| Very few of us actually knew Bashir Mirza. Many of you will remember him as a student here in Lahore at the National College of Arts in the early 1960s. Others got to interact with after he migrated to Karachi, which is where I met him first in 1967. And of course, there was no-one in the national art-world who was not familiar with his name and reputation by the time of his death. The recognition that Bashir sought so keenly throughout his life will now be accorded to him after his death. That, I suppose, is the way of the world. That, in a sense, is the cruel penalty artists like Bashir Mirza have to pay for their talent. What God gives with one hand he exacts a price for with the other. |
| Bashir Mirza had talent. There can be no doubt about that. It was his talent that gained him entry into the National College of arts. It was his irrepressible talent that drew the attention of his tutors like Professor Shakir Ali and made them recognise his potential. And it was the sheer range and versatility of his talent that captured and held the attention of such a wide audience of admirers over almost forty years of his creative output. [EXTRACT] |
Read at Al Hamra Arts Complex Lahore, 24 Feb. 2000, and reprinted in THE BARK OF A PEN (2001) |
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