Book lovers rejoiced as the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) made a much-awaited comeback in (mostly) physical and literary glory, running from March 4-6. The gl(literati) of our city were treated to an impressive roster of high-profile guests, including established and young authors, poets, musicians, actors, social media stars, activists and relevant political figures, with the odd international guest making an appearance.

The main theme was ‘Separation, Belonging and Beyond: 75 Years of Pakistan’ and hot-button, trending topics were tackled, such as the importance of own voices, decolonising the curriculum, systemic sexism and misogyny, the Partition, cultural confusion and assimilation, and the far-reaching impact of social media.

The ambience had celebratory overtones, as Karachiites thronged the venue. Feeding the frenzy was the ever-popular food court, serving traditional kebab rolls and masala fries as well as trendier fare such as chocolate-dipped churros and snow cones. Kiosks selling fancy caffeinated beverages kept energy levels high.

These, along with the book stalls and book signings, are an essential element endowing a festive feel to the proceedings. In a post-pandemic world, one had to stop and imbibe the enormity and gravity of the moment. Standing in a sea of humanity, the gentle breeze from the creek providing respite from the March sun, made everything feel almost surreal.

The return to a physical event made this year’s Karachi Literature Festival a resounding success. It gave back to us the feeling of community that was stolen by the pandemic

As was expected, the older generations showed up in full force, but it was also encouraging to see hordes of teenagers and young adults flock to their favourite sessions. This was aided by a healthy dose of celebrity and social media stars, from heartthrob actors Ahmed Ali Akbar and Ushna Shah (both of drama serial Parizaad fame) to comedians Ali Gul Pir, Amtul Baweja and Danish Ali.

At these sessions, the audience rightfully questioned the panels on the regressive and patriarchal tropes prevalent in current drama serials. Baweja related her own reasons for becoming a comedienne, so she wouldn’t have to play the quintessential ‘sister’ or obedient girl betrothed to her cousin. She further explained that, by moving away from the shackles of television, she could play myriad characters, from a detective to a mechanic, and talk freely about taboo subjects that needed to be normalised, such as menstruation.

It was no surprise that one of the best-attended sessions was headlined by novelist and playwright Hanif Kureishi, who spoke with moderator Maniza Naqvi about the importance of representation and his own experience growing up as a South Asian in 1960s England.

Kureishi delved into hot topics such as racism, new immigration, female sexuality, the democratisation of literature because of digital mediums and LGBTQ rights. He also discussed the need for more female voices from our region and urged more women to be brave and put pen to paper.

On the subject of writing about his mother, Kureishi said that mothers are the “maddest people you will ever meet”, proffering that many people have a dark and complicated relationship with their mother, which is why it is so intriguing to write about.

This theme was echoed in another panel with writers Sachin Kureishi, Taha Kehar, Fatima Ijaz and Bina Shah. They discussed how a mother’s identity usually gets absorbed by the child and the family unit, with little regard or interest given to her as an independent entity with a past and individual wants and desires. The general consensus seemed to be that the time had come to give mothers their due and start moving slowly from a hardline patriarchal to a matriarchal society.

No Pakistani literary festival can be complete without touching upon the topic of Partition, and this was another recurring theme. At the launch of his book The Reluctant Republic: The Ethos and Mythos of Pakistan, journalist and author Nadeem Farooq Paracha spoke about how imperative it is for our youth to be familiar with our history and how essential the events of Partition are to the Pakistani narrative.

He emphasised that an understanding of where we come from will help us in nation-building rather than state-building, and that Pakistan should share a united vision rather than a multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian, multi-religious, theocratic vision.

Authors Kamila Shamsie, H.M. Naqvi and Uzma Aslam Khan also lamented the lack of authentic information relating to Partition, as they felt most texts were written by white males. They emphasised the importance of research to ensure that even fiction has enough historical accuracy to gain the reader’s trust. Much credit was given to works such as Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story ‘Toba Tek Singh’, Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel Ice Candy Man, Qurratulain Hyder’s Aag Ka Darya [River of Fire], Abdullah Hussein’s Udaas Naslain [The Weary Generations] and Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day.

These quintessential Partition novels are an essential and authentic representation of own voices and the reaction to internalised racism, at a time when colonial, white-washed narratives were ubiquitous and when brown people, especially brown women, were conveniently erased from the pages of history. These brave works of literature paved the way for the current generation of youngsters who enjoy an unprecedented degree of freedom — if publishing in the West, at least — to write on topics of their choosing.

There were also some insightful discussions on how to connect our “Anglicised” youth to their Pakistani roots. Musician and composer Bilal Maqsood — who pulled in quite the sizeable crowd — encouraged parents to speak to their children primarily in Urdu. The entertainment industry was called out on its lack of substantial Urdu content for kids and the former pop star went on to delight the crowd with his rendition of Urdu nursery rhymes, which he will be releasing soon.

One of the most important topics discussed — also the primary reason why events of this nature are essential — was about encouraging and nurturing new, upcoming writers. It is the responsibility of the old guard to pass the baton to the younger generation and offer necessary support. In one of his sessions, Hanif Kureishi stated that this was an exciting time to be a young writer, as the world was awakening to the concept of own voices and indigenous postcolonial narratives.

Other interesting panels boasted television personality and author Mira Sethi, authors Taha Kehar and Bina Shah, author and publisher Safinah Danish Elahi and police officer and author Omar Shahid Hamid. It was fascinating to hear about the different writing processes each employs, their struggle with self-doubt, professional rejections and how best to be one’s authentic self.

Sethi spoke about her preference for character-driven versus plot-driven stories and Elahi reflected on the struggles of Pakistan’s nascent publishing industry and ways to increase readership. Kehar added how writing can be cathartic in many ways, and of the necessity to continuously reinvent oneself. His advice for young writers was: “keep your ego in check, be original and have fun.”

At her book launch, Bina Shah spoke about her feminist novel Before She Sleeps, which touches upon climate change and the need to respect the earth. She also stressed how important it was for women to have reproductive rights and agency, and how misogyny and femicide could eventually lead to the harrowing dystopian world depicted in her novel.

Bestselling author Omar Shahid Hamid enjoyed a full house while speaking to Kehar about his new novel Betrayal and his writing process. His chart-topping novel The Prisoner is being made into a television series, and also being translated into Urdu for a wider audience to enjoy.

The festival also introduced exciting new books to look forward to, including Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie and The Monsoon War by Bina Shah. Meanwhile, Zain Saeed’s debut Little America, which is an homage to wishful thinking, won the coveted KLF 2022 Fiction Prize. I have read the book, and the award is absolutely well deserved.

The fully online sessions recorded lower attendance than the in-person panels and some of the hybrid sessions experienced lags and audio/ visual troubles, which begs the question: is a 100 percent in-person event the way forward? I also wish there had been more content for children and more emphasis on children’s and Young Adult literature.

Overall, this year’s KLF was a resounding success. It returned to us the feeling of community that was stolen by the pandemic. The event was well organised, expertly curated and timely. Well-informed, polite ushers were ever ready with a helping hand. Being able to sit near other people and see our favourite personalities in all their glorious physicality was almost surreal. For book enthusiasts, these were three delightful days well spent.

Praise be. Karachi is back!

The writer is co-founder of My Bookshelf, an online library which delivers books to you and picks them up when you’re done reading.

www.mybookshelf.com.pk, @mybookshelfpk

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, March 13th, 2022