From my Substack
I will be speaking at the 10th Faiz Festival being held in Lahore this weekend as part of a panel titled “Faiz and the Cultural Policy of Pakistan”. I was invited to be a part of this panel primarily because of my book A New Explanation for the Decline of Hindustani Music in Pakistan (Aks Publications 2024).1 Though my book–a republication of my M.Mus thesis in Ethnomusicology– focuses narrowly on Hindustani music, I did discuss the Faiz Cultural Report of 1968, particularly in the context of arguments that Hindustani music declined in Pakistan because it did not accord with the national identity of the newly formed Pakistani state.
While preparing for the session, I thought I’d briefly share some of my thoughts here since others might find them interesting.
What is the Faiz Report?
The Faiz Report was a report of the Standing Committee on Art and Culture, 1968. Faiz Ahmed Faiz–one of Pakistan’s greatest 20th century Urdu poets– was the Chairman of the committee. The committee submitted its report to the Ministry of Education towards the end of 1968. However, due to political upheaval, the report never saw the light of day and was never officially accepted or rejected.
In summary, the report concluded that:
- Opposition to art and culture in Pakistan stems from social prejudice and political considerations rather than religious or moral scruples
- Classical traditions being common to all regions of Pakistan are an important factor in national integration. These traditions must be remolded in the light of modern knowledge and contemporary conditions