June 08, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 03, 1429

KARACHI, June 7: Hasan is a nine-year-old child who knows the intricacies of classical music at such a tender age. His story is all the more remarkable because he is mentally challenged. However, Summ, a documentary made on him recently, which was shown on Saturday at the FTC auditorium, conveys the message that through love and attention, everything is possible.

The documentary opens with Hasan listening to classical music. His concentration is intense as he proceeds to give taal in the right place, while his grandfather, musicologist S.M. Shahid, sitting nearby, enjoys the rapturous look on the child’s face.

This is a film about a family coping with a special child and the complexes they developed and have overcome through the years. With acceptance of such a predicament, confidence and normalcy have gradually returned to their lives.

When Hasan was about to be born, his mother had high blood pressure and due to lack of oxygen, the baby’s movements stopped. A caesarean was performed immediately to save him. By the time oxygen was administered, severe damage had been done to his brain and liver. As he grew older he couldn’t walk or talk. It was difficult for Hasan’s mother to accept the fact that he was different from other children, and she would go into depression. She did not meet people and didn’t want them to come to her house lest they see the child.

Ultimately, the family realized that the best thing was to accept the situation and try to live life as normally as possible in such circumstances.

S.M. Shahid has also played a major role in the rehabilitation of Hasan. Showering his attention on him since he was born, he has spent a lot of time with his grandson, which has resulted in the child’s exposure to classical music. Discovering that Hasan had an ear for music, Mr Shahid encouraged him to listen to it on a regular basis.

The attention of his parents, grandfather and his siblings and his love for classical music have helped Hasan tremendously. He can run, sing and talk, having proved his doctors wrong, and plays pranks like any other nine-year-old.

Seeing Hasan’s understanding and extraordinary love for classical music, Sharjil Baloch, who is a documentary film-maker, decided to make a film on the child and his family. He is an MBBS doctor by profession and perhaps that has helped in bringing out touching moments that will help other families with similar predicaments.

There are comments by sitar player Nafees Khan on Hasan and background poetry by Khalid Ahmed, interspersed with songs by famous classical singers.

S.M. Shahid, the man behind the documentary, said “we never count our blessings but become extremely upset when we go through the problems that life throws at us now and then. Life becomes much easier if one learns to cope with situations and Hasan, my grandson, has taught me and my family that life can still be beautiful with its many intricacies.”

While the rest of the family was oblivious to the joys of classical music, in Hasan he said he had found a companion who shared his love for it, enjoying classical icons such as Baray Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan and others. At the end of the speech, he moved everyone by paying the greatest tribute that a grandfather can pay to his grandchild: “Hasan is not a VIP; he is a VSP – a very special person.”