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The Pakistan National Council of the Arts on Thursday held a condolence reference for Madeeha Gohar, founder and creative director of Ajoka Theatre, who died of cancer on April 25.

The event was held at the PNCA auditorium, which was packed, and was attended by theatre enthusiasts and intellectuals.

The event featured six speakers who knew Gohar personally including her daughter Savera Nadeem, husband Shahid Nadeem, PNCA Director Jamal Shah, Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr Fouzia Saeed, renowned poet Kishwar Naheed and Indu Mitha.

The event included a media presentation on Madeeha’s career. It said she travelled with her troupe with socially relevant plays and enthralled audiences in Pakistan, India and other countries.

Those who spoke at the event painted a vigorously vibrant image of Madeeha and talked about her genius and determination to bring social change through art and theatre.

“Madeeha would have laughed and dismissed this melancholy. She would have wanted to be celebrated. She was a daring woman who did not just swim against the tide, but turned the tide,” her husband Shahid Mehmood Nadeem said.

He said that his writing and literary works were entirely motivated by his late wife, that she redefined theatre and was one of the most noteworthy agents of social change through plays like Manto, Bulleh, Burqavagenza and many others that challenged and questioned society.

He recounted two incidents in India where radical elements had staged a protest outside theatres where the plays were being staged. One time, BJP activists showed up in black masks outside the play and demanded that Gohar carry back a memorandum to Pakistan, he said.

Mr Nadeem said his late wife calmly denied the demand and insisted they watch her play. The activists were captivated by the production, lauded her efforts and acknowledged her labours for bridging differences between the two countries, he said.

Shiv Sena supporters had also refused to let the play Manto be staged, he said, but the entire theatre community in India had ensured that it did and there was even a second screening at the JNU University the same night.

“She defined me in so many ways and made me the person that I am. I wish I could have told her how much of an impact she had on me,” Madeeha’s daughter Savera Nadeem said.

Jamal Shah said he remembered that Gohar had worked “intensely” for human rights during the Zia era and took use of theatre for the purpose as well.

Her role in influencing politics, theatre and society in Pakistan will always be remembered, he said, and announced that a Madeeha Gohar award will be established soon.

Originally published in Dawn, May 4th, 2018