Life is going at a break neck speed. There never seems to be enough time for everything. It is incredulous that year end has come so quickly. So holiday season is already in the air. The markets are flooded with Christmas gifts, cards and items for decorating the Christmas tree.
Father Christmas in the rein deer sleigh can be seen on the horizon foretelling the advent of Christmas and New Year.
The first event was the screening of a film, "Comedian Harmonists" that was organised by the cultural section of the German embassy in co-operation with the Pakistan German Friendship Association and the United Nations Community Liaison Office. The film was directed by the German film director Joseph Vilsmaier.
The storyline of the movie is that in 1927, the 20-year-old Berlin drama student Harry Frommermann find a German singing group modelled on the feted American acapella formation "The Revellers". He places an advertisement and, very soon, he is snowed over with candidates. After initial difficulties, the band's first appearance is a great success.
A German tour follows and it's not long before the Comedian Harmonists are on every body's lips. But the enormous success makes the young men blind to the changing political situation. None of the six wants to take Hitler's rise to power seriously although three members of the troupe are Jews...Six men, six voices, six fates_ Joseph Vilmaier's film version of the rise and fall of the legendary Berlin ensemble Comedian Harmonists who started an international career at the end of the 20s and fell victim to the National Socialist racial policy only a few years later.
The film is of 127 minutes duration with the original version in German and subtitled version in English.
The second event was an exhibition of oil paintings based on the Arabian Cultural Heritage presented by Masood Parvez Fine Art Studio at the World Bank. Mr, John W. Wall (Country Director World Bank, Pakistan was the Chief Guest who also inaugurated the exhibition.
Arabian Nights is a well heard phrase that captures the imagination and transports one to the roots of Islam and those ancient ages in the Arabian Gulf; where all the cultural and historic treasures and stories lay buried in time waiting for revival. It feels refreshing however, that some still seek to breathe life into the fast fading romance of the Arabian past.
This massive move is being brought to the public by a group of artists who wish to share their visions with others through their paintings. This effort has been made to preserve the Arabian cultural heritage to cope with the rapidly changing life-styles of the younger generation of the Islamic world. The artists succeed in capturing the stark beauty as well as the harshness of the bygone Arabian environment.
The exhibition titled 'Treasures of the Gulf' represents an exhilarating resurrection of those times when life was simpler, closer to nature and so picturesque.
This exotic art collection comprises of 53 large oil paintings and is a product of more than a year's resolute effort of 15 talented female artists of Masood Parvez Fine Art Studio that provides them with guidance, research and development opportunities.
Fifteen percent of all purchase value will be donated to the President's Earthquake Relief Fund 2005.
"Lack of knowledge about others causes suspicion and indifference," says Masood Parvez, "therefore, we should use the universal language of art in bringing people together and binding them in understanding, mutual appreciation and respect in this global village as it grows smaller and closer knit... this is the need of time as well." The studio environment encourages the artists to explore different cultures of the world and develop a cosmopolitan outlook. His Portraits and other artwork are included in numerous government and private art collection in the USA, and Pakistan. His aspirations are to promote the works of talented artists of Pakistan and to bring about a revolutionary movement in the global art scene.
The studio has previously held several highly acclaimed exhibitions on variety of cultural themes such as 'The Tall Ships' representing the Maritime history of the Western world.
This exhibition was inaugurated and highly commended by Admiral Shahid Karimullah the Chief of the Naval Staff. There was also the memorable exhibition titled 'Painted Legends'. An exhibition of terracotta pottery depicting scenes from Greek Mythology. The exhibition was inaugurated by H.E. the Ambassador of Greece and SK Tressler, the Honourable Minister of Culture.The Ambassador of Greece Evangelos Carokis commended the show in a letter as "...spreading the principle of Greek-Pakistani harmonious cultural co-operation and understanding".