Dawn Images

Karachi’s historic Khaliqdina Hall and Library is all set to play host to the Reading Room Festival, a celebration of the unique creative and cultural threads making up the tapestry that is Karachi. The festival will be held this Sunday (November 30), with the venue abuzz with activity from noon to 10pm.

Entry to the event is free of charge and open to all.

The programme for the event lists a number of activities spread throughout the day for those interested in the arts. The library will host workshops on traditional techniques, including a stall for truck art and chamakpatti run by artist Nusrat Iqbal.

Other activities include zine-making with Shabbir Mohammed and Luluwa Lokhandwala, block printing with Eina Alvi, cross stitching, basket weaving, and a workshop by artist and educator Iman Ahmed.

The main hall, notably used for the trial of Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar in 1921, will host a series of talks and theatre performances, starting with the play Unfit Ball Hai Dunya Meray Aagay at 2pm.

That will be followed by a panel discussion Fishing the Narrative with chef Asad Monga with Akif Raj and Fatima Bibi. Another panel, titled Reading the City, will have Afzal Zaidi, Meher Jafri, Nusrat Khawaja and Saima Zaidi.

The night will end with a session of dastangoi (dramatic storytelling), followed by a soulful qawwali by Ghayoor Moiz Qawwal and his troupe.

If your concern after reading all that is how you’re going to get through it all on an empty stomach, we have good news. Iconic street food from all over Karachi will be served in the garden. Options will include everything from bun kebabs, to chaat, to chai and kachoris.

The festival is sure to be fun for everyone who attends, with something to do for people of all ages and interests. It is organised by Numaish Karachi, the organisation that restored the festival’s 119-year-old venue under its Reading Room initiative.

The Reading Room is a collaboration between Numaish Karachi and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. The project is funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund in partnership with the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport.