Royal Ontario Museum to display Jimmy’s drawings

LAHORE: World renowned artist, social crusader and peace activist Jimmy Engineer continued to make his motherland Pakistan proud yet again.

His two drawings have been selected for permanent display in the Royal Ontario Museum of Canada. The two drawings were selected during his month-long goodwill visit to Canada about two months back where he had delivered talk about his life and art and exhibited his creative artwork among other activities and inter-action with people from all walks of life.

Canada-Pakistan Business Council President Samir Dossal along with Jimmy Engineer and his cousin Nelly Engineer had facilitated the Curator of Museum Deepali Dewan in making the selection of the drawings for display in the museum.

The drawings on British branded paper of donkey symbolise animal for burden which was done and the man lifting the burden were done in 2011 and 2012 respectively in 22 inches x 30 inches. Jimmy Engineer in telephonic conversation with his journalist friends said that he would be going to Canada again after the Royal Ontario Museum in Ontario management had finalised the arrangements for the ceremony to put the two drawings to attend the ceremony in this regard. He said he was very much happy over selection of his two drawings for permanent display in the museum in Canada and deemed it a great honour for his motherland Pakistan and himself.

Jimmy Engineer told them that only in March 2018, he had visited China where one of his masterpiece paintings “International Architectural Composition” was put on permanent display in the centuries old National Art Museum of China in Beijing. The painting was some months back selected by Consul General of China in Karachi after viewing his creative artwork.

Ajoka pays tribute to Manto

Ajoka Theatre presented befitting tribute to legendary Urdu short-story writer Saadat Hasan Manto with the performance of classic play “Toba Tek Singh” based on famous short-story written by him at Alhamra Hall No 2.

This was the inaugural performance of the two-day long Manto Drama Festival organised by Lahore Arts Council started from Tuesday. The play highlighted the talent and expertise of emerging young actors who had just completed Ajoka’s three-month "Art of Acting" course.

Through this performance, Ajoka theatre has given an opportunity to aspiring actors to showcase their talent in a captivating story written by Saadat Hasan Manto under the direction of Nirvaan Nadeem. In two-day festival, three more theatre groups will also present their plays highlighting various facets of Saadat Hasan Manto’s life and his literary work. —Correspondent