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    The Rise and Rise of the Lahore Literary Festival

    Written by: Syed Abbas Hussain
    Posted on: December 30, 2016 | | 中文

    LLF organizing committee (L-R): Nusrat Jamil, Ahmed Rashid, Anila Salman Shah, Dr Maleeha Lodhi and Razi Ahmed (CEO and Founder of LLF) (photo: Javaria Inam)

    The Lahore Literary Festival pays homage to the rich literary tradition of the Subcontinent every year with the characteristic vibrancy that defines the true spirit of Lahore. The usual venue of the festival – the Alhamra Arts Council – is dotted with bookstalls, food stations, colourful adornments and enthused attendees.  As the balmy winter sunlight bathes Alhamra’s freshly mowed lawns, awash with glistening dew drops, literary enthusiasts start thronging the Alhamra Arts Council with gusto to attend the exciting lineup of sessions that boast some of the brightest icons of literature, art, cinema, drama and academia. The hustle and bustle continues into the crisp, misty night, sparkling with lights and resonating with the sound of intellectual banter, laughter and music.

    The sessions present a buffet of different discussion topics spanning a plethora of intellectual disciplines and modes of expression. Over the years the festival has become an integral part of the city’s cultural activities, popularly going by its acronym LLF, and year after year, the festival has grown from strength to strength.  Moreover, with the festival making inroads internationally, it has truly established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

    Rise of LLF (Lahore Literary Festival)

    Naseeruddin Shah in conversation with Mira Hashmi and Sarmad Sultan Khoosat at LLF 2015

    The festival began on an ambitious note, according to Razi Ahmed, the CEO and the brains behind the successful ‘LLF’ brand who has overseen its gradual evolution into a platform for international speakers.

    Rise of LLF (Lahore Literary Festival)

    Professor Romila Thapar at LLF 2015

    “In our first year, we hosted internationally recognised luminaries from Lahore such as Bapsi Sidhwa, Mohsin Hamid, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Ayesha Jalal, Ahmed Rashid, and Tariq Ali. The next year, we drew a healthy mix of foreign speakers, and in the following years, with the write-ups in international press, the mosaic of foreign and local speakers became even more intricately established.”

    The management team of the festival has galvanized its efforts towards ensuring that the festival is on par with any international literary festival, as highlighted by chairperson of the LLF Organizing Committee, Nusrat Jamil. Razi who was only aged 27 at the time approached a PR guru and a prominent social activist, Nusrat, who is popularly known as Nuscie, with the idea of the festival. She has been a dynamic force behind the festival, acting as a robust pillar of support in its administrative machinery.  Describing the festival as a labour of love for all the unpaid volunteers who work tirelessly to make the event a success, Nuscie underscores how the festival is an ode to the rich cultural heritage of Lahore. “I think Razi saw an urgent need to reclaim public space which in the past decades had eroded. Historically, Lahore especially has been a centre of learning, ideas and intellectual movements. It was an attempt to re-establish its premier position as a city of intellectual debate & discourse.”

    Rise of LLF (Lahore Literary Festival)

    Hameed Haroon, Kishwar Naheed, Rajeev Sethi, Iqbal Z Ahmed, Musarrat Mirza, and Qazi Shaukat Fareed at LLF 2016

    In the vulnerable socio-political climate of Pakistan, putting together a festival on the scale of the LLF, is bound to be challenging, as happened during last year’s event that had to be truncated at the last minute and shifted to a smaller site. Furthermore, logistical arrangements require extensive planning and meticulous execution as expressed by Razi, who also laments how the city’s premier cultural institution – the Alhamra Arts Council – is hardly living up to the legacy of its name, and has fallen into disrepair.

    Operational impediments fail to dampen the spirits of a group of people who are charged with the conviction of achieving excellence, suggests Nuscie Jamil, who makes it a point to steer clear of mediocrity. “The benchmark for us has always been the international standards that the best festivals and discourse have in the West. There is no ‘third world’ slip shod standards practiced. We are already known for starting punctually even at 9 am on a weekend!” asserts Nuscie.

    Rise of LLF (Lahore Literary Festival)

    Professor Javed Majeed with Dr Nasreen Rehman (photo: Tapu Javeri)

    Suffice to say, the Lahore Literary Festival has even gone a notch higher by breaking into the international circuit in 2016, and successfully holding a festival in the United Kingdom and the United States. Given that our part of the world is often seen through a negative lens in the Western world, projecting Pakistan’s vibrant culture and talent comes as an important step in the direction of amending the narrative relating to South Asia in the West. The New York programme was collaboration with the prestigious Asia Society, and was widely acclaimed. The format of the show in this edition was molded differently from that of Pakistan. “Since the overseas editions of the LLF are designed on a day-long format and are free of parallel activities, the resultant sessions have to be discerningly chosen. We seek critical inputs from authors for framing the programme, and ask them to be judicious with time and resources, and yet keep a program that is original, thought-provoking, and context-specific to the city,” says Razi.

    Rise of LLF (Lahore Literary Festival)

    Aneela Shah, Hina Rabbani Khar, Razi Ahmed and Dr Robin Niblett at LLF London, 2016

    With LLF making waves both nationally and internationally, bookworms and culture vultures eagerly anticipate the fifth installment of the Lahore Literary Festival, which is slated to be bigger and better than before. Moreover, the second edition of the London and the US chapter of the LLF are also in the offing, which affirms the commitment of the LLF team to carve out a sustained international presence for the dynamic festival.


    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