The Lahore Literary Festival (LLF), one of South Asia’s premier cultural events, returns to Asia Society New York on May 3 (Saturday), exploring contemporary Pakistan through artists, writers, and other experts. The festival will present American audiences with a more nuanced view of Pakistan, with discussions on fiction and nonfiction writing, art, science, history, and politics. LLF 2025 brings Lahore and New York together with a vibrant selection of lyrical, literary and musical offerings: speakers this year include Manan Ahmed, Iftikhar Dadi, Qudsia Rahim, Yasufumi Nakamori, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami and more. The program also features a poetry session with this year’s Pakistan Youth Poet Laureates, Mashallah Saif and Aiman Tahir Khan.
This is a ticketed event.
The evening closes out with a qawwali and khayaal concert by the legendary Saami Brothers Qawwal (concert tickets on sale separately here).
Program
Schedule subject to change; please check this space for updates.
11 a.m.
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
- Rachel Cooper, Director, Global Performing Arts and Culture as Diplomacy, Asia Society
- Razi Ahmed, Founder, Lahore Literary Festival
- Mr. Aamer Ahmed Atozai, Counsel General Pakistan
11:15- 12 p.m.
Broken Threads
- Mishal Husain, Journalist and Author, Broken Threads: My Family From Empire to Independence
- Moderator: Dr. Azra Raza, Author, The First Cell: And the Human Cost of Pursuing Cancer to the Last; Chan Soon-Shiong Professor of Medicine and Director of the Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Center at Columbia University
12:15 – 1 p.m.
Flaneur’s Lahore
- Manan Ahmed Asif, Associate Professor, Department of History, Columbia University; Author of Disrupted City: Walking the Pathways of Memory and History in Lahore
- Moderator: Vishakha Desai, President Emerita, Asia Society, and Senior Fellow, Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University
1 – 2 p.m.
Lunch Break
2 – 2:45 p.m.
Foregrounding Street Food
- Mumtaz Mustafa, Award-winning art director in book cover design, Co-author of Gather and Graze: Globally Inspired Small Bites and Gorgeous Table Scapes for Every Occasion
- Sibte Hasan, Chef and Owner, BK Jani
- Moderator: Zarrar Said, Author, Pureland
3 – 3:45 p.m.
Art and the Citizen: Reinforcing Civic Norms and Critical Discourses
- Qudsia Rahim, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Lahore Biennale Foundation
- Iftikhar Dadi, Professor in the History of Art, Cornell University; Author, Lahore Cinema: Between Realism and Fable
- Moderator: Rachel Cooper, Director, Global Performing Arts and Culture as Diplomacy, Asia Society
4 – 4:30 p.m.
Soaring Stanzas: New Pakistan Youth Poets
- Fatima Ahmad, NYC Youth Poet Laureate 2023-2024
- Aiman Tahir Khan, Pakistan Youth Poet Laureate, English Winner
- Mashallah Saif, Pakistan Youth Poet Laureate, Urdu Winner
- Moderator: Michael Cirelli, Founder National Youth Poet Laureate Program
4:45 – 5:30 p.m.
The Khanqaah comes to Bed-Stuy: Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami’s Art, Legacy and Global Migration
This panel explores the profound contributions of Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami to the preservation and evolution of South Asian classical music, focusing particularly on his work as a living custodian of the Delhi Gharana’s tradition. Central to our discussion is the intersection of music, literature, and cultural documentation. Through the lens of Ustaad Saami’s migration from Karachi to the U.S., we will explore how the Saami family’s music has been chronicled and written about—preserving its spiritual and historical significance for future generations. Panelists will discuss the importance of this documentation in ensuring that the living tradition of Khayal and Qawwali is not only preserved but understood in its broader cultural, philosophical, and literary context.
- Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami & Ustaad Rauf Saami: The living maestro and eldest son will reflect on the importance of preserving the written and oral traditions of classical music, sharing insights into his own experiences of how his legacy is being documented, celebrated, and adapted globally.
- Nusrat Durrani, Founder of MTV World: Nusrat’s perspective will highlight how the global music industry engages with and promotes traditional South Asian music, especially through literary, media and scholarly discourses that accompany musical performances.
- Zebunnisa Bangash, Singer & Songwriter: Zebunnisa will discuss how the rich lyrical tradition of Khayal informs contemporary music and her personal journey as a student of the Saami family, offering a perspective on the preservation of this tradition and its modern relevance
- Moderator: Nermeen Arastu, Law Professor at City University of New York, student of Ustaad Rauf Saami and Director of the Saami Family’s Healing Khayal Brooklyn Residency
5:30 p.m.
Note of Thanks
Patrons:
- Qaiser Family Foundation
- Erum & Ahmed Kamal
- Shaziah & Azmat Zuberi
- Sundas & Sadiq Malik
- Zaynab & Ali Akbar
- Inam Malik
Held in partnership with the Asia Society, New York
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