LAHORE: The Alhamra Art Center was quite a happening place on Sunday as it celebrated the “10th anniversary” of popular children play Ainak Wala Jin.

A favourite among children in yesteryears, the play won acclaim on the PTV and the Lahore Arts Council (LAC) revived the memories after starting its fresh version in 2003 with a mix of old and new performers. Artistes and general public celebrated the production that is in its 17th year.

Rashid Mehmood, Masood Akhtar, former TV producer Hafeez Tahir and many new artistes from stage and television graced the occasion.

Haseeb Pasha, the moving spirit behind the play who performs the role of Hamoon Jadoogar, shared with the audience the journey of Ainak Wala Jin. Mr Pasha said the popular play for children was first televised by the PTV Lahore in February 1993 and it gave eight magnificent artistes to the television.

Among them are Munna Lahori who used to perform Zakota Jin, Nusrat Ara (Bill Batori), Nisar Butt (Umro Ayyar), Shahzad Qaiser (Charlie Mamoon) and Najma Begum who donned the robes of Kirmani Churail.

He said the play was televised till 2002 and then after a one-year gap, it was resumed on television and 87 episodes were televised till 2003.

The LAC started staging the play on Nov 17, 2003, he said, and the rest is history. He said the play earned immense popularity among children and in fact, people of all ages. It’s been enjoyed by many national and international personalities.

On the inaugural ceremony of Shaukat Khanum hospital, he recalled, Lady Diana watched this play. Writer Bushra Rehman, Usman Pirzada, Jamil Fakhari, Bindiya, actress Rani, Asim Bukhari and Tauqeer Nasir also have enjoyed its showing.

Unicef showed this play in more than 2,000 schools and former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif used it as a medium to create awareness among schoolchildren about dengue.

Lahore Arts Council Executive Director Ather Ali Khan and prominent TV and film artistes gave shields to the current team of Ainak Wala Jin.

sessions on Iqbal: Two literary sessions on celebrated poet Allama Iqbal were held at the Alhamra Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium, here on Sunday.

In the first session, Moeen Nizami discussed “Renewal of Religious Concepts in Islam” and in the second, Sarosh Alamghir dilated upon “Iqbal’s Concepts of Love”.

MR Nizami, whose actual name is Ghulam Moeenuddin, an Urdu poet, scholar and writer, said Iqbal strongly condemned malpractices in his poetry and always emphasised that those having faith in themselves would have honor and dignity.

During the second sitting, Sarosh Alamgir, a member of Iqbal Academy Scandinavia (IAS) executive body, stressed the need for following the teachings of Allama Muhammad Iqbal to steer the country out of the prevailing crises and “transform it into a true Islamic welfare country”.

He also discussed the sources for “confirmation” of Iqbal’s concepts, philosophical discussions and knowledge. He stated that according to Iqbal’s teaching, nations could occupy a unique place in the world through their “high morality”.

Lahore Arts Council arranged these sittings “to spread the message of Allama Iqbal among the masses” because of the great imagination, ethics and spiritualism in his poetry.

The sitting is held every Saturday at the Alhamra Cultural Complex and one can get registered for participation in it at its office there.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2020