IT must have felt like a gamble. Given that the final day of this year’s iteration of the All Pakistan Music Conference in Karachi coincided with the final of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore, there must have been considerable concern that people in this cricket-mad nation might choose sport over culture. But, in a testament to both the diversity of audiences in the country and the confidence of the organisers of the event, this proved not to be the case. The third and last day of the annual APMC event, held on the premises of the National Academy of the Performing Arts on Sunday, deserves praise on several counts — from the commendable mix of performers and musicians to the number of music lovers it drew. Now in its 14th year, the APMC-Karachi’s mandate to encourage young performers was reflected in the recent set, where senior and junior artists of classical music performed together. This is how musical traditions are sustained and empowered.

Efforts to keep musical traditions alive continue; the APMC-Lahore, which for seven long years remained suspended as a result of security concerns, returned to Bagh-i-Jinnah in 2015. What is largely absent, though, is further work on this by state institutions, even those that were set up to promote culture such as the Pakistan National Council of the Arts and most of the arts councils that exist in the major cities. Apart from the efforts of hardly any state-funded organisations, what is being done overall to promote music and culture is not enough. Even PTV and Radio Pakistan, which in earlier years played a significant role in supporting classical and folk musicians, and providing opportunities to emerging talent, no longer appear that interested. This is symptomatic of what ails Pakistan in general: the good often comes through because of the effort made by individuals, but the institutions mandated with carrying out certain responsibilities are hardly concerned. Were this equation to somehow be re-engineered, the possibilities would be endless.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2017