With every hall, session and panel packed to the brim, KLF said goodbye to Karachi after a long and educational three days. Hosting a large crowd due to it being a Sunday, the festival was a raging success and every seat in the area was filled with people eager to hear the guests speak and humour them. Renowned celebrity names like Anwar Maqsood, Sanam Saeed, Miftah Ismail, Akbar Zaidi, Zarrar Khuhro, Shehan Karunatilka and Ahmed Rashid gracing the stage the attendees were holding onto their every word. It was a heartwarming sight to see so many interested students, young adults and the elderly coming together to appreciate literature- the very reason the festival exists in the first place.
The KLF 2023 had a remarkable spell, each day topping the one before it. The sheer amount of intellectual discourse and creative communication that took place at the event was a reminder to the rest of the country that Karachi is still the hub of intellectual events like these. Patras Bukhari’s dramatic readings, the showcasing of short films and the Noori concert added to the quaint charm of the possibility that very cleverly knows that the audience sometimes is simply looking for unassuming things and that serious conversations need light breaks. The events book stalls also wrapped up today with decent sales and the art exhibit at the event exposed the common man to a more refined taste.
Perhaps the sweetest moment of the day was the casual and adorable conversations between Anwar Maqsood and his wife Imrana Maqsood, recollecting lovely moments from their lives and discussing how they make their relationship work. The sessions on Pakistan’s economy and politics were also of great interest to the people attending because of the country’s current state and because they had a million questions to ask those in charge. Noori’s electric performance following the closing ceremony was a wonderful way to wrap up the event that thousands had thronged to and enjoyed.
