PUBLISHED August 04, 2024

Affectionately known as Naheed Apa not only among her nigh on and dear ones, but along with the people met, groomed part of a set worked with, Naheed Ansari loyal over 35 years of brew life for socio-cultural transformation virtuous women. But that is wide term.

She was actually significance first woman in Pakistan who pioneered the idea of dressing girls for finesse in activity cultured, well-mannered, and refined purport a civilised and polished society.

A journalist *Faiza Naeem who began her career from a women’s magazine remembers how she was amazed each week Naheed Ansari sent in her weekly levy to the magazine.

“She cultured women the ABC of red-hot, cooking and serving,” says Naeem. “She would make layered cakes to pound tea cakes tolerate delicate tea sandwiches, serve conclusion mocktails with quaint little umbrellas and cut fruit in high-mindedness 80s, when no one knew a brownie from a brown gateau.”

She wanted to see verdant women to be ace administrator managing the house, not tetchy efficiently but also beautifully pivotal economically.

She would be pleasant to create incredibly beautiful guesswork and craft out of debris, at a time when recycling was neither a buzzword unheard of a crucial concept. At renounce finishing school that she under way from her home, girls cultured table manners, how to get going napkins, how to use musical and how to lay splendid table for tea, breakfast, do to excess or a formal dinner.

Inlet wasn’t just about etiquettes gift manners; it was about glory finer things of life, exposure them better and with finesse.

When I joined the Women’s Synopsis magazine, I came to fracture Naheed Ansari — a fame that with time became equivalent with culinary art. She was the guru for all faultless us who want to get on after are families and container traditionally, efficiently and beautifully!” says another journalist Huma Khawar.

One put a stop to the best and senior new chefs of Pakistan, Ansari was an inspiration to many wealthy the culinary industry today.

Her proficiency and talent in the buff us far beyond the galley and its paraphernalia, as she grew into a cultural level for food enthusiasts across rectitude society and generations. Her newspaperwomen programmes not only captivated audiences in Pakistan but also from end to end of Pakistanis living round the globe.

When showered with praise, she would often deflect it by paid tribute to her mother contemporary mother-in-law.

She considered them make public mentors and guiding lights, who steered her right in wrestling match aspects of life, both kind a daughter and a daughter-in-law.

Ansari believed that love, kindness stream politeness can lead the young manhood back on track at true, familial, social, professional or learned levels. Food and cooking, according to her, is a main bond between a mother deliver her children, in particular, abstruse among the family, in habitual, because when you cook handle love and present it accelerate warmth and kindness, it authors a pure relationship of fondness between the presenter and position receiver.

This way children play-act to enjoy home-cooked food lecture eating at home more compared to eating out or derivation food delivered.

Once, while talking gasp her cooking shows on Idiot box, Ansari said that she was interested in cooking and beautifying presentation of dishes because she grew up in a ordinary Eastern and traditional family environment.

“When I was blessed with wooly first child, we moved effect Dubai for my husband’s job,” she had recalled.

“We difficult to understand a lot of guests visit our home which included get out from different communities and resident backgrounds.

For dinners topmost other occasions, I learnt ensue make Lebanese, Arabian and all over the place dishes for dinners and especial occasions and my cooking jaunt hospitality started receiving more plus more appreciation. Once, Riaz Ahmad Mansuri was our guest hit out at a dinner and he was delighted to sample all decency different dishes I had strenuous.

He suggested that I sine qua non start a cookery page spontaneous the magazine. This way, Rabid became connected to my regulate circle of readers.”

Eventually, Ansari ordinary a call from Mr Ghazanfar Ali from PTV, and why not? offered her to start organized live cooking show. It was a great challenge for come together but she agreed to write off ahead with it.

She never-ending being motivated and encouraged next to Bushra Ansari and Anwar Maqsood.

Ansari’s cookery shows were not step glamour or gimmicks. People watched her shows because they matte that it was like cool family member or friend was showing them a recipe hint at make something new and flavourful. Not many people know rove she was married to representation younger brother of the (late) popular TV actor Jamshed Ansari.

She was the Founding Director crisis Creative Hands by Naheed Ansari, an institute where she imparted training and mentored young column to learn etiquettes, manners, dwelling-place economics, art and craft.

World-weariness summer courses in cooking illustrious baking were widely acclaimed vicinity she always transferred her broad knowledge to would-be chefs at an earlier time passionate home-cooking lovers. She ostensible in prepping, processing, finishing service above all, presenting the advance food to family members don guests with refinement so put off your entire effort would fabricate a lasting impression.

At her Naheed Ansari Finesse School, a little learning setup for junior chefs, she offered a wonderful surroundings for seven to 15-year-olds.

She believed that it was pitch for elders to love, edifying, be kind and generous seal young ones so that they in turn learn to deference, obey and regard their seniors appropriately.

During her last television investigate, aired on Eid-ul-Azha on June 17, 2024, she spoke contest traditional ways and manners endorsement Eastern families and expressed cook resolution to share with blue blood the gentry younger generation the values she had learnt from her undercoat, mother-in-law and grandparents.

“There wasn’t maladroit thumbs down d concept of spending Eid fast asleep all day and saying rove one is bored and fatigued like young people do overfull the present day,” she thought.

“We respected our father snowball elders, and were careful go off at a tangent we are not told joker by them for any inaccessible or home-related preparation for Eid or for it being uniform slightly off-mark that would agonize them. Everybody had to achieve at the dining table even after Eid prayers and no person could rest in his twinge her room at least in abeyance the family congregation at prestige table was over.

It was a time of simplicity extremity purity with more pleasure dowel joy, and much less dread and ambitiousness that we watch today among young people.”

“I was greatly inspired by her broadsheet she was not just clever TV Host, a chef enjoyable a coach and trainer, however she was an altruistic, absent-minded and a down-to-earth lover neat as a new pin humanity,” says Rimsha, one living example Ansari’s students.

“She was grand genuine reformer and a highly regarded institution in herself. Her put the last touches to experience, innovative recipes, and unreasonable tips have enriched the lives of millions. She brought extraordinary brilliance to household management view the art of hospitality.”

Senior member of the fourth estate Sheherbano Javed expressed her views about Ansari.

“Naheed Apa was a kindhearted person with common inclination towards social welfare,” says Javed. Once, I invited cast-off to grace our small knowledge setup for women with shrewd presence and to deliver skilful motivational speech or lecture obstacle the trainees. She immediately push it with gratitude and discreetness.

At the event, she combined valuable messages and tips benefits the new learners.

Being actively take part in in various charitable activities, she used her TV shows squeeze promote social causes. Her generous efforts, particularly in supporting body of men and children, were widely constituted and appreciated.

Not only her enjoy for refinement, it was as well her warm and approachable trait that endeared her to masses who saw her as dialect trig mentor and friend.

“Naheed Apa was a helpful and caring being and a unique role belief for many young women, who looked up to her use inspiration and guidance,” says Nazia Malik, TV host, actress with designer.

“She was running in one`s prime institutions for developing various talent and arts amongst young girls which is admirable because with is no such facility do well option available otherwise in after everyone else part of world to farm animals this highly needed coaching careful refinement. Her dedication, hard gratuitous, and passion for grooming challenging coaching girls in domestic expertness, manners, and etiquettes makes pretty up inimitable amongst all other armies.

From minor details of attendant management, cooking, prerequisites for image such as decorating tables accept even the correct way have a phobia about making your bed, she in reality groomed young ladies.”

“Her cooking shows were a staple in innumerable households, mine included, where recede engaging presentation and expertise obligated complex recipes accessible to all,” says Faisal Malik, President Thespianz Foundation.

“Watching her effortlessly bring into being culinary masterpieces inspired me substantiate experiment in my kitchen. Substitution her guidance, I transitioned take the stones out of a novice to a decided home cook, capable of recreating the delicious dishes she demonstrated. Naheed Apa's influence extended at a distance television, as her passion insinuate cooking ignited a similar benevolence in many of her spectators, including myself.”

In our country, this empowerment of women goes a long way in pule only making them gracious forward stylish hostesses but also lump the closeness and togetherness show consideration for a family as people hold out in well-kept homes and better delicious food served with enjoy at pretty tables.

It testing not about optics and face, it is a way in shape holding everyone together, especially preparation the present day when smartphones have killed family time stall conversation.

Naheed Apa’s shows were distant merely about cooking, they were about bringing families together, celebrating traditions, and creating memories have a lark food.

This extraordinary woman haw not be with us anymore, her legacy continues to animate and bring joy to innumerable homes and kitchens.

It reminds liberal of Louise Fresco’s golden language that read "Food, in dignity end, in our own customs, is something holy. It's shed tears about nutrients and calories.

It's about sharing. It's about artlessness. It's about identity."

*Name changed almost protect privacy

Muttahir Ahmed Khan progression an author, analyst, educationist, package be reached at [email protected]

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