or years upon years we have lamented Pakistan’s regressive film industry, Pakistan’s lack of attention to tourism, Pakistan’s inability to actually get up and do something to serve the less conventional industries that could actually be a huge draw for global investors. The grand gala event that launched Nita Ambani’s eponymous cultural center has once again salted those old wounds.

Among the hilarious memes and tweets, you will see a word or two reflecting on why Pakistan hasn’t been able to pull off an event of this magnitude, while pulling in international superstars.

In a sentence, it’s because our myriad industries really can get their ish together long enough to actually plan something of this nature and magnitude. The longer answer includes pointing out that very devoted people have pulled off incredible things in the past, which unfortunately have stayed in the past.

From Arjun Rampal to Ajay Devgn to [designers] to [the French fashion lady], Pakistan’s fashion and entertainment industry stalwarts have moved mountains to bring a global focus to the work produced here, and the industries have taken their work abroad. But somehow, we can’t make the kind of cohesive progress that India has made in any of these directions, even at snail’s pace.

Once you get past the memes and the many dubbed red carpet reels of Salman Khan, reality sinks in. As Pakistanis, we are automatically prone to holding up India’s achievements against our own. There have been several initiatives within Pakistan to promote the arts, for which obviously we are grateful. The National Academy of Performing Arts is one, the Pakistan Monument is meant to be another, but one can’t help but think that instead of sinking capital into a grand physical structure, and eulogizing the history of Partition again, the money could have been better channeled.

Whether it’s mangoes, footballs, surgical instruments or Shaheen Khan Afridi, love it, flaunt it, sell it. Pakistan obviously has enough history, culture, and intricate heritage that can be packaged way better than we have been doing it. The Great Indian Musical was homage to the arts in India over the centuries, but it was a logical next step to all the efforts India has made from the Incredible India campaigns to creating globally known faces through the Miss World and Universe contests.

Beyond the Hollywood stars, and the fashion on the red carpet, what stuns most is the actual event that launched the NMACC, The Great Indian Musical: Civilization To Nation, directed by Feroze Abbas Khan. Any clips of the space, the performance, the facilities, have thus far been breathtaking. Cards on the table, there is a lot of FOMO here, but not the slightest bit of envy. Good wishes and vibes to the future of the NMACC, and prayers that some of that vision and those resources can be replicated at home.

Of course, there were other lessons to be had at the event too, which are as follows:

You can dress like it’s your yaar ki shaadi on a red carpet, and still make it fashion

Time and again, fashion critics have bemoaned celebrity attire on the red carpet, asking why most stars tend to dress like they’re attending a valima and not a gala event. Time and again, celebrities in Pakistan have scoffed at the lamentations and continued to dress in what designers like calling ‘luxury pret’ on every red carpet. Lesson number one from the NMACC launch red carpet was: if Gigi can wear an embellished blouse, dripping in kaam, all of your nani’s heirloom kangan, and still look like the style icon she has become, then so can Pakistani models and actors and miscellaneous starlets. We won’t say no to a lehnga if you wear it right.

Be fiercely proud of your country’s product

Whether it’s mangoes, footballs, surgical instruments or Shaheen Shah Afridi, love it, flaunt it, sell it. Pakistan obviously has enough history, culture, and intricate heritage that can be packaged way better than we have been doing it. The Great Indian Musical was homage to the arts in India over the centuries, but it was a logical next step to all the efforts India has made from the Incredible India campaigns to creating globally known faces through the Miss World and Universe contests. India has never shied away from putting itself out there. The whole dance like no one’s watching quote was actually on the India family crest back in the day.

Invest in Pakistan

Pakistan has so much to offer. From music, to art, to film, to writers, to theater. Sadly, while our economy and infrastructure hasn’t probably seen a good year since the ‘60s, India itself shares an equally impoverished population living below the poverty line. That said, India’s GDP far exceeds Pakistan’s, and whether it was the timely economic reforms in the ‘90s, or that Pakistan’s economy has suffered from a lack of foresight at every step, we are where we are now.

Again, leaving that aside, the Ambanis may have established the NMACC as a vanity project, but it will ultimately boost their country’s profile.

In an ideal world, a country wouldn’t have to look to generationally wealthy families or well-to-do expats to fund cultural or educational effort, but if there was going to be some incentive towards creating a supportive framework including the business communities and government funding that does just that, it is worth looking into.