Chinky and Pinky in Lahore

Though I did not attend the Literacy Fair (as I insist on calling these shows), I did meet the good Vishwajyoti Ghosh and Nishtha (whose last name I never asked) together with their colleague Tasungtetla, nicknamed Atet. Together with our one and only Ahmad Rafay Alam, they came to dinner on Sunday, 23 February.

Now, Nishtha is slightly built while Atet is a big girl, tall and large-boned. Nishtha’s grandparents were from Lahore and Atet is a native of Nagaland in the far northeast of India. And if you don’t know that, that is what makes the Indian subcontinent the most interesting part of the world: Nagaland is just another country whose people are a beautiful mixture of Chinese and Indo-Aryan blood. Naturally enough Atet has a button nose, high cheek bones and somewhat chinky eyes.

We talked of everything under the sky and at some point the Lahori sense of humour was mentioned. The girls had a beautiful story to tell. This particular day, Nishtha was dressed in pink and the two were walking from Liberty Market to the terminus of the Lahore-Delhi bus only a few steps away when they saw this young man walking towards them.

As he came abreast, sizing up the girls with approval, this true Lahori said what only a Lahori could ever have conjured up. ‘Chinky and Pinky!’ And he continued to walk right past. Atet says she did not even register but Nishtha simply cracked up. Later when Nishtha told Atet what she had heard, both had a good laugh. Both believe Lahoris are the most observant devils ever because at that moment Atet had on dark glasses hiding her eyes!

I asked Atet if she was ever going to write of this little gem. At some point, she said. So with her permission, I post this beautiful example of how Lahoris did their thing once upon a time, a time that is now lost upon us.

If it has to be Indian girls who will awaken the slumbering Lahori spirit, I say open the floodgates. Let them in.

Related: What makes Lahore so special?