City Culture – Jashn-e-Faiz

Aao faiz de geet sunaiye,
Sohne faiz de lafz duhraiye,
O Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi, Pathan,
Saare mil ke jashn manaiye.

And boy did they come. There must have been concerns over participation by masses but it proved baseless. People flocked in numbers bringing their children along to what became an ideal family outing. CFD could not have found a better platform to reach out to masses. Faiz, a symbol of resistance against oppression and intolerance, provided CFD an icon it could gather around. CFD maximized the opportunity and touched upon burning issues like Religious intolerance, misuse of blasphemy laws, vigilantism, ineffectual labor laws etc. There may have been complaints that there was little talk of faiz’s life but the karachi walla can live with that. It did talk about Faiz’s ideals and Faiz’s Pakistan which was equally important.

The event was organized by Citizens for Democracy, Faiz Centennial Committee, NAPA and CDGK. The venue was perfect for accommodating a large number of people. There was an Art exhibition, Theatrical performances, folk dances, information sessions by different non profit associations, handicraft stalls, concert and a mushaira. Most of the activities went smoothly. There were some flaws but CFD deserves an applause here.

There is no surgical solution to the tumor of intolerance. It can only be taken out step by step, the way it was injected, each step possibly spanning over years. Such events are one major step. Thank you CFD. Thank you Faiz. Liberal Utopians may be dreamers. But is not the dream worth living for, and not worth dying for (Anything worth dying for, is certainly worth living for*).

Yuun na tha maine faqat chaaha thaa yoon ho jae…

*Catch 22