LAHORE: The National College of Arts (NCA) on Thursday launched the second edition of an international journal on art and culture called Sohbet, followed by an exhibition of unique photographs of Poet of the East Allama Muhammad Iqbal.As a journal of contemporary arts and culture, Sohbet is an outcome of a public-private partnership between the NCA Research and Publication Centre and One Nine Two Private Limited. The chief guest of the event was daughter of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and Co-Editor of Sunday magazine Shehrbano Taseer. Shehrbano, while addressing the audience, said that her father was assassinated because he supported the voiceless and helpless Christian woman.
She added that an impulse for creative defiance signified by Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and her grandfather MD Taseer were also reflected in the political and social realm by her father.NCA Research and Publication Director Suroosh Irfani in his address, said that the place of art in opening new horizons of knowledge was well known, which is especially important in a society that has yet to recover from the ravages of a colonial culture, even as it goes through the blowback effects of Cold War. He added that the short-sighted policies and superpower rivalries of the past have blighted the culture landscape of Pakistan and made society hostage to multiple forms of violence.
