AH, the good old days, when A-list international showbiz people and awe-inspiring counter-cultural visionaries used to come to Pakistan without thinking twice. It isn’t surprising to know, then, if the gorgeous Ava Gardner came to Lahore to shoot the film Bhowani Junction or if the iconic revolutionary Che Guevara landed in Karachi for a short trip and was photographed at Hotel Metropole in the 1950s.

Those who are into the art and craft of acting must be familiar with a Dutch actress by the name of Nel Oosthout. She was a film and stage artiste of renown who shot to fame in the 1930s by acting in movies such as Pygmalion, Wilton’s Zoo and Forty Years. On Jan 11, 1965 Nel cast a spell on Karachi’s theatergoers in the Theosophical Hall by playing 16 characters (yes, not one but 16) in George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan.

On Jan 13, the city’s art critics went gaga over the woman, showering profuse praise on her performance. One attributed her impressive stint on stage to the ‘magic of her powerful personality’. You tend to believe that, because the play, which some call as Shaw’s only tragedy (and without a villain), is about the trial of Joan of Arc, and only someone with a powerful personality could pull that off on Karachi stage. By the way, Nel was born in 1902 and died in the Hague in 1991.

One more thing that was in vogue in those days was a strong show of trade unionism. In the ‘60s Yugoslavia existed on the global map as a socialist federal republic. There used to be an influential man called Bora P. Romic. He was secretary of the central council of the confederations of trade unions of Yugoslavia. In mid-January 1965, the workers’ leader was in Karachi at the invitation of some local trade unionists. Speaking to the media on Jan 16, he said the working class of the world should unite on a broad-based platform, accommodating all shades of labour movements to achieve better social conditions. Well, his ideas still remain a noble dream.

In a way the Yugoslav’s arrival in the city was timely because at the time the student community of Karachi was in the news for organising protests to press for better welfare-driven porgrammes and facilities for students at educational institutions.

The situation in the beginning of the month had gone a little out of hand when many youngsters went on a hunger strike, the condition of one whom worsened because of which an emergency meeting of the heads of academic institutions of both wings of the country had to be called. On Jan 15, a meeting of the standing committee of vice chancellors was held at an undisclosed location.

Presided over by I. H. Qureshi, VCs of 11 universities of the country took part in it, reviewing general situation in the academic institutions in East and West Pakistan. The discussion lasted for two days. You wonder: why did the meeting take place at an undisclosed location?

And yes, it wasn’t just the student community that was protesting against the system. As has been discussed in this column, the city of Karachi was in the grip of a severe wave of violence in the pre- and post-presidential election period, affecting some important neighbourhood such as Liaquatabad and Nazimabad.

On Jan 13, 23 members of the electoral college of Karachi urged the West Pakistan Government to order a judicial inquiry to probe the matter. Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah had made the same demand a few days earlier… to no avail.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2015

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