We all love to go to public places full of energy like a bustling Restaurant in Gulberg, the Liberty Market liveliness due to ladies, Atif Aslam's concert in an open air theatre, a musical night in the historical area of Lahore Fort or a Sunday visit to a Iqbal Park with the magnificent Minar e Pakistan as its Landmark. Lahore is comprised of public places fluttering with people, these public spaces create the identity of the city altogether. It provides space for people to come together and engage with the community. Nasir Kazmi said so well:
When there are people in a public space, freedom is a mantle in the space that covers all aspects of existence. Just as on a cold winter night, its absence is noticeable. Freedom is the major factor affecting the quality of public spaces in Lahore, in my point of view.
Living in Lahore, a city mostly seen as free, I started feeling unfree a few years ago. Hence, I started thinking about the source of this feeling of unfreedom, this suffocation. My initial thoughts pointed towards the government - as a source of regulations which forbids people to pursue their own way of life; and I also blamed the society for being oppressive, especially to the people who do not fit to the definition of their “normal person”. As Bauman once said, “I never thought about freedom until I found breathing difficult.”
During this ongoing Corona Virus pandemic, we are all sitting at home, deprived of our freedom to be in a public space. Now is the time that we should understand the importance of freedom in a public space. From March 23rd, 2020, everything is put to halt. The corona virus pandemic is throttling all social and cultural life around the city and therefore, Lahore appearing as a ghost city. There were times when taking a picture in a public place of Lahore was a real struggle because of all the hustle bustle. And now with the lock down in the city - classrooms, plazas, malls, sports venues, houses of worship, and tourist destinations are eerily empty.
It's heartbreaking to see deserted spaces of Masajid, the empty Anarkali Street without any food carts along the road, the unoccupied and deserted Joyland and Model Town parks, an empty promenade along the Liberty Market, also a man standing behind a menu stand in the empty Restaurant, and the sports team lining up in an empty stadium. Seeing people wearing the mask as they go out on the street, and the customers walking past by empty shelves normally stocked with soaps, sanitizers, paper towels, and toilet paper. The desolation is dripping from the whole city, seeping inside our core and our bones.
And with this emptiness of Lahore, a realisation came into light about why these public places attract us so much, it is not just because of their architectural design or history, but because of all the “people” moving around in that place, making it vibrant and full of life. And with ‘people’ in public space, there comes the necessary "right of freedom” in a place. Freedom to live, enjoy, exhaust, and suffer as in the way we want. Let’s connect the chain from ‘public spaces of Lahore’ to ‘people’ to the ‘freedom of those people’.
All this ‘staying at home’ situation should make us realise the importance of the freedom of our will. Our freedom to wander through the streets, freedom to go to places whenever we want, freedom to meet a friend for a coffee, freedom to attend any social gathering. Now, we have the will to go outside but we don’t have the freedom to act on that will. This should make us realise that every person should have a fair chance to enjoy public space and should not be deprived of the freedom to act on their will as well.
Being an uncivilised society, we have had oppressed the freedom of many people like transgenders and female citizens and differently-able people of our society. They all face hostility, discrimination and bullying in a public space or any other social gatherings. This is how they are deprived of their freedom to enjoy a public space. When citizens feel uncomfortable to spend time in a public space, they stop going out in a public place. And to mention here, the unprivileged and homeless people are part of completely different story, they are in no game of comparison.
But now we can relate to their pain, hopefully, about how it feels when you want to do something of your choice but you are deprived of the freedom to do it instead. Therefore, we conclude that the public space is in a love triangle with the people and their freedom and no one can survive without the other.
Understanding this triangle of public space, let’s take this as an opportunity to learn and never bully or harass anyone in the public space. Let’s start to have the courage to stop anyone who is bullying or harassing someone anywhere, especially in a public realm. Let other people live, without depriving them of their basic rights in any social gathering.
Meanwhile talking about freedom of will and not giving in to the taboos of our society, it will only be fitting after this COVID-19. There will be some stigmas or taboos that virus would be leaving behind as well, which can affect people activity and perception about a public space. One of them might be, people looking suspiciously towards a person who is sneezing or coughing in public. I agree that it’s an instinct to protect one self but this should not make us apathetic towards the person who is sick. Let’s prepare our self to be more considerate and empathetic towards other human beings in public after this all ends, as well.
Until then, it is the new normal, this staying in our houses, giving time to ourselves and our families and missing all the vibrancy of once lively public spaces. Let’s keep our hopes up because honestly, it’s our only resort to fight this pandemic until our medical heroes defeat the virus. Maybe someday soon, the hope we are keeping will become reality, and from this emptiness will rise the vibrant Lahore with people moving around again. And when that will happen, May we all are ready to give and take the freedom that we crave so much to other people in the public space. Amen.
Great article. I completely agree with you, this is a situation which really you know urge us to feel for the underprivileged. While this pandemic has some predicament affects on our society, there are a few positive aspects as well, like shutting down the markets @5 and people going home early so they get to spend more time with their families. There is a flip side of everything and it will be proven in future.