Our visit to Pursukoon Karachi

Hello everyone! Yesterday we visited Cantt Station for the "Pursukoon Karachi" event which is being held at Cantt Station, NAPA and Arts Council Karachi for a period of three days from 22nd to 24th November, 2013. We attended the awe inspiring musical performance in the night by the Sitar maestro Ustad Nafees Ahmad at Cantt Station and were mesmerized by the surroundings. Sadly we couldn't attend the other activities held at the event.

 

The beautiful view at Cantt Station during the Pursukoon Karachi's event

 

Overall it is a great effort to promote peace and culture in our great city of Karachi, which has been ravaged by terrorism and countless crimes leaving our citizens in continuous fear and in a sense of hopelessness about the future. Pursukoon Karachi’s objectives as per its Facebook page are:

* ‘Pursukoon Karachi’ is a not-for-profit organization that aims to restore the glory of the city of Karachi to its era of peacefulness, bustling trade and enduring heritage.

* Our mission is foremost to address the issue of violence and crime in the city through creative expression. We aim to make ‘Pursukoon Karachi’ the platform for artists, writers, photographers, musicians and performers to come together and form a collective voice against rampant weaponization, criminal activity and socio-political strife.

* Karachi has lived in the shadow of fear for so long now that creative expression has diminished and is relegated to elitism. We plan to bring the entire population of the city, specially the children, within the fold of creativity, giving people the option and freedom to interact, construct, think and enjoy the pleasures of original expression.

* Our intention is to instill the notion of peace amongst students by working with educational institutions from all parts of the city. Our methods include educating students about the perils of guns and to ensure that children understand that even playing with toy guns can lead to aggressive behavior and inures children to violence.

* While we plan to protest the violence and bloodshed, simultaneously, we aim to restore monuments in the city that were once known for their heritage and are now in disrepair due to negligence and disregard. Sites like Cantonment Railway Station and City Station, old bazaars like Empress Market, Burns Road and Kharadar, buildings like Merewether tower and Frere Hall could all be uplifted to encourage people to visit these locations with a view to revisiting the history of the city.

* ‘Pursukoon Karachi’ is an effort by civil society to re-possess the joys of the city of lights that we were witness to and that has been snatched rudely from us which we have watched passively. No more. We want our city back!"

 

Pi Studio salutes the organizers of this great event and hopes many more such efforts to come. Thus, with such events where art is utilized to promote peace, there is hope that Karachi will once again regain its glory and peace.

 

For Pursukoon Karachi's page please click here

 

For the pictures please click here

Pakistan Paindabad!