LAHORE - A large number of eminent scholars took part in five-day conference titled” Culture roots of Art and Architecture of Punjab” being held under the aegis of THAAP  and University of Gujrat, with the support of High Education Commission of Pakistan on Sunday.
The scholars read their papers on the theme of Punjabi culture and architecture. The inaugural session started with the welcome address by Prof Sajida Haider Vandal, architect, educationist & THAAP, CEO followed by the encouraging remarks made by the guest of honor Prof Irshad Burney with a candid yet inspirational address given by the chief guest: Engr Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gilani, the HEC chairman.
Prof Pervaiz Vandal said that Punjab had been the melting pot of people and ideas. He said the native culture was influenced, modified, developed as a continuous and linked phenomenon.
The Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Sufis, Turks, Afghans, Kashmiris, Brahmins, Rajputs, merchants of Gujrat and Deccan, contributed to the social ethos of the Punjab. Thus, a synthesis of the foreign and local traditions of cultures, started centuries ago continued to influence, modify, and develop the indigenous society of the Punjab, said Vandal.
He said colonization by the British changed the continuum in a profound manner to leave us as we were today.
The conference will focus on the cultural roots of art and architecture of the Punjab to generate a discourse and find an answer to the question, what are we then?” It was followed by 03 thought provocative paper reading sessions with the inauguration of an art exhibition at Gallery 39K on the same theme as that of the conference.
The fourth session chaired by Prof. Maliha Azami Aga of University of the Punjab. Prof Aisha Asim Imdad presented her paper on “The roots of decorative motifs of Cholistani crafts” and Eesha Thaker and Neha Babi presented their papers on “Designing learning strategies through cultural studies” respectively.
The fifth session after tea break was chaired by Prof Rukhsana David, Principal of Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore. Dr Tariq Rehman and Abdullah Qureshi presented their papers on “How Punjab lost its Punjabi” and “The space of the Mughal miniature” respectively. Bazla Manzoor and Aqsa Yasin presented their paper on “Evolution of courtyards in Central Punjab-Pakistan”.
The sixth session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Ali Akbar Husain, HoD of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi. Mr. Osama Ahmad, Ar. Taimoor Khan Mumtaz and Dr. Mamoona Khan presented their papers on “Punjab’s architectural transformations: Indo-Greek Classicism to British Colonial Neo-Classicism”, “The sacred roots of culture in the Punjab” and “Ashlars Masonry in Puthuhar and the British Raj” respectively.
The seventh session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Neelum Naz, Chairperson School of Architecture & Planning, UET, Lahore. Ms. Samra Mohsin Khan and Dr. Kanwal Khalid presented their papers on the “Impact of cultural change on tangible and intangible heritage of the bazaars” and “The cultural roots of Lahore during the Ghaznavide period” respectively.
Day-03 of the Conference will present nine papers which will be chaired by Prof. Irshad Burney, Prof. Dr. Azhar Mahmood, Prof. Dr. Gulzar Haider, and Mr. Rajmohan Gandhi.
A report on the conference will be presented & the delegation after which the delegation has been invited by the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, for the cultural night and dinner.
Day-04 of the Conference is scheduled at University of Gujrat which will include Gujrat and Wazirabad city visit.
Day 5 of the Conference is scheduled at Harappa Museum, Sahiwal, which will include a briefing on Harappa land issues, visit to archaeological site and Harappa Museum, and a cultural program.
FIDA HUSSNAIN-08-12-2013