Of the hundreds of people that visit the Ayub National Park in Rawalpindi, very few know that the sprawling park also houses an open air theatre. Once a glittering beacon of lights, colour and cultural activities, the garrison city’s only open air theatre is now rotting away, thanks to the apathy of civic and cultural bodies in the twin cities.

The park’s management has opened several facilities within the park’s premises, such as the Jungle Barracks lodgings, a marriage hall and the Jungle Kingdom theme-park. The maintenance and upkeep of the park is paid for by the profits from these ventures.

But it is surprising that in a city already short on performance venues, authorities and artists would forget all about the open air theatre. The park administration has also never thought of restoring the venue and opening it for the public.

Built in the late 1960s by the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, the space had a successful run in its heyday.

Under the regime of Gen Ayub Khan – Rawalpindi served as an interim capital while Islamabad was under construction – the theatre hosted most of the top cultural and social gatherings of the day.

The park was originally built over the area that – under the British Raj – was referred to as Topi Rakh Park. It was near the old Prime Minister’s House, which was then turned into Army House.

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board managed the park for most of its life, but in the year 2000, former President Pervez Musharraf turned over the job of its upkeep to the Army Heritage Foundation.

Under new management, the park saw a marked improvement in various attractions and features, such as the jungle theme-park, play areas, lawns, jogging tracks and lakes. But the open-air theatre, for some reason, remained neglected.

Dawn asked several regular visitors to the park whether they knew about the theatre’s existence. Nearly everybody said no.

“I didn’t know there was an open-air theatre in the park, let alone in all of Rawalpindi. If any then the government should restore and start cultural and social activities because otherwise people from Pindi usually have to go all the way to Islamabad,” said Shahmir Hussain, a visitor at the park.

Sardar Haider, a resident of Gulistan Colony, said he had been coming to the part to take his daily evening walk for the past 10 years.

“It comes as a pleasant surprise to me. The management should definitely renovate it and open it for activities,” he said.

Shahid Raja, another visitor, said that he had been to the theatre a few times, but lately, even the road leading to the site had been blocked by park authorities.

“As part of my morning jog, I would often go and rest on the theatre’s stairs and enjoy the calm and quiet,” he told Dawn.

“The last time I visited the theatre was some 15 years ago. The atmosphere was very good but if you went there now, you wouldn’t recognise it. It’s totally changed: dilapidated seats and a broken stage,” said Mrs. Abdullah, a resident of Lalazar.

She said that such places should be restored to provide people an opportunity to engage in constructive activities.

Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) Resident Director Waqar Ahmed agreed that the open-air theatre should be revived. He said that most artists asked to perform at open-air venues, but they couldn’t suggest the park’s theatre because of its condition.

He said that nearly 10 years ago, the last public performance held there was by Shahida Mini. “After the wave of terrorism engulfed the country, such activities stopped altogether. But, now the situation has changed and life should return to normal,” he said.

He said that if the park management reconstructed the structure then RAC would able to arrange performances and events. Drama students could use this ideal opportunity to showcase their talents in a live, open-air setting.

Renowned film and television actor Kishwar Sajjad told Dawn that he had performed on the stage of open-air theatre at Ayub Park in the early years of his career. “The revival of theatre performance is necessary and the site should be restored,” he said.

“Drama is a reflection of life but sadly, the dramas being staged these days are no match for what senior artists performed in their heyday,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2014