LAHORE – Arts and culture being the least significant arena of interest for many politicians, Salman Taseer differed greatly. He took up a sustained effort to promote artists, especially from the youth, and encouraged women and young girls to step forward in their fields.
Last week, Taseer had showed his support for literature when he hosted a tea for an Indian writer and mystic, Muzaffar Ali. Even in the book launch, Taseer said that Islam was a religion of peace and tolerance, and denounced those who had stood up against him for supporting Asiya.
Taseer and his family were often seen in art or culture ceremonies, not just because he was associated with the post of the governor, but because Taseer’s family loved art. His father, MD Taseer, was a well known Urdu poet, while he was married first to Tavleen Singh, a renowned Indian columnist and writer. His son from Tavleen, Aatish, has also written a book about his estranged relations with his father, while his daughter Sara Taseer Shoaib is a famous jewellery designer in Pakistan.
His family members often made appearances in social functions and Taseer was known to be a liberal and jovial man, and in the words of many, ‘a typical Lahori’.
Literature, and a tilt to the arts’ side, was therefore, a part of Taseer’s family since the beginning. His appearances in arts and cultural events also showed that he was fond of arts. Shaukat Mehmood, also known as Maxim, a renowned cartoonist, recalls Taseer as being ‘very interested in art’. “We were great friends, and he had thought of launching a newspaper once before in the 80s,” says Mehmood. “He had, in the very beginning, contacted me to talk about the cartoons in his newspaper,
” he says. Mehmood says, “Once, he actually asked me to make a caricature of him, and I think it still hangs in his house,” which reveals that Taseer was fond of good humour too. His appearances in entertainment and news talk shows had him at least once cracking jokes, showing that he was not a stern man, who could not tolerate statements against himself.
Madeeha Gohar from Ajoka Theatre adds that Taseer was a great support for the arts and culture circle. “As soon as he became the governor, Taseer called a meeting for people like us, and discussed what must be done to promote arts,” she said. “He was a liberal man, who understood the meaning of art’s promotion, and he was very interested in promoting Punjabi culture, along with the language.
” Gohar says that even the media he owned had a very liberal policy, at a time when no other media owner would go that way. “We had a lot of problems in the conservative government of the PML-N and many of our plays were banned, but he was a beacon of hope for us. But I am sorry to say that even within the PPP, we are slowly losing all the outspoken liberals who were what the party stood for in the first place,” she said. Tasneem Peerzada from the Rafi-Peer Theatre Group sums it up in a nutshell. She says, “He was a nice person, who definitely supported us and did a lot of work for the promotion of arts, but unfortunately, the negative forces are so strong, that whoever does anything positive is eventually wiped out by them. Negative forces in Pakistan are too strong to overcome.”
AS A CHANCELLOR: Taseer, as a chancellor of all public sector universities of the province, had stressed on the promotion of liberal and modern education and instructed the administrative heads of the varsity to eradicate extremism from their institutions.
He always encouraged female students to come forward, strengthen the country and be inspired by other countries where females were contributing equally in professional life. He was enthusiastic in participating in students’ academic gatherings, especially at convocations, their arts and cultural events, and was active to quote the services of mystic personalities who advocated peace, love and humanity.
He made the university administrations to begin more programmes in science, technology and social sciences. He often said that liberal education was important in the current circumstances.
He performed well during his tenure as a chancellor, regarding educational development. He also preferred the policy of merit on the issue of appointments in public sector universities.As soon as he became the governor, Taseer called a meeting for people like us, and discussed what must be done to promote arts
