A deadly stampede in Ramzan killed 23 people, we saw this in the news early in April. Thousands of people including women and children in Pakistan have been queuing around free food trucks by the Government, and these deaths are so much bad news to process. This mayhem has brought us nothing but more agony and distress, and it gets uglier on the streets with rampant inflation abounding and hunger gnawing boldly at the societal texture.
Coming to the recent political-economic tailspin and turmoil, there is frenzy and confusion everywhere with the public at large finding it difficult to make both ends meet. This brings along a taste of sadness and guilt which probably needs a redress commensurate with the quantum of the havoc it has been wreaking. The question as to redress is nothing but ‘how’. The sight of these ration trucks has a tale to tell, long queues of helpless aand desperate countrymen trying to get hold of whatever they can snatch is also more of a culture than a fact.
“The whole culture is telling you to hurry, while the art tells you to take your time. Always listen to the art.”
The quote tells us that there is healing in art, and the capacity to equip you to stand tall against all odds. Unfortunately, Art is that omission from our society that has left us wanting not only in sentiment but also in resilience.
Testing times require a threshold of grit and perseverance which gets honed and polished by art alone, for there is a delightful panacea hidden in the treasures of art and faith that translates into holding fast in turbulent times. There is light at the end of the tunnel though and it’s quite bright, we must admit.
Islamabad recently witnessed a Literary Festival at the Ghandara Citizen Center in F9 Park Islamabad, sponsored by CDA. Both the incumbent and ex-Chairpersons of the Authority presented themselves to patronize and live the moment of truth at the otherwise abandoned facility which was brought to life in just days by sheer hard work and efforts of the organizing teams.
Our culture, arts, crafts, sports stories, and poetry were made to come alive during the three days festival. Not just that, the artists and poets were given respect and were shown reverence which they will surely remember and cherish for a very long time: from their welcome to see them off. The parting words of gratitude from Iftikhar Arif before sitting in the car to Noor-ul-Amin Mengal were: “You are too kind”. With this reflection springs the grace and aura of ‘Giving’. Told you, Art teaches us. In a society marred with inequality and deprivation, the greatest virtue that can be with the privileged is to Give. At all fronts, Give. Give without thinking twice and give without evaluation. In a country replete with deprivation and poverty, there is no point in selecting the recipients. To select wouldn’t help, but to give unconditionally surely would.
To empathize with the marginalized and underprivileged segments of our society is a key that art holds best. It teaches the ‘How’ of it all and makes redress at least visible if not delivered. Apart from free food trucks we also need free street libraries and reading rooms, and a culture where art gets the front seat. Perhaps we shall make it through more gracefully that way.
To be or not to be is not the question anymore, to be on the right end of the stampede is.