TORONTO: Pakistanis wherever
they are keep showing their deep love in all ways for their motherland and
community. Since they believe in socializing and mingling with others proudly
with their own rich cultural, religious and traditional values, they are joined
by friends and supporters from other communities, particularly Indians,
Bangladeshis, Afghans, Iranians and people of all colours and religions. With
such love and spirit, the great success of any event is guaranteed.
GOOD CONCEPT: Best Entertainment (Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui) & NJ Marketing (Najma
Malik) came up with a good concept of paying tributes to Pakistani legends. I
met Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui of Best Entertainment and his team members, who are
all well-educated and well-settled people belonging to good families. In short,
their background and contributions are both very impressive.
Muhammad Salahuddin, popularly known as Mehdi Salahuddin in the music world, who
is also the lead singer of the Best Entertainment team, introduced me and Syed
Muhammad Iqbal, President of Pak Seniors Forum (PSF), to Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui,
a well-known, popular and distinguished figure of the community, Jibran Hashmi
(Singer/Engineer), Ruhi Samina (Singer/author), Saleha Azam (Singer) and Seema
Naqvi (Poet & author). We all liked the wonderful idea and concept to pay
tribute to the legends. The spirit was worth seeing.
Finally, after careful planning, the musical event: “Tribute To Pakistani Legend
2016” with grand dinner was organized on Friday, November 25, 2016, at the Milan
Banquet & Convention Center in Mississauga. People came pouring in to attend the
event, which as a result was delayed by an hour. The hall became full by 8:30
P.m. The gentry was of high class comprising distinguished personalities and
prominent figures of many communities.
SOHAIL RANA: Sohail Rana, the world renowned and recognized music director and
music maestro of Pakistan, who is a living legend of the music world, was the
chief guest. Sohail Rana’s great remarkable achievement and contribution
includes presenting the Canadian national anthem in Urdu language. It was not an
easy task and only person of Sohail Rana’s calibre could do it.
ASHFAQ HUSSAIN: Also present on the occasion was Ashfaq Hussain, a distinguished
literary figure and poet, who has been recognized and presented achievement
awards for his tremendous contributions both by the Canadian and Pakistan
governments.
The program began after 8:30 P.M.. Since the actual host, Najma Malik, had to go
to Pakistan, therefore Seema Naqvi acted as the host. Jibran Hashmi, who played
the anchor role in organizing the event and is the right hand of Sohail Ahmed
Siddiqui, acted as both co-host and singer.
LEGENDS: Tribute was paid to legends including Madam Noor Jahan, Queen of Melody
(Malka-e-Tarannum), Mehdi Hassan, King of Ghazal (Shahanshah-e-Ghazal), Nasim
Begum, Ahmed Rushdi, Mujib Alam, Irene Parveen, Nayyara Noor, Feroza Begum,
Shahnaz Begum,Alamger, Runa Laila, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and many others.
DIFFERENCE: Unlike the junkie singers (Popularly known as Bhands in South Asian
community), who keep performing in the manner and ways of monkeys shouting and
jumping on the trees in the jungles and zoos, Mehdi Salahuddin and Ruhi Samina
proved their excellent singing class and won the hearts and praise of the
audience with their beautiful, sweet and soul-touching voices. Their every song
compelled people to responding with claps and Wah Wah (Words of praise). They
also sang duets and entertained the music and Pakistan lovers.
TRIBUTE TO MEHDI: I was sitting near Sohail Rana when Mehdi Salahddin came to
meet him and seek his permission for the golden hits the legend composed. Sohail
Rana not only greeted him warmly and respectfully but greatly praised him and
said: “You are really a very good singer and I am interested, out of the lots,
in hearing you. I get fed up with junkies and leave when they keep torturing the
people.” This was a great compliment and encouragement for Salahuddin, who sings
songs/geet and ghazals of all legend singers including Muhammad Rafi, Mukesh,
Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood Jagjeet Singhbut but whose ideal is late Mehdi
Hassan.
Even Mehdi Hassan listened to him perssoally and praised his good quality voice
and permitted him to sing his Ghazals & Geets.
Like Sohail Rana, Ashfaq Hussain is also a great fan of Mehdi Salahuddin. He
liked him so much that he himself interviewed him for ATN television.
Not only Salahuddin is a very good singer but a soft-spoken and thorough
gentleman as well. He was a senior officer in PIA, the national airline of
Pakistan. He belongs to a good family with no connection whatsoever with any
Gharanas. He likes singing before a serious audience, only who understand his
class of performance. Such audience is hard to find but these days.
In the musical events mostly the junkies dominate the stage. They are the ones
responsible for causing maximum harm to music and promoting bad taste music.
Cheap music and bad taste of the Red Light Area class---full of filth and
vulgarity. A gift of Bollywood, which believes in making money by all means.
Bollywood has caused tremendous damage to India’s extremely wonderful and rich
music contributions.
Muhammad or Mehdi Salahuddin sang four songs/Ghazals in the presence of Sohail
Rana and five songs/Ghazals in the presence of Ashfaq Hussain.
Jibran Hashmi, the nasal singer, and Saleha Azam too performed and entertain the
audience. While Jibran is well-known and popular in the community and actively
takes part and is invited in community events, Saleha Azam is a newcomer but
with a bright future as a singer because of her very good voice.
The program continued from 8:30 P.M. till almost 1:30 A.M. The music lovers
remained glued to their seats. The songs took them back to the time and memory
lane of the past. Only those with good taste of music could understand the
charm. It was not an event for the monkey and junkie music taste people. The
good gentry and audience proved this. Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui, Mehdi Salahuddin,
Jibran Hashmi, Seema Naqvi and Ruhi Samina are all from the heart of
Pakistan---Karachi but like and love with all good people of all communities.
EXPLOITERS: Commercial events are organized mostly with main focus on making
money only. There the exploitation of the people is seen and felt and the true
colours, cheap mentality and shady characters of the commercial organizers and
most artists, posing as experienced, professionals, highly educated, well
dressed and very hospitable with smile on their cunning faces, are exposed.
They not only exploit the people but use and abuse the artists as well. People
must boycott programs of all such characterless creeps. It is our duty and
responsibility to not only expose them in order to protect the people but to
encourage, support and promote the good people to really entertain, educate and
awaken the people with concepts to keep them closer and together with liking,
love and respect for each other. It is damn easy to become pimps, touts and
rotten eggs but hard to become and remain good member of the society and
community. Good people know the worth of vales, respect and credibility. They
cannot afford to comprise and stoop low.
Cana and the people welcome and encourage all communities to promote themselves
in the best possible ways. The events and activities are all part of the freedom
given and enjoyed. We must respectfully and responsibly avail all the facilities
and opportunities and make Canada, people and all communities proud. This is why
we need to remain alert against exploiters who are tarnishing the image and
damaging the reputation of their communities. For them importance of values is
meaningless.