Who will save Kuch Khaas?

Islamabad, once a beautiful and friendly metropolis, has been in the throes of a slow rebirth with massive construction works for over ten years. It never pretended to be a centre of arts and in terms of creativity, Islamabad has remained an awkward younger sibling to both Lahore and Karachi.
No wonder then that since private TV was allowed to blossom in the country, the headquarters of most of the networks are based in those two cities. Lahore and Karachi also dominate in the fields of theatre, film, TV and of course music.
Since the 18th Amendment, the portfolio of culture has been transferred to the provinces. Barring the Pakistan National Council of the Arts and the Lok Virsa, there are no other public institutions catering to artistic production in the federal capital. Credit goes to some brave individuals for having launched art spaces and galleries to fill this cultural void in a city of one million inhabitants.
The launch of the Kuch Khaas cultural space by Shayan Afzal, better known as Poppy, a few years back was a much needed breath of fresh air in culturally arid Islamabad. Within a short span, her centre became the hub of multiple cultural activities – ranging from poetry recitals to musical and culinary shows and lively debates on current issues.
Operating on a non-profit basis, Kuch Khaas could organise musical evenings for upcoming artistes at affordable entrance fees. Its café helped in raising badly needed funds to pay the employees and meet other running costs.
The survival of Kuch Khaas is now in jeopardy. When Poppy succumbed to cancer earlier this year, the future of Kuch Khaas also seemed to be in danger. However, a team of dedicated workers who have been associated with the centre are determined to continue what Poppy had worked so hard to create and sustain.
But a bigger challenge the unique art space faces has surfaced by way of the Capital Development Authority’s reasserting its objection to the centre for engaging in business in a residential area. The CDA has served a notice to the centre apparently not taking into account the fact that Kuch Khaas is not a business enterprise but rather a platform to promote art, culture and creativity in the federal capital.
Kuch Khaas is a laudable initiative by someone with an indomitable spirit – someone no longer among us. The CDA can earn loads of goodwill by lending support to the centre instead of crippling this art space.
Islamabad’s residents have still not recovered from the demolition of the city’s iconic covered bazaar in its oldest residential sector of G-6. Built more on the scale of the fabled Tollington Market of Lahore rather than the grand old Covered Bazaar of Istanbul, the covered market was the first shopping area of Islamabad where residents shopped for daily necessities under one roof for nearly four decades.
Over time, the covered bazaar had also developed into a centre of small art galleries and handicraft shops. It was a favourite of diplomats who visited the place regularly to buy food, groceries and general provisions and at the same time look for bargains on art and artefacts. All that is history now because some overzealous parties came up with the idea of building a modern shopping centre in place of the covered market.
For reasons best known to the authorities, the covered market was razed. There is no sign yet of the planned multi-storeyed building that was supposed to be built in its place. The authorities owe it to the residents to rebuild the covered market to restore the old jewel on its original site. Islamabad should emulate Lahore in saving historical and cultural edifices. The historic Tollington Market was not razed but saved. The CDA can undo this wrong by rebuilding the covered bazaar.
Email: saeed.saeedk@gmail.com