ISLAMABAD: An exhibition of drawings by Sadequain for Parto Rohilla’s book Rainn Ujyara opened on Saturday at Gallery 6.

Although Sadequain’s illustrations of his own poetry, and of the work of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz are well known, not as many people are aware that he also illustrated Parto Rohilla’s book.

The show has been curated by Dr Arjumand Faisal, who explained to guests on the opening day that Mukhtar Ali Khan, who wrote under the pseudonym Parto Rohilla, was born in 1933.

He wrote more than 15 books, and when he was posted income tax assistant commissioner in Rawalpindi in 1975, he invited Sadequain to stay with him at his residence. It was during this time that he asked the artist to illustrate his upcoming book, Rainn Ujyara.

Dr Faisal said Sadequain not only made delicate drawings for the dohay in the book, but also gifted the family with other paintings and works of calligraphy.

Rainn Ujyara was printed in 1976. It was the poet’s first book of dohay and is divided into three sections: gyaan dhyaan, roop rung and ghar angnai. All three sections are accompanied by drawings that capture the spirit of the verses.

“This shows Sadequain’s command over his perception of the verse, its synthesis in visual form and then immaculate execution in simple lines,” Dr Faisal elaborated.

Visitors also learned that Parto Rohilla kept the drawings with him until he died in September last year. The family then brought the works to the attention of the Sadequain Foundation in the United States.

The foundation directed the family to the gallery in Islamabad, to make the works available to the public through an exhibition.

In spite of producing several thousand pieces, the locations of only a few thousands are known and only a few hundred have ever been documented in books, magazines or newspapers. Rainn Ujyara has also been out of print for some time.

However, the foundation has decided to re-print the book and make it available internationally.

Dr Faisal said he was excited about the show, adding: “The exhibition is drawing not only the attention of art lovers in Pakistan but also internationally, as the gallery has been receiving queries from around the globe. Only three to four exhibitions of Sadequain’s genuine work have been held since his death in 1987, and this one is a very distinctive addition.”

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2017