August 28, 2004

What a lot of difference time can make! What appeared to be on the verge of happening a year ago may, with the passage of time, assumes the shape of impossibility, and what seemed unlikely a year ago may suddenly start looking like a pleasant surprise, a gift from the gods. You will notice the repetition of the words “a year ago” in the above statement. It is not without purpose.

A year ago, in my piece on the under-construction new building of the National Art Gallery, I had expressed my deep disappointment at the hitches that kept coming up and hindered the completion of the project by the middle of 2003, as announced so many times by the ministry of culture and the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, the parent body of the gallery. At that time there was a dispute about the ever-rising costs of construction and the refusal of the powers-that-be (including the Capital Development Authority which is in physical charge of all important national buildings in Islamabad) to pay any escalation charges to the contractor.

The contractor had a point. He was entitled to these charges if the work was delayed because of problems with the authorities and not because of any fault on his part. And this was going on all the time; either he was asked to hold on because some detail remained to be settled, or, as it actually happened on a number of occasions, amounts that are usually advanced to a contractor after fixed periods were not forthcoming. The reason was that the culture ministry is never in a position in which you can say that it is rolling in money; its projects and needs come at the bottom of the priority list of every regime.

But the gloom of a year ago has cleared. Now even a cautious man like me is able to say that the National Art Gallery (Nag) project will be complete (touch wood!) by December 31, 2004. Yes, the end of the current year. Of course it will not be immediately available for use on that date, for fittings and furnishings and equipment may take another six months to install and become operative. But the building contractor will no longer be on the scene. And that is why the caption of this piece is “Nag at last”!

It does one’s heart good to see what all Nag will consist of, although I can’t help dwelling again and again on the manner in which the project has been pursued. Well, my grouse will always be there, but one can see that when complete, the structure will do Islamabad proud. We, who have become accustomed to looking at the temporary home of the national art collection with a pitiful expression bordering on shame, will feel adequately compensated by its aesthetic planning and design.

Apart from a double-storeyed office block, there will be eight commodious galleries for the permanent collection which has seen three (or is it four?) homes in hired bungalows in different sectors of Islamabad since 1975-76 when the collection came into being. Incidentally the most difficult part in the beginning was getting together the works of famous masters who had passed away that very year — Abdur Rehman Chughtai and Ustad Allah Bakhsh. Fortunately Sadequain was at the height of his genius, and that is why he has a whole section of Nag devoted to his paintings.

Then there are four rotating or periodical galleries for exhibitions that constantly take place wherever Nag happens to be located. These exhibitions may be of individual Pakistani artists and calligraphers or fall under a general heading because of their subject, or maybe visiting shows from friendly countries with which Pakistan has signed cultural exchange pacts. A special feature will be five honour galleries, apparently meant for the relics of the masters or to pay tribute to a painter who is called away by his Maker. By far the most interesting feature in the new building will be an open rooftop sculpture court, where, as the name shows, sculptors and carvers can remain busy and display their works.

One of The reasons why the project was delayed on one occasion was the decision to double the size and capacity of the auditorium. Originally planned for 200 seats as a lecture hall, it will now accommodate an audience of 400 people and serve as a venue for cultural shows or dramatic performances organized by the PNCA or private bodies for the entertainment of denizens of the federal capital. I think this has been a really wise act, for Islamabad is woefully short of such places. Its open air theatre has only now come into being on the Shakarparian hill, but an open air theatre has its limitations.

Also provided for are suitable spaces for the library and reading room, conference area, rest rooms and cafeteria. It has been noticed that Nag has always served as a magnet for casual visitors who would love a cup of tea or coffee or a cold drink while browsing in the galleries. I hope the lawn of the new Nag will be available for the Sunday Art Bazaar initiated by the PNCA where anyone who wants to show off his or her art work can do so. The bazaar picks up in good weather and should again hum with activity by the end of September. One of its attractions is stone carvers and sculptors actually at work on their statues and friezes. I may add that the total cost of the project is a little less than Rs250 million, with a foreign exchange component of 90 million.

The Nag project was initiated in 1978, and for its implementation a nationwide competition was held to select the best design in which architects from all over the country participated. In 1989 or 1990 the design had to be enlarged and once again well-known architects presented their versions, while a group of famous painters was associated with the actual selection and designing of the building. Now that the project is within sight of completion I shall do away with a description of the various locations one after the other where Nag was supposed to be built.

Just for the information of my readers, and to exemplify the heedless and nonchalant attitude of successive governments towards cultural projects, I too was invited to a ceremony to lay the foundation stone on the very last day of the 90 days of caretaker Prime Minister Moin Qureshi in October 1996. It seems that the PM was too busy and the function was hurriedly cancelled. The place was miles away from the present prestigious site — in a comer of the huge Fatima Jinnah Park. Anyway, all that is a bad dream now and deserves to be forgotten. A small book can be written on the ups and downs of the project ever since 1978.

But I must tell you of a remark made by someone from the world of art at one time which is worth quoting. He had said, “We hope to see the new Nag one of these days. That is, if all goes well and the money set apart for the project is not diverted by a fickle establishment to some other ‘more urgent’ purpose. Or, horror of horrors, if the completed building is not given over to some institution of so-called great national importance.” From this you can imagine the pessimism and frustration of culture buffs in the federal capital. That is why we all say, “Friends, keep your fingers crossed.”

However, everyone is now looking forward eagerly to the day when the brand new National Art Gallery will open its doors to art lovers.