KARACHI: A collection of sketches of eminent writers and artists titled Kamal Ki Baatein written by playwright and actor Kamal Ahmed Rizvi was launched posthumously at the Arts Council on Wednesday evening.

Prof Sahar Ansari, who presided over the event, said he liked the title of the book because the narrative that the author had used to convey his message had a conversational (baatein) tone to it. He said very few books were written using such a narrative. He said Mr Rizvi in his plays wrote about those types of individuals who did not have a completely positive or a completely negative side to their personalities. Approving of that, he said people were neither black nor white, rather they had more to do with shades of grey. He said the book contained some remarkable sketches of famous people. He said one such important sketch was of Shakir Ali reading which not only made the reader understand Mr Ali but Mr Rizvi as well.

Poet Dr Pirzada Qasim said Mr Rizvi was the kind of man who was liked by children, young people and the elderly alike. He said he had many qualities one of which was that he was an avid listener. He said the late writer liked to accept challenges and throw challenges at others. He was all praise for the piece written by Mr Rizvi’s wife Ishrat Jahan, included in the book. He was of the view that she should write more often.

Writer Hasina Moin said though Mr Rizvi was always found unhappy with the world, actually he had a big heart (gunjaish buhat thi). She said he was clear about who he liked and did not like. She said once when she complimented him on Alif Noon his face reddened [with gratitude].

Writer Zahida Hina said reading the book took her to the days when television used to be black and white. She said the character of Allann that Mr Rizvi created (from his iconic play Alif Noon) was one of a kind. She said we could see our own foibles and strengths in that character. She said Alif Noon reflected the face of our society. She said the sketches that Mr Rizvi had penned for the book were very well written and hadn’t gone through any dry-cleaning process: they presented the content as it was.

S. M. Shahid read a paper titled ‘Kamal ka aakhri show’. It was a touching attempt at paying homage to Mr Rizvi whom he had been friends with for decades, and at the same time it insightfully commented on the insensitive way the electronic media functions in our country. Recalling the day the writer died, he talked about how the media hounded his family to grab a shot, showing no concern as to what his family and friends were going through. He said when Mr Rizvi was laid to rest the cameramen were heard saying ‘shot acche bunn gaey’ (nice shots we’ve grabbed of the burial).

Ishrat Jahan, the wife of Mr Rizvi, in her speech first spoke on the book’s content and thanked Rashid Ashraf in helping the book getting published. Then she shifted her focus to something else. She said her husband would never change anyone’s writing or his own. She criticised the National Academy of Performing Arts, which paid a tribute to Mr Rizvi by doing his play Khoya Hua Aadmi, for making changes to the drama and turning it into what she called a ‘comedy’. She was also critical of the way the academy did the last scene of the play, adding that Mr Rizvi’s soul would be disturbed by it.

Dr Mohammad Raza Kazmi, Shabihul Hasnain Rizvi, Dr Huma Mir and Bakhtiar Ahmed also spoke. Agha Sheerazi conducted the programme.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2016