Pakistan: Restrictions on dancing persist

You can assess the Pakistani society's approach from the fact that it relates dance with mujra. When we travel we carry ghunghroos with us. The reaction of co-passengers is: What's this, why are you carrying this? Whereas for me, hum ibaadat karte hain uski (i worship ghunghroo). In this situation who will understand dance unless you introduce it to children especially through school curriculum? You can't expect military generals to understand art.

Q: But you've had democratic regimes?

Despite sporadic democratic regimes, art never flourished in Pakistan because one has to be steeped in culture to appreciate dance and music. Besides, Partition led us to deny our history. What history can one have in 60 years? Unfortunately our leaders don't have the understanding. Forget art, basic education is not given to children. So how can performing arts develop?

Q: What is the situation now?

There is no acceptance of dance in Pakistani society except within a niche class that appreciates it. I haven't ever had any support or recognition from the government. The approach is not to propagate and advertise your art, but to keep mum.

Q: So how do you perform in Pakistan?

There are only closed-door performances for a select few. Dance is not encouraged. I used to do a series of very popular Kathak performances called Payal, which was a first for Pak TV. At that time, it got permission under the garb of folk dance of five minutes' duration. This is how one explained a classical performance then. Surely, I was banned by the Zia regime. I had to leave the country and move to England in 1979. But after a three-year break, I returned in 1984 to perform. These are very discreet and low-key performances.

Q: Was it not pragmatic to work around the system to fight it?

Only if there had not been bomb blasts. I admire the fact that there are people like Salima Hashmi, activist daughter of poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Asma Jehangir, who are so progressive that they take to the streets for their cause. If I were to do that with Kathak, there will be an immediate backlash. Today, if you go to Pakistan you'll find that everything is OK, streets are fine, people are warm, and Lahore is beautiful. But deep down there is a divide, which one finds only when one lives there.

There is tremendous suffocation in the society today. There are many outside influences. Because of all this unrest, art has taken a beating. Art prospers in a society where there is peace, prosperity and harmony. Today, things have gone all wrong.

By: Meenakshi Sinha

7 April 2008

Source: The Times of India