The Alhamra Art Centre on the second day of the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) continued having a large number of visitors who thronged it to listen to their favourite writers’ talk, to interact with them and have pictures with them if they grab a chance to do so.
Twenty-four sessions were held on Saturday, attended by hundreds of literati and literary buffs.
About 70 writers took part in the sessions while some sessions were so packed that the oraganisers had to shut doors to keep the waiting crowd out as there were no seats left. Zia Mohyeddin’s and Citizen Cowasjee, in which Ayaz Amir and Ayesha Jalal participated, were among such sessions. The best part of the event was that there were no irritating delays often witnessed in the country on such occasions.
Some people had come from twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad while some others were from as far as Peshawar who had come to attend the literary festival on their own. They were seen talking to their favourite writers like Mohsin Hamid and the jolly and vibrant Vikram Seth.
As the buzz was around at the Alhamra Art Council and its halls were full of people, there were some interesting things going on around.
In front of the Hall-I of Alhamra, there is a contest of poetry and short-story writing, photography and painting. The youth can participate and become a part of Book of Inspiration that will consist of top 25 entries. The participants can write a poem or short story or draw a painting there and then to be part of the activity. The contest is called “the Rising Talent: Discovering the Potential of Pakistan.”At the Alhamra Art Gallery, the Citizens Archives of Pakistan is holding an exhibition of the pictures and artworks that are part of our glorious liberal past. It’s a pictorial journey through that part of the country we have lost in the eons of time in the 1950s and 1960s when society was more liberal and open-minded, as opposed to the suffocating present.
There are many bookstalls, offering signed copies of famous writers, while writers like Vikram Seth, Mohsin Hamid, Musharraf Farooqi and Bilal Tanweer could be seen there, giving specially signed copies to the readers.
Desi Writers Lounge and Faiz Ghar, with the books and CDs on Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Rafi Peer Theatre, have also set up their stalls at the festival.
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