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Tuning in to Tina
From ‘Bol’, ‘Koi Baat Karo’ and ‘Bahaar Aai’ to a recent addition to her favourites, Iqbal’s ‘Naqsh Garey Roz-o-Shab’, Tina sang numerous ghazals for a musically thirsty audience who refused to have enough, even though it was a week day
The Indus Valley School of Art recently witnessed a melodious recital of Faiz, Iqbal, Firakh and various other poets as part of a fund-raising charity. The ambience created by Indus Valley’s Nasserwanjee building in the backdrop of Tina’s mellow vocals set a light mood for the evening, organised by the NGO Madadgar.
Women and children have been subjected to a great deal of social discrimination in the past and present. Madadgar, working since 1979, is an institution guided by Zia Awan and deals with cases concerning violence against women and children as well as provides protection to victims.
Not conforming to the Karachiites tradition of being late, Misbah Khalid, the host for the evening, started the proceedings promptly after the audience had helped themselves to refreshments. A documentary film was shown which introduced the organisation and the role it is playing for the betterment of society. Three cases were briefly narrated through which the audience got a glimpse of the war that is being waged by the NGO against societal injustices.
Although informative, one felt that the documentary was a tad bit too long as a starter for the much-awaited musical evening. However, by the time Tina was through with her first song, the slumbering audience had picked up the mood in which they had arrived.
With soft undertones and gentle rhythms, Tina truly put her soul in singing Faiz sahib’s motivational Bol as a tribute to the cause. The evening had already turned into a treat. Entertaining requests, Tina performed continuously for an astounding three hours, fueled by the highly praising audience.
From her famous numbers like Bol, Koi Baat Karo and Bahaar Aai to a recent addition to her favourites, Iqbal’s Naqsh Garey Roz-o-Shab, she sang numerous ghazals for a musically thirsty audience who refused to have enough, even though it was a week day.
Recognising the presence of Sultana Siddiqui and going down memory lane, Tina sang Abida Parveen’s Kithey Meher Ali as a humble tribute to her spellbinding persona. And despite the poor lighting and a setup that fell acutely short in creativity, Tina’s invigorating performance made all weaknesses easily forgivable and the evening proceeded pleasantly right till the end.
Halfway through the evening though, people were walking in without any checks, leaving no demarcations between those who could and those who could not afford to pay for the tickets. Besides, the event’s venue being at the southern tip of Karachi created accessibility issues for the attendants.
However, despite a hefty Rs1000 ticket and the mediocre quality of event management, it was a well worth attending affair for Tina Sani’s devotees and Karachi’s music lovers, albeit an effort not as appreciable as the cause.
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