Over the years, social action has taken different dimensions for rights’ activist Nageen Hyat. Curator and owner of Islamabad’s Nomad Gallery, she is a lady who wears many hats. Being a filmmaker, she admits, is one of her most valued callings. Last year she wrote and directed two short documentaries that provide food for thought for anyone with a social consciousness. The first was ‘An Ode to the Mystic City -Androon Lahore’ and the second was ‘Posheeda Qadam: Hidden Footsteps,’ - a short film on violence against women (VAW) and youth. Both were screened jointly in the capital in May this year; ‘Androon Lahore’ was shown at the newly restored Shahi Hamam in Lahore’s walled city in February, and both screened in Delhi in March this year, as well as in China late last year. “I’ve been working in two broad areas, culture and human rights, for the past 35 years. ‘An Ode to the Mystic City – Androon Lahore’ is the result of four to five years of research. My films have heart – and are not for commercial gain or competition,” says Hyat candidly. “My inspiration for the heritage piece: I’m born and bred in Lahore and have a grandfather buried at the Badhshahi Mosque.”
Her research led her to the several projects that have been undertaken in Lahore’s walled city for the past few years, including those by the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) established in 2012 as an autonomous organisation solely dedicated to the uplift of the walled city. WCLA follows up on previous Punjab Government interventions since 2006, funded by the World Bank and The Agha Khan Trust for Culture - the cultural agency of the Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN), functioning in Pakistan as Agha Khan Cultural Services Pakistan (AKCSP) - on the regeneration, renewal and restoration of androon Lahore (the old city), especially to restore the homes of hundreds of inhabitants and improve the general quality of their lives. “I checked everything before I went in. I learned that the Punjab Government had come in heavily and this was initiated when John Wall, ex- country director of the World Bank was here several years ago - he loved the walled city and the artist Iqbal Hussain was a great favourite too.”
Faqir Saifuddin of the Faqir Khana Museum
Hyat pegs her narrative on the dilapidation of the walled city over time
Whilst the World Bank project was implemented via Community Based Organizations (CBOs) as a springboard for social development, infrastructure and façade restoration was the initial focus of the WCLA project. Soon, however, it evolved to also include a new department called Marketing Tourism and Culture, envisaging other means to unleash the economic potential of the walled city, specifically through leveraging cultural heritage and sustainable tourism.
Hyat focuses on some of this work as she walks us through androon Lahore in the film, following the ancient Shahi Guzargah (Royal Path); from Delhi Gate to Taxali Chowk behind the Wazir Khan Mosque. The walled city was fortified during the Mughal era and has thirteen gates including Masti Gate, Yakki Gate, Sheranwala Gate, Roshnai Gate, Taxali Gate and more. This was initially a World Bank funded initiative to resurrect the Royal Path and roll back decades of encroachments and commercialisation. The Shahi Guzargah (Royal Path) was the ancient route of the Mughal warriors, nobleman and courtiers who entered the old city through the Delhi Gate and made their way to the Shahi Hammam or the Royal Bath, the only surviving structure from the 17th century in the walled city today. This historic hammam was built between 1633 and 1635 by Mughal noble Ilmuddin Ansari, better known as Nawab Wazir Khan, then Governor of Lahore during the era of Shah Jahan. The government of Norway jointly funded the restoration of the hammam with the WCLA, and the project was implemented and completed by AKCSP in cooperation with the WCLA. “I work as a social enterprise,” says Hyat, in response to her own funding structure, which may be critiqued for being donor driven. “When I conceive the project I don’t go to the donor first and work later. I’m very independent in my own thinking. When one has proved one’s worth, the funding comes by itself, and overall it was quite minimal,” she continues, sharing that it was the Germans (who have also done work in the walled city) as well as the Norwegians who backed her documentary. “I’m not donor-led and no one told me what to do. I take responsibility for the work, whether it’s good or bad. I even cut corners when I had to, for example, I couldn’t really afford anyone for a voiceover!”
A still from Hyat's documentary on the preservation of Lahore's Walled City
"I cry every time I watch my documentaries, or I couldn't do what I do"
The filmmaker pegs the narrative on the dilapidation of the walled city over the centuries - this beautiful cultural property filled with mosques, a fort, gateways, palaces, and tombs - and the many events that have impacted it: the rule of Ranjit Singh, colonialism and mostly recently the Partition of 1947 and - one should even stretch it to say - the indifference of Pakistan’s ruling elite. The result has been huge cultural changes in the area: encroachments, unplanned tenements, overhead cables, commercialisation, new structures, noise, environmental pollution and a dilapidated infrastructure. We are introduced to craftsmen who have been doing the same thing for generations; they share their heartfelt demand that the government must take care of karigars or their trades will die out. We meet a tabla maker whose main customers are mostly Christians as their worship requires music; a harmonium maker for whom business is slow - his story is similar to those craftsmen who make the sitar, tanpura, dilruba, sarod and who have dwindled to almost zero. Unfortunately, for most, their newer generation has not learned the craft, but have educated themselves and to do other things. “Some of the most wonderful people I met in the androon sheher are not even featured in the documentary,” says Hyat, who prides herself on being able to communicate with a broad canvas of the people with egalitarian ease; the WCLA officials, a highly informed tour guide who surprised her with his knowledge; the old tonga-wallah who inspired her to go around the tight gulleys (alleys)in that age-old mode of travel; and the inhabitants in the walled city who share their thoughts, good and bad, on the restoration projects in and around their homes.
Kamila Bhasin, activist and founder of 'One Billion Rising', is featured in Hyat's documentary 'Posheeda Qadam'
The majestic entrance to the Wazir Khan Mosque
The documentary meanders through the old city on a visual tour: through the Shahi Mohallah where the rhythms of life, musical instruments, cultural festivities and the best food are found all in one space; to the jewel of Lahore, the Wazir Khan Masjid with all its beautiful art and fresco work; a pause at the Sonehri Masjid known for its gilded domes located in the Kashmiri Bazar built in the mid-18th century by a certain Nawab Syed Bhikari Khan; to an overview of the Lahore Fort and stunning Badshahi Mosque, testaments to the rich heritage of the walled city; and then further afield to Bhatti Gate for an informative conversation with Fakir Saifuddin in the inner chambers of the Fakir Khana, the ancestral home and private museum of the Fakir family; and finally to some of the ancient havelis that give the walled city its inherent character. “The restoration work that been done so far is impressive - go to the walled city in hordes, go in groups have a look around,” Hyat suggests.
While she believes that the most communicative way to link with people is film and visuals, the purpose of connecting to her primary audience was awareness-raising. “My main focus audience for this work is universities, colleges, schools, communities and mainstream Pakistanis - in that order, she says. “I’m very local, my work is local, I’ve chosen to live in Pakistan and I’ve given my life to this field. People trust me, talk to me not the camera, and everyone I met for this documentary was candid and articulate. One is so sick of all the hype on chat shows on television and to counter that, there is no drama in my work!”
Hyat's scope of activity includes cross-border activism
Hyat’s second documentary ‘Posheeda Qadam: Hidden Footsteps, A Film on Violence against Women (VAW) and Youth’ is envisaged on the same lines and the stage is set to bring the masculine, patriarchal narrative in the region to the fore. Hyat paints this picture on a broad canvas highlighting draconian laws such as the Law of Evidence and the Hudood Ordinance that are in violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution; the effects of cyber/online bullying and harassment; the issues that make up the terrible statistics of violence against women in the region including domestic violence, honour crimes, child marriages, child pornography; and the impact so far of the Punjab Assembly’s newly passed Protection of Women against Violence Bill 2015.
Sit-down interviews also feature renowned Indian activist Kamila Bhasin who talks about the ‘One Billion Rising’ campaign to counter the one billion women worldwide who are victims of violence, an atrocity of epic proportions. But Bhasin does not only focus on gender and women; her activism includes sustainable development, livelihood and poverty. Her broadened scope of activity also includes cross-border activism, succinctly captured in the documentary as similarities emerge during Hyat’s conversations with Bhasin. “Getting people to be candid on camera and express the real issues is my purpose, even though it’s not the easiest thing to do,” says Hyat.
One of old Lahore's famed gates, the Delhi Gate
The overall scenario that emerges with opinion bytes and solutions expressed by various subjects capture much of the state of injustice that induces violence at so many levels in the country. Naeem Mirza of the Aurat Foundation calls repeatedly for the repeal of Pakistan’s anti-women laws and more specific and stringent amendments to the Blasphemy Law to control its misuse, which occurs on a very large scale. He goes on to talk about checking mob violence; the ambit of the police and government in violence related issues; and the scourge of religious extremism, whose core ideology doesn’t recognise women at all. Senator Raza Rabbani discusses the distorted version of constitutional history in Pakistani textbooks and the emphasis on ‘Jihad’ and he is very honest. “If one is expecting results overnight, I don’t think you would see them. We were all silent spectators to the gradual radicalisation of Pakistani society.” Mossarat Qadeem of the Paiman Alumni Trust, which works with women and children in FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, agrees that the syllabi have transformed the hearts and minds of people and the solution and counter-narrative lies in education reform for the youth: “Let’s transform our education for peace,” she says. “Pakistan is weak anyway in executing policy, like all of South Asia,” says Senator Sherry Rehman as she bemoans Pakistan’s condition where honour crimes are valourised and the edifice of patriarchy is celebrated. “South Asian women must come together and lead the process,” says Haris Khalique of AWAAZ, the Voice and Accountability programme to strengthen civil society. The messages are clear, the challenge for change is onerous and vast.
Nosheen Zaidi, deputy director of the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA)
Kamran Lashari, Director General at the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA)
Hyat remains on point in her work and her suggestion to young filmmakers is to keep the fluff out of their work, stay away from propaganda, do tons of research and ensure they employ their strength and heart. Her passion is unfeigned: “I cry every time I watch my documentaries, if I didn’t, I couldn’t do what I do. Who says one must be cut and dried? I’m not!”
While Hyat’s short films are neither in-depth exposés nor ground-breaking investigations - rather, broad synopses of a state of affairs - they are the product of the right sentiment; of committed activism over the years. Besides their primary purpose of raising awareness, will these documentaries contribute to changing mindsets on a large scale or influencing policy? Are they to be relegated to the backburner after the donor and international screenings, and mandatory school visits are over? It would be a good idea to reassess the films’ outreach and actually take them to wider audiences to affect the public’s perception and see how more and more socially conscious documentary films do not just inform but also influence hearts and minds.
Amna R. Ali is an arts and culture journalist who has worked with The Friday Times, Newsline and Hello
