When he turned to look at the Alhambra one final time, the sigh that left the lips of Boabdil, aka Abu Abdallah Mohammad XII, the last Sultan of Granada was so poignant that the mountain pass he stood on was renamed Puerto del Suspiro del Moro or Pass of the Moor’s Sigh. I may have shared some of the Sultan’s wistfulness, but the sigh that I emitted as I turned to look at the Alhamra Arts Council on a night in Lahore’s spring was far more contented. I had just spent the last two days attending an event that may have appeared incongruous to some on its outset, yet had ended with the sentiment that it should have happened much earlier and more often.

The Lahore Music Meet (#LMM15) was structured in the literature festival format, in the sense there were multiple events simultaneously occurring across a weekend. The usual panel discussions were mixed with storytelling sessions, but it was the content of these as well as the abundance of live music that invigorated this event. Many times across the two days I would exit a hall and begin making my way towards the next talk only to stop and be entranced by the live music, and find myself spending the next hour at the same spot.

The Lahore Music Meet served as a reminder about how important music is to Pakistan and its people

This is not to say that the discussions were not meaningful or enjoyable. In fact, while literature festivals often end up becoming live-versions of talk shows — primarily because of the topics straying towards heavily political issues — the discussions here on topics like the evolution of music videos; shrines as spaces for music; or the possibilities of fusion felt fresh and urgent. Similarly, the story-telling sessions morphed into concert-like experiences, added with a sort of behind-the-scenes commentary by the artists themselves.

Keeray Makoray

This was perhaps one of the major takeaways of the event as well. Until it took place, the event was unprecedented and no one quite knew where it could go. Yet now, one thing that emerged was that the focus on music allows greater flexibility with the experience one has. Along with appealing to the intellect, speakers can also play music and sounds to augment the thoughts with the emotions the music generates as well. Future events should see people like music critics, historians and journalists or artists themselves give talks like those at TED. Moreover, it also serves as a wonderful export for what little remains of the music industry.

Aziz Ibrahim / Gumby

There were only two music websites and one group of instrument makers at this event (one of the main sponsors was a transmissions manufacturer, which said a lot and at the same time, very little) but even then there was a significant cross-pollination of ideas and contacts simply by bringing together different people in the same place. Those in charge of spending millions of corporate money on adverts, jingles and youth segments might have largely missed this iteration of the Music Meet, but they would be foolish to miss the next one. The event can also look towards moving away from its prescriptive topics — how to market, how to sell, how to survive type talks were vital but in retrospect got a bit too much attention.

The organisers were overwhelmingly young and it showed in everything from their designs to their passion and their ambitions. Even the crowds were almost entirely made up of the under-30s and the over-60s — a fair representation

of the people who care most about music in this country.

Talks on topics like film scores and spaces for women utilised the artists’ expertise far better, and it would be revelatory to listen to more critical and conceptual discussions. Similarly, the usage of the lawns as a concert space created a form of an oasis — as crowds milled from one talk to the next, the performances in the center created their own intimate space. It would be wonderful to see several more consistently running performance spaces, as these create a reconnect and bond to the music that little else can replace.

One of the major drawbacks of the event was the lack of organisation to several events. Many talks started later, there were several cancellations and often there weren’t enough volunteers to manage every talk. Yet even this didn’t matter as much for two reasons.

The organisers might not have been on time, but they were overwhelmingly young and it showed in everything from their designs to their passion and their ambitions. Even the crowds were almost entirely made up of the under-30s and the over-60s — a fair representation of the people who care most about music in this country.

Ultimately, the greatest triumph of the Lahore Music Meet was reminding us once more just how important music is to us as a society, as a people and as a country. Many of the talks delineated how closely the fortunes of the industry were tied to upheavals in our society, while many of the performances reminded us that despite the lack of an industry, the music scene was as vibrant, if not more so, than ever before.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, April 12th, 2015

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