Whether our forthcoming generations would harbour hatred and disregard or feel love for each other
HYDERABAD: Pablo Picasso once said, “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” The recent banning of film stars from Pakistan by India is the process of a gradual decline — rather, the ultimate death of art. As the matter of fact, art is an instrument for social change. Unfortunately, the artists who were once front-runners on opposing such issues now have succumbed to self-preservation to save their skins. In the past, amid intense tension between India and Pakistan’s borders, banning Pakistani actors and technicians was transient, until normalcy returned. Similarly, Pakistan, this time, has decided to ban Indian content in cinemas and on television channels, which was blatant blowback.
Most actors and artists have chosen to keep quiet and are being diplomatic and indifferent on the squalid situation. It is a strange affinity and a gulf at the same time between the two countries. Most sane souls find themselves getting increasingly upset at the abuse and hatred tossed across the borders. People in general, all over Pakistan and India, want peace to prevail and have shown continued support for their belief in love and understanding to unite a divisive world. They want to bury these inconsequential and trivial differences. The implicit question is whether our forthcoming generations would harbour hatred and disregard or feel love for each other.
Nasir Soomro
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2016.
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