ISLAMABAD: The Line Green visual art space hosted the inauguration of ‘Hamara Watan Chapter One - Punjab Ki Chund Kahaniyan’, an interdisciplinary collaboration with Purana Pakistan and Travel Names.

The three brought together an assortment of visual narratives by Line Green, historical research, documentation and storytelling by Purana Pakistan, and cartographic database of geolocations and photography by Travel Names.

Coupled with music inspired by the theme, the event showcased a collection of stories reflecting the diversity and depth of Punjab’s culture and heritage.

Alina Akbar, visual artist and founder of Line Green, created digital illustrations based on a curated set of stories from Punjab.

Referencing Katas Raj, Lord Shiva, Asaf Jha and Heer Ranjha amongst many other pivotal icons of Punjab, Alina Akbar said: “The process of creating these visuals was instinctual. I construct these images by immersing myself in the attitudes and beliefs of the characters and how society responded to them.”

Laraib Asdaf, founder of Purana Pakistan, said: “I started this venture in 2019, when I was studying History and Political Science at the University of Toronto. I was also doing a minor in South Asian Studies and I was surrounded with texts which showed me how much I did not know about my country even though I was studying about it. I realised we don’t have a public archive that is accessible.”

“I wanted to collect the data that was already available online but also things that I was learning about. I heard about a rickshaw driver who was an Olympian who then passed away. He really inspired me as I felt that there are so many heroes who we do not celebrate and they get lost. We haven’t done a great job at holding on to our cultural or social history,” she added.

Mahhad Nayyer, of Travel Names, said: “We collect geolocations of all historical places. Travel Names is an archive of locations and photographs of lesser known historical and natural places of Pakistan. We believe that it is vital to have one-place-for-all-geolocations for different regions of Pakistan. For anyone to make the best use of their specific location, it is imperative to have resources at hand to see what is near you; to make the best use of the diversity of experiences that Pakistan can provide.”

He added that “when I returned to Pakistan after my undergrad, I started exploring lesser known areas of Pakistan and in doing so was completely mesmerised by the amount of history we have from different civilizations. We have to bring this initiative to the people of Pakistan so they can look over these things again as citizens of this rich nation.”

Manager Purana Pakistan Schanze Asdaf said: “The philosophy is to create a new perspective, to embolden and empower people to look again at things they know intimately. Our culture and our history is so rich, with so many fascinating stories that are swept under the carpet or lost in oral tradition. In this exhibition we are hoping to stimulate and interact with people in trying to merge history and art and geography to reignite a passion for these stories, this culture.”

The performances were a scintillating exchange between Schanze, who narrated stories from Punjabi folklore, followed by musical pieces by Sulaman Ayub on the tabla and Sharoon Riaz on the harmonium.

Speaking on the occasion, Adil Bhatti from Seattle said: “I really enjoyed this exhibition. I thought this was a great way to display the stories of Punjab. I am a Punjabi living in the United States and I don’t have a lot of connection to my culture so this was a great way to re-connect and learn the stories of my heritage. I really enjoyed the paintings and interacting with the artists and narrators. The performance also was excellent because you got a lot more depth on the stories that were told. All in all, it was a great night.”

Khadija Azhar, another visitor, said: “I felt this exhibition was so necessary for everybody who is visiting because there is so much of Punjab that we don’t know about. It was so informative as we heard different stories and learnt about where we are coming from, where our base is. Right now, there is very little information on tourism and history in Pakistan and this a necessary project. It was also a great show as it was visually appealing and beautifully done.”

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2023