As Sheema Kermani danced, lost in the verses of Faiz and interpreting his thoughts with her steps, the audience, too, appeared to be lost in her presentation on the second day in the three-day long Faiz Ahmed Faiz Conference held at the Arts Council.

Prior to her performance, Danish Husain and Mahmood Faruqi, who came from India, behaved as Dastan Gohs (professional storytellers) of Faiz, as they read his poems and excerpts from his diaries and letters while commenting on his life and struggles.

A Dastan Goh was a popular figure in India when people would gather in the evening to hear old stories being presented verbally. The tradition faded out in the early 20th century and was revived some years back by Hussain and Faruqi who have added the works of contemporary writers such as Ghulam Abbas and Intezar Hussain. They presented different phases of Faiz’s life in simple Urdu and in conversation form, which was understood and appreciated by many in the audience. |

Sheema’s performance began with a solo presentation of Faiz’s poem, Iss waqt tou youn lagta hai, followed by Aaj kay naam, both dedicated to oppression of men and women. She appeared to be in her element that evening while combining the magic of Faiz’s poetry with her movements. She also performed Dasht-i-Tanhai and Shaam, where she captured the poet’s imagery well. Faiz’s thoughts were not limited to his country as he wrote a poem Aajao Africa for the poor and oppressed people in Africa, which Sheema with her troupe, presented beautifully while giving a local ‘sheedi’ flavour to the dance.

Of the six dances performed that evening, the last one on Hum dekhen gay got the most response. This poem never fails to rouse listeners. Sheema and her troupe got a standing ovation at the end of the show.

“I love Faiz’s poetry and have worked on his poems for a long time,” said Sheema Kirmani, “his poetry is relevant and contemporary and the result while interpreting it through dance was beautiful.” Of the six dances that were presented, apart from Iss waqt tou (sung by Shohba Mudgal) and Dasht-i-Tanhai (sung by Iqbal Bano), the songs had original music arranged by Sheema Kirmani.