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    LMM 2017: More Than Just Music!

    Written by: Momina Mindeel
    Posted on: March 13, 2017 | | 中文

    Lahore Music Meet 2017 (source: LMM Facebook page)

    Adorned with vibrant jhandiyan, the Alhamra Arts Council exuberantly hosted the third edition of the Lahore Music Meet (LMM) this past weekend. Given the vulnerable security situation in the country, getting inside the complex was a challenge. We had to stand in a long line for no less than thirty minutes before being allowed to enter Alhamra’s premises. However, once inside, the lively atmosphere filled with musicians and large groups of music enthusiasts made us forget all our troubles.

    Throughout the two days of the event, Hall 2 reverberated with the fusion of musical instruments. Initially, these performances were supposed to be held in the central lawn. However, due to security concerns, they had to be shifted indoors. Unlike last year, food stalls were unfortunately very limited, and the only stall that survived in the face of security threats was set up inside the entrance of Hall 1.

    Lahore Music Meet (LMM 2017): Momina Mustehsan and Uzair Jaswal

    Momina Mustehsan and Uzair Jaswal (photo by Shahbaz Aslam)

    The highlights of day one included Momina Mustehsan and Uzair Jawal’s session, ‘Growing Pains’, Omran Shafique’s ‘When Not to Play the Guitar’ and ‘Ali Azmat de naal Gallan’. Momina and Uzair talked about the downsides of being in the industry, and touched upon topics such as cyber bullying and other challenges that come with stardom. Omran Shafique’s light-hearted talk made the audience fall in love with him all over again. It almost felt like Coke Studio was back with a more personalized version where we, the listeners, had a chance to freely interact with the artists. At the end of his talk, Omran played guitar for his audience, and every soul in the hall swayed to his wonderful symphonies. Ali Azmat talked in his quintessentially Lahori yet adorably relatable accent, and elaborated on how there’s no driving force behind his musical compositions. He told the audience that he simply loves making music, and even today, at the age of 47, keeps learning new things about the process. Ali Azmat is currently running a guitar school that is one of its kind in the country. Fariha Ali shed some light on this topic as well, as part of her session ‘Talking TV’ with the vivacious Neini Rafi. Fariha expressed her view that it was about time we reconnected with the actual roots of music, and the guitar school aimed at doing exactly that.

    Lahore Music Meet (LMM 2017): Ali Azmat with LMM Co-Founder Natasha Noorani

    Ali Azmat with LMM Co-Founder Natasha Noorani (source: Dawn Images)

    The outdoor performances on both days – which were later shifted to Hall 2 – featured a number of budding musicians from all over Pakistan, selected through a rigorous process. The performers included Wooly and The Uke, Ehl-e-Rock, Wisdom Salad, Keeray Makoray, Janoobi Khargosh, TMPST, Shorbanoor, Patari Tabeer, Hathi, Sakin and Noah’s Heark, among others. One could enter Hall 2 in between talks, and would always find it filled to the brim with performers keeping the audience hooked to their seats.

    The Patari Tabeer artists formed the highlight of day 2. The talk by Ahmer Naqvi featuring Lyari Underground and Abid Brohi, coupled with their energetic performance in Hall 2, made the day all the more eventful. Meesha Shafi’s talk, simple titled ‘MADE’, elaborated on the struggles that she had to overcome in the Pakistani music industry. It was a delightful conversation that served as a motivator for aspiring musical artists. A number of sessions had to be reshuffled on day 2, causing inconvenience for incoming people. Nevertheless, this was compensated by Ali Suhail and Javed Bashir’s enlivening performances at the end of both days.

    Lahore Music Meet (LMM 2017): Patari Tabir's enlivening performance

    Patari Tabir's uplifting performance (source: The Nation)

    In addition to the performances and panel discussions, the festival also hosted an audiovisual exhibition called Rang Sazi, which displayed remarkable work by a number of contemporary visual artists. Most of the contributing artists explored and interpreted music not only as a subject, but as a crucial element of our existence and our collective identities.

    Lahore Music Meet (LMM 2017): 'Rang Sazi', an audiovisual exhibition

    'Rang Sazi', an audiovisual exhibition

    All in all, this year’s Lahore Music Meet saw many improvements over the last two editions, despite the absence of food stalls and the delay in starting some of the sessions. LMM is a brilliant initiative that needs to be encouraged as much as possible, so that it flourishes in the years to come and achieves its goal of reviving the remarkably talented music industry of Pakistan.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021