Long before the Karachi Literature Festival became one of the prime events presenting the softer, literary image of Pakistan to the rest of the world, there was the National Book Festival. Not many of us know about it though. And what might be more surprising is that it had government patronage as well as the support of an international organisation.

On Oct 18, 1964 a week-long National Book Festival opened in Karachi, Lahore and Dacca simultaneously under the auspices of the National Book Centre of Pakistan with financial assistance from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. In Karachi, the Arts Council was the venue for the event formally inaugurated by National Bank of Pakistan MD Mumtaz Hasan. Among those who spoke on the occasion was the distinguished man of letters Akhtar Husain Raipuri, who was director of Unesco’s regional centre for reading materials in South Asia. He said the aim of the festival was to create reading habits in the people. To be honest, the goal still hasn’t been accomplished.

Some might argue it’s no big deal if literary activities were in full swing back in the ‘60s. After all, those were the days when the country brimmed with literary giants (Faiz, Josh, Raees Imrohvi, Niaz Fatehpuri etc). Efforts had to be made. Speaking of which, on Oct 13 Faiz Ahmed Faiz was in Karachi. He was the chief guest at a short story writing competition organised by the Karachi University’s Bazm-i-Adab. The poet distributed prizes among the winners which were: Anisa Jalal (first), Nasreen Jaffery (second), and Tauheed Saeed (third) and Khalida Shafi (fourth).

On Oct 14, eminent East Pakistani poet Ghulam Mustafa passed away in Dacca. The next day the Pakistan Writers Guild extended its condolences through the media. Not just that, the guild announced a fellowship of Rs200 per month for an East Pakistani writer to work on the life and work of the poet. Come to think of it, it would have been a better idea if the fellowship wasn’t confined to the eastern part of the country. That being said, it doesn’t make any difference any longer as the two wings are now poles apart.

Cultural and religious pluralism was also one thing that Karachi prided itself on in those days. There used to be a religious purposes committee of Karachi Panjrapore. On Oct 15 it invited all Hindus to take part in the Kandi Poojan (aka Shammi Pooja) celebrations to be held on the occasion of Dussehra on the Karachi Panjrapore premises and a mandir opposite Khaliqdina Hall. And members of the Hindu community did participate in the celebrations in a big number. You ask yourself: couldn’t we have a religious purposes committee in 2014?

But then, and let’s not deny that, they were good old times, at least compared to what we have today. Even the provision of milk for the citizens was a serious issue, as it should be. On Oct 12, the first milk train service between Landi Cattle Colony and the city began. The purpose of the new service, according to the KMC chairman, Syed Sardar Ahmed, was to transport milk to the city centre and fodder from the city to the cattle colony. Ah, spilt milk!

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2014