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A ceremony to remember
A Radio Excellence (regional) Award ceremony, organized by Pakistan Broadcasting Cooperation, was recently held in Peshawar. The ceremony, a musical evening, brought together the cream of Peshawar singers, who entertained their fans till the wee hours of the night. The evening was enjoyable for the local Pathan population, who filled the grand Sahibzada Abdul Qayum Auditorium, cheering and applauding their favourite performers. The hall stood jam-packed till the show was finally over.
The award ceremony was held to appreciate the services of radio and drama artists: writers, producers, singers, newscasters, comperes and actors who have performed from Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral and Abbottabad centres. They were all given Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) Excellence Award for their scintillating contributions.
And the awards: simple wooden shields for the best performers of the year 2001. Still the artists were jubilant upon receiving those ‘priceless shields.’ They were happy with the recognition (which they rightfully deserved), since money was not included in the agenda.
The event was being aired live, from PBC, Peshawar. Federal Minister for Information and Media Development, Nisar Memon, who was the Chief Guest, appreciated the event saying that awards, along with rewards, were required for the artists of Pakistan. He said artists were the people who reflected the regional and national culture of a country through their performance, domestically as well as internationally. He also mentioned the importance of the radio and how people depended on it for entertainment and information. The honourable Minister, however, failed to announce any kind of cash awards for any of the artists.
The main performers of the show were local comedians, Said Rehman Sheeno and Ismail Shahid, singers Gulrez Tabbassum and thin-as-pencil, Kiran Tanoli who alongwith her brother Faisal Tanoli was the pick of the lot. All in all, each performer gave indelible exhibition of their art.
Khial Mohammad, who is a household name in this part of the country, was also well-received by the enthusiastic audience. Called the king of ghazal, he rose to the occasion and proved his mettle in front of the jampacked hall. His famous number, Zama pagal janana kram de pagal got tremendous appreciation from the generous crowd who cheered everything he sang.
Ustad Hamid Ali Khan who had come here all the way from Lahore, impressed the audience with his enthralling performance. His ghazal, Guzzar gia woh zamana usey bhula hi do, was enough to mesmerize the listeners late into the night.
He was the last singer to come on stage, singing few of his more famous numbers upon public demand. And as the ceremony ended, people stayed on in their seats, giving Hamid a standing ovation and calling him back onto the stage. Attired in glittering red shalwar kameez, he faced difficulty with the musicians who being locally trained were having problems staying in flow with the singer. But the Ustad never let down his image as a great ghazal player.
But all in all, thumbs up to Pakistan Broadcasting Cooperation for arranging an evening such as this and giving the people of Peshawar the much needed (and awaited) night of cultural entertainment, a line of PR which the PBC has been blamed for not following in the past.
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