Gul Bahao

Shelter for the Shelter less

SUB: SHELTER FOR THE SHELTER-LESS

OPEN LETTER TO

The Prime Minister of Pakistan

Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif

Dear Sir,

May the peace of the almighty be upon you! Here is a proposal which if undertaken will not only help in the Revival of the Economy but will also enable Pakistan to stand tall in the international arena!. Please visit our website http://gulbahao.com.

Gul Bahao a research organization during the last 20 years of its existence and a monetary input of more than 8 crores has succeeded in coming up with unique innovations. Among these are the “Chandi” blocks which are modular i.e a two storied house can be converted into furniture or a small water reservoir and vice versa in just a few hours. They provide excellent insulation i.e they are cool in summer and warm in winter. Strong against the elements and extremely cost effective i.e as little as Rs.400/sq.ft! The raw material which is the clean plastic waste of Karachi’s factories is expected to last more than a life time.

Sir, as you are aware disasters such as earthquakes and floods have been striking Pakistan for the last several years rendering millions of people homeless. This can also serve as a blessing in disguise for the urban people, the traders and youth who can fulfil some of the basic needs of the villagers as well as generate income for themselves and improve on their skills. This can be done using the Chandi Technology which can rightly be called “A Gift of Karachi to the world”.

The Chandi Technology may provide the best answer to earthquakes on two accounts. a) They are strong against external pressure b) They can be put up in no time. In the case of the flood affectees, many of these are often found living in the river beds or “kutcha areas”. For them the Chandi Ghar will be invaluable as they can be dismantled in a matter of hours whenever a flood warning is sounded. After dismantling, the Chandi Ghar can be reassembled again on a higher ground level. The alternative of the Chandi Ghar will also ensure that the disaster affected i.e flood and earthquake affectees will then not have to rush to big cities, causing overcrowding, and making them unsustainable.

During the last ten years or so more than 150 Chandi Ghars and Chandi Halls have been put up in different parts of the country viz Mansehra, Muzaffargarh, Thatta, Awaran (Baluchistan), Mithi ( Tharparkar) and Karachi. What is more, this technology has been able to attract international attention as well. Apart from the print media, Voice of America and CNN have given it detailed coverage. World organizations like the United nations, Clinton Foundation and German Embassy officials have taken keen interest in this technology.

It is our greatest ambition to provide as many Chandi Ghars as possible to the people of Pakistan. For this we have been tapping the well off people of Karachi for donations in cash or even recyclable waste which can be sold in the market. We now intend to seek support from all over the country as well as from Pakistanis living abroad. God willing we will soon be in a position to provide subsidized clean durable housing to millions of people!

At this stage we need the moral support of the government.

Waiting for an early reply,
I am,
Yours Sincerely
Nargis Latif (MANAGING TRUSTEE GULBAHAO)

Chandi Technology for Sale

Dear Friends

Gul Bahao has been relentlessly pursuing its research program for the last 22 years. A very useful product, the Chandi Technology has emerged after a monetary input of more than 8 crore rupees!. For the last ten years or so we have been putting up Chandi Ghars in different parts of Pakistan. Mansehra, Muzaffagarh, Thatta, Awaran, Mithi (Tharparkar) as well as in Karachi. All these together number 150 structures including halls, rooms, warehouses etc.

The following results have been obtained:

They are durable, long lasting, strong against the elements i.e storms, rains, insects etc.
Cool in summer and warm in winter
Being essentially plastic in nature, they are clean. They have the following advantages:

Stunning looks. Its silver exterior glitters like silver or gold, depending upon the colour of light falling on it.
Highly affordable. Less than half the cost of conventional structures Rs. 400/sq ft.
Quick to put up. Being prefabricated it takes hardly a day.
The blocks and panels used in it can be changed into a water reservoir, a bed, table, sofa etc.

We strongly believe the Chandi Technology will become an indispensable part of our lives just like the CNG kits, Mobile Phones, Solar Panels and other modern innovations. However , for the time being we recommend the Chandi Ghar for the following uses:

Classrooms,lecture halls,examination halls etc.
Exhibitions
Warehouses for storing food grains
Marriage halls
Best alternative to Tents and Shamianas,
Mobile camps of any kind
Pent houses( a room on roof tops )
Farm houses
Labour colonies
Low lying areas
Low cost houses for disaster affected areas viz earthquakes, floods etc.

Profits generated from this will go into further research and our welfare program, “Shelter for the shelter less”. For details please visit our website: http://gulbahao.com

Yours Sincerely,
Nargis Latif (managing trustee, Gul Bahao)

Innovation and Pakistan’s Economy

Gul Bahao Letterhead

INNOVATION AND PAKISTAN’S ECONOMY

“Without research and innovation there can be no revival of Pakistans economy”, was the gist of what the CEO of Gul Bahao had to say at a seminar held at the The Federation Of Pakistan Chambers Of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) . The seminar entitled “Shaping Pakistan’s Capital Market”, was organised by the Karachi Stock Exchange to announce the amalgamation of all of Pakistan’s stock exchanges into one. The program was largely attended by brokerage companies and businessmen generally. Nargis Latif was in fact committing on the comprehensive speech of the MD Karachi Stock Exchange who had painted a very rosy picture of what the economy would be like in 2016. In a highly charged manner, Nargis said that she wished what Mr. Naqvi said would turn out to be true, but “Where is the spirit of entrepreneurship?”, Referring to our businessmen as hidebound, she said there is overall a lack of creativity and research. “There is little or no connection between industry and university, she lamented”.

Nargis said our businessman must take risks, he must not be bothered about what people say. Giving the example of the Chandi Technology ( a research product of Gul Bahao) she said it is made up of clean waste. Any businessman knows that waste is a relative term, that much of urban waste, being raw material for industry is sold at a premium. But she lamented how many of our industrialists would like to venture into unchartered territory by taking up a new venture like the Chandi Technology. Giving the example of the steam engine, Nargis said it was a teenager who discovered it in a very unconventional manner. It was precisely this which brought about the industrial revolution of Europe, she concluded.

There was pin drop silence throughout the time the CEO of Gul Bahao spoke. Soon after the participants of the seminar crowded around the stall put up by Gul Bahao projecting its Chandi technology, the latest edition in the world of research and innovation.

KARACHI MAKES HISTORY!

Gul Bahao's Chandi Ghar at the Karachi Press Club

Gul Bahao's Furniture Innovation at the Karachi Press Club

KARACHI MAKES HISTORY!

The 29th and 30th NOVEMBER are invariably among the best days of Karachi-balmy,(nights can be quite chilly though) cloudless weather,ideal for any outdoor exhibition.In this case “Karachi’s gift to the World” a Mega Event jointly put up by Gul Bahao and the Commissioner-ate Karachi at the Karachi Press Club. The “Gift” in this case was the Chandi technology, the latest addition to the world of innovation. Gul Bahao has been presenting its Chandi Technology in different parts of the Country so what was new about this exhibition?. Given the fact that the world is being increasingly filled with all kinds of breathtaking ,exotic, innovations does the Chandi Technology stand a chance?The Chandi Technology has seldom failed to impress the onlookers by its captivating looks but this time the onus of assessing it and publicising it lay squarely on the journalists associated with the Karachi Press Club.The people of Karachi were on the streets campaigning for who would rule them for the next several years. In this scenario Gul Bahao a small NGO was vying for attention for what it claims is a major breakthrough!

The venue was the parking lot of the Karachi Press club which was filled with cars and motorcycles which would only be cleared after midnight to allow the exhibition to be put up. Journalists (although few in number) who had been keeping track of Gul Bahao’s performance for the last several years helped to raise the morale of the workers and the organizers throughout the two days. Some even went to the extent of criticizing fellow journalists and the general public for not paying due attention to this “great venture”. Nargis Latif the organizer of the event related the kindness of a certain journalist working for a well known T.V channel. At the unearthly hour of 3 in the morning when Gul Bahaos workers were shifting 100 kgs weighing columns this journalist offered his services for any kind of help. The workers were longing for a cup of hot tea in the chilly night. Despite the fact that shops were closed at that time the journalist managed to get piping hot tea for the workers.

The exhibition was to start at 10 a.m Sunday morning.A number of stalls sponsored by ABAD, WWF and a few others had to be put up.A hall 15ft x 23ft as well as a water reservoir 15ft x 35ft, a room 10ft x 12ft while the number of workers was only 6! It is true that sets for film shooting are put up in just a matter of minutes.But these exhibits were meant to be real live ones,not make believe! By ten o’clock the exhibition was not ready. Luckily, it was Sunday and Karachites were used to getting up late in the day so that,by the time people started trickling in, the exhibition was on.

The staff of the Commissioner-ate Karachi,the co host of the program had worked hard to bring the people of Karachi to the Press Club.Newspapers and T.V tickers kept exhorting people to come and see”how useful things were being made from garbage. Clearly many who came to the event were those who were motivated about the cause of the environment. One of the visitors was the headmistress of a government school who said she simply had to meet the people “who are struggling for a clean environment.”

The Commissioner Karachi Mr.Shoaib Siddiqui and the Chairman ABAD Mr.Hanif Gohar came in person to lend their support for the cause. A number of TV channels and reporters were interviewing the organizers. Speaking to the media Nargis Latif the CEO of Gul Bahao said that the Gul Bahao movement had clearly entered a new phase that of “innovation,bringing in a whole new technology which will change the world in the same way that the mobile phone has changed the world.” Dilating on the success of the “Chandi Technology”, Nargis Latif revealed that she had never in her “wildest dreams” imagined that her inter convertible modular blocks would cater to so many human needs, from houses to water reservoir to furniture and you name it.

It was past sunset, the closing time for the exhibition. Even the organizers had left except for two workers who were resting in the carpeted room on the comfortable bed that was part of the Chandi Technology. All at once the spot light of the Karachi Press Club was turned on. One could only gasp at the enchanting beauty of the scene. Any journalist belonging to the club who had seen the parking lot cluttered with all kinds of vehicles would have surely wondered at its transformation.It was as though a fairy had waved her wand and hey presto everything had changed!. If any worker of Gul Bahao were to be asked for an explanation of the phenomenon he would have surely replied. “This is the working of the almighty. It is an answer to our prayers.”