The Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) at Beaconhouse National University (BNU) presented Hameed Haroon, Group CEO of DawnMedia, with their inaugural award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in June.

The award honoured Hameed Haroon for his achievements, including his work as CEO at DawnMedia in spearheading several special projects relating to advertising, heritage and conservation, as well as culture and the preservation of heritage. The outstanding lifetime award recognised the restoration work that he has overseen across Sindh, in addition to his role as Trustee of the Mohatta Palace Museum, where several exhibitions, talks and concerts have been held over the years and which provided Pakistani musicians and artists with a platform that enabled them to reach an even wider audience. Haroon was also lauded for the three notable exhibitions he curated: Karachi Under the Raj 1843-1947, Sadequain: The Holy Sinner, and Labyrinth of Reflections: The Art of Rashid Rana.

The award’s judges also considered his work as a radio host, the Red Baron, on Cloud89, one of CityFM8’s longest-running shows and which paid tribute to Pakistan’s musical greats like Abida Parveen, Noor Jehan, Nisar Bazmi and Mehdi Hasan. Cloud89 also featured the 12-hour radio documentary Destination Srinagar as well as 75 Years of Music, which detailed Pakistan’s musical heritage since its inception and consisted of 17 episodes.

According to Rashid Rana, Dean, SVAD, BNU, and one of the founding faculty members of the SVAD, the award was introduced as the culmination of BNU’s 20-year anniversary, which took place in 2023-24 and included a number of activities spread over the academic year. These included gala dinners, alumni award ceremonies, exhibitions and publications. The jury for the award included members of the SVAD and included Rana, Professor Quddus Mirza and Head of Department Professor Risham Hosain Syed, among others.

For Rana, the award covers a broad range of areas, including poetry, music, film, dance and visual arts, and Hameed Haroon was the natural choice for the inaugural award.

“I discussed ways to honour the arts with my colleagues. Initially, we considered presenting several prizes to up-and-coming and mid-career artists. However, we eventually decided that it would be more appropriate to honour personalities who have patronised the arts, as this is an essential and noteworthy endeavour.” He adds that Hameed Haroon instantly sprung to mind when it came to identifying someone who has supported the arts in a variety of ways, whether by organising and curating shows or supporting a range of cultural endeavours, and “he qualified in every which way.”

Ultimately, the establishment of the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts award marks a milestone in BNU’s history, serving as the culmination of its 20-year anniversary celebrations. Looking forward, BNU plans to make the award an annual tradition to recognise the vital role of patrons of the arts. This, in addition to BNU’s other initiatives such as providing education to students from Pakistan and overseas, according to Rana, is in line with the school’s vision “to have an impact on society at large and form new legacies and set new precedents” and emphasises that “as a nation from the global south, the way forward for us is neither in indulging in the romance of the splendid past nor in following in the footsteps of the developed countries.”

Photo: Arif Mahmood