Mehdi Hasan gets a thunderous hand at PNCA
By Jonaid Iqbal
ISLAMABAD: King of Ghazal Mehdi Hasan was given a right royal welcome at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) here on Saturday night.
Half a century has gone and yet the maestro has few equals in singing Ghazals. He entered the PNCA complex in a royal carriage with two palanquins drawn by four horses, a police pilot escort in front and two white Toyota cars following the carriage.
As soon as his carriage entered the building, a band of Islamabad police began to perform welcome tunes, and a three-line security guards presented the guard of honour.
Hundreds of people lined up beneath a big portrait of this king of melody while many streamers of the colours of rainbow fluttered in the air to welcome the great singer who started his career with the Hyderabad station of Radio Pakistan in 1950s.
However, in the carriage the singer looked wan and tired. He had to be lifted from the carriage and transferred to a wheelchair.
Secretary Culture Moinul Islam Bukhari was the first to receive him followed by Director-General PNCA Tauqir Nasir before a number of girls clad in traditional costumes from many regions, including Hunza and Kalash valleys showered flower petals on him.
Then Mehdi Hasan was requested to cut the tape and formally inaugurate the three-day Ghazal Festival. The PNCA chief told this scribe that only students of Mehdi Hasan had been invited to the festival.
The concert opened with the Islamabad police presenting the immortal song: Ye watan tumahara hai, tum ho pasbaan iske.
Rahila Baloch, MNA, who is also the chairperson of NA standing committee on industries, presided over the event. A number of parliamentarians were also present.
Bouquets were presented to the guest of honour by a number of socio-cultural organisations, including Nilofar Bakhtiar, chairperson Senate standing committee on culture and tourism; Khalid Javaid, Lok Virsa; Mustafain Kazmi, CDA; Parveen Shaukat of Asian Study Group and Dr Fazal Dad Kakar, department of archeaology.
Eight vocalists took part in the first day of the festival. They were Humaira Channa singing Ahmad Faraz’s popular song Ranjish hi sahee; Ali Raza (Rang Parahan) Sara Raza (Parveen Shakir’s famous ghazal ‘koo bakoo phail gayee), Javed and Babar Niazi (Voh dilnawaz hai), Mohammad Ali (Yeh mojza bhi muhabbat kabhi deklay), Ghulam Abbas Dekh, to dil ke jaan se) and Asif Mehdi rendering again the famous number Guloon me rang bhare.
Source: Dawn
Date:5/24/2010
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