Karachi: Asma Chishty hosted a brunch in honor of Mr & Mrs Kamran Lashari, Director General of the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) in Karachi yesterday. The event was held to celebrate Destinations’ and WCLA’s decade-long partnership and introduce the city of Karachi to their multiple collaborative projects. The brunch was attended by distinguished luminaries, thinkers, writers, fashion designers, film-directors, and artists from various fields in Karachi.
Guests were enthralled by the brilliance of ‘Unsilencing Spaces’, an exhibit of breathtaking images captured by ace-lensman Mobeen Ansari essaying the glory of the ongoing restoration of the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens – two of the city’s most historic structures that collectively form an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This initiative aimed to acquaint the creative minds of Karachi with the glory of the Walled City of Lahore’s magnificence and open up a whole new set of locations as potential subjects and backdrops of their future audio-visual projects.
WCLA’s involvement in restoration has brought to light previously buried treasures, including the excavation of the Moti Masjid and Akbari hammams among other such gems of an era bygone. Attendees also enjoyed an exclusive documentary showcasing the historical significance of these sites at the event.
Asma Chishty stated: “This exhibit is a celebration of Lahore’s vibrant history and a call to artists to rediscover its grandeur. We invite filmmakers, photographers, artists, and curators to bring their projects to life in these iconic settings as our national heritage should be free of provincial borders”.
Apart from important cultural delegates and dignitaries, the star-studded event was also graced by noted names from the media, fashion, and entertainment industry including Bunto Kazmi, Deepak Perwani, Asim and Ayla Raza, Asad ul Haq, Umer Sayeed, Aamna Isani, Masuma Halai, Mohsin Sayeed, JS CEO Basir Shamsi, Ayesha Jalil, Frieha Altaf, Fifi Haroon, Tammy Haq, Seema and Shakeel Jaffer, Shehla and Saleem Chatoor, Zahir Rahimtoola, Sherzade Rahimtoola, Aliya and Hasan Jaffer, and Faizaan Haqee among a host of others.
The bonhomie and camaraderie between the visiting delegation from Lahore and some of Karachi’s finest cultural ambassadors are anticipated to herald a new beginning of many a new collaborative avenue against the backdrop of Lahore’s heritage sites.
The brunch was held at Cote Rotie, a popular cafe in Karachi. Guests enjoyed a sumptuous menu with a buffet featuring a la carte eggs, artichoke and ricotta ravioli, a caramelized leek and mushroom risotto, roast beef fillet with dijon cream sauce, and a selection of delectable desserts.
The event paved the way for potential new collaborative efforts to spotlight the splendor of the Walled City and encourage creatives across Pakistan to interweave the splendors of Lahore into their upcoming scripts and narratives. The afternoon was a memorable affair of elegance and star-studded hospitality to enhance the cultural ties between the two great metropolis cities of Karachi and Lahore.
