KARACHI, June 10: Unlike in the recent past, the Koocha-i-Saqafat attracted a much better crowd on Sunday as the weekly cultural street of the city celebrated its second anniversary here.

The organisers said that they had tried to introduce some innovative ideas in to the event, which was suffering from falling attendance for the past many weeks due to its stale format. There was particular disinterest among the stallholders, particularly the booksellers, who have the opportunity to earn more in commercial venues elsewhere.

“We took some initiatives to increase the number of booksellers,” said Saifur Rehman Grami, Chairman of the Arts Council’s Koocha-i-Saqafat Committee.

The number of bookstalls this Sunday was an impressive 35, much larger than the five or six that were usually seen in the past few weeks.

The organisers also arranged for some folk singers and dancers who enthralled the people with their performances from different parts of the country.

A street theatre group presented a play, Amn (Peace), as a part of bringing normalcy to the city, which is still suffering from the post-May 12 trauma.

The organisers distributed certificates among the stallholders of different sections who continued to support the event during the last two years and cut a cake to celebrate the culture street’s second anniversary.