Lahore Literary Festival 2014: Day three
8:00 pm Dawn.com speaks to Gavin Francis, the author of 'Empire Antarctica'.
6:00 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
6:00 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
For me, blasphemy is the distortion of words of the Holy Quran and of the Prophet (PBUH) . – Tehmina Durrani
Lahore Literary Festival . What a wonderful experience
#pakistan #LLF #LLF2014
— Ammar Masood (@ammarmasood3) February 23, 20146:00 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
I was not scared of the shooting, but the public response. – Tehmina Durrani
6:00 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
Exile is the common thread in your life. – Rashed Rahman (about Tehmina Durrani)
5:50 pm War on Culture
5:40 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
5:50 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
My childhood did not teach me anything – apart from the fact that my heart belonged to the 'other side'. – Tehmina Durrani
5:45 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
She walked in like a queen in exile – **Shobhaa De´, on Tehmina Durrani **
5:45 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
My book dignified me. – Tehmina Durrani
#TehminaDurrani Awe inspiring! Happy things in sorrow times... #LLF #Lahore
— Farah (@FarahZKhan) February 23, 20145:30 pm Happy Things in Sorrow Times
4:50 pm Dawn.com speaks to Julien Columeau
#LLF is turning out to be more fun then expected.
— Muhammad Ahmad (@Ahmad_later) February 23, 20143:45 pm India, Cultural Conundrum?
Another popular session on the last day of the Lahore Literary Festival was, "India, Culture and Conundrum?"
Panelists included Aitzaz Ahsan, Sherry Rehman, Shobhaa De´ and Naseer.
Ahsan started the conversation with the concept of plurality and said, "We are not Arabs who don't believe in democracy so we must not forget our distinctness."
Adding to the conversation De´ said, "We are not territorial and we have never attacked any country for territory".
Rehman praised Pakistanis for having the ability to survive with every kind of situation, but questioned the intolerant nature of the locals. She envied that today's Muslims hardly act the way they used to in old times. Rehman raised the question of the safety Muslims in India, to which the Indian delegate Naseer added that today Muslims are in a better position as they are leaders, bureaucrats, cricketers etc.
He said that Hind–Muslim link is always limited to the India–Pakistan link.
Talking about Pakistani perception, Rehman said, "We never got to that point where we could have a dialogue with India.” She added that this can only happen when power is dispersed in the hands of the public; and civil society in India should also play a role.
Naseer added that currently India’s focus is on improving the economy, which will create a better scenario between the two countries. Whereas, Ahsan said, "We can't comment on what India shoulddo, as Pakistan must first look into itself.” – Text by Maryiam Pervaiz
3:35 pm
3:30 pm Labyrinth of Reflections
Labyrinth of Reflection is a collection of illusions, which serves the conceptual purposes. – Rashid Rana
And a glimpse of (mini) truck art #llf pic.twitter.com/NQ1cjSclR5
— Mishal Husain (@MishalHusainBBC) February 23, 20143:30 pm Book Launch: The Gift
3:15 pm Hamara Culture aur Bairuni Asarat
"People like myself who consider themselves liberal do become nationalist when watching a cricket match" Rashid Rana #LLF
— Hassan Cheema (@mediagag) February 23, 20143:00 pm Women on the Verge...
3:00 pm Hamara Culture aur Bairuni Asarat
Showcasing contemporary Pakistani art in public spaces - Rashid Rana with Naazish Attaullah #LLF14 pic.twitter.com/HBhPtACTP2
— Amna R. Ali (@AmnaRizvanAli) February 23, 2014Usher to AUDIENCE:You are not allowed to download torrent on the wiFI. Audience laughs, usher: I'm serious. More laughs #LLF
— ayesha yaqub (@ayesha_yaqub) February 23, 2014Shobha De asked "what are u on the verge of?" Reply: As a woman I'm never on the verge of one thing. But 4 women today: breaking free. #LLF
— Nadia Naviwala (@NadiaNavi) February 23, 20142:25 pm
2:00 pm
#Lahore is the pampered beautiful mistress while #Karachi is just the boring wife" Shobhaa De at #LLF
— Aman. - امن (@LalaLoyalist) February 23, 20141:30 pm – 2:30 pm Lunch BreakSessions resume at 2:30 pm. Stay with us for updates from the afternoon sessions!
1:30 pm Love in the Season of Mangoes
I live in Pakistan, it's as dangerous as it gets for the outside eye. – Mohammed Hanif
The saying "Write what you know" should be shot. Writing is a process of discovery. Write towards what we want to know -KamilaShamsie #LLF
— Nadia Naviwala (@NadiaNavi) February 23, 20141:25 pm Love in the Season of Mangoes
1:20 pm The Rise and Fall of Masala Films
Amitabh is an icon, he gave dignity to his characters, to Indian cinema and India itself . – Rachel Dwyer
1:15 pm Book Launch: A God in Every Stone
1:00 pm The Rise and Fall of Masala Films
12:45 pm The Rise and Fall of Masala Films
If Hollywood can make unrealistic films like Gravity, then Dabang makes sense. – Rachel Dwyer
12:45 pm The Rise and Fall of Masala Films
The Rise and Fall of Masala Films: Rachel Dwyer with Mira Hashmi #LLF http://t.co/rdChHTwRAv
— Sunday Times (@SundayDT) February 23, 2014"Blogs are becoming tremendously more important to non fiction" Ahmed Rashid #LLF
— Aisha Sarwari (@AishaFSarwari) February 23, 2014"From a storytelling perspective details are not that important." @HMNAQVI #LLF
— Aisha Sarwari (@AishaFSarwari) February 23, 201412:15 pm Book Launch: Bird in a Banyan Tree
My worst stigma was going to jail, India misjudged me at first. – Bina Ramani
"Journalists are ambitious, mean... and lazy" Hanif #LLF
— Hassan Cheema (@mediagag) February 23, 201412:10 pm A view from the Himalayas“A view from the Himalayas” was a beautiful journey through the eyes of Gavin Francis, Libby Owen – Edmunds, Namita Gokhale and Vikram Seth.
Speakers stunned the audience with the description of the cultures and life around the heavenly mountains.
The pictorial display of the Himalayas by Francis left everyone in awe. He shared his experience, that his life in the Arctic motivated him to explore the other side of the world.
Edmunds also shared her research on living in South Asia for thirteen years, and her study on the life in Baltistan. She urged the locals of Pakistan to visit the northern areas at least once in their lifetime.
Gokhale, who herself lived all her life in the mountains, described the damages that have occurred in these areas and discussed the ecology of the area. She also shared how music is an essential part of the mountains, as women sing specific tunes and raags on flute and other local instruments.
Seth focused on the influence of the Chinese culture on the Himalayan ranges and people, and emphasized the need for development in that area.
Other panelists believed that roads and buildings have deeply affected the serene beauty of the mountain ranges.
The session ended with the beautiful words of Seth, who spent his childhood in these mountains, “Himalayas give you breathing space, beauty and silence.” – Text by Maryiam Pervaiz
12:10 pm A view from the Himalayas
I see the Himalayas as breath, expanse and silence. – Vikram Seth
12:10 pm A view from the Himalayas
12:03 pm A view from the Himalayas
I am a typical looking doctor by profession, so it's unusual for people to accept me as an explorer. – Gavin Francis
12:00 pm Naguib Mahfouz: The Cairo Trilogy in Egypt Today
Dealing in translation, Mahfooz's works really trickled down to a deeper level. – Samia Mehrez
11:50 am Book Launch: Bird in a Banyan TreeBina Ramani in conversation with Sehyr Saigol
11:45 am Naguib Mahfouz: The Cairo Trilogy in Egypt Today
11:30 am The Place of Fiction in a Non-fiction World
Vikram Seth invited on stage for the Himalayas session. Now winging it. And still more engaging than the original panel. #LLF
— Hassan Cheema (@mediagag) February 23, 201411:15 am Humour as SubvertorOne of the first sessions of the third day of the Lahore Literary Festival was "Humour as Subvertor", which as the name suggests, made the audience laugh throughout. Panelists were Salima Hashmi, Muhammad Hanif and Salman Shahid, who discussed the dying Punjabi language; and commented on how humour is taken as vulgarity.
Adding to the discussion, Hanif said, "I have lived all my life among maraasis, and that has been inculcated in my blood.
At the end of the session, Ali Aftab Syed from 'Beygairat Brigade ' sang a verse from his song, which was the cherry on top. – Text by Maryiam Pervaiz
11:15 am Humour as Subvertor
10:50 am Humour as Subvertor
10:40 am Punjab ke Inquilabi Shuara (Poetry of Resistance)
10:30 am Imagining Cities
Hilarious morning session at #LLF: Humor as Subvertor with
Ali Aftab Syed, Mohammed Hanif, Salima… http://t.co/91lV3CepK2
— Sunday Times (@SundayDT) February 23, 201410:00 amGood morning, everyone! Hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday morning.
We're here once again at Alhamra Art Center for the third and the final day of the Lahore Literary Festival. Morning sessions are underway and we can hear loud cheers from the nearby halls.
Stay with us for live updates of the sessions with pictures and quotes!