LAHORE: The Lahore Arts Council (LAC) has taken a serious step for promotion of art and culture from its own platform and formed committees to design festivals and programmes, including formation of the Alhamra Music Band and launch of its own literary festival.The LAC officials told Dawn the council was trying to introduce its own programmes and it would soon launch its cultural calendar, featuring the schedule of the programmes.Usually different private groups or individuals hold programmes at Alhamra by paying rent for using the venue, including its halls. But the council is now going to hold its own programmes as well. LAC Deputy Director Admin Khurram Naveel affirmed that the council was gearing up for its own programmes and various committees had been formed to design and develop cultural activities in this regard. A committee has been formed to develop the event calendar and it includes LAC Director Asim Chaudhry, Deputy Director Programmes Mehmood, Assistant Director Visual Arts Mina Haroon, Muhammad Arif from the LAC archives department and other officials. Naveel said the deadlines for the completion of the project had already been assigned to the officials. Mentioning the upcoming music band of the LAC, Naveel said for the first time Alhamra was going to form a mega music band and orchestra and that the band would have singers, musicians and instrumentalists from the Alhamra Academy of Performing Arts. “Some of the music talent might also be hired from outside the council,” said the deputy director who added that the band would commercially perform and the council would charge a fee on their private performances, booked through calls from clients. The LAC is also going to launch the two-day Alhamra Literary Festival, featuring writers and intellectuals in different literary sessions and a big food court. The council will also hold a monthly literary session for promotion of Urdu language and literature with Adeel Hashmi reciting poetry of famous poets. Though LAC has big plans for its own programming nevertheless, the issue remains of appointing an executive director for a term of three years. In the last four years, no consistency has been seen in the appointments at the important post of the council. The executive directors are appointed for a short period of time and none of them in all these years could complete their three years. The current ED Tariq Mehmood Chaudhry again has the additional charge of the council. He is actually the additional secretary admin from the Information and Culture Department and has the additional charge of the LAC.px; The art critics are of the view that the plan for the new projects by the council could only materialise when an ED is appointed for a three-year term; otherwise, any plan would shatter with the transfer of the ED. CORRECTION: The Punjab Walled Cities and Heritage Areas Authority will conserve Haveli Kharak Singh, which was being used as a reference library and office of the Punjab Archaeology Department, with a budget of Rs90 million.
