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Poetry in motion
Karachi sees many a ghazal evening based on the works of poets of yesteryear, but paying tribute to contemporary poets is less common. ‘Sham-e-Faraz,’ held recently at a hotel to honour Ahmed Faraz, fell into the latter category.
Defying the norm, punctuality was observed. However, the evening got off to a slow start as Mehtab Rashdi, Dr Aslam Farrukhi, Haseena Moin and Zehra Nigah took the stage to say a few laudatory words about Faraz. Some of the speeches were longer than expected, which created a sense of restlessness among the invitees.
Furthermore, the seating arrangement, which consisted of a farshi set-up, seemed inadequate for the number of guests invited. Many remained unseated or were on the lookout for better seats. Hence, a somewhat confusing start to the evening left some vexed.
It was Ahmed Faraz’s heartfelt poetry that geared the evening into an enjoyable mode. As he eulogized his beloved, reciting some of his new works and recounting the tale of his lost love, the listeners yearned for more. The beauty in his poetry about human relationships appealed to all present
It was Ahmed Faraz’s heartfelt poetry that geared the evening into an enjoyable mode. As he eulogized his beloved, reciting some of his new works and recounting the tale of his lost love, the listeners yearned for more. The beauty in his poetry about human relationships appealed to all present. He did his best to quench the craving of his patrons, but the recital was marred by the constant ringing of cell phones, despite the fact that it was requested that they should be switched off. When it was not the phones going haywire, the wail of a crying child broke the flow of the recital.
Even Tina Sani’s performance wasn’t as expected. She kicked off with a very slow number made even more grating by the faulty sound system. Some of the listeners began to leave and it was evident that it had perturbed her, but as she gained momentum and started singing more renowned verses of the poet, people got into the swing of things. The flute did magic with Tina’s vocals making it thoroughly enjoyable.
The stage, though a bit overdone, was flushed with lights in mellowed hues of pink, blue and white. It was embellished with diyas, candles and white pigeons, somewhat confused with the goings-on and protesting with their coos. Projector screens were erected on each side of the stage by hosts Pearl Continental and after each segment, songs based on the poetry of Ahmed Faraz and sung by renowned vocalists were shown to the audience.
The programme was good but its execution lacked the ambience of past shows presented by the hotel.
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