LAHORE: The Beaconhouse National University (BNU)’s Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) initiated the BNU Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts and gave the inaugural award to Hameed Haroon for his services in the fields of art and culture.

“Everybody has to understand that I am not the artist and I am being awarded for the works of others. It was the people I worked with, the photographers, the painters, the curators, the filmmakers, designers and an endless list of people who are the creators,” said Mr Haroon after receiving the award in a ceremony at the BNU main campus on Saturday. Nasreen Kasuri gave him the award.

Speaking further about his work, Mr Haroon, the chief executive officer of Dawn Media Group, explained to the audience that Salima Hashmi was not his co-curator but the curator in the Holy Sinner, the exhibition of the restored works of Sadequain at Mohatta Palace in Karachi as well as the book of the same title. He gave credit to Naazish Attaullah, the former VC of NCA, for another exhibition.

He said besides successes, there were some big failures too in his life and works and he could recall three or four of them immediately. Revisiting his memory, he said Salima Hashmi, Shoaib Hashmi and he worked for several months for an event on the Mughals at Jahangir’s Tomb. It was to be a grand event with dancers from Balochistan and the frontier (now KP). Salima and Shoaib had planned about 60 stalls for NCA students and artists to exhibit their work. The performances of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Farida Khanum and Madam Noor Jehan were scheduled. There were to be seven communicators for Lahore and Dawn was the seventh. Six of the communicators ranged from Qutbuddin Aibak, Anarkali, Nur Jehan, Rudyard Kipling, Ranjit Singh to Faiz Ahmed Faiz, sharing the image of Lahore in the new millennium. But the programme was cancelled due to the political situation in Lahore. He recounted the Islamabad festival of the arts whose bookings were also cancelled.

BNU bestows its inaugural award on him for contributions to art, culture

Hameed expressed gratitude to the BNU, saying it was the first time that a Pakistani art school had recognised his work in art though it had happened in Greece, Italy, the UK and the USA and even at John Hopkins University but no university in Karachi ever invited him. “But I don’t mind that. I think my work in a true sense begins with Lahore,” he declared.

He thanked the BNU family, Syed Babar Ali, Quddus Mirza, Rashid Rana, Adeela Suleman, Amber Saigol, his sisters Roweena Askari, Fifi Haroon, brother Hussain Haroon and other members of the family.

Earlier, in a panel discussion, Salima Hashmi stressed that somebody close to Mr Haroon had to prevail upon him to put his collection into a space, an institution, for educating everyone. “It is a part of a legacy which is owed to the next generation of upcoming artists and citizens. The works that he owns have to be seen by the people.”

She said Haroon’s next job was to build that institution and he was capable of doing that.

Art teacher and critic Quddus Mirza termed the passion of Hameed Haroon and his insight into art remarkable. He said he had the privilege to look at Haroon’s magnificent collection and he was there explaining each detail of every work. “I realised he is not the collector, he is an art historian who likes to buy artworks,” said Mirza.

Artist Adeela Suleman spoke about her friendship with Haroon both at the personal and intellectual level.

“It is unfortunate that I discovered him so late in life. Learning from Hameed requires setting aside one’s ego. It demands courage to face the intellectual challenges he presents.”

When it came to the design of my book, his insight made me realise how little I knew of how books are conceived. Upon presenting him the initial draft of my book, Art, Violence and the State, he candidly rubbished it and she had to work hard on it.

Artist and curator Sameera Raja called Haroon somebody who had knowledge of art, culture and whatnot.

“I have never known anyone in my life who is as passionate and committed to whatever he does, his passion borders on obsession,” she said.

Talking about his insight into art, especially Sadequain, she said Haroon could identify the real Sadequain among tonnes of artworks.

Syed Babar Ali also spoke.

A short documentary on Hameed Haroon’s achievements in the fields of culture, art, media was also a part of the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2024