British comedian Michael Palin participates in LLF

"I am very pleased to come here," said Michael Palin, British comedian known for his association with comedy troupe Monty Python. Palin is one of the participants of Lahore Literary Festival (LLF), held in Lahore on Saturday. "I visited Lahore about 15 years ago and I accepted the invitation from Razi [founder and CEO of LLF] because I really love the city and remember it really well," said the 73-year-old while talking to media.
"The feel of the streets here is so different from home. There is so much going on here. Nothing was going to stop me from coming [to the festival]," he remarked adding, However, he said that his schedule for the last three years has kept him very busy and he was unable to visit the city before.
"[Lahore is] still a great city and I am very happy to be here," he added. Speaking about the LLF, he said "It [provides a platform] to exchange ideas and meet people you don't normally meet and for people to learn about you and you to learn about others."
"I don't know much about the festival as it's my first day here," he remarked, adding "being here now I have met some really wonderful people. Writers from all over the world have come here. Meeting local writers and local people has been a great process."
Palin, who arrived on Friday, said that he has been around the city a little. "I saw the newly restored hamam and it's so beautifully done." He was speaking about the 'Shahi Hamam (Royal Bath)' present in the Walled City of Lahore. "[I also visited] the old city and some of the mosques."
He spoke at a session, titled 'Not a Nice Man at All'; the phrase has been taken from his description of himself on his website which reads "Michael Palin is not a nice man at all. He's an ill-tempered lout who sits in bed all day eating fudge." Monty Python is one of the most famous comedy troupes who made mark with their sketch comedy series, Monty Python's Flying Circus in 1969. Later, the group produced classic comedy features including Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) and Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) among others.
Earlier, Lahore's landmark literary event 'Lahore Literary Festival' kicked off in the provincial capital despite all odds here on Saturday. Lahoris who have been under a constant security threat from last week rushed to catch a glimpse of what's going on in the literary world, sending a vibrant message to extremist elements.
LLF was originally supposed to be a three-day event that was due to be held at Al-Hamra Arts Council. The schedule was reduced to two days due to security clearance issues, however, unfortunately, the event reduced to one day. According to the LLF press release: "This year's three-day, free and open-to-public event will feature eminent writers, historians, artists, and opinion makers from home and abroad in nuanced, thought-provoking discussions on the astonishing political and social changes our world faces today," said Razi Ahmed, LLF founder and CEO.
Programmed speakers at LLF 2017 include author and social worker Tehmina Durrani on the legacy of humanitarian, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Mohsin Hamid, who is out with his new book, Exit West; historian Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads: A New History of the World.