National Drama Festival, a couple of painting exhibitions, an obituary reference and a couple of book fairs were the highlights of cultural events in Lahore during the week ending January 9. For the second week running, the 12-day National Drama Festival at Lahore Arts Council (December 27-January 7) dominated cultural scene in Lahore, culminating in a thought-provoking and rocuous seminar on the problems faced by theatre in Pakistan and the ways and means of improving it.
In all twelve plays, produced by different groups from all provincial capitals in the country, were staged during the festival winning objective criticism and appraises from discerning drama buffs and critics.
Major causes for a decline in the production of quality theatre, which have resulted in the emergence of obscene stage plays, according to the participants, were indifference and inapt policies of the successive governments and failure of the film industry in providing healthy entertainment to people.
These negative factors, according to majority views, have caused the current sorry state of theatre affairs in the country. These and several other causes were discussed threadbare by the participants as well as active members of the audience. Included among the participants in the seminar were producers and renowned playwrights, actors and critics.
One aspect of the decline, which was not discussed, was the monopolies and cartels created and perpetuated by scions of a few playwrights and creative citizens of yore, who have deliberately or otherwise stalled the induction of new talent in this domain of creative human endeavour. One still sees the same old (fossilised) individuals trying to dominate theatre and TV/Radio drama at the expense of budding new talent.
On January 6 the World Punjabi Congress organised an obituary reference for late Ahmed Bashir at which glowing tributes were paid to the creative ingenuity, commitments and contributions of the deceased journalist, novelist and film-maker. Included among the speakers were three members of his family - Mrs. Mehmooda Bashir, Parveen Atif (sister) and Neelam Bashir (daughter), the Chairman of WPC, senior journalists Aziz Mazhar and Shafqat Tanvir Mirza, and a few friends of late Ahmed Bashir.
A sharp decline in the production of films at Lollywood has forced many exhibitors and cinema owners in Lahore to go out of business. Cinema halls are being converted into plazas and markets in rapid succession because owners of these cinemas are not breaking even.
While enumerating hardships faced by the owners of cinemas at a Press Conference he addressed in Lahore on January 3, The Chairman of Lahore Cinema Owners Association Mian Amjad, claimed, "There was no movie business in the market for the last two years, forcing cinema owners to close their business". Once again he urged the government to allow screening of Indian films in the Pakistan, which would rejuvenate film business in the country.
In this connection he offered free screening of Indian film 'Mughal-e-Azam', which he thought, would create healthy competition for the dormant Pakistan film industry.
Two book fairs were arranged in the city this past week. The campuses of government College University and King Edward Medical College, Lahore served as the venues for these book fairs. Leading publishers of Lahore set up stalls to sell books on literature, science, politics, economics, computer studies, management and fiction sold at discounted prices.
Reading habit among the people, especially students, has suffered a sharp decline since the inception of television in the country. The electronic medium has not only adversely affected educational standards in Pakistan but also caused huge losses to the publishers and booksellers.
In world ranking Pakistan stands very low in the list of book producing countries in which, according to one estimate, only 200 new titles are published annually compared to scores of thousands in progressive societies. Arranging book fairs on a regular basis at the campuses and other venues in the city will help in stalling further decline in the production of books in Pakistan.
At a meeting held in Lahore on January 5, in which the heads of Punjab Horticulture Authority, District Co-ordinating Officer, managing directors of WASA, and TEPA, General Manager PTCL and Chief Executive of Lahore Electric Supply Company participated, the construction of a 'Book Street' on a 900-foot long and 60-foot wide side road connecting the Mall was approved. The City District Government okayed the plan to use British, Victorian and Mughal styles of architecture for the proposed book street.
It was good thinking by those who are at the helms of city affairs to appropriate a special place for the proposed book street, which will inculcate reading habits among the students and elders, provided the books purveyed at street were inexpensive and within the reach of an average citizen.
Two exhibitions of paintings were put up, one at the Lahore Arts Council and the other at local YMCA. In collaboration with British Council, LAC held the first solo exhibition of Sahibzada Aqeel Ahmed's paintings on January 4. Aqeel is among the few Pakistani artists, who have tried to capture the resplendent glory of historic Shalimar Gardens and Lahore Fort in his 30 oil paintings. His skill and grandeur of these edifices combined to create a pleasing visual ambience for the viewers.
Earlier in the week on January 2, a group paintings and calligraphy exhibition was sponsored by YMCA Lahore in collaboration with Pakistan Calligraphic Artists' Guild. A seminar on the role of art in promoting peace followed the inauguration by Director Lahore Museum. Works of students and teachers of YMCA School of Arts and Design were displayed at the exhibition .
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