KARACHI: Talk to any theatre artist worth his salt and he will tell you that Karachi has only one auditorium which could be measured against international standards. This means, the arena, the proscenium (or thrust), the green rooms, the wings etc have to be up to scratch. And in most cases, that’s not the case. Today the city has a few theatre halls (Arts Council, Napa, FTC) where stage performances are held. But to be brutally honest, Karachi needs at least one big and proper facility both in terms of quality and quantity (seating capacity). Sadly, this issue is pretty old.

In June 1965, Commissioner of Karachi Darbar Ali Shah was invited to see a performance by Russian artists. He did not publically express his concern over the shabby setup in which the Russians displayed their talent. On July 17, 1965 he went to see the historic play Dara o Sikandar at Katrak Hall. Though he liked the drama, the commissioner, in a brief conversation with the media, expressed his concern over the fact that the city did not have a quality auditorium. He referred to the Russian show where an ungainly structure was raised for the performance. Did anyone lend an ear to him? Not sure.

This does not mean that we should suddenly forget our historic auditoria, for in the early phase of the country’s independence they were of great value. Katrak Hall, whose foundation stone was laid on Sept 16, 1919 by Sir Kavasji Katrak, needs to be preserved, and if possible, rejuvenated.

But for all of that to happen education (general or specific) plays an important part. And in the ‘60s the authorities were aware of it. On July 14 it was announced that no fewer than 29 schools would be opened in the outlying areas of the city. They were part of the government’s plan to open schools to cater to the growing population of Karachi.

The other thing that education does is that it makes society a more tolerant and harmonious one, where not just respect but love for different segments of society takes root. On July 10, thousands of poetry enthusiasts gathered at Imambargah Rizvia Colony to hear and see Dr Syed Safdar Husain recite the marsiya entitled Jalwa-i-Tehzeeb. The elegy was read out to mark the end of the year’s series of marsiya readings in connection with the observance of the month of Muharram. Apart from Jalwa-i-Tehzeeb, the marked feature of the event was that it was attended by greats of Urdu literature such as Josh Malihabadi, Nasim Amrohvi and Zeba Rudolvi, all of whom appreciated the imagery used by the poet.

Speaking of harmony, there was a time when Pakistan and Afghanistan had cordial relations and had frequent exchanges of delegations for joint ventures. On July 14, a better collaboration between the two countries in the field of communications was discussed in Karachi between the visiting Afghan telecom delegation and the director general, chief engineer and senior officers of the Pakistan Telegraph and Telephone Department. The setting up of the Kabul-Peshawar telecom link and passing of Afghanistan’s transit traffic to other countries through Pakistan also was discussed. Ironically, while today the telecommunication links have become stronger, it is the friendly ties between the two nations that leave much to be desired.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2015

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