LAHORE: On the 15th death anniversary of Hayat Ahmed Khan, the founder of All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC), a special event was held at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, featuring performances of folk, theatre and classical music.

The evening, titled, Mustanad Lok Theatre Classicy Mausiqi Mein, was organised by the APMC, keeping its over 50 years old tradition of starting the evening in time. The Lahore Arts Council and Pakistan National Council of Arts, Shakir Ali Museum collaborated with the APMC for the event. Ghazala Irfan welcomed the guests.

Folk theatre was staged by prominent theatre artiste and singer Fazal Jutt and artistes from National Performing Arts Group and Pakistan National Council of Arts. The group is based at the Shakir Ali Museum, a subsidiary of the PNCA in Lahore.

Mr Jutt, before the performance, spoke at length on the history of folk theatre and how his ancestors served the tradition. The performances were captivating, the artistes were clad in dazzling costumes, representing the rich diversity of Punjabi culture. They gave live performance that had Naqara, a musical instrument now rarely seen, along with other traditional instruments.

The folk theatre with classical music an innovative experiment had four folk tales to offer, including those of Dulla Bhatti, Sassi Punnu, Sohni Mahiwal and Mirza Sahiban.

Fazal Jutt, before every performance, threw light on the background of every tale. The glorious amalgamation of acting, music and historical account of different folk tales made the evening memorable.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2020