Joint PTV-PBC bid to hold na’at contest

By Afzal Hussain Bokhari

In the jam-packed Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum auditorium, a responsive crowd of men and women broke into instant applause as Noorish Khalid, the well-dressed schoolgirl from the scenic hill station Abbottabad, chanted with perfect confidence the refreshingly new poetic lines in the praise of the holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Pakistan Television’s Peshawar centre and local station of Radio Pakistan were simultaneously recording the provincial ‘na’at’ competition, in which male and female contestants from places as far away as Hangu and the new district of Tor Ghar (Pushto for black mountain) had arrived with their parents, teachers or guardians.

From PTV, producer Aurangzeb Afridi under the supervision of his programme manager Aziz Ejaz in the OB van while from Radio Pakistan, producer Abd-un-Nabi along with his seniors, PM Syeda Iffat Jabbar and deputy controller Laiq Zada Laiq, were busy issuing directions to three cameramen and the compere Syed Ameer-ul-Hassan Zaidi.

In his first-floor office, station director Sarfaraz Ahmad warmly received retired deputy controller Mushtaq Shabab. Controller home Manzoor Ali Tanha, also a short story writer, had specially arrived from Islamabad to oversee the major Rabi-ul-Awwal event that had its origin in the late 1970s and early 1980s. All three recalled the days when Shabab was posted as programme manager at Multan radio and Tanha and Sarfaraz worked as producers at their home station. Abasin Arts Council recently arranged a get-together in City to launch Ali Tanha’s collection of short stories titled “Bhool ki ghantiyan”.

Out of 17 male participants between 15 and 25 years of age, the top three positions were grabbed respectively by Faisal Javed of Peshawar (1st), Syed Naseer Ahmad Shah of Mansehra (2nd) and Amjad Ali of Lower Dir (3rd). Similarly, out of six female participants, the top three positions were won by Amnah Attaullah of Peshawar (1st), Amnah Waheed of Abbottabad (2nd) and Zainab Nawaz of Haripur.

In the same manner, out of 17 male participants under the age of 15, the top three positions were secured by Arbab Mohammad Hassaan of Peshawar (1st), Anzar Khalid of Abbottabad (2nd) and Mohammad Azhar of Kohat (3rd). Similarly, out of six female participants in this category, the top three positions were taken by Noorish Khalid of Abbottabad (1st), Anam Batool of Peshawar (2nd) and Saima Batool of Haripur (3rd). City philanthropist and frequent sponsor of radio’s religious programmes Mian Akhtar Shafi gave away cash prizes to the winners.

Those who judged the quality of voice, the standard of religious poetry being recited, the self-confidence of the contestants and the overall rendering of the ‘na’at’ included Mushtaq Shabab (who retired as station director of Abbottabad radio), Professor Sahib Islam of Peshawar University’s Seerat Department and senior ‘na’at khwan’ Arbab Zafarullah Khan, who started his career from Peshawar radio. As the coincidence would have it, the winner of first position, Arbab Mohammad Hassaan, happened to be Zafarullah’s son, who clearly emerged as the winner purely on merit.

Speaking on the occasion, the soft-spoken special guest Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, former federal minister and Chairman of Seerat Council, said that ‘na’at khwani’ was an art in which there were no losers as anyone who used his/her voice in the praise of the holy Prophet (PBUH) was virtually a winner in the metaphorical sense. In this regard, he recalled a few lines from the Arabic poetry of writer Ahmad Shauqi of Cairo, who happened to be a contemporary poet of Allama Iqbal. He said that he had with him a CD containing Shauqi’s poetry sung by famous Egyptian woman singer Umm-e-Kulsoom.

Taking his turn, provincial Minister for Religious Affairs, Haji Namroz Khan, who presided over the event, said that the holy Quran was the real constitution for Muslims and if everyone followed the injunctions of the Holy Book, there would be no injustice or any act of extremism and terrorism. He lauded the efforts of PTV and Radio Pakistan in organising the competition. He announced that similar events would be organised in Pushto and Hindko.

As many as five sponsors—including a publisher of religious books, a private hospital and a medical store—had contributed gifts of books, cloth and souvenirs for the organisers and participants. The event took four to five hours and by the end of day the guests as well as hosts showed signs of exhaustion. Prize distribution ceremony was slightly marred by commotion and indiscipline.

With mixed feelings of grief and shock, the literary circles in and outside of City received the news that Pakistan-born writer Kartar Singh Duggal passed away in New Delhi on January 26. Born on March 1, 1917 into the home of Jiwan Singh Duggal and Satwant Kaur in village Dhamal in Rawalpindi district, KSG did his MA in English from Lahore’s Forman Christian College. Founder in charge of Jallandar radio, he worked for All India Radio over 1942-66 in various capacities including as station director.

Director of National Book Trust of India from 1966-73, he also served as an advisor in his country’s ministry of information and broadcasting from 1973 to 1976. Winner of the coveted Padma Bhushan award in 1988, he also got in 2007 the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour given by the organisation. He was a fellow of the Punjabi University in 1984 and a nominated member of Rajya Sabha in August, 1997.

In an obituary note by Press Trust of India, carried with professional promptness by the Asian Age newspaper, the agency admitted to the fact that in his writings, Duggal never could shrug off the cultural baggage of Pakistan's Punjab province. The environs of Pothohar, especially its dialect, became an integral part of his works filled with rich nostalgia and disarming intimacy.

Apart from his widow Ayesha, who is a doctor, and a son, Duggal left behind 10 novels, 24 collections of short stories, seven plays, an equal number of works of literary criticism, two collections of poems, an autobiography and a rich stock of memories for his admirers.