Highlights of cultural activities in Lahore this past week were the much-hyped launching of a book on music and a Press briefing by Chairman Action Committee, Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association at which he demanded of the government to allow screening of Indian movies in Pakistani cinemas. Included in other noticeable events of the week were a seminar on journalism and Public Relations, announcement of the results of a photography contest and a meeting of the concerned persons about the input of Punjab in formulation of national cultural policy.
Not much seems to have been written in this country on music during the past 57 years. Those few books, which reached bookstores, could not satiate the curiosity of the readers about the historical, philosophical, theoretical and teaching aspects of this esoteric art.
Music is a unique discipline, which can be treated both as an art and a science. Like other subjects, it can be taught as an academic discipline, only if plenty of quality literature on music is available to support such a programme. The literature will be required by the teachers and the taught to pursue any research project.
If rich Pakistani melodic cultural heritage is to be prevented from slipping into historical oblivion, more books and literature should be produced in the country for the benefit of posterity.
That was the thrust of arguments advanced by different speakers at the June 30th launching ceremony of Urdu Mauseeqi, a book on music written by Khalid Malik Haider from Peshawar, which took place at Nairang Galleries, Lahore. The ceremony was turned into a heated debate when several speakers accused the author of lifting material from different books without acknowledging the sources. One of the speakers sang several classical compositions to substantiate his point regarding the practicability of using Western Staff Notation for the preservation of our classical heritage. The launching ceremony ended in fiasco due to the impatience of speakers from the audience to present their points of view ahead of others.
Chairman Action Committee of Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association at a Press briefing on June 28 in Lahore has urged the government to remove restrictions on the import and screening of Indian films in Pakistani cinemas. If that was not possible, he suggested that the government should annually pay Rs.600 million to film exhibitors for production and monitoring of quality movies in Pakistan. The Press briefing was arranged primarily to register protest of the representatives of Pakistan Film Industry against what they called the government's indifference to the current sorry state of affairs prevailing in our film industry.
A seminar on the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage was held in Lahore on July 6 to formulate Punjab's input in the national cultural policy, which the federal government is likely discuss next month. Representatives of district, city and provincial governments, noted cultural organizations and other stakeholders participated in the deliberations. The cultural policy of the country is being prepared on the basis of the Pakistan-UNDP-UNESCO recommendations made last year, which urged the adoption of immediate measures to prevent our rich cultural heritage from fading into historical oblivion.
A German reputed for the supply of photographic materials has announced the results of a photography contest, which it sponsored last month. The names of the winners of the top three awards have been announced. The theme of the contest was "Social & Environmental Issues". The twelve best photographs, which were adjudged by the panel of judges, will be displayed at Press Clubs in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi through a travelling exhibition next month.
Journalism and Public Relations was the topic of a seminar, which the Press Institute of Pakistan sponsored on June 30 at its premises. The Minister of Education, Punjab chaired the proceedings to which journalists representing a number of national dailies contributed their thoughts. Included among the participants were Chairman, Mass Communication Department, University of the Punjab; the Chief Editor and the Resident Editor of the Observer; former General Manager Public Relations, WAPDA, Vice President Pakistan Public Relations Society and Director-General Public Relations, Chief Minister Secretariat. A sizeable number of students of journalism and sub-editors from several newspapers also participated in the seminar.
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