Indus Arts Council – A New Chapter in Metropolitan Washington
By Zafar Iqbal, PhD
Washington, DC: Immigrant groups across the world work hard to promote their language, art, and culture in their adopted countries. The Indus Arts Council (IAC), a Houston-based organization, has dedicated itself to developing awareness of Pakistani arts and culture in the United States through Urdu language training, cultural events, films, and theater to suit the needs of subcontinental immigrants.
The IAC has been actively providing educational and cultural training to young children of immigrant families in the Metro Houston area for over a decade. They have heeded the demands from other age groups and expanded their facilities to them. The news of their accomplishment has spread far and wide and they were approached to organize a workshop in the Metropolitan Washington area covering the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV).
On October 8-10, 2021, an IAC team comprising its president Shahid Iqbal, language program director Talat Awais, and two board members Komal Andrabi and Saima Seyar traveled to the DMV area to launch a new chapter.
Several like-minded organizations in the area greeted the team and expressed gratitude for their efforts to protect our cultural heritage. Following discussions with professionals active in teaching, journalism, broadcasting, and cultural activities, the group formed a DMV advisory team consisting of Ali Shoaib Hasan, Nuzaira Azam, and Jabeen Ghaznavi. Dr Atiya Khan and Tamia Alvi have volunteered to be the Maryland and Virginia Points of Contact, respectively.
The group organized a team of educators with a focus on teaching Urdu in the area to cater to the needs of children and adults. The classes will start in January 2022.
Shahid Iqbal also gave a presentation about IAC to the Pakistani Ambassador Dr Asad Majid Khan, Press Attaché Maliha Zargham, and community members at the Embassy of Pakistan. Ambassador Khan appreciated the efforts of the IAC team and welcomed the establishment of the new AIC Chapter in the DMV area and wished them all the success.
The IAC team addressed a press conference with Pakistani journalists based in the DMV area at Fairfax County Library. They also presented its plan of teaching Urdu at the Islamic Center of Northern Virginia Trust (ICNVT) and discussed it in detail with its president Dr Muhammad Farooq, who welcomed the idea and agreed to work with IAC for the promotion of the Urdu language in Fairfax, VA area.
