The Spring Theatre Festival ended on April 11 was indeed an artistic treat for the theatre enthusiasts of the capital's twin cities. The unique event was organised by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in collaboration with Ajoka Theatre and Capital Development Authority (CDA). Originally the festival was scheduled from April 4 to 8 but was extended till 11 on the great demand of the art lovers.
Naeem Tahir, chief executive and director general of the Council is determined to transform the Council into a nucleus of art and cultural activities both at the national and international level. The state of the art auditorium of the institution has become the hub of art activities of Pakistani and foreign artists. Most of the cultural programs under the cultural exchange agreements between Pakistan and over 52 countries also take place here.
This is why the auditorium of PNCA has been considered a living symbol of the practising cultural diplomacy as conceptualised by Naeem Tahir, a versatile artiste and visionary. The Spring Theatre Festival is also a continuity of this notion as most of the plays staged on the occasion have been acclaimed not only by Pakistani audience but also by theatre lovers living beyond our borders.
In an era of socio cultural degeneration, it is the Ajoka Theatre which has been striving hard for a democratic, humane and egalitarian society in Pakistan. Set up in 1983, the Ajoka has successfully created new traditions and modes of staging plays on burning issues faced by the humanity at large. It has dealt with bold subjects, experimented with new techniques and blended contemporary realities with traditional forms. The Spring Theatre Festival proved a true exponent of Ajoka's high quality branding.
The 8-day festival included about half a dozen plays by Ajoka, which have already got wide acclaim at home and abroad. The plays restaged were titled 'Chalk Chukur', 'Hotel Moenjodharo', 'Toba Tek Singh', 'Sheher-e-Afsos', 'Bullah' and 'Bhala Gujar'.
The Chalk Chukur is an Urdu adaptation of a play 'Caucasian Chalk Circle' written by Bertolt Brecht in an era suffering from the post world war second wounds. The adaptation has skilfully reflected the socio-political scenario of our own country, with special reference to dictatorial rule and its offshoots in the areas of constitutional chaos and socio-economic odds. The play also exposes the unethical practices of the warring ruling factions of the society. The play 'Hotel Moenjodaro' was based on the short story 'Dhanak' written by renowned fiction writer Ghulam Abbas in the mid 60s. It revolves around the rigid and intolerant behaviour of clerics and orthodox elements of society.
'Toba Tek Singh', another wonderful play, is based on the story written by world renowned Pakistani writer Saadet Hasan Manto with the perspective of incidents of insanity committed by certain fanatic segments of the population in 1947. The play 'Sheher-e-Afsos' is an adaptation of the story by Intizar Hussain. It also reflects the tragic incidents that took place in 1947 and 1971. The stage play 'Bullaha' indeed stole the show on account of its powerful theme, acting, direction and presentation with maximum dramatic elements, which made the play a great success.
The play 'Bullah' depicts the life and poetic message of the great saint and visionary Baba Bullah Shah ( 1680-1758 ). He witnessed the tragic downfall of the Mughal dynasty, political and religious strife and socio-cultural chaos prevailing in an era of degeneration. It was Bullah Shah who very bluntly criticised the hypocritic attitude of the rulings classes, including the clerics of his time.
The poetic message of Bullah Shah promotes and projects the cherished values of love, peace, tolerance and co-existence of humanity and the creation of a just society destined to peace, progress and prosperity. The Spring Theatre Festival proved to be a great success and would spark a tradition of high quality stage plays in our country in days to come.
Folk romance, oral tradition and dancing colors:
The Khas Art Gallery was the venue of a unique artistic and literary venture, the launch of a creative trio combining the oral tradition of our folklore, folk tales and corresponding paintings on April 12.
The innovative mode of expression opted jointly by Neelum Hussain and Laila Rehman is commendable. Neelum, an English literature teacher, writer and women rights activist accomplished a book titled 'The Romance of Raja Rasalu and other tales' while Laila Rehman, an artist, beautifully painted almost 30 paintings corresponding to the oral traditions of our cherished folklore and the tales inclusive of the book.
This region called Pakistan, has been the abode of world's most ancient civilisations including Moenjodaro, Mehargarh, Harappa, Texila and Gandhara. The vision and wisdom of people living here created a rich heritage of tangible and intangible folklore. The oral tradition stands most distinctive amongst all the forms of folklore and its multifaceted segments. With the passage of time the oral tradition is confined to our rural areas, while the urban segment of society moved towards a new form of expression. The art of sketching, painting and use of colors in our society has been a known phenomenon.
Our publishers, art and cultural institutions and NGOs have been engaged in putting the precious folklore, oral traditions and other cultural heritage in documented form for the greater benefit of people, researchers, students, historians and above all for posterity. In this regard, the art and literary work done by the two ladies Neelum Hussain and Laila Rehman deserve our commendation.
The author described the cherished values of love, peace and fraternity as an integral part of our cultural life. It also portrayed the characteristics of bravery, courage, morality and the tenderness of our people. The much known characters of Raja, Rani, King, Serpent and Gaints etc symbolise different virtues and thus are painted by Laila Rehman very skilfully. She used a variety of mediums, including oil on canvas and mixed media. Her colors and lines are powerful and highlight the corresponding written content.
In an era, when the book reading culture has been vanishing rapidly, the publication of 'The Romance of Raja Rasalu and other tales', incorporating the corresponding paintings, stands as distinctive and really deserves wide commendation by art and literary circles, book readers and art buyers.
Mixture of human anotomy with emotions, ecstasy and spirituality:
Rohtas Art Gallery is a place where a thought provoking and novel visual show is on display these days. April 9 was the launching day for the exhibition of 20 art pieces created by Nadia Hussain. The colorful show would continue till 17 instant.
Nadia Hussain did her graduation from the Pennsylvania Academy of fine arts, Philadelphia, USA in 2007. She passed her BFA, with painting as a major and miniature as a minor from the Indus Valley School of art and Architecture, Karachi. Currently the artist is a visiting assistant professor with the Rawalpindi campus of the National College of Art. She also has the honour of being the curator of visual exhibitions.
The ongoing exhibition could be termed as a powerful exponent of the artist's inner self, full of emotions, vigor, urge and expression. Sometime she seems to be bold and courageous enough in choosing certain issues of the human body structure, anatomy and emotions are expressed through a human being. She happens to be a staunch advocate of feminine identity and allied issues through her exhibits. While studying the human body she ascends to the zenith of spirituality and ecstasy. Her foggy images, with soft and bright colors, have a charming variation of tonal effects and create a wonderful visual environment for the sublimation of viewers.