Backwards or forwards?

Even a decade ago, very few in the country were familiar with the rites that make up Halloween, or the other events that many Pakistanis seem to have adopted with equal gusto, such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. To some degree, this is inevitable; we live in a time when the world is becoming smaller and smaller as a result of globalisation. The world — and most notably the US — has entered our lives through TV Channels and the internet, available especially to the elite but also to the common man thanks to cable. Local-level commercialisation also means that black cat masks, red roses, colourful devil’s horns and Santa hats — sold aggressively even by roadside vendors who rush up to parked cars — has spurred the phenomena on to newer and greater heights. This year, Halloween was marked even in the conservative city of Peshawar. Whether the people understand the history and reasons behind these holidays is, of course, uncertain.

Many hail this trend as a sign of progression; as evidence that we are moving on with the world. But is this really true? Perhaps we also need to ask if we are in real danger of losing our own sense of identity. This is especially true as the issue of identity has always been a confused one in our part of the world. Since 1947, we have struggled to decide just who we are in terms of religion and nationality amongst other factors, clinging on to our long subcontinental heritage in many aspects of life — such as the rituals typical of a wedding — but especially since the 1980s, also making a move towards the Middle East, as doubts grow over the meaning of religion in life. Our tradition of music has suffered, with classical music struggling to stay alive in a hostile environment.

We should also ask ourselves what has happened to other practices. The festival of Basant, observed in Lahore for centuries, has vanished completely, chiefly as a result of official narrow-mindedness and a lack of awareness of what impact stealing away the past can have. A generation who may never feel the exhilarating tug of a kite is growing up; even celebration of festivals like Shab-e-Barat and Eid has changed. The impact of all this must be considered, for in many ways keeping heritage alive keeps nations alive.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2011.