Now a poet, Mariam Motiwala began her career in the performing arts. She began acting on Pakistan Television in 2001 and has since performed in various shows, and also began singing after she moved to Islamabad. She also works as a teacher at a performing arts academy.

Dawn sat down with Ms Motiwala at the Rawalpindi Arts Council to discuss her experience in the performing arts world and her work with younger generations.

Q: How did you become involved in the performing arts and poetry?

A: I started acting in dramas when I was studying at the University in Karachi. I wanted to express my talent in the performing arts, but it was too time consuming, so I started singing because I was gifted with a good voice.

During this time I read many poets and I was impressed by them. I started to experiment with poetry during my stay in Canada.

I also wrote poetry on social issues, such as women’s problems and the treatment meted out to them in a conservative society. I am a follower of Parveen Shakir, who was a brave woman and expressed women’s emotions in a different way. Nasir Kazmi and Sarmad Sehbai also impressed me a lot.

Q: What promoted you to take up singing?

A: In poetry, a poet uses words to express their thoughts and singers give their feelings and voice to the words. I was inspired by poets and singers because they both expressed feelings and emotions in different situations.

I also knew how to play the tabla and harmonium. Singers need to know the basics of music. It is a common perception that singing is for entertainment, but singing is a form through which you can present social issues and human emotions. I am a fan of Tina Sani, because she sang the ghazals of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, which were based on social issues.

Although I belonged to a conservative family, my husband and mother-in-law support me a lot. It is difficult to sing; I could not give singing all my time but it is my passion to sing.

Q: Is there a difference between singing songs and singing ghazals?

A: There is no difference between the singing songs and ghazals. Singers need to know the basics of music and then he or she can sing a song or ghazal depending on the requirement. Singing is to present poetry with the poet’s feelings and emotions.

Q: When did you become involved with poetry?

A: I participated in poetry sessions in different cities and found that poets always welcomed newcomers and helped them present their thoughts in a better way. I must say that reading and writing improve your skills.

I also tried fiction writing and wrote humorous short stories, but I was more comfortable with poetry.

Q: Is the new generation interested in the performing arts and poetry?

A: The new generation is taking interest in the performing arts as well as poetry. They are more talented and understand the basics of music without difficulty.

The new generation is taking an interest in art and culture and bringing new ideas; their thoughts are clear and they are breaking myths. Boys and girls both are talented and they are able to learn difficult things easily.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2018