KARACHI, Dec 28: Words never die: born in a particular cultural environment, they quite often keep lying, as if dead in an inclement weather, and later, rejuvenated by the poets and writers with a humane touch of finger. Zia Mohyuddin, the leading stage performer, did the same at Karachi Gymkhana on Thursday.

Opening the rusty door of our cultural past, — he holds the master key with himself— Zia kept the listeners spellbound. His discerning taste for literature, selection of poetry and prose pieces and evocative rendition brightened up the evening. Opening with Mir Rajab Ali Beg Saroor, Zia reminded that his Fasana-i- Ajaeb should not be read as a novel, but taken as ‘dastaan’ —Urdu’s distinct genre. During his narration, one could see Lucknow, its cordial and thrilling bazaars, with artisans and craftsmen happily selling their items. And equally thrilling was the old Dilli — its affluent and cheerful lifestyle, rich in ornateness, as described by Haider Dehlvi. The description of ‘mujra culture’ by noted broadcaster Ansar Nasri was also fascinating. Naushaba, the dancing girl, represented a cultural past now buried in the sandy backyard of history. It would be foolish to expect its revival, and yet a poignant sense of loss was there.

A piece from Umrao Bundo Khan was very informative. Quoting his father, he informed that the music till his time was considered an inalienable part of other “non-productive” activities — kite flying, swimming, wrestling, riding and of course, literature. Without proper education in these arts in a common cultural bond, the teaching of music was incomplete.

ZM picked a piece from the writings of Zulfiqar Ali Bukhasi, the legendary broadcaster, and described his experience, dealing with the contemporaries, including Umrao Bundo Khan.

Intezar Hussain in his reminiscence had described his first day in Lahore, soon after the partition trauma; his meeting with Mohammad Hasan Askari and many others — Mian M. Aslam, the novelist, Ashraf Saboohi, the old Dilliwala — having a taste for idiomatic prose, the young and equally evocative Habib Ashaar and the mushaira, attended by the most popular poet, Jigar, and yet to his utter dismay a young girl, Zohra Nigah, carried the day.

The poetry pieces selected by ZM for the evening were from those of Ashfaq Hussain, Shahzad Ahmad and Noon Meem Rashid. Ashfaq gave a message of hope, Shahzad expressed the feelings of his inquisitive mind and Rashid’s Ajal inse mill spoke of the declining intellectual order.

—Hasan Abidi