Gul Bahao

Into the 21st century with new ideas from Gul Bahao

Gul Bahao CEO meets provincial parliamentarians for project Busti Benazir

Gul Bahao’s Nargis latif has been lobbying with provincial parliamentarians for its project Busti Benazir. For this she has met practically all the ministers and MPAs of the ruling party. Prominent among these are Mr Murad Ali shah, Rafiq Engineer, Nadir Magsi, Dost Muhammad Bhurt. Jam Mehtab, Manzoor Wassan, Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto etc. Nargis emphasized that this project is unique and bids farewell to all conventional modes of development in vogue. This is why it is called Benazir meaning unique, she explained. Nargis further explained that the project mirrors the People’s Party’s slogan of “Roti Kupra aur Makan”. She said that in the short run the project will provide low cost houses for the poorest of the poor while in the long run it will help to change the entire socio-economic condition of society, since it covers sectors of society as diverse as, health, business, agriculture, livestock, environment, education and housing. Having spent eight crores and spent sixteen years on its research activities, Gul Bahao is now in a position to advise the government on many developmental issues. Nargis said that it would be a pity if the government failed to make use of these hard earned inventions which are both simple and extremely cost effective. Further more Nargis claimed that since no one in the world has come up with these innovations, they would make a big name for the country as well. Gul Bahao feels an emotional attachment with Benazir as it was during her second rule that an atmosphere was created which brought into existence a research organization like Gul Bahao and what better way to celebrate Mohtarma’s birthday than to announce the establishment of Busti Benazir. Several parliamentarians have extended their support and contributed to the fund for establishing Busti Benazir.

Gul Bahao’s innovations presented to Vice Chancellor Hamdard University

Yesterday, Nargis Latif, Managing  Trustee of Gul Bahao had a detailed meeting with the Vice-Chancellor of Hamdard University, Dr Nasim  A. Khan.  In the University Campus at Madina-tul- Hikmat where she gave an elaborate account of  Gul Bahao’s  Research Centre in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Nargis claimed that the Centre has succeeded in providing answers to problems of waste management of one of the largest cities of the world i.e. Karachi. What is more, several of the products developed there are geared towards changing the economy as well. According to her Gul Bahaos latest innovations include “fuel pack” a low cost fuel for running power plants and Choora Chara” – fodder  for livestock. Nargis said that the task before the Centre is not only to innovate but to market and do the extensions work as well. In a hide bound society such as ours which she described as “lakeer key fakir”, there is initially a total rejection of anything new, original or creative. She regretted that a good deal of her time is spent in arranging funds for her research work.  Nonetheless she said that she never allowed her research work to suffer even if she had to borrow money from moneylenders at exorbitant rates of 100-120% rate of interest. She said she paid one moneylender eight lacs of rupees as interest for a principal amount of three lacs only. The V.C.  of Hamdard University  took keen interest in Nargis’s  presentation  and asked her to make a detailed survey of the University Campus to find how Gul Bahao’s research work could be applied to the Hamdard University . Dr Nasim offered to have installed Gul Bahaos Chandi Ghar or prefabricated housing in the campus. To start with, he said that the universities plant doing research work on alternative energy stands in need of such a structure. He said that if successful the Chandi Ghar (made from industrial waste) could be used copiously in the fast growing campus of the varsity.

NED University, environment department students visit Gul Bahao complex

Yesterday, a group of students numbering 70 (seventy) from the environment department of NED university came on a study tour of the Gul Bahao Complex located on Rashid Minhas road, the students were amazed to see a Research Center run on a self help basis especially when they were told that about seven crore rupees spread over s period of fifteen years, have so far been spent on the different projects. The question that they kept raising was how it was funded. The answer that was shot back was “beg, borrow or steal”. The students were divided into four groups and shown around the centre. Habib Malik a spokesman of the Center showed the students around especially the Safai/Kamai Bank which is the earning arm of the Organisation. Habib said that  the Safai/kamai bank (A modern version  of the Kabaria)  funds more than 60% of the research work of  Gul Bahao. Habib said that from day one the Organisation has been involved in commercial work i.e. buying and selling of assorted wastage (which has a ready market ). Had it not been for this, Habib the Incharge proudly claimed, Gul Bahao would not have been able to function. Partly agreeing with her spokesman, Nargis Latif the Managing Trustee of Gul Bahao said that the project was too big to be sustained entirely on its own funds and at times even had to borrow from money lenders at exorbitant rates. She further claimed that that Gul Bahao is doing both research and extension work.

The students evinced special interest in the fuel pack which the Organisation claims is cheap fuel  for running power plants The spokesman  Habib said that Attock Cement had shown keen interest in this project and offered to buy 500 tonnes per day of this fuel for its cement plant. At this point Nargis Latif exhorted the students to lobby with the government for using Karachi’s waste to produce electricity. Gul Bahao would provide the fuel at economic rates but also help producers to make these fuel packs in the cottage industries.

The students were shown all the innovations in minute detail. The hall in which they were seated fascinated them completely as except for bamboo sticks no conventional material was used. It was said that the building blocks were made from a mixture of compressed shopping bags and aluminium foil. The so called wastic blocks will last till eternity for the simple reason that plastic does not disintegrate easily, it was claimed.

The Chairperson of Gul Bahao said that the Chinese revolution was accompanied by simple indigenous technology and this is precisely the way Gul Bahao is working and devising cheap and original solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Nargis said that Gul Bahao can be called an Environmental Organisation whose philosophy is recycling is the answer to our problems. She said that though she believes in going “back to nature” for solving todays environment problems she is not averse to using pet bottles, shopping bags and other conveniences of modern life. The NED students were clearly impressed by all that they said. A few went to the extent of hugging the young spokesman Habib Malik. Several volunteered to work for Gul Baho in their free time

15th Anniversary of Gul Bahao

Yesterday, Gul Bahao’s fifteenth anniversary was observed at the Gul Bahao complex located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The luncheon meeting attended by supporters and sympathizers was held in the Chandi Ghar Hall made from clean industrial waste. Giving the background of Gul Bahao movement, its founder and Managing Trustee, Nargis Latif said that the last fifteen years were the toughest in her life. Only after tremendous sacrifices on the part of her team and herself that the Organization has been able to make a name for itself.

Amidst cheers from the audience Nargis said that Gul Bahao’s research work is slowly becoming a centre of attraction for the world. Amongst those who have interacted and visited the Gul Bahao’s Research Centre include representative of the Supreme Court of India, German Consul General, World Bank Consultant, CNN, Clinton Foundation, Chinese delegation and French nationals. On a local level, it is continually attracting students from different Universities of Karachi, namely NED, Dawood College and Karachi University as well as members of local bodies from all over Sindh.

Nargis Latif said the change in society comes in more than one ways viz:

  • Political revolution
  • Discoveries/innovations

She said that Gul Bahao has opted for the latter. Giving the example of British and American teenagers James Watt and the Wright brothers, she said the former introduced the steam engine which became the harbinger of the industrial revolution while the latter brought up the first aeroplane which transformed the whole world. Nargis claimed that in the same manner Gul Bahao has in the last fifteen years introduced simple techniques which can radically change the socio economic conditions of the country. Here it may be mentioned that Gul Bahao’s innovations are multisectoral  they include :

  • New kind of prefabricated construction
  • Water purification method
  • New kind of fuel
  • The Safai/Kamai Bank
  • Cheap fodder and compost

During the meeting Urdu translations of the verses of the Holy Quran were read out which it was pointed out is an essential part of Gul Bahao’s movement. Nargis said that there is very close nexus between research work and religion and every discovery that Gul Bahao has made is a reminder of God’s existence. Referring to Sura Fatiha, she said it exhorts people to praise God and one of the ways to praise God is to make discoveries and thank God for it.

Gul Bahao’s innovations presented to Special Assistant to Chief Minister Mr. Zia-ul-Islam

A meeting presided by Special Assistant to Chief Minister Mr. Zia-ul-Islam was held at the Chief Minister Secretariat where Gul Bahao’s Nargis Latif was invited to brief Officials belonging to the City Government and the Sindh Secretariat. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss Gul Bahao’s innovation “Chandi Ghar”.

Nargis Latif said that Gul Bahao’s Chandi Ghar should not be devalued because of its low cost and neither should it be limited to a mere project of an NGO. On the contrary, Nargis claimed that it is a unique innovation – the first one of its kind in the world. Its good looks makes it exotic looking she said fit to be used by the Head of State.

In a sharp rebuttal to one of the participant’s questions, Nargis explained that that contrary to some misconceptions the Chandi Ghar is extremely hygienic and can be put to a variety of purposes like;

1) During Haj where temporary housing is required
2) For relief work in earthquakes, tsunami and other natural disasters and wars etc.
3) For military purposes, in war games or in real life battles
4) For oil riggings
5) Mining exploration
6) Tourist industries on the coast as well as in mountainous areas
7) Research work in inhospitable terrain
8) For law enforcing agencies such as guards 80 for mobile schools hospitals
9) Camps on prime land in big cities to be used temporarily. In other words wherever a structure is required immediately in a maters of hours and dismantled quickly they are the answer. Unlike other conventional prefabricated structures Nargis said these are insulated as well as fire resistant.

To a question from the participants about what Gul Bahao expects from the government Nargis replied that the government should immediately call an exhibition cum conference to discuss the importance of the Chandi Ghar its potential in business, export and linking business with research work She said that stakeholders to be invited to this conference should be businessmen, exporters, builders, engineers architects, faculty and students of different universities and as well as the informal sector comprising junk dealers.

To the question why it has not caught on as yet, Nargis replied that is the case with all new innovations that they are always rejected in the beginning. Giving the example of the CNG gas she said six years ago, right from the rickshaw drivers, Suzuki owners, truck drivers, everybody said it would spoil the engines but after years of painstaking marketing things have changed, she said.

Summing up the meeting, Mr Zia-ul-Islam said that the government would give serious consideration to Gul Bahao’s proposals.