A Spirited Independence
Day Celebration in Sacramento
By Zaki Syed
Glimpses
of the 60th Independence Day celebrations in Sacramento
|
Sacramento, CA: It is
4:30 PM at the Mondavi Center in Davis, California, and
all is calm and quiet. The Pakistan Independence Day function
is scheduled to start in two hours, which means that it
is really going to start in three hours, according to an
unwritten rule amongst desis. But the event starts at 6:32
PM - ON TIME - as the Center begins to get packed.
As per tradition the event started with a recitation from
the Holy Qur’an by Imam Qasmi. To kick off the event
Reaa Ali and Izza Khan sing the American and Pakistani National
anthems with a group of kids singing along in the background.
The Pakistani American Association of Sacramento (PAAS)
president Bashir Choudry welcomed the audience. He stressed
the need to make the Pakistani American Association a platform
for the advancement of the community and youth. Afterwards,
a video montage produced by WBT-TV for PAAS was shown. This
included patriotic songs and pictures and video clips displaying
the life in Pakistan.
Ifftikar Wahla spoke on behalf of the Pakistani youth. He
talked about the responsibility of the Pakistani American
youths and what they can do to better the future of Pakistan
and the USA. Following his speech, Arif Mansuri, President
and Managing Editor of Pakistan Link, also addressed the
gathering. He talked about the importance of the youth and
encouraged them to write and get into the media. Mr Mansuri
is an accomplished businessman and community activist. He
stressed the importance of the media and offered his help
to the Pakistani-American community to get into the print
media. Last but not the least was the Pakistani Consul General
Syed Ibne Abbas who talked about the practical efforts one
could make to better Pakistan.
Dream Sounds, a rising band in Sacramento, then performed
two of their hit songs for the thrilled audience.
The Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef came up to give
a speech and in the middle of his address the fire alarm
went off, the security panicked, evacuating the Chancellor
and all the performers backstage and the audience. Everyone
was asked to wait until the fire department and police arrived.
Pakistan Link reporter noticed that Sajjad Ali, the main
event singer, was waiting outside with everyone else. No
one knows what he was thinking about, but Ali didn’t
look too thrilled. After a thorough investigation it was
discovered that it was a false alarm and probably was pulled
by a couple of kids as a joke. However, they were not able
to figure out which kids did it (if they did it). By the
time everyone was allowed in again it was 8 o’clock,
and true to Pakistani standards, the place was then packed.
The Davis Chancellor finally got his chance to speak and
talked about the need for partnerships around the world
as well as partnerships with Pakistani universities. Then
Davis Mayor Sue Greenwald came up and addressed the gathering
saying that Davis is a vibrant community, very multicultural,
and that Pakistanis should be proud of their heritage.
It was now time for the music concert. Zaki Syed, an aspiring
rapper and student in Sacramento, entertained the audience
with a rap about desi dads and how it is like to live with
them. Drums were played by Dream Sounds musician/singer/drummer.
He did an impromptu rap on the spot given to him by the
Chancellor on the “environment”. To finish it
off he rapped a song for Pakistan called “Hamara Pakistan,
Tumhara Pakistan” and had the crowd screaming “Pakistan
Zindabad”. Followed by that performance was Imran
and his band Pachaan. They had the crowd going crazy with
their bhangra beats and rhythmic style. Clapping and chanting,
the crowd was now really charged and making noise. People
danced in their seats. In the meantime the kids and the
teenagers were coming back and forth from the hall listening
a little then going back out to meet up with friends, and
show off their clothing. It’s a sight to see especially
the ABCDs ( American Born Confused Desis) who were wearing
clothing that represents Pakistan, but instead of shalwar
kameez, they were wearing green baseball caps backwards,
sunglasses, and baggy shirts that say Pakistani pride. It
was Pakistan hip hop style and a typical Pakistani-American
concert. However, at this time the Mondavi security appears
confused: they have never seen such excitement before.
D Ali was next in line to entertain the crowd. His performance
electrified the crowd. Rabi Pirzada with her singing added
to the audience excitement.
Glimpses
of the 60th Independence Day celebrations in Sacramento
|
Soon the emcee announced
that Sajjad Ali the “main event” was about to
perform. All the teenagers outside ran into the center with
full force, and started Bhangra as Sajjad Ali performed
his hit songs “Chief Sahab” and “Babia”.
The dancing teenagers started moving towards the center
in what looked like a “ chu, chu train”. They
started doing a hip hop dance that is sweeping the streets
of California and is known as “hyphy”. They
came back and Sajjad Ali kept on singing, giving high fives
to the crowd as Dream Sound guitarist Anwar played the background
music. The crowd was going crazy singing along, and even
raising people onto each others’ shoulders and trying
to throw them onto the stage. However, time was running
out and the show had to come to an end. The organizers thanked
everyone and the event was over officially. However, the
party was not over as a group of youth found a drummer who
played the “dhol” and they Bhangra-danced in
the parking lot and yelled, shouted, cheered at cars that
drove by.
It was rumored that the event cost about thirty thousand
dollars, but if you ask me it was well worth it. It was
one day that Pakistani people from all over California could
just come and hang out and be Pakistani. The smile on the
kids faces, the teenagers jumping up and down, the uncles
and aunties clapping at the back, a day they will remember
forever. The excitement, high energy level and fun, were
proof that you can take the Pakistanis out of Pakistan,
but you can’t take the Pakistan out of them. Like
I said before it was a Pakistan Independence Day celebration,
and Pakistanis celebrated it the Pakistani way. Pakistan
Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad!!!
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