Farkhanda Shahid Khan
CULTURE, a super-organic and an ever-changing thread of socialization is the foundation of individual identity and social structure. Growing tension in the form of cultural and sectarian disharmony, religious debates, intolerance over the individual perspective and target killing over petty issues, especially of the people who have active faculty of the mind has become preponderant. One who thinks about his rights and place in society is killed through label of being liberal, traitor, apostate or an agent. These fierce actions leave a societal gap to address this issue on some ‘advanced level thinking forum’. Instead of growth in such forums, there is a decline, unfortunately, which is lagging the society far behind than those of developed societies.
Despite these ruthless and harsh atmosphere, there is a small number of people in Pakistan who are working to enlighten the society by arranging and hosting cultural and literary festivals, exclusively, the Avari family, who along with hospitality is serving the nation by promoting literature and art. Such platforms’ basic purpose is to assist in the creation of ideas through academics, policymakers and what we call now-a-days field experts. As the think tanks are considered a credible source of advice and information for sustainable and non-violent living, they must be encouraged for the role they are playing for the growth of the society.
In the wake of a given context, and in dire need of the contemporary time, when morality and humanity are crumpling and culture is fading, one visionary mind, SZ Khan, a young entrepreneur, with the counselling of some academicians from top-ranked universities took the initiative to establish the literary think tank. The literary think tank will host lectures, talks, and conferences among diverse cultures, races, and societies under the motto of “Harmony and Acceptance”. Writers across the globe and intellectuals from renowned universities will participate in its lectures and literary talks.
Patron of the literary think-tank, a humane, Mr Khan, wholeheartedly dedicated to this project has the vision to deliver the message of peace practically and to promote art, literature, and culture at the global level. Along with the much-needed values of “Harmony and Acceptance”, the think tank’s inevitable initiative, the forum seeks to accomplish some subsidiary quests including, ethics in the global world, kindness and attention for all, compassionate for the less privileged and the deprived, promotion of aesthetics, working for the formation of a humanitarian and a just society, and exploration of various epistemologies in the field of research. The literary think tank will provide an opportunity for the community to track their interests in various spheres through clusters of chapters and subjects for the manifestation of critical and creative thought. Further, it will help to explore the self and the surrounding by studying cultural legacy and ideology, nationality and globality, ethnicity, social class, and gender. Adding more, this Literary Forum devices to teach reading literature as a cultural practice for the elevation of intercultural consideration and tolerance. One more innovative step of the literary think tank is Lyallpur literary theatre, for which, Stephen Fry, a comedian and writer, has shared his rich recommendations. The think tank will also organize literary festivals with global partnership.
Thus, starting from the research journals, literary festivals, conferences, and reading club, the think tank has added one more local colour of romance and love through Chenab Springs- the title taken after the name of the splendid river Chenab. Chenab Springs with the collaboration of Arts Council England will manage to epitomize diverse cultures through documentaries, literary talk shows, research, and innovations. Since, it is a bold enterprise, for which much energies and minds along with a huge capital are working, yet, such an initiative will be helpful to accomplish goals of harmony, tolerance, and acceptance, which are favourable for the cause of humanity and peaceful existence on this planet.
—The writer is Lecturer in English Literature at GC University Faisalabad.
