August 22, 2004

Islamabad now boasts of a museum that provides information about all ethnic entities that live in Pakistan

PAKISTAN, the complaint is often heard, is a country, not a nation. So what makes a nation? Unity of the people, their diverse cultures, traditions, languages and lifestyles. And what will bring about this unity in Pakistan? Awareness. This, in turn, depends on knowledge. Knowledge of the diversity of the peoples of the country. Pakistanis cannot all speak the same language, eat the same food, live in the same kind of houses, follow the same traditions or even have the same skin colour. Our identity is in our diversity, which makes us distinctly outstanding. The one thing that hampers our growth as a nation is knowledge of the other Pakistanis. We do not know about the people of Tharparker, for example. So we tend to remain alien from them. This principle, I feel, holds for each region or sub-region. If we knew, if we were told about the lives of the different pockets of our people, we would feel one, we would be one. The National Museum of Ethnology, inaugurated on August 14, 2004, is one place that, through its exhibits, serves that unification purpose of culture through education. It has been conceived as a tribute to the creativity of the Pakistani people.

Museums in Pakistan have always been of archaeological nature, that is, they’ve by and large been museums of antiquity. This comment was made by Uxi Mufti, Project Director of the Heritage Museum. However, the objective of this project, he elaborated, is to depict the living traditions and regional ethnological heritage with a view to projecting both the craftsmanship as well the lifestyles of the indigenous populations. This had to be achieved in a modern setting on a par with international standards, which would make the museum experience stimulating, informative and pleasant for all visitors and age groups. On my two visits to the museum, I found it a combination of entertainment, geography and history. Also, since this museum is about the present and the future, as much as it is about the past, it will hopefully help us as a nation to look at the ‘here and now’ rather than eternally dwelling in our glorious past. I have always found the habit of living in the past objectionable, because it removes us from the present and encourages us to live in an age which is gone and done with.

Collection of artefacts for the museum began in 1974. Covering an area of 60,000 sq ft (big in simple language), the museum is located in the Lok Virsa complex, Shakarparian. Visualize lush green lawns, walkways with life-size models of a bullock cart, a houseboat, a tonga and a truck, big open verandahs, and you have the entrance. The facade of desi mud plaster (which I was told was a bit of hi-tech cheating as the traditional plaster did not withstand the rains well) is pleasing to the eye. The main hall is as vast as it is impressive. Here, future exhibitions and shows are planned. Words really are inadequate to capture the enthralling ambience of the place. Only a visit of at least a couple of hours will do justice to it. Here, I am just going to give a sweeping overview of the place that truly enchanted me.

The museum is divided into different halls. These are: Hall of History and Antiquity; Hall of Continuity and Living Traditions; Hall of Architecture; Hall of Romances and Ballads of Pakistan; Hall of Unity and Sufi Shrines and a Hall of Future Aspirations. Just this little detail will give you an idea of the museum’s philosophy. It covers almost every aspect of Pakistani life. One part of the museum is the Heritage Library and Sound Archives. The library contains over 25,000 books, manuscripts, research reports and rare materials on Pakistan’s cultural heritage including the Islamic legacy, Sufi writings and oral traditions. The Sound Archives contains over 20,000 professionally recorded tapes of authentic cultural materials collected through village-to-village field surveys and documented scientifically.

Sadly, there is so much we don’t know about our own selves, let alone about the other people in our country. Reading the history of our music, for instance, I was surprised to learn that the seven notes sa re ga ma pa dha ni were based on animal sounds. These are actually the cries of different birds and animals. The write-up on one panel explained the history of the Gharanas or traditional schools of subcontinental music with names that even I, despite my meagre knowledge, recognized. Similarly, despite a lifetime of travelling all over Pakistan, I had not noticed the different shapes of tents used by our nomadic tribes. These, and other small details, added to my knowledge and understanding of Pakistan. The extensive use of pictures came as a refreshing relief from the usual drab background.

As part of antiquity, Pakistan’s ties with Iran, Central Asia and China added a different historical perspective. The life-size Chinese terracotta warrior was something I had only read about. Seeing it here in Islamabad was something I had not expected. The warrior is a gift from the Chinese government to the people of Pakistan.

The Hall of Future Vision is a befitting tribute to the women of Pakistan. Built to commemorate the birth celebrations of Mohtarama Fatima Jinnah, this hall is dedicated solely to women... an appreciable endeavour. Of the number of exhibits, the one with pictures of prominent ladies who contributed to our country in its freedom struggle and subsequent resettling process, caught my attention. As a Pakistani woman, I am happy to have my country finally acknowledge the contributions of my gender.

There are television sets in each of the halls. A number of shops selling Lok Virsa publications and music cassettes, CDs and DVDs are to the immediate left of the main hall. Here, Lok Virsa plans to sell souvenirs of Pakistan also. It will be a useful place to pick up presents to take for friends abroad. There is one suggestion, however, I would like to put forward: one hall should be dedicated to the minorities of Pakistan. They have their own cultures and traditions, which the majority of Pakistanis are unaware of. Knowing and understanding these will help bring about unity.

Islamabad has always been something of a cultural void. For Pakistani tourists, there has not been much in the city apart from driving around to see its buildings. Now, there is this museum. It is a must-see. Informative for children and adults, it is an ideal place for end of summer holiday activities. The management has been thoughtful enough to put in a children’s play area for the young ones who are not interested in the exhibits.

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