Some days back the 9th two-day International THAAP Conference titled “Art, Tolerance and Democracy” organised by reputable educationists Pervaiz Vandal and Sajida Vandal, in collaboration with the newly-established Institute of Art and Culture brought together literati and academics.

A team of young scholars comprising Aabidah Ali, Mahreen Mustafa, Sahar Saqlain, Meeza Ubaid and a host of volunteers led by the duo did a good job of making the event hassle free and lively. Scholars, researchers and artists from diverse backgrounds such as Pakistan, United Kingdom, Austria, Australia and India presented their well-researched papers and deliberated on an elusive but highly relevant theme of how art and its production in myriad forms help create conditions that foster tolerance of dissent and strengthen the democratic spirit among people. Artistic and literary production rests on divergence which is the bedrock of creative expression. Just for the sake of understanding in simple terms, one can compare artistic and literary production with the industrial and post-industrial material/immaterial production. The former has originality and uniqueness, though not in the absolute sense, embedded in it as its raison de’tre. Underlying currents of newness or freshness make it what it is. A classically acclaimed painting for example, if reproduced, adds nothing to the world of fine art. A poem that rehashes an already celebrated piece of poetry is an utter waste of breath. But quite the opposite happens in the spheres of industrial and post-industrial production. Such a production as we all experience in everyday life, is defined by uniformity and standardisation. A proposed product, after being designed and given final shape, is produced and tested. Subsequently if found satisfactory as envisaged, it may be produced ad infinitum and marketed. A million vehicles of x type produced by y auto manufacturer will exactly be the same. Here uniformity and standardisation make the product what it is. Any deviation from what the original product is would render it unacceptable or worthless while in the world of art and literature deviation from what has already been created is the norm and uniformity or repetition makes an artistic or a literary product superfluous.

Divergence in the field of artistic expressions is a source that creates diversity. Diversity underpinned by interplay of multiple factors emerges as the epitome of creative potential. Creativity that stirs human mind and imagination paves the way for accepting what is different and unusual which eventually leads humans towards being more tolerant of diversity and plurality which enhances ethos of free public expression and strengthens democratic values. The process is rarely stunning or fast moving. It’s painfully slow and deceptively invisible. But the transformations it brings about have organic quality and thus are enduring at emotional, psychological and social levels. Artistic activities change people’s psyche by osmosis. Creative expression rarely causes sudden rupture between today and tomorrow as some of the proponents of social change wrongly believe.

Seven sessions of the Conference discussed and debated wide-ranging subjects. Some of the papers are worth mentioning.

Sadia Pasha Kamran explored the liberality of Emperor Akbar’s views as shown in the illustrations of Akabarnama. Dr. Ofita Purwani from Indonesia in her presentation explained how art turned strife-ridden city of Surakurta into a tolerant democratic space. Naintara Abul Fazal, a young scholar, presented a theoretical framework to understand the characteristics of a protagonist. Sidharath Pandey from the UK analysed how the mixing of facts with fiction can divide communities along the religious lines as it happened in the case of Sanjay Leela Bansali’s film ‘Padmaavat’. Professor Jakelin Troy examined how dance/performance by aboriginal people in Australia has served as means of asserting their unique identity.

Professor Shah Nawaz Zaidi recited his poems on the theme of open society with dramatic vigour. Raza Naeem explained why and how the peasant uprising led by ‘Socialist Sufi of Sindh’ Shah Anayat Shaheed’ took place and failed. Noor Ahmed Jhanjhi explored the humanist vision of poet Kabir, a Bhagticolossus, which influenced great Sindhi poet Shah Latif. Mahreen Mustafa highlighted how the use of public space and public art could build what she called ‘a convivial, democratic and tolerant society’. The best thing about the Conference was the active participation of young academics and scholars whose well-researched presentations gave us a hope that dream of an open, forward-looking, democratic society had not been jettisoned by our young generation.

Devendra Satyarthi, the greatest itinerant folklorist of the sub-continent is reported to have said something very interesting about ‘conferences’. He said in a lighter vein that a ‘conference’ was a great experience because at the end of the day it would allow you to leave the halls and go to road side cafes and tea stalls enabling you to know the place and the people. The THAAP conference this year had both the features; the discipline of an academic space and an ambiance of roadside café. Public debate in itself has been a cause celebre for democratic-minded people since the times of Lord Buddha and Socrates. And so it should be.