KARACHI: “These are random photographs taken from ordinary cameras during my various travels all over Pakistan,” said Noreen Mirza, whose exhibition of photographs titled The Path Less Travelled concluded at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Museum’s Contemporary Art Gallery here on Friday.

The exhibition is a collection of photographs of Ms Mirza’s meanderings within Pakistan. Calling it a “labour of faith”, she has dedicated it to her grandchildren as well as all the children of Pakistan in the hope that they will always cherish and appreciate their beautiful motherland.

The photographs were painstakingly put together into a collection by Ms Mirza’s daughters Tanya and Mishall. But the real stars of the show were her two grandchildren, 12-year-old Dahlia Ashraf and 10-year-old Emre Ashraf. Young Dahlia was the one who selected all the old photographs of her grandmother’s travels of over 30 years from her old albums.

“The idea of holding this exhibition was to draw attention to Pakistan and for the children to value its diversity and beauty and to instil in them pride for Pakistan. I want them to gain inspiration from my travels. I want them to make pictures, I want to encourage research and learning about Pakistan,” she told Dawn.

And to warming her heart right there were schoolchildren and other young visitors coming to see her photographs and appreciating them. Some children even sat down to draw and sketch the scenes from some photographs with the crayons and colour pencils provided to them along with drawing paper by the museum staff.

“I’m thankful to Dr Asma Ibrahim, the director of the SBP Museum, for facilitating me. She has herself set up this museum with great devotion, dedication and passion,” said Ms Mirza.

The young visitors were taken around the exhibition by Ms Mirza, who filled them in about each photograph that interested them or which they would point to. There was a story or anecdote associated with each photograph. She had something to tell them about the tandoor walla of Abbottabad, the camel walla of Sukkur, the pakora seller of Manora, etc. The photographs of her at different religious places or at the forts had more stories and qissas accompanying them, not to forget the historical significance of all these places.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2022