Hostilities notwithstanding, Indians have a soft spot for Pakistan. The Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals in Asia Pacific, an umbrella organisation of various member countries, organises a biennial convention by rotation. This year was the turn of Pakistan to host the 22nd ASA congress. Five member countries backed out citing security concerns, and the 25-member Indian delegation was the last to get visas only five days before travel.

The three-member Bengal team from the Indian Association of Secretaries & Administrative Professionals comprising Bemvinda Pereira, Nina Guha and Mohua Shome Lalvani left on September 12 for the conference to be held in Karachi titled Standing High in Challenging Times!.

After reaching the Karachi hotel, the seven Indian delegates dressed in saris were in for a shock to see various Pakistani delegates in short skirts! A dance troupe showcased various regions of Pakistan before the delegates from countries like Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Brunei, Taiwan, China, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

On September 14, the team was taken sightseeing, the hosts being the Distinguished Secretaries Society of Pakistan. First stop was the Quaid-e-Mazar, the mausoleum of Jinnah. Next on the list was Tooba mosque, and from there to Mohatta Palace, now a museum, the former seaside residence of a Marwari businessman from Jaipur built in 1927.

The next day began with the conference spread over two days. In the evening to Port Grand built on the disused Napier Mole Bridge waterfront overlooking the dockyard turned into a food plaza.

September 17 was a round-up of various activities: summary of presidents' council meeting, CSR of associations, handing over to Philippines. On September 18, the delegates flew to Lahore where they were taken directly to Badshahi Masjid and Lahore Fort built by the Great Moghuls and Ranjit Singh. After a walk through the famed crowded bylanes of Lahore's walled city and a viewing of Wazir Khan's Masjid, the tour continued at Shah Jahan's Shalimar Garden and then to the Wagah border.

The next morning the delegates went to see Punjab University, established in 1882. Its alumni included Har Gobind Khorana and Abdus Salam. A detour was made to visit Maharaja Ranjit Singh's samadhi and Guru Arjun Dev's gurdwara, Data Ganj Baksh Darbar. The day the delegates left was also the day of the big rally of Imran Khan.

Voice of freedom

The title Azad Maulana captures the contradictions in our society, said Tripurari Sharma about her latest play, which will be staged in the city on November 10 and 11.

The 75-minute play, commissioned by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Calcutta, will be staged to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Maulana Azad. 'A maulana, one would have thought, is a man who rigidly observes the dictates of religion and society but here we have a man who could transcend all limitations, all boundaries and was truly azad,' Sharma said.

The venue for the performance is Maulana Azad Museum in Ashraf Mistry Lane. 'This is not so much of a show as a tribute to a man not much talked about. It is only right that it be held in his house,' said Sharma, who is the head of the acting department at National School of Drama (NSD).

Azad is played by Suresh Sharma, the chief of repertory at NSD.

The play is written by Suryakanthi Tripathi and the script is drawn partly from Azad's own writings. But it also has fictitious characters like Marhoom Mallika, the embodied spirit of Queen Victoria who speaks on behalf of the British and commoners who give their own takes on situations.

The play begins with a voice-over of Azad's famous speech as the Indian National Congress president in Ramgarh in 1940, in which he spoke of 'the indivisible unity that is Indian nationality' and the way all different languages, poetry, literature, culture, art, dress, manners, customs had by 'nature's immutable laws... acted and reacted with each other, and produced a new synthesis, the heritage of our common nationality'. The rest of the play is set in Ahmednagar Fort jail in 1942.

'The NSD team came to us with a proposal and we felt it was perfect. The shows are open to all,' said Sreeradha Datta, the director of MAKAIAS.

Legacy continues

The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Calcutta, recently hosted a two-day musical programme in memory of Abbas Uddin Ahmed.

Nasheed Kamal, granddaughter of the singer-composer and a bhatiali and bhawaiya singer, were among those who performed. 'My grandfather was a people's man. He wrote about the emotions of the common man. He identified with them,' she said.

'We are proud to host a programme in the great man's honour,' said Miah Md Mainul Kabir, counsellor & head of chancery, Deputy High Commission for the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

Contributed by Soumitra Das, Sebanti Sarkar and Showli Chakraborty

Rainer Schmiedchen, the German consul-general in Calcutta, joins over 100 children from six city schools in Freedom Walk at The Agri-Horticultural Society of India on Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. ?The wall was broken down one fine day by the common people. It was a happy day for all of us. And today we are part of a worldwide movement,? Schmiedchen said as he invited the children to study in Germany.

Text by Chandreyee Ghose, picture by Sayantan Ghosh