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Doing it in style
On a rare rainy day in Karachi, one witnessed the hall of a local hotel packed to capacity due to the magnetism of Zia Mohyeddin. He was invited to do what he does best — ‘classical theka,’— in other words reading excerpts from the literary works of some of the most renowned poets and writers of the Urdu language, such as Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi and Noon Meem Rashid.
Zia adapted to the makeshift arrangements, put together in just a few hours by the host hotel due to the inclement weather. The mistress of ceremonies, Sofia Shahid, explained before the programme that an elaborate arrangement had been made in the open area of the premises, which unfortunately had to be abandoned due to the rain. Hence the programme was shifted inside the hotel.
The show was appropriately titled Rhyme and Rhythm, which was emblazoned across the backdrop. Zia stole the spotlight with his grand style, receiving rapturous applause from the elite of the city, who were present to honour a man who has survived five decades in the showbiz industry, yet is still going stronger than ever.
Zia has a special knack for expressing human emotions through his smooth narration. He began his hour-long journey into history ably supported by noted sitar player Nafees Ahmed and tabla nawaz Mehmood Ali. After announcing that the evening was being dedicated to taal (rhythm), he began his recitation from a piece by Agha Hyder Mirza.
This was followed by his personal favourite excerpt by Shahid Ahmad, which highlighted the Dehliites love for food. A very moving article written to the BBC by a Muslim girl questioning the existence of her roots after the September 11 incidents, Who am I?, brought tears to many eyes.
An intense and equally captivating khatak performance was presented by Islamabad based classical dancer Saima Khushnood, who performed on Aiman ka aik roop, written by Mukthar Siddiqui, while Nafees Ahmed sang the lines. At the end of the performance, Zia Mohyeddin commented that dance, the essence of human expression, has long been a neglected art here and informed the audience that even to stage such a performance one has to cut through a lot of red tape.
He ended the evening by paying tribute to the Urdu language, saying that its grandeur lay in its poetic creation. Thus, an enjoyable evening, hosted by Pearl Continental, and marred only by a loud noise in the sound system twice, came to an end, with another highlight — dinner — following.
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