Madeeha Gauhar, the artistic director of Ajoka Theatre, the group known for staging meaningful plays on serious socio-political issues, is satisfied with the Lahore Arts Council’s present mangers after a long time.

Gauhar had been lamenting lack of council support for theatre groups that were into social issues, doing ‘theatre with purpose’. She is also against the commercial theatre under a government–run council for she believes such bodies are not meant for promoting such profit-making ventures.

Recently Ajoka held a very successful spring festival at Alhamra Art Center, The Mall, that was extended full cooperation by the council which besides providing venue and other related facilities for the event also extended financial assistance to it.

LAC Executive Director retired Capt Atta Muhammad Khan gave Rs0.5 million to Ajoka on council’s behalf for promoting theatre and theatrical activities involving upcoming and seasoned theatre groups.

Lo Phir Basant Ayee is such a marvelous play by Ajoka that every time it looks new and novel. Directed by Gauhar and written by Shahid Mehmood Nadeem the play does not lack in any department be it direction, acting, sets or background music. Ajoka has staged this play many times in Lahore, mostly at Alhamra, The Mall. This time it is being staged at Dehli Gate’s Sabeel Wali Gali on Sunday (today), the place associated with the origin of festival of Basant, in collaboration with the Walled City of Lahore Authority.

Olomopolo, a relatively new place in Lahore when it comes to hosting various genres of performing arts such as dance, theatre and music, has been able to create its own audience, especially the youth.

Through measures like advertising their programmes on social media and displaying brochures at different art institutions the place is increasingly becoming popular with performing arts buffs.

The venue is run by children of TV and film veteran artiste Irfan Khusat. Recently, the Tafus performed at a music evening at Olomopolo. The highly acclaimed classical musicians Gharana famous for the tabla playing, is also into hard rock, blues guitar and saxophone playing. They are considered pioneers in blending of jazz/blues and eastern classical music.

The National College of Arts is going to organise an exhibition of artworks by Hyun Ju Kim at its premises on May 7. She is currently Artist in Residency at the the NCA where she is particularly working with lithography at the print making department.

Kim did her Masters in Fine Arts at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India. She has an undergraduate degree from Dankook University, Korea. Since graduating in 2009 Kim has exhibited in London, Greece, Cairo, Bhopal, Australia and Hong Kong and undertaken residencies in countries including Egypt, Greece, India, Australia, New Zealand and China.

She has taught at Lalit Kala Academy, Bhubaneswar, India and taken part in a Serigraphy Workshop at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata.

The moving spirit behind All Pakistan Music Conference (an esteemed music institution which has been serving the cause of music, especially classical, for over 50 years now) Dr Ghazala Irfan, in a recent chit-chat with this scribe showed her determination to continue with the monthly sittings of the conference and the yearly music gala held by APMC.

She said over the years APMC had become an established music institution where singers and instrumentalists get enrolled themselves for various programmes.

The monthly music evenings under APMC take place on the first of every month at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015

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