Lahooti Melo to kick off on Saturday

Hyderabad to organise the festival for the first time

KARACHI:

The much-awaited Lahooti Melo is being organised for the first time in the city with the theme of 'Celebrating Indus'. The festival is being held in Hyderabad since 2016.

About two dozen singers are expected to perform during the two-day Lahooti Melo being arranged at Port Grand.

From panel discussion to musical performances, Lahooti Melo is famous among youngsters from different parts of Pakistan who usually used to travel Hyderabad since its inception in 2016.

Sana Khoja, one of the organisers, told The Express Tribune that its first time that they have brought the undiscovered talent to the city. "Karachi is the heart of Pakistan," she said. "It has diversity and we want to introduce the diversity to the port city," she added.

In this seventh edition, the Lahooti Melo focuses on the 'Indus River', indigenous people and species, especially the Indus blind dolphin.

On the first day, the panelists including Dr Hassan Abbas, Dr Ashu Lal and Zafir Iqbal Khero will share their thoughts over people living along the river for centuries. A documentary will also be screened.

After panel discussion, singers including Mai Dai and Aado Bhagat from Sindh, Saakin and Meekal Hassan Band from Punjab, Samina Kanwal from Balochistan and many others will perform.

On the second day, panelists including Birgit Lamm, Jami Chandio, Sharif Awan and Jawad Sharif will discuss 'River and the diversity' while in the second session Ghani Katiyar, Fatima Majeed, Afia Salam, Daniel Custafson and other will talk on 'Living Indus'.

Javed Mahar, Prof Anila Naz Soomro and Ghulam Sarwar Gachal will share their knowledge of the Indus blind dolphin. Manthar Faqeer, Mai Fatima, Bano Rehmat [Kashmir], Ghabat Bora Laal and others will perform during the closing session of the festival.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2022.