Poetry and tea — weekends at Frere Hall are free and for all

Karachi

Last year the city was abuzz with campaigns to reclaim public spaces, although those who wished only to get involved had to pay for tickets. Perhaps with the obligation to pay a fee waived, crowds of people made their way to the Rilli lying in the gardens of Frere Hall, as a young man played ‘Eik Alif’ on his guitar. 

Organised by Spoken Stage and Girls At Dhabas, the pop-up dhaba saw young men and women sit together and recite poetry as a stall continued to serve tea and mixed Chaat to all.

However, unlike many events held behind closed doors this one was open for all, from policemen to newspaper sellers all were in attendance.

People were asked to share poetry, stories or perform if they wanted to, while several were encouraged to present or recite their own works as well.

A coconut seller who had decided to rest with his fellow, Arshad, a Papadum seller, clapped along when the song ended and shared that the sight wasn’t all that alien for him but was indeed the first to have welcomed him as an audience.

“We come here daily but the people usually come on weekends. We have seen huge events over here, musical concerts, festivals; tents are placed so it isn’t accessible to everyone. This is the first time that I have witnessed people singing songs and sitting together without any ticket,” said Arshad.

A duet followed the Sufi melody as the two attendees sang ‘Stand By Me’, but as soon as they stopped a man clad in a police uniform started to converse with them, alerting everyone around.

To everyone’s relief though, it was a request for more Sufi melodies as the policeman moved forward to sit cross-legged amongst the audience and listen to the songs.  

“It has been a while since I felt so relaxed, and I think people should frequently do this so that strangers can also enjoy together without barriers,” said Hasan who serves as an officer in the Sindh Special Unit (SSU).

However when he was asked about security provided to artistes, he sheepishly added that the murder of a noted Qawwal was just unfortunate and the conditions of the city aren’t such.

“No one will come and shoot these people because they aren’t doing anything condemnable.”

However, the space was not only for those who could sing or had a liking for poetry but was also inclusive of independent women, otherwise shunned by the society.

An artist, Mahnoor, took to painting the social media starlet Qandeel Baloch, killed in the name of ‘honour’ by her brother this past week.

“My children aren’t willing to leave as yet, and we come here every week but they just play around and leave. This time they are cheering on all those who are singing, and I think this should be a routine, something normal, because many of us cannot attend all those musical performances since they’re not light on our pockets,” shared Sameena who had come with her children.

Speaking about the idea, Sadia Khatri, who represents GAD said that apart from reclaiming public spaces, it was important to break walls that stood between people.

In her opinion such initiatives showed how things which were otherwise only accessible to a particular class, like poetry or live music, could get several people together.   

While kids ran around and adults blew bubbles, all attendees let out sighs when the sun finally set and it was time to finally wrap it all up.  For the love of making people realise the importance of public space, the group aimed at getting more such pop-up dhabas organised for those whom reaching Frere Hall was not an easy task.