After a gap of two years, Lahore’s much-loved literary festival, aka the LLF, was back to the physical venue — Alhamra Art Centre. Last year’s events were held digitally on ZOOM.

It was sheer joy, seeing Alhamra come to life throughout the three-day festival, as the Lahoris showed up all bright and earnest for in-person sessions. This year’s LLF was special also because it marked the festival’s 10^th edition.

As part of its design, the LLF celebrates not just literature and authors but also performing arts and artists. Besides, it is known to start conversations and offer serious food for thought on a variety of subjects. Of course, on the sidelines of it, you famously meet a host of food stalls, but the bookstands are no less popular.

For me, the LLF ’22 was an overwhelming experience. As I walked through the security gate, I couldn’t help feeling exhilarated by the fact that it was finally happening. (Last year, I had missed the event no end.) The guards seemed to recognise some of the faces (who must be LLF regulars).

I was greeted by the student volunteers who had a smile on their faces. I spotted posters and banners of LLF hung variously at the venue. There were scores of events scheduled to be held at designated parts of Alhamra — its three halls, a Baithak, and the open-air.

I wasn’t expecting such a huge turnout. The best part was that everyone was warm and cordial, and even perfect strangers would bond with one another while browsing through the books at a stall.

In their previous editions, the LLF had commendably brought in some of the world’s best known writers, intellectuals (remember Vali Nasr?) and even filmmakers (the likes of Mira Nair) to the city. This year, too, they managed to fly in quite a few notables including the Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, Vietnamese writer Nguy n Phan u Mai, American journalist and author Beth Gardiner, Spanish film director Gaizka Urresti, and Indian painter and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali.

Reportedly, over a hundred delegates from Pakistan and abroad were part of the 50-odd sessions that were spread over the three days of the festival. Those representing Pakistan included F S Aijazuddin, Salman Rashid, Mira Sethi, Salman Shahid, Dr Osama Siddique, Muneeza Shamsie, Rasheed Araeen, Senator Sherry Rehman, Maleeha Lodhi, Dr Ayesha Jalal, Nadeem Farooq Paracha, Nayab Gohar Jan, Navid Shahzad, Aitezaz Ahsan, Najam Sethi, Musharraf Ali Farooqi, Mohsin Hamid, Salima Hashmi and Imran Qureshi.

Earlier, while addressing the audience at the inaugural ceremony of the festival, LLF’s founder and CEO Razi Ahmed said, “The Lahore Literary Festival is about thinking from a different prism, away from propaganda, fake news and hyper nationalism. Here, we bring writers, poets, thinkers and artists to collaborate on dialogue and conversations that cultivate the thinking and intellect.” Events like this become even more significant when you consider how Lahore has been declared UNESCO’s City of Literature.

At the opening ceremony, lifetime achievement awards were presented to Nayyar Ali Dada, Ustad Naseerudin Sami and Amjad Islam Amjad. The night ended on an enchanting musical performance by Spanish artist Vanessa Muela who used traditional instruments of Spain.

The festival events included book launches and meet-and-greets with the authors; qawwali night by Sami Brothers; and panel discussions with the literati. The events were going on simultaneously at all the three halls of Alhamra. The Baithak and open-air space were busy too.

The press centre was buzzing with local and international media persons interacting with each other. The delegates from Sweden, Spain, England and France were particularly found praising the Lahori hospitality. Outside, a Rangeela Rickshaw, decorated with truck art, occupied the pride of place. It had been installed there thanks to the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA). Besides, the food stalls served fresh tea and a variety of local delicacies such as samosas, papri chaat and jalebi. A grand sculpture of the father of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, stood tall and made for a popular spot for photo ops. You were lucky if you had been captured by Tapu Javeri, the LLF’s official photographer this year.

The success of the event was due to the efforts put in by the LLF team, which included its founder and CEO Razi Ahmed, directors Aneela Shah and Nusrat Jamil, digital director Eman Omer and a host of patrons, trustees and sponsors.

The writer is affiliated with Columbia University School of Arts’s Digital Storytelling Lab and TED. She can be reached at  mariamskchannel  @gmail.com