IT was a week marked by a few noteworthy exhibitions and coming up with plans to provide Karachiites with better recreational facilities. On March 25, 1974 an exhibition of Inamul Haq’s artworks was inaugurated at The Gallery by provincial Transport Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani. The theme of the show was the ‘hitherto unexplored world of child fantasy’. Although the pieces included colour compositions, too, in which the artist had come up with pleasant combinations, it was the aforementioned kind of exhibits that mainly attracted attention of art lovers.

On March 27, a display of paintings made in oil by the Lahore-based artist Nighat Idrees began at the Pak-American Cultural Centre (PACC). A critic opined, “There’s individuality in the 34 paintings on show, all done within a period of six months. The artist distorts realism. This she’s done with skill. Mrs Idrees, who is head of the arts department at Lahore College of Home Economics, finds her themes in the environment she lives. Besides being oriental, her paintings seem so close to Muslim culture.”

Since Pakistan Day (March 23) had just passed, the week started — as per a report published on March 25 in this newspaper — with a Pakistan movement exhibition at the National Museum containing rare material related to the struggle for independence. The items on view, among other exhibits, were soul-stirring colour paintings of Tipu Sultan Shaheed, a letter written by Syed Ahmed Barelvi, autographed copies of the Asbab-i-Baghawat-i-Hind and Sarkash-i-Bijnaur by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, a compilation of original literature pertaining to the Khilafat Movement and letters of Allama Iqbal and other leaders. (How fascinating it would be to have a look at them in 2024 if they’re still at the museum.)

Apart from keeping an eye on these cultural activities, the city administrators were busy trying to improve leisure facilities for citizens. On March 27, it was announced that the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) had made a plan to develop a playground and recreational park over an area of nine acres in Federal B Area at a cost of Rs200,000. Designed by KMC architects, the layout plan of the ground showed a distinct departure from the patterns followed by designers of the city because for the first time provisions had been made for sunken playfields with an underground drainage system, peripheral tiers of seats for spectators on grassy banks on all sides, diffused lighting beneath the flower beds and a ‘tower of light’ with maximum intensity. Separate platforms for refreshment stalls in ‘sculpturesque’ forms were part of the approval plan as well.

Speaking of plans, the idea to relocate Gandhi Gardens (Karachi Zoological Gardens) to University Road had been entertained for the past few years. On March 30, however, it was reported that the zoo would not be shifted to University Road. Even after four years of selection of the site, no decision could be taken at a meeting held on March 28 at the Master Plan Department to discuss the issue in detail. The consensus achieved was that the shifting would create problems for both visitors and animals, and encumber the KMC with financial losses at a time when it already had other important projects to spend money on.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2024