International Women’s Day: A whirlwind of celebration envelops the twin cities

Art displays, poetry, music and documentaries highlight the feminine perspective.

ISLAMABAD:

The festive spirit was unmistakable as women rejoiced with a myriad of activities to mark the International Women’s Day at various venues in the twin cities on Thursday. Whatever their mode of expression, they shared their wisdom, experiences and determinations, coming together as one.

Five-day festival at Lok Virsa begins

Women from all parts of the country displayed their creative skills through stalls of handmade jewellery, clothes, interior decorations, ceramics, linen and kitchen ware. These stalls served as a treasure trove of culture and heritage.

Minister for Information Firdous Aashiq Awan inaugurated a five-day festival on the occasion. She browsed through the stalls and encouraged the women for their hard work.

Munir Ahmed, an organiser, said that women and girls from every field would be participating in the festival to showcase their talent and contribution towards the society. A large number of schools and universities from the twin cities participated in an art competition on three themes: women at work, violence against women and ending torture against women in police custody.

Munir said the paintings will be taken all over the country for display and if they manage to get a sponsor, some might even get sold for charity. Artists Jamal Shah, Mansoor Rahi and Hajra Mansoor are going to evaluate the art work which will be on display at Lok Virsa.  On their stalls, the various UN agencies put banners, handouts, CDs and brochures on women’s role and contribution during disaster and their role in building back better.

Art showcase at PNCA

Meanwhile, a creative showcase featuring the work of the pioneering abstract and expressionist artist Zubeida Agha (1922-1997) attracted a huge audience at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).

Titled “Diversity in Creativity”, the exhibition celebrated women’s artistic achievements, as installations, mix media, paintings and documentary viewings offered a wide array of art forms to feed every person’s taste.

Photographer and designer Maheen Jafri commented that Agha’s talent and vision distinguished her in the art world, not because she was a woman; this gives other women hope that they too can rise above gender classifications and be known for their work.

Eighty female artists from across Pakistan displayed their works and shared how Agha has shaped their artistic vision. An artist of mix media, Nazia Baig commented, “Agha is a rare expressionist who gave me the confidence to display my subjective interpretations in my work.”

In her untitled works, Agha shows emotion and thought through intricate geometrical designs, resembling clockwork. Therefore, the primary abstraction of the humane is elevated to serve a higher purpose much like the mechanical inner design of a clock. In such, her work is so abstruse that it leaves everything and nothing to the imagination. The exhibition will continue till April 22.

Poetry recitation at PAL

At the Pakistan Academy of Letters, more than a dozen poets from the twin cities took part in poetry reading session. Prominent Urdu poet Sarwat Mohiuddin was the chief guest at the occasion. The main objective of the even was to honour women across the country by reciting poetry in English and Urdu. Majority of the poets recited their poem highlighting women issues.

Painting contest at RAC

The day came full circle with a painting exhibition at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC). Over 50 girls students from 10 colleges of the twin cities depicted social issues face by women in the Pakistani society. RAC Director Naheed Manzoor commented, “Until women are economically self-sufficient, the society cannot progress.”

Documentary screening and poetry recital at KK

Earlier on Wednesday, women enjoyed a dose of poetry, music and documentary screening at Kuch Khaas. Through montages of her acclaimed documentary, Filmmaker Samar Minallah highlighted the plight of women living in feudal areas. Social activists and writers such as Kishwar Naheed, Mumtaz Begum and Tahira Abdullah shared select verses to commemorate the day.

Musical night

In another event at the PNCA on Wednesday, women let their hair down and enjoy a night full of songs, dance and a large dose of women empowerment pep talk.

As the hall filled up with the chatter of ladies clad in formal wear, the event began with the young and well-known folk artist Sanam Marvi who sang a Sindhi folk song with a traditional Sindhi chaddar around herself.

Kathak dance by Sumbal and Fauzia came up next which was well received as the ladies gracefully danced to the beat of their ghungroos (bells). Punjabi song “vey mein chori chori” was next up as Dr Masooma belted out the performance with powerful vocals.

To add a little flavour to the event Syeda Batool Jafri, an Urdu poet, recited a poem she had written for women empowerment.

“Bibi Shireen”, sung by Zaeeq Afridi seemed to be a big hit as women hooted. One particular lady got up to dance to the song, as the audience cheered her on.

What was turning out to be an enjoyable evening became memorable by Sayeen Zahoor’s performance. He held his iktara, while dancers in the background swirled in a trance-like momentum, sometimes even whirling their heads in the Malangi dance style as he sang to “Allah Hu”.

To end, a dance performance with the title “Taxila odyssey” introduced the evolution of dance styles in the subcontinent. A narration kept the audience informed as to what dance form came after another, starting with Bharata Natya and moving on to the more masculine Khattak dance.

*Edited by Maryam Usman

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2012.