Annual event: Third Karachi Conference kicks off today

Promoting awareness of the city's current and future problems is on the agenda

KARACHI: Starting out as a small trading post in 1729, Karachi grew to become a city that never sleeps in a relatively short time. The pace at which this dynamic city spread only magnified its problems that mushroomed at an even faster rate. For those who want to understand and make others understand the existing as well as upcoming issues of this city, a conference begins today that encompasses all these and more.

The third International Karachi Conference, aiming to celebrate the city's cultural mosaic, historic evolution and impact on development, is kicking off today, Friday, at the Karachi Arts Council. The conference will run for three days and is open to public.

"It [Karachi] is a living being. It keeps on making its pulse felt," believes Dr Kaleemullah Lashari, a historian and an organiser of the event, as he formally announced the conference's schedule.



People have to understand what the city was, how problematic it has become and what it will be in the coming days if things remain the same, he added. For this, let's sit together, talk and seek a way out of these issues during the event, he invited.

The first day of the event will showcase films on the city, he revealed, which will be screened from 4pm till 10pm. "The films [documentaries] have been made by local and foreign researchers as well as by student of media studies," Lashari explained.

The films have been divided into two categories. The long films, running between 25 to 50 minutes, with which the event will open include 'Lyari: Highway of Tears' by Fionn Skiotis, 'The Hindu Mosaic of Tharparkar' by Hasan Ali Khan and Maheen Zia, 'The Mystery of The Persian Mummy' by Dr Asma Ibrahim and 'Tazia Makers of Kharadar: Exploring Their Passion and Devotion' by Qamar Bana.

After the conclusion of the first session, 10-minute-long short films, which have been made by students, will be screened. "All these films are new and have been made on stories of this city," Lashari told the media.

The second and the third day will focus on research papers and lectures on the history, heritage and issues of Karachi, he added. Lashari explained that this year, the keynote address at the event will be delivered by a Nepalese writer Kanak Mani Dixit, who is the founder of Himal Southasian, a news and analysis magazine featuring long-form articles.

The event will end on Sunday night with a performance by traditional folk musicians of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2015.