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THEAT RICS: Unfolding culture
I am here on this stage again, after almost 25 years,” said Nahid Siddiqui, the eminent classical dancer, referring to the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) venue in P.E.C.H.S, Karachi.
Dressed in black, devoid of any make-up or jewellery, Nahid looked beautiful and serene. She spoke beautifully too, although at the onset of A Dialogue on Art, she had said that “my medium of expression is not the spoken language.” She proved that she could transcend all barriers when she spoke about the passion of her life — dance.
More than two hundred people had gathered at the PNCA last week, on a cold evening, under a semi-open canopy. Nahid was introduced by the showbiz stalwart Anwar Maqsood, who was the compere for the event. He referred to the fact that on that particular evening, the three divas of dance, namely Nahid Siddiqui, Sheema Kermani and Nighat Chowdhry were all present at the PNCA. One of them was being honoured as the main speaker, another one was sitting in the front row as audience, and the third was working behind the scenes. “If we turn these three out of the country, we will be left only with the dancing girl of MoenjoDaro.” Maqsood’s remark, perhaps meant as humour, was painfully true.
Sitting barefoot between the compere and the host, Nahid Siddiqi said she could not dream of stepping on the stage with footwear, as she used to perform here as part of the PIA Arts Academy in the 1970s
Introducing Raja Chungez Sultan, the Director General of the PNCA, Anwer Maqsood continued in his usual style. “The man is neither a Raja, nor a Chungez or a Sultan, and despite his ‘frightening’ name, he is a man who wants to put ‘culture’ back on the map of Pakistan.”
The D.G. who is a painter and a poet himself, announced the PNCA’s commitment for a Dialogue on Art on a monthly basis, and theatre and dance performances thrice a week each, at the PNCA in Karachi. He urged the audience to extend its patronage and support to these activities. He also acknowledged a Norwegian grant of five million rupees for the development of theatre in the country.
Nahid Siddiqui’s pain — of state rejection, of her self-exile — were obvious in her deliberations. She said that an entire generation had grown up in Pakistan, deprived of a chance to appreciate the finer arts. “Unless we have this (dance) in our educational system, unless we teach our children that there is no greater jihad than the one achieved through love and compassion, we will continue to nurture violence. Peace cannot be achieved in any society without nurturing the arts,” she said with conviction.
This year, Nahid completes her thirty years of association with Kathak — the dance genre she chose to learn and master, beginning with tutelage from Maharaj Ghulam Husain Kathak. After two years of training with him, she felt the need to seek guidance from the great Birju Maharaj in Delhi, India. In 1979, her popular television programme, Payal, telecast from PTV, was closed down under orders from the Zia-ul-Haq military regime. She was blacklisted, and in order to avoid further persecution went away to England, where she has continued to live for over two decades now, though she spends months here as well every year.
“I am ready to take a backseat now, but I haven’t been able to pass on my devotion. Perhaps it is not possible to ‘teach’ devotion. It has to come from within.” Making these remarks, Nahid undoubtedly had sadness in her voice, but she also appeared quite placid. There was no anger.
She dwelt on the fact that ‘rhythm is life, and life has a rhythm’, and that this can be discovered within one’s self as all art forms such as painting, sculpture, poetry, music and dance are spiritual art forms. “One can truly evoke spiritualism, find God within one’s self through these arts,” she reiterated.
Sitting barefoot between the compere and the host, Nahid Siddiqi said she could not dream of stepping on the stage with footwear, as she used to perform here as part of the PIA Arts Academy in the 1970s. She spoke of her future plans stating she had prepared an ‘education pack’ along with videos that could be taken to various schools. Hameed Haroon, the chief guest on the occasion, asked Nahid how she and the PNCA hoped to succeed in getting an access in schools as long as the ideological packaging in the country does not change. Nahid answered that a teachers’ training as well as a marketing strategy is being worked out to lobby for this art form. “The PNCA is hundred percent behind dance,” reaffirmed Raja Chungez Sultan. “We have had meetings with PTV as well, and they have promised to alter their policies on dance.”
On that hopeful note, the second half of the programme began, whereby the audience was treated to several folk dances performed by the National Song and Dance Ensemble accompanied by live music. The only classical Kathak number was performed by Nighat Chowdhry. The audience had expected Nighat, who has been Director PNCA, Karachi for the past 6-7 months, to appear on stage for a round of applause. It also regretted that Fasih-ur-Rahman, whose performance was also scheduled, did not make an appearance altogether. With a dancer of his calibre, it could surely not be a case of getting cold feet, or was it?
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