ISLAMABAD: The Asian Study Group (ASG) launched its 2024-25 events calendar with a fabulous opening event on Tuesday.

The voluntary organisation has been active for 51 years, dedicated to promoting the history, culture and traditions of South Asia for the diverse populace in Islamabad.

The event began with a screening of ‘Islamabad 2060’, a documentary by Yugen Studios, followed by a panel discussion on Islamabad, exploring the city’s rich history, its evolving urban life, and areas in need of improvement.

ASG President Perveen Malik welcomed the guests, saying, “The ASG has been operating since 1973; we are a voluntary organisation that has a variety of events every month for our members and their guests. From cycling to musical performances, tasting cuisines from across South Asia to hiking and gardening, there are activities for all interests. Today, let’s discover our own city, Islamabad.”

Austrian Ambassador Andrea Wicke and the ASG Patron handed out awards for the prizewinning pictures submitted for the ASG Calendar 2025 competition, and received the second prize herself, and introduced the programme for the evening.

Ms Wicke said: “Our programme tonight is based on a topic which should be of primary concern and interest to all of us – Islamabad – that started out comparatively as a small, very quiet and peaceful addition to Pakistan’s cities –and has now slowly begun to establish its own identity – as a vibrant and oft times chaotic entity.”

She went on to say that, “we are delighted to welcome Yugen Studios this evening. This is a young film production company that has been based in Islamabad since last summer. Founded by four members, including two French-Pakistanis who made the move from Paris to Islamabad, Yugen Studios is dedicated to discovering varying perspectives within Pakistani narratives. Their name, ‘Yugen’ is inspired by a Japanese aesthetic concept that embodies this philosophy.”

Abel Monem, the Head of Production at Yugen Studios and co-producer and co-director of the film, is a French-Pakistani who has recently returned to Islamabad after spending 35 years in Paris.

He said it was a privilege to be here and to share the work we had been creating with this audience.

“Today is about more than just showing you this work - we hope this film will spark many interesting conversations and ideas,” he added.

The documentary took the audience on a captivating journey through time, exploring the cultural and historical significance of the region, through the eyes of old time residents who saw the capital grow from village to town to a city.

Tauseeq Haider, Pervez Hoodbouy, Perveen Malik, and others reminisced about the first shops, the smell of Mr. Books, the hippies who parked their caravans in the Jasmine and Rose Gardens en route to Kabul, the nullahs today that were clear

streams and the sense of community.

Monem who left Islamabad in his 20s, and returned after 30-odd years, left a small town that was meticulously planned to a sprawling city with a population of millions.

It is a living organism that has outgrown the original master plan with natural consequences for the environment, the wildlife, waste management, housing, provision of necessities such as the water supply, and so on.

Hashim Zafar moderated the panel discussion with Fizza Hasan, founder and artistic director of Theatre Wallay, a theatre company based in Islamabad, Daniyal Adam Khan, writer, journalist, and urban governance specialist, and Asfandyar Shah, principal architect and urbanist at Saakht Architects.

Daniyal’s work is at the intersection of cities, climate change, and local governments, while Asfandyar aspires to make Islamabad more human-centric and provides design solutions for urban problems.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2024