President of ARCASIA (Architects Regional Council Asia).

Awarded:

• The Presidential Medal from AIA American Institute of Architects
• Presidents Medal from RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects)
• The100 years Gold medal by the Society of Egyptian Architects

Honorary membership

• The American Institute of Architects & The Institute of Australian Architects

The magical world of night cycling!

There are many benefits that come with cycling at night that can have a positive effect on your mind, body, and soul, such as dealing with less traffic and increased fitness.

Join us for the ASG 2022’s last 'night' ride around the Constitution avenue and check out on the beautifully lit buildings... somehow it all looks so different !

Director: John Guillermin

Screenplay: Anthony Shaffer, based on the novel by Agatha Christie

Academy Award: Costume Design

Cast: Peter Ustinov, Jane Birkin, Lois Chiles, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Jon Finch, Olivia Hussey, I.S. Johar, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Simon MacCorkindale, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Jack Warden, Harry Andrews, Sam Wanamaker, Celia Imrie, Saeed Jaffrey

During a honeymoon cruise down the Nile an heiress (Lois Chiles) is found murdered. Many of her traveling companions on the ship immediately become suspects. Is the killer her new husband (Simon MacCorkindale) or is it the husband’s jilted fiancé (Mia Farrow). Other suspects are a flamboyant author (Angela Lansbury), who was being sued by the dead woman for libel; the author’s daughter (Olivia Hussey); a rich dowager (Bette Davis) who coveted the heiress’ jewels; a traveling companion (Maggie Smith) who was wronged in the past by the deceased; her attorney (Jack Warden) who was trying to swindle her and a communist (Jon Finch) who is against the rich. Also traveling on the ship is the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov). Bodies begin piling up until Poirot gathers the survivors into a single room, and in classic Christie fashion begins laying out who did what to whom.

A clever, witty, well-plotted, beautifully produced and splendidly acted screen version of Agatha Christie’s mystery. This old-fashioned stylized entertainment is shot completely on location in Egypt.

Outside Islamabad: Foreigners/ diplomats will require NOC to participate.

Miranjani at 2980m (9800ft) is the highest mountain of the Galiyat region. The hike is around 5Km long (one way) and has stunning views of the beautiful valleys and the Himalayas of Kashmir. If lucky, we may get a glimpse of the mighty Nanga Parbat from the top. We will take the road via Murree and it will take us about an hour and a half to reach Nathia gali from where the hike will start.

Our transport will be coaster with limited seats. It is recommended to bring your own snacks and drinks to avoid depending on the local shops as much as possible.

Wear sturdy shoes; bring a bottle of drinking water, and your picnic lunch/ snacks. Dress appropriately.

Don’t forget your camera/phone for some special memories!

Hike Rating is Hard (same as Trail3 hike) with a distance of around 10Km for the complete loop.

Shogran, one of the most beautiful plateaus in Kaghan Valley is situated 219 km from Islamabad. It takes about six hours to reach here via Abbottabad, Mansehra, Balakot and Kawai. Surrounded by thick pine forests and with an altitude of 2,362m, the autumn climate of Shogran is pleasantly cold in October. From Shogran you have a breathtaking view of Kaghan Valley’s snow covered peaks such as Musa Ka Musalla (4,419m), Makra (3,885m) and Malika Parbat (5,290m).

We have planned two options within the same trip.

Option-I

For participants that are interested in easy walks: Shogran and day excursion trip to Sari Paya by Jeep.

Option-II

For hardcore hikers - Climb Makra Mountain from Paya.

Programme:

On Friday - we will drive in a coaster to Shogran with couple of photo/refreshment stops en route. Shogran will be our base station where we will stay for two nights in a comfortable hotel. Afternoon will be free to walk around Shogran to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery.

On Saturday- we will go by 4x4 jeeps to Sari and Paya.

Option-I Members-will walk around the place and enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of mountains from the ridge of Paya, Paya at 3,079 is a lush green meadow with spectacular view of Malika Parbat and other snow covered mountains of Kaghan Valley. This group will come back to Shogran b 4x4 jeeps in the afternoon will be free for rest and recreation.

Option-II will go to Paya by 4x4 jeeps and climb Makra Mountain (3,885m). They will return to Shogran in late afternoon using the trekking route.

We will come back to Shogran by jeeps and spend the night at the hotel.

On Sunday- Free tme for rest and recreation in Shogran till 11.am. We will leave for Islamabad at around 11.30 am and reach Islamabad in the afternoon with a lunch stop at Abbottabad.

SUMMER CLASSICS!

Director: Anthony Harvey

Screenplay: James Goldman, based on his play

Cast: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, Timothy Dalton, Jane Merrow, Nigel Stock, Kenneth Griffith

In its simplest terms the film is about a family getting together at Christmas and squabbling amongst themselves. But this is no ordinary family as it delves back into 12th century British history and dissects the poisonous relationships between King Henry II (Peter O'Toole), his wife Queen Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn) and their three sons - Richard (Anthony Hopkins in one of his first big screen appearances), Geoffrey (John Castle) and John (Nigel Terry). Also invited into the fray are the young King Phillip II of France (Timothy Dalton) - the son of Eleanor's ex-husband (King Louis VII) by his third wife and a former lover of Richard - and Alais (Jane Merrow) - daughter of Eleanor's ex-husband by his second wife, and Phillip's half sister who is betrothed to Richard but is mistress to Henry.

A convoluted set of relationships which, during the gathering, explodes into a potpourri of scheming, lying and manipulation as each character tries to safeguard their position. Although the play's title refers to the King it is the Queen who gets the best lines and Katharine Hepburn gleefully runs with it parrying with everyone around, a perpetual smile on her face, as she knocks off the witty dialogue and at the same time letting slip her vulnerability which she mostly keeps masked. Her main battle is with her husband, who has had her imprisoned for the last ten years but has allowed her out of prison during the holiday season to discuss passing on the realm to one of their sons. She favors the brave soldier, Richard, while he favors the younger son John who he knows is an incapable coward. Geoffrey, the middle son, is like his mother - a cold, calculating schemer devoid of love from both his parents and willing to sell everyone around him to stay alive. Despite all their animosity towards each other the Royal couple deep down still love each other but have reached a stage in their lives when all the scheming and betrayals through the years have usurped the true love each had for the other. It's now come down to the matter of trying to survive through all the games being played around them.

Harvey superbly handles his cast and successfully opens up the play with many scenes set in the open countryside, on the river, on hilltops and on the beach. Mostly the drama takes place inside the imposing walls of the dank, dark filthy castle. Extremely literate film with a wonderful cast and production values.