Islamabad: The Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) organised a series of online programmes during the Eid holidays for the art and literature enthusiasts.

The eight-episode marathon online conversation with eminent personalities from theatre, literature and television concluded on Sunday, providing much-needed entertainment that had a soothing effect on the people experiencing social, economic and mental health issues while living in confinement and observing social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The council remained active throughout the Eid holidays and beyond with a daily live online programme under two themes: ‘Eid Ke Mehmaan’ and ‘Gup Shup’. The four-day series of online conversation provided an opportunity for people to engage with celebrities as guest speakers while staying home.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus and ensuing lockdown, people could not visit relatives and friends, especially for Eid.

“We wanted to make sure that people enjoyed the Eid festivities with renowned artists, writers and poets, Mohammad Qavi Khan, Irfan Khoosat and Khaled Ahmed while sitting at home,” said PNCA Director General Dr Fouzia Saeed.

Discussions featuring figures from performing arts and literature was initially planned for Eid holidays but extended due to public demand

The artists were open in their discussions and the live questions from viewers the sessions interesting and interactive.

Writer, poet and former PNCA director general Kishwar Naheed shared her struggle for the emancipation of women and freedom of expression through her writing. She advised the youth to develop a habit of reading, to learn about the literature and arts that can open one’s mind to think differently and help people to explore their own creativity.

Veteran artist Mohammad Qavi advised upcoming actors to work hard and be patient.

“When you get everything at once, it makes you numb creatively. Our generation has great talent, all they need to practice is hard work, respect and patience,” he said.

Dr Saeed told Dawn that the artists and writers brought smiles to the faces of people struck by fear and economic woes while remaining confined to their homes for months.

She said they had initially only planned the programme for Eid, but decided to extend to May 31 due to the public response and demand.

“In these hard days of lockdown and social distancing PNCA became a bridge between art lovers and famous writers, poets and artists,” she said.

Dr Saeed also moderated a conversation with Ms Naheed, a feminist poet, author and columnist, Zahida Hina, a big name in Urdu fiction writing and columnist, Naheed Siddiqui, a renowned kathak dancer, Sania Saeed and Hina Bayat, both noted TV artists, on a wide range of topics from literature to performing art.

The guests shared interesting events from their personal and professional lives and spoke about how they were spending their time during the pandemic.

Sania Saeed shared her experiences and described the expression of acting as “the greatest pleasure of her life”. She highlighted how cultural institutions such as the PNCA hold an extra responsibility to promote the art and wellbeing of artists.

While recalling the role of Pakistan Television (PTV) in promoting national multilingual drama, she expressed her desire to act in other national language series.

Film director, producer and writer Irfan Khoosat highlighted the lack of depth and message in modern programmes.

Writer, director and chairman of Ajoka Theatre Shahid Nadeem shared his story of pursuing theatre as a career starting from PTV. He also discussed the reason behind shifting from activism to writing plays, saying that writing reflects his activism.

Ms Hina praised the work of young writers, saying: “I have noticed that if we provide them good books, they can even do much better, their power of thinking and understanding will improve with more exposure.”

Actor Hina Bayat, who ran a show on social issues for almost 10 years, said expressing creativity is also part of worship.

The following for this daily show was encouraging for PNCA, with an average of 4,000 to 5,000 viewers for each, which may increase once the programmes are also shared on Youtube.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2020