LAHORE: "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), which is currently underway at Faletti's Hotel, Egerton Road.
"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 speaking to Geo News. "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, "[I will] never be put off by few people who have started creating trouble." 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."
The festival has been restricted to one-day only because of the security situation of the city. It's a great pity that the festival was not spread over three days, Palin remarked. "May this festival continue for as long as possible and people outside Lahore find it valuable to come here."
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.
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