An invitation to celebrate Pakistan Week
The arrival of a vehicle of brazen shades of orange, gold and green at the mouth of Houghton Street is both an incongruous addition to the campus setting as well as a bold move on the part of the Pakistan Society at LSE. Monday morning will see an explosion of colour, music and festivity on campus, as jubilations will flood every corner of LSE for an entire week as Pakistani culture is celebrated in full form.
When Pakistan won the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament against Sri Lanka in the summer of 2009, a wave of celebration erupted in the streets of both Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The streets outside Lord’s became a riot of green, which quickly spread to Leicester Sqaure, Oxford Street, and Edgware Road. The win symbolized a much greater victory for Pakistan than was probably understood at the time on the international stage: it came in the midst of political unrest and national bleakness back home. And suddenly there were celebrations in the local streets, with men, women and children basking in the glory of their team’s performance. It came as a much-needed boost to the country’s millions of cricket fans, as giant screens and cinema houses in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and elsewhere became the centre of public parties and festivities.
Pakistan Week 2010 is both an attempt to recreate the moments of celebration Pakistan has witnessed in its 63 years of history as well as to serve as an ode to the future of Pakistan’s position in the international arena. There has been debate surrounding this year’s Pakistan Week. Pakistan Week 2009 truly set the bar in terms of reflecting the country’s socio-cultural heritage. Pakistan Week 2010 is a little different. Attached are the taglines “Its bigger, its better”. And for a good reason – for Pakistani students at LSE this week is a chance to represent Pakistan to the other cultures at university. What you’ll see is what you’ll get: genuine hospitality and friendships that will last a lifetime. This year’s Pakistan Week builds on many of last year’s events. Monday will see the return of the much-awaited Bhangra Run on Houghton Street. A party with a difference, this will be a lavish display of Pakistani jazba (spirit) and enthusiasm, with other students getting involved in the dancing, cheering and sharing in the festivities of the occasion. Houghton Street will be transformed into a promenade of public celebrations, with the iconic green and white flag bearing the crescent and the moon flying high in true Pakistani tradition. Monday night will see a mellowing down of moods with an enchanting Mehfil (Ghazal Night), an evening of ghazals, kathak (dance) and mushaira (poetry) complimented by the serving of tea, paan and dry-fruit. Taking place in the Quad, Ghazal Night promises to be an enriching literary experience complete with sitar playing musicians as the Pakistan Society celebrates the work of the great poets Iqbal, Faiz, Minto and Faraz. Pakistani poetry is both powerful and moving, and this event will be sure to strike a chord with non-Pakistanis at LSE. Then on Tuesday Houghton Street will once again undergo a transformation of colour and form, this time as Lahore’s famous ‘Food Street’ is recreated on campus with stalls bearing free Pakistani food including Gol Gappay, Mithai and Samosay. All through the week there will be a systemic positive portrayal of Pakistani culture and ethos on campus in the form of film nights, dinners, exhibitions and formals.
So the arrival of the bus on Monday is an invitation to you to hop on board, join the bandwagon. This is Pakistan: replacing the you’s and I’s with one common ‘us’. A nation of 160 million patriotic, cricket-crazy, kindred souls is ready to welcome you to partake in the joys of Pakistani-isms. Pakistan Week 2010 will take the term ‘Pakistani and Proud’ to an entirely new level.
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