Emre Solak, the leader of a four-member Turkish media delegation, during a visit to the National Art Gallery (NAG) on Monday said that he had worked in Pakistan as a correspondent from 1980 to 1984, but it was hard for him to differentiate the environment of yesterday with today; however, the only similarity he had observed was the ‘warm hospitality’ of Pakistani people towards Turkish brethren. Emre, who is a correspondent for Anadolu News Agency (English Edition Services), said the evening was unforgettable for him as he had an opportunity to visit different art galleries representing contemporary art followed by a cultural show after a long time.
“We are very pleased to be here to watch the art work of the legend Pakistani artists as well as the budding ones.
The Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) has preserved the art that deserves due appreciation,” he said, adding that the performance of youngsters on the beat of Sufi, folk and regional music in traditional costumes was awesome. Other members of the delegation are: anchorperson from TRT-Turk Ayse Suberker, Turan Hayreddin from Foreign News Editor ‘Turkiye’ and Abdullah Bozkurt from ‘Today’s Zaman’ while Qamar-uz-Zaman was the conducting officer.
While strolling inside the NAG, Suberker told this scribe that she was enjoying her first visit to Pakistan, as the people were hospitable and very loveable. “We are on a week visit to see different places in Islamabad and Lahore, meet different media houses and interact with leading media persons,” she said. Young Suberker said being an anchorperson, she loved to read books and gather knowledge about national and international affairs. “Playing tennis is my hobby,” she added.
Suberker said she was so impressed by the contemporary art and cultural performance, though marred by a brief load shedding. A 15-minute documentary package comprising classical folk and Sufi music, directed and conceived by Tauqir Nasir, was also screened for the visitors. Narrated by Arif Jaffri with the voice of Natasha, the documentary highlights the role of Sufism and Sufi music in the subcontinent and how it made an impact on Islam and its teachings.
The performers of National Performing Art Group (NPAG) of PNCA presented a number of performances with traditional outfits. Started off with Abrar-ul-Haque’s ‘Tere rang rang tere rang’ – a mystic song – the performers enthralled the delegation. They also presented Jhoomer, Khattak, Dhamaal, Luddi and Suif dances on the beat of ‘Dam Mastt Qalandar’ sung by late Nusrat Fareh Ali Khan and concluded the show with ‘Aaj Rang Hay’. Earlier, PNCA Director Hassan Abbas Raza and media persons received the Turkish media delegation members. The members later visited THE National Press Club (NPC) and various media production houses in the city.
