I woke up and did some more blogging. A few of us went to visit the workshops of local ceramics, pottery and ajrak (an ancient and beautiful form of block printing). The work is beautiful, though far undervalued, which makes it difficult for these artists to make a living on their hard work. They were all so generous in sharing their process and allowing me to take photos and ask questions.
This time spent traveling is really enriching for me. I am filled with fresh ideas and new contacts with which to create potential collaborations in the future. These art forms are certainly in danger, but there are some fledgling efforts to raise awareness and support them before it is too late.
After that, we came back and had some lunch. The students have been eager to learn Zbrush, since I told them how cool the software is, so once the electricity came back, we rushed to the computer lab and I went over it for about 45 minutes. After that, it was time for me to meet Ismail Faqir for a trip to the Shah Latif Museum in Bhitshah. Azam and I hopped on a Suzuki daba (pickup), and met him there. The museum is small, but there are beautiful displays depicting several of the folk tales in Latin’s poetry. In addition, there is a large auditorium for concerts during the annual Urs celebration, as well as a new research library in the works. Afterwards, we head back to his place where Ismail Faqir graciously shared many of his experiences and his knowledge with us. He and his family members took us to an event at the Bhitai College, where there was some really interesting Sindhi poetry on contemporary issues (I managed to pick up the main points of several pieces. It was great to see Mangi and Naimat sahib with their kids as well. There was a play on religious tolerance with a strong commentary on current issues in Pakistan. Though it was in Sindhi, I was able to pick out a good portion of what was being said.
We had early morning plans, so we decided to to head back to Hala on a Qing Qi which was blasting some beautiful Sufi music by Abida Parveen. We made it back for dinner, and then walked back to campus.