Mumtaz Behgam karachi zoo

KARACHI: For the rest of the world, Mumtaz Mahal – the known epithet for a Mughal empress, Arjumand Banu – rests at a mausoleum signifying a lover’s fort in Agra. Karachi has, however, orchestrated its very own Mumtaz Mahal but the irony is that it is no love temple, yet it abodes in one of the city’s popular locations – the zoo

In the most gaudy manner, the small temple-like structure at the zoo clearly imitates a Mughal fort with posters plastered over its walls of Mumtaz Mahal – a kitsune [half human, half fox]. Inside the special pavilion, a small creature over a cot-like table with a human face over a body of a fox aptly entertains zoo visitors.

Mumtaz Begum (top) is a regular feature at the Karachi Zoo and resides in the special pavilion (bottom). PHOTOS: EXPRESS

Former Gandhi Gardens, today the zoo has almost all animals caged, including chimpanzees, lions, tigers, elephants, stags and crocodiles but an encaged fox has yet to be seen. However, a fox-cum-human surely fits the phrase ‘beloved ornament of the palace’, which is the meaning for the title Mumtaz Mahal.
This mythical creature, depicting a thousand years of ideas about supernatural beings, promises to be different yet entertaining. After all, it is the only animal that can talk at the zoo. It looks like a princess with a bushy tail, but the naked truth is that it’s a dead fox that has the head of a man, dolled up like a woman.
People of all age groups enjoy the entertaining show, even if they know it is a trick-oriented one. “When I was young, we would get scared,” said an excited Zarish, 17, as she walked out of the pavilion. “Even if we knew it’s an optical illusion, it would still be entertaining and scary at times.”

Kamila, 52, said that Mumtaz begum never gets old. “It brings me back to all the memories from childhood, we would get spell-bound by her performance,” she recalled fondly. “I remember exactly the way Mumtaz would sound, the bright lipstick and  the cakey make-up and it is still the same.”

The experience
Entering the small crypt, the ‘maa-fauq-ul-fitrat’ [supernatural] goes on a narrative stead where she amusingly talked about how she hails from the savannas in Africa but is being kept in confinement, as she happily ate the cake, juices, biscuits and fruits. Mumtaz is a fortune-teller too. So a student instantly asked her about his visa status while a concerned mother wondered about her daughter’s proposal.
Once actor Adnan Siddiqui happened to be shooting at the zoo when the person impersonating Mumtaz begum asked for a picture with him, said zoo’s security in-charge, Sajid Husain.

His driver was so excited that God gave him an opportunity to meet her. Actress Resham and politician Sharmila Farooqi are also a few visitors Mumtaz loves to brag about

Behind the scenes
Rahim Baksh Hero, a 52-year-old performer in various movies, has also served as Mumtaz Mahal for some time. “It is just like a drama,” he said, revealing trade secrets. “We prepare for it beforehand and put up the best show when the audiences visit.”
Murad, who is currently playing Mumtaz Begum, is in his late 20s. He lives at the zoo, said Usman, a superviser. “He wakes up at 6am for prayers and work-out and then gets to the ‘mahal’ at around 9,” he said. “He puts on make-up himself.” Usman admired how Murad earns his livelihood through this unique talent.
Not everyone is, however, happy with this feature at the zoo. “It is despicable and ignoble,” claimed AA Quraishy, the founder of the zoo. “The optical illusion is designed by showmen working for their livelihood and surely people with weak values are the ones who admire illusions they can’t comprehend.”

Mumtaz Begum in Karachi Zoo-27 Jun 2014 by GeoNews

Minotaur

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur Ancient Greek: Μivocavpos, Latin: Minotaur's, Etruscan , was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command of King Minos of Crete. The Minotaur was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.
The term Minotaur derives from the Ancient Greek Μivocavpos, a compound of the name Μίνως (Minos) and the noun cavpos "bull", translated as "(the) Bull of Minos". In Crete, the Minotaur was known by its proper name, Asterion, a name shared with Minos' foster-father.
"Minotaur" was originally a proper noun in reference to this mythical figure. The use of "minotaur" as a common noun to refer to members of a generic species of bull-headed creatures developed much later, in 20th-century fantasy genre fiction.

Mermaid

A mermaid is a legendary aquatic creature with the upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including the Near East, Europe, Africa and Asia. The first stories appeared in ancient Assyria, in which the goddess Atargatis transformed herself into a mermaid out of shame for accidentally killing her human lover. Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks and drownings. In other folk traditions (or sometimes within the same tradition), they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.
Mermaids are associated with the mythological Greek sirens as well as with sirenia, a biological order comprising dugongs and manatees. Some of the historical sightings by sailors may have been misunderstood encounters with these aquatic mammals. Christopher Columbus reported seeing mermaids while exploring the Caribbean, and supposed sightings have been reported in the 20th and 21st centuries in Canada, Israel, and Zimbabwe.
Mermaids have been a popular subject of art and literature in recent centuries, such as in Hans Christian Andersen's well-known fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" (1836). They have subsequently been depicted in operas, paintings, books, films and comics.