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‘Art is the soul of society’
‘I find the political will more supporting now. Problems have certainly reduced, and there are more people willing to experiment with arts.’However, Naeem Tahir adds that there are still strong pockets, visible and invisible, which create hindrance in the progress
The recently appointed Director-General of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Naeem Tahir, says that President Musharraf personally asked him to take over the country’s apex culture organization. What he omits to mention is how his predecessor was removed in an unceremonious manner.
Former PNCA chief Raja Changez Sultan was in Karachi to inaugurate a four-day ghazal festival in March when on the eve of the musical event he received a terse official letter saying that Naeem Tahir had been appointed DG of the PNCA. “I think Changez Sultan wanted to be transferred from the PNCA. Besides, there is nothing unusual about his transfer. He had spent four years with the PNCA and, like most civil servants, was transferred upon completion of his tenure,” says Naeem.
High-minded observers may object to the arbitrary manner in which one DG of the PNCA was shown out and the other ushered in, but they can hardly question the government over the choice of the new candidate. With 12 years of experience running the Lahore Arts Council under his belt, Naeem is perhaps most suitable for the job.
“I headed the Lahore Arts Council from 1963 to 1975. Faiz Ahmad Faiz was my immediate predecessor at the Lahore Arts Council. Then, for two years, I came to Pakistan Television on deputation. It was my last government service. I then began to look after my business. In the 1990s, I went to the United States for my research on the history of Indus Valley Civilization,” he recalls. Naeem first took a Master’s degree in psychology from Government College Lahore in 1957 and a second one from the University of California, Los Angeles, in theatre arts in 1963.
Now that he is back in the fray, it is interesting to see how he views the changes that have crept in since he last held office. “In the ’60s when I was heading the Lahore Arts Council — then known as the Pakistan Arts Council — it was a tough struggle for all of us. There was little understanding of the performing arts and we were met with cold attitude from most quarters,” he says. For Naeem, it was an uphill stride not just from the outside but even within the organization since they not only lacked funding but even manpower. “No one would let their girls work on a performing arts forum and overall we had very few people wiling to perform,” he adds.
Thirty years down the road, Naeem feels the scenario has gone through an uplift of sorts. “I find the political will more supporting now,” he says. “Problems have certainly reduced, and there are more people willing to experiment with arts.” However, he adds, there are still strong pockets, visible and invisible, which create hindrance in the progress. “Log kehtay hain ke naach gaanay par itna paisa laga rahe hain, aur yahan awaam bhooki marr rahi hai,” he says. “But I feel art is the soul of a society, particularly the performing arts.” At the most, people are interested in financing drama and music, but when it comes to dancing, people are still somewhat wary. Hopefully, the situation will improve.
Naeem admits that at first he was reluctant to take up the PNCA assignment. “The reason why I did not want to was that I regarded the PNCA as a dead organization. I am currently in the process of restructuring it,” he says.
According to him, the PNCA has the widest charter imaginable. But he says his topmost priority is to get the National Art Gallery up and running. “The National Art Gallery is to Islamabad what the Louvre is to Paris. It is a pity that the project has been in limbo for the past 16 years. Within 15 days of my takeover, I had all the conflicts about the gallery sorted out. The project which covers over 130,000 square feet is almost complete. I hope to open it by June 2006,” says Naeem.
He concedes that revitalizing the PNCA — widely regarded as a graveyard of culture and the fine arts — is an uphill task. “It is difficult to pinpoint the exact factors which caused cultural organizations in Pakistan to fall into decline. So, I can’t really say why the PNCA has not been an active organization. But perhaps the half-hearted manner in which successive governments patronized the fine arts in Pakistan has a lot to do with the sorry state of affairs in most cultural and arts organizations of the country. One must also bear in mind the fact that our society has always held in contempt the practitioners of the performing arts.”
And that is where Naeem Tahir plans to focus most as he charts out his vision for the PNCA. “Cultural heritage helps build respectability in the global scenario,” he says.” It makes a nation feel good about itself, giving it an identity. Not just that, but arts and culture also play a major role in boosting trade and tourism. So it’s not just entertainment but economic gain as well.” He believes that all cultural aspects, tangible and intangible, and all works of art must contribute towards the uplift of the country’s image. And that PNCA should be on the forefront of the national picture.
But he also goes at great pains to stress that the PNCA cannot always be seen as very active. “The performance of most cultural organizations is often judged by the number of programmes they hold on a regular basis. But this is not the PNCA’s charter. It is supposed to cooperate and coordinate with provincial and regional organizations, and it is supposed to provide them with an enabling atmosphere. So, if a regional organization is having a hard time raising a theatre group, the PNCA would come to its aid,” he explains, adding that he would be making extra efforts to support regional theatre groups, impart musical training to students and encourage local film-makers.
Like most culture and arts related organizations, the PNCA is strapped for funds. It receives Rs24 million from the government on an annual basis (cynics argue that this amount is not productively spent). “An organization like the PNCA should get at least Rs300 million a year,” says Naeem who, if really appointed by the highest echelon, may not find it very difficult to get the PNCA annual grant increased. But he must also remember that a rise in funds does not necessarily translate into proportional improvement of performance. However, time will tell if this changing of helmsmen will really bring about a productive change at the PNCA.
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