French embassy celebrates Mughal arts in ‘Night of Ideas’

ISLAMABAD: The French Embassy concluded on Thursday the online 2021 edition of the Night of Ideas highlighting the Mughal history, culture and arts and featuring two dance and music performances by Arieb Azhar and Khanzada Asfandyar Khattak, in collaboration with ThinkFest Pakistan, and Alliance Française Pakistan, with the support of Black box Sounds.

According to the French Embassy, the 2021 edition of the Night of Ideas (La Nuit des idées) took place with an online panel discussion dwelling into Mughal history, culture and arts, and to reflect on one of the first waves of global connections unleashed by the Mughals.

In a world marked by rising populism and nationalism, and where the Covid-19 pandemic has severely constrained domestic and international travels, the 2021 edition wanted to nourish experiences by learning from travelers and denizens of the Mughal Empire. For Pakistan this year, the “Night of Ideas” brought together six speakers from different backgrounds, four historians who worked on the Mughal period and two artists who exchanged views on how the meeting of cultures and beliefs within and beyond the Mughal empire influenced the identity of the Mughal dynasty. They also highlighted how the meeting of cultures has been reflected in arts, including music and dance.

Prof. Corinne Lefèvre, scholar in early modern and Mughal India (National Center for Scientific Research CNRS, member of the Centre for South Asian Studies) from Paris, Dr. Ali Gibran Siddiqui, Leon B. Poullada Associate Research Scholar in Central Asian Studies (Department of Near Eastern Studies) from Princeton University, Dr. Mehreen Chida-Razvi, art historian specializing in the art and architecture of Mughal South Asia (Deputy Curator of the Nasser D Khalili Collection of Islamic Art) from London, Dr. Jean-Marie Lafont, historian and author Arieb Azhar, musician and writer from Islamabad Khanzada Asfandyar Khattak, classical dancer, choreographer and teacher from Islamabad engaged in a passionate debate among the panelists and with the public, in a constant interaction.

Prof. Corinne Lefèvre highlighted the importance of travel of political, economic, and religious elites within the Mughal empire and to Central Asia and the Persian world. Dr A. Gibran Siddiqui discussed the trip of Khwâja Abd-ur-Rahim Jûybârî, Uzbek ambassador to the Mughal court. Khanzada Asfandyar Khattak presented the way the Mughal court appropriated the Kathak dance coming from the Hindu temples, incorporating Ottoman, Persian and Central Asian influences. Arieb Azhar underlined the musical intermingling during the Mughal period, through the life of the musician Tansen. Dr Lafont explained the contacts between France and the Mughal dynasty, through the story of Augustin Hiriart, known as Augustin of Bordeaux, and his friendship with the emperor Jahangir. The Night of Ideas celebrates the stream of ideas between countries, cultures, topics and generations.