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ome November, Lahore becomes abuzz with a livelier elan. The air is no longer humid, the noon sun no longer oppressive. There is just a hint of the chill that will mark December and January. The dreaded smog may be only weeks away but the Lahoris refuse to be bothered by it so early. The pattern is so familiar that the organisers of most cultural events look forward to it.
No wonder there are weddings, get-togethers and reunions galore. While it is hard to imagine that more people have birthdays this month, somehow more are celebrated publicly in Lahore. Picnics appear to be a natural.
The wedding season, which actually starts in October, is peaking.
Cultural festivals and concerts now compete with weddings for chance meetings with cherished friends and former colleagues one does not get to see as often as one would wish to. Getting to make the acquaintance of like-minded people and making new friends is a welcome serendipity.
Alhamra has long been a favourite venue for cultural activity. However, new places and facilities, both in the private sector and the public domain, are coming up. The National Book Foundation, for instance, has been regularly hosting book launches as well as lecture by and dialogues with all kinds of luminaries. There was a delightful talk by Dr Moeen Nizami recently at the National Book Foundation. The topic, Wohi jahan hai tera jis ko tu karay paida (only the world you create is your world), celebrated one of the poet’s favourite themes. It was a refreshing, soulful talk that left many in the audience with a renewed desire to energetically pursue their dreams. Many said it had instilled in them the belief that the world was full of possibilities and that they must put in more concerted efforts to discover the spark within and turn into a raging blaze. The talk was followed by questions from the audience that the speaker fielded very patiently, welcoming those as an opportunity to further elaborate on his ideas.
One looks forward to similar exchanges of ideas on such occasions. Iqbal’s poetry inspires all kinds of people around the world. No wonder he is loved and admired in many lands and is a part of Pakistan’s cultural identity. The audience at the NBF event included many poets, writers, teachers and journalists besides people from other walks of life.
The very next day there was an event in remembrance of Qurat-ul Ain Haider, Altaf Fatima, Parveen Shakir and Fehmida Riaz. This, too, attracted a large number of people who welcomed the opportunity to get to know more about their favourite poets and writers.
One of the attractions of these events is that the talks, conferences, musical evenings, even some theatre performanes, are free of charge and open to all comers.
Then there was a colourful science fair at Crescent Model School. This, too, attracted a huge number of people. Khwarizmi Science Society has been regularly organising the event which brings together a large number of participants as well as curious visitors. At a large number of stalls set up by school children, visitors were impressed to see how well the children knew and explained key scientific principles. Stall had also been put up by some of the elite scientific organisation like the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
While November is no longer as pleasant as it was a few decades ago, chiefly on account of the air pollution, Lahoris bravely defy the hazard to answer the call of the outdoors. One of the outdoor events that stood out was the UN Day at Alhamra. The Alhamra lawns were buzzing with hordes of young people.
And there are two more weeks to go in the month. One looks forward to the Expo Centre food festival, among other events.
Saadia Salahuddin is afreelance journlist