Back in my day…

In Pakistan, there is a subset of arm-chair critics that believe the best days of art and entertainment are behind us. They scoff at the output of today’s artists, singers and actors, while venerating those of the past. What this demographic fails to appreciate is that there is a fine line between nostalgia and narrow-mindedness.

The present is not the past, things have changed and it is risible to expect modern art and entertainment to be made the way it was three or four decades ago. An artist’s work should be judged by the standard of their time; indeed, for art to remain relevant, it has to reflect the world today. Clinging to the past only stops us from appreciating the joys of today.

M Nadeem Nadir

Kasur