Pak artiste Madeeha Gauhar remembered

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 25

The theatre fraternity in the city paid tributes to Pakistani theatre thespian and peacenik Madeeha Gauhar, who passed away in Lahore after a long illness. Eminent artistes and members of the fraternity gathered at the Art Gallery on Wednesday to remember Gauhar, who was one of the foremost supporters of fostering peace between the two hostile nations through cultural exchange.

Kewal Dhaliwal, one of the Gauhar’s admirers and a close friend, said her demise was a lost for both countries. “She was a champion of peace and had enjoyed every opportunity to come to India and increase people-to-people exchange. We will dedicate a theatre festival in her memory,” he said.

Gauhar was a participant in Indo-Pak peace theatre festival celebrated every year where theatre groups from both the countries participated to stage plays highlighting socio-political issues. Arvinder Chamak, general secretary, Indian Academy of Fine Arts, too, shared that Gauhar’s passing away had come as a shock for theatre lovers. “She was a brave soul, who fought against all odds for the cause of theatre and peace. She was the lifeline of Ajoka Theatre and her demise is an irrecoverable loss.”