Family matters

		Sat, Mar 26, 2011 The Business Times
By Clarissa Tan 'OUR biggest problem,' says Salman Shoaib wryly, as we make our way down the stairs to the large living room, 'is this rooster'. 'He hangs around the house. He makes a noise, crowing as early as 6.30am. It can get upsetting.' Meanwhile his wife, Sara Taseer, good-naturedly continues leading a brief tour of their home off Holland Road. The space is huge, but nothing is ostentatious or overdone. Outside, the pool is pale blue against a Sunday morning. The family home Click on thumbnail to view 'I was just done with living in a concrete jungle,' says Sara. 'We've lived everywhere - New York, London, Hong Kong - and it just always feels you're in the middle of a huge city. When we moved to Singapore last April, the biggest attraction was the space and the greenery. That's why we chose a house, instead of an apartment.' So the pesky rooster, it seems, is just the unintended result of having a nice big garden. ('There's also a komodo dragon,' mutters Salman, darkly.) We make our way through bedrooms, a study and more living areas that are a mixture of modern furniture, art pieces - Western contemporary, Mughal miniatures, Islamic calligraphy, Indochinese Buddhas - a few antiques, lots of children's toys and shelves of books. 'I wanted to keep the style of the house casual,' says Sara. 'I did not want very formal areas, with crystal-ware and all that. That's not us, that's not the lifestyle we lead. I wanted it sunny and open.' Charmed as their lives appear to be, and as easy as the banter and jokes flow, the couple are keenly aware they are in positions of privilege. And, as Sara notes without rancour, of responsibility. Sara comes from a high-profile political family in Pakistan, and her father was the governor of its most prosperous and populous province, Punjab. She herself is a successful businesswoman with her own line of bespoke jewellery.   'I can't get away from the fact that I'm from a political family,' she says. 'I've grown up with politics around me. My father's role in politics was always very prominent. It's a strange marriage, business and politics, but both sides are 'me'. My father was a businessman too, one of the most prominent in Pakistan.' In January, Sara's father Salmaan Taseer was gunned down by one of his own bodyguards. Forensics revealed he was shot 26 times. Mr Taseer had spoken out for the rights of Pakistan's minorities, particularly religious minorities, and also opposed the country's blasphemy laws. Speaking about the incident today, his daughter's voice is matter-of-fact. 'My family is very outspoken. We are a liberal, progressive family and we believe in secular values, so you could say that we are not liked. My father wasn't going to remain silent in the face of injustice. He always told us never to be afraid. He was never afraid himself.' After his assassination, Sara and her sisters took to the broadcasting networks - BBC, CNN, NDTV, local Pakistani channels - and said their piece. The murder elicited condolences and condemnation from many international quarters. By that time, Sara and Salman had already been based in Singapore for about nine months (though Sara happened to be in Pakistan when her father was killed). They had moved to Singapore not only because of a desire for more greenery, but also because Salman's investment banking career led him to the city-state. Sara now goes back to Pakistan about once every six weeks, to oversee her business there and to keep in touch with family and friends. Another reason for living here instead of a city such as New York, Sara says, is because she wants her children - a daughter, 11, a son, seven, and another daughter, two - to grow up in Asia. 'For me, growing up in Asia is about family values, the warmth in people's homes. I think it's more the love and the openness of the homes. And, in an Asian house, there's always also lots of food.' Right now, Sara is pushing ahead with life. A graduate from the London School of Economics and a trained gemologist, this ex-Citibanker is pouring much of her energy into her diamond jewellery business, Sara Taseer Fine Jewellery, which she founded more than a decade ago. In Singapore, she has a boutique in the Raffles Hotel and plans to open another store within the year. She's happy with the recent launch of her Raffles outlet, which she says was extremely well attended. That was the official launch; the store informally opened its doors months ago - 'because orders were already streaming in'. She also held a debut show at the National Museum of Singapore in September. For her designs, Sara draws inspiration from traditional Asian - often Mughal - motifs, usually adding a contemporary twist. Her designs are modern, yet can't easily be lumped in with the host of commercial designer jewellery wear. 'I find European and Western design a bit too insipid for me, too streamlined. I love the colours and patterns of Asia. I work with flower, animal motifs. I like movement, I like jewellery to be sexy, and I like to follow the trends. If bangles are in, or if chandelier earrings, I make sure I've got them. My jewellery is always trendy and funky. 'In Singapore, there are a lot of commercial houses, Cartier and so on, where designs are quite standardised. The smaller commercial names, like Soo Kee and stuff, don't have designer jewellery either. I think Singaporeans are attracted to my store because they want bespoke pieces.' The price of her jewellery ranges from $2,000 for items such as rings, to $300,000 for elaborate pieces such as diamond necklaces. They are well-priced for what they are, she says. 'I try to keep my prices quite competitive and attractive, so that buyers can get customised jewellery without breaking the bank. I try to make it so that a working woman can buy one of my pieces as a treat for herself. My larger pieces are bought by industrialists and socialites.' But even in the hardnosed retail industry, family is never very far away for Sara. 'I call on family members to help me with the marketing. My brother, my sister-in-law, one of my daughters - they've all modelled for me in my ad campaigns. My family members keep saying, 'Please, please don't call on me next.' In Singapore, Sara has found another, much larger family of sorts. 'The Pakistan-Indian community is massive here. If I had one of them over for dinner every night for a year, I still wouldn't have seen all of them.' Around the house, Salman says, Sara 'chooses everything'. 'I don't get a say in anything,' he says, grinning. Says Sara: 'I once decided to paint a wall bright red. I wanted the decor to be Asian, a bit Gothic, very traditional. Salman came home and said, 'My god, what have you done?' As the tour wraps up, it's evident the Shoaibs are not the sort to cram every nook and cranny with some knick-knack or other. Some of the rooms are notable for their simplicity. A bedroom, for example, has a bed, a dresser, a closet - that's all. A playroom is practically just bare floor. You're not going to find Louis XIV chairs around here. (Mind you, it's not that easy to fill up a 9,000 square foot home.) Says Sara: 'I have had my furniture brought in from Hong Kong, a shipment from London, and also bought some furniture here, and it's still so empty.' As we hover amid the sunshine on the Shoaibs' well-manicured lawn, BT's photographer decides he would like a family portrait, preferably in the garden. Sara and Salman think a breakfast scene is best, because they normally have breakfast outside. They decide on which outdoor furniture to use - 'perhaps the cane chairs' - while Sara asks her two-year-old daughter, the youngest in the family, to join them. The daughter bounces up, keen. 'Several days a week, I bring her to the playschool in the HDB block around the corner,' says Sara. 'Now she says things like, 'Mummy, please lah.' Sara and Salman settle themselves on the cane sofa with their daughter. There is laughter as they try to adjust the teapot and cups just so. Huddling close, they look at the camera and smile. [e-mail] This article was first published in The Business Times.