The Tartan Turban returns to Lahore
Alexander Gardner returns to Lahore for the city’s newest literary event.
John Keay, the author of the highly acclaimed The Tartan Turban will be appearing over the weekend of 13–14 January 2018 at the ‘Afkar-e-Taza’, an event covering current affairs, academics, regional politics, culture and art, which promises to combine the rigour of an academic conference with the informality and reach of a literary festival.
One of the organisers, Dr Yaqoob Bangesh, said, ‘This event aims to become the incubator of fresh thoughts in Pakistan so that not only does the country develop but we too personally gain from such interactions. The idea was to provide space to academics to interact with each other and with the public’.
‘Afkar-e-Taza’ means ‘Fresh thoughts’ in Urdu and was coined by the poet laureate Sir Muhammad Iqbal.
Image: Detail from a panoramic view of the walled city of Lahore, watercolour heightened with gold on paper, Lahore, c 1846–50 (Toor Collection)