Aliya Naseer Farooq
Every year I look forward to the 21st of February, not only because it is my birthday but because I will celebrate it in Lahore at the Lahore literary fest. Why at LLF? Many have asked that question. Well, because there are very few places I’d rather be on my special day. A majestic building, one of Nayyar Ali Dada’s most imposing designs. Sprawling lawns dotted with diwans and gao takias, tea, coffee and an impressive assortment of local cuisine and books, books, books! Relaxing on the colourful diwans you can pass hours just looking at the formidable array of authors, poets, celebrities but most importantly, the people – the attendees – young and old, men and women who throng the Alhamra Arts Council at the Mall Road Lahore for these three coveted dates from 21st to 23rd of February, every year.
Lovers of books and dialogue mark their calendars of these dates and come from far and wide.
I was lucky enough to participate in one of these sessions this year. A session about Lahore in which we celebrated its past and present. Our key speaker had travelled all the way from New York and she is in her elegant eighties. Such people are an inspiration and one gets to see and hear so many awesome and awe inspiring stories of writers, poets, philosophers, artists and thinkers.
This year’s literary fest was held in the wake of myriad challenges. Other than the internal conflicts, there were the added pressures of the PSL matches being played in Lahore on the same dates. With the teams staying in Pearl Continental Hotel on the Mall Road, as well. Hats off to the organisers and sponsors and a special shout out to all the students and volunteers who hold the fort in sometimes less than ideal circumstances.
LLF, to me personally, is a coming together of all that is diverse, pluralistic and inclusive in our country. In addition to that, it offers a platform for book lovers to hear and meet their favourite writers, both local and foreign.
LLF 2020 opened with Orhan Pamuk’s exhilarating and energetic presence, brimming with joie de vivre. Arriving only six hours before the opening ceremony, his enthusiasm and exuberance set the tone for the festival and we had many vivacious and interactive sessions in the following three days.
Fatima Bhutto’s delayed flight meant a wait of some fifteen minutes for the audience. Yet, they sat patiently for this young icon who writes and talks equally well. She talked about her latest book, ‘ the New Kings of the World .’ A book worth reading for its incisive commentary on the rising tides of cultural exchanges and their significance in the modern world.
William Dalrymple graced the occasion among many other remarkable luminaries.
There are so many interesting and captivating sessions going on simultaneously in the five halls of the Alhamra Arts Council that one is mostly in a quandary about which one to attend. You don’t want to miss any, but obviously, choices have to be made and one tries to make the most of this three day long literary feast.
Other than the
cerebral attractions, there are visual and gastronomical delights a galore. I
have never seen such an array of colours, style and designs as witnessed at
LLF. Lahoris come in their eclectic best. Elegant ladies with their salt and
pepper hair and heirloom shawls are a treat to watch, sitting in the sun with
your coffee and watching this glitterati pass by is a sight for sore eyes.
Where there are books, music can’t be far behind. The festival opened with a qawwali and after that there were groups and individuals performing in nooks and crannies, outdoors. Drummers, instrumentalist all had their spots and attracted sizeable crowds.
Such an abundance of
attractions to be held free of cost is a feat worth applauding.
LLF has set a precedent of excellence in the literary field which must be
emulated. Lahore was recently selected by UNESCO as a city of literature,
festivals such as these are the reason Pakistan is emerging on the
international intellectual horizon.
