Lahore: The New York Times recently published an article, titled ‘52 places to love in 2021’, in which it listed Lahore among places that inspired hope among people during the turbulent 2020, a news source reported on January 12.
The article was created in the wake of challenges posed by 2020 and the readers of the publication were asked to submit their favourite spots that ‘delighted, inspired, and comforted them in a dark year’. The publication later picked 52 places out of over 2,000 suggestions that were received to convey hope that the ‘world still awaits’.
The spots that were chosen included everything as gigantic as ‘the world’ itself and frequented spots like the St James the Less Church in London, Aruba, Lake Michigan, and The University of Cambridge. As for Lahore, it was suggested by a 29-year old freelance writer ‘Haneen Iqbal’ who resides in Toronto, Canada.
‘Especially in winter, this city nourishes you. It opens its arms to you, then feeds you and wraps you in a hug,’ according to an excerpt from the piece, which went on to add that the citizens of Lahore are ‘just regular people living their regular lives, and they are so alive in the present, while always connected to their past’.
Hazafa reveres the art of writing and has been turned into a property enthusiast by profession. Her daily survival kit includes; tea, coffee, keyboard and paperbacks.
