Junoon Enlivens LA Independence
Day Celebration
A Pakistan Link Report
|
The Junoon
team perfoms at the Independence Day celebration
|
|
Consul
General N.M. Jadmani delivers his speech |
Los
Angeles, CA: A spectacular display of fireworks and a scintillating
performance by Junoon were the highlights of the Los Angeles
Pakistan Independence Day celebration at the LA Memorial
Coliseum on August 6. It was a rare spectacle. The show
of love for the sohni dharti was profuse, soul-lifting,
and spontaneous.
The air was balmy. The Pakistani Americans appeared at their
best. Impeccably dressed up for the jubilant occasion, they
were visibly confident, self-assured, vociferous and disciplined.
The community demonstrated maturity as responsible citizens
of the United States of America with roots in the land of
the pure. Ham zinda qom haen, painda qom haen, ham sab ki
hae pehchan, ham sab ka Pakistan, Pakistan, Pakistan. The
mood was contagious.
“Are you proud to be Pakistanis?” asked Juggy
D who enlivened the evening with his songs. The crowd assented
in a thunderous roar testifying to its profound love for
the home country.
In a recorded message played on the occasion, Prime Minister
Shaukat Aziz complimented the Los Angeles community on its
successes and urged its members to fulfill their due role
in the development of Pakistan. “Pakistan is on the
road to progress … it takes a while to reach the destination
… we need your ideas” to achieve national goals,
he told the community. He exhorted the Los Angeles Pakistanis
to “provide links” between Pakistan and the
USA.
|
|
|
Huma
Ahmed and CG Jadmani |
Hamid
Malik |
Pervaiz
Lodhie with his son and daughter |
The Independence Day anniversary proceedings began with
a political segment emceed by Huma Ahmed. Recitation from
the Holy Qur’an was followed by the national anthems
of the US and Pakistan sung by Shaza Sattar and Madeeha
Jadmani respectively. A number of dignitaries graced the
occasion, including LA Mayor Antonio R. Villraigosa, Assemblymember
Judy Chu, Member Board of Equalization John Chiang and LA
County Sheriff Leroy Baca.
|
|
SAN
stall |
Consulate
General’s stall |
In his address on the occasion, Consul General Jadmani expressed
his “sincere appreciation to members of the South
Asian Festival of Los Angeles (SAFLA), who through their
untiring efforts and unflinching determination and dedication
put together a wonderful event to celebrate this auspicious
occasion. They are the youth of the community and represent
our future. My heartfelt thanks also go out to the members
of the Pakistani American community who have come together
in supporting this event, which I hope will be appreciated
and remembered by the community.”
|
|
Shaan
stall |
Consulate
General’s stall |
Continuing, the Consul General made the incisive point:
“Events like the Independence Day celebration provide
an opportunity to showcase the community. They serve to
demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of our people
are moderate, want to lead progressive lives, desire creating
a better future for themselves and their children and like
to enjoy what life has to offer. It is therefore, essential
that prominent community members step forward in supporting
similar events which would help in projecting a better image
of the community. At the same time I would urge the community
to resist divisive tendencies on such occasions which can
only do harm.”
|
Groups of
jubilant Pakistanis
|
The entertainment segment of the program, emceed by Imran
Ahmed, began at 8.30 pm. It included a presentation by the
Aga Khan Foundation, bhangra performances by Sher Foundation,
ISC Punjabi Soormay and UCI Rangla Punjab, skits by local
youth, milli naghmae (patriotic songs) by Habib and Nadeem
Wali Mohammad, pop and R&B hits by Juggy D, and finally,
a dazzling performance by Junoon. The community was visibly
charged and almost in a trance as Ali Azmat, Salaman Ahmad
and Brian O’Connell made subtle, spirited exhortations
with Khudi ko kar buland itna kae har taqdeer sae pehlae,
Yaroon yehi dosti hae, and Yar bin dil mera nahin lagta.
The sound system left much to be desired yet the crowd appeared
spellbound, unmindful of the high decibel levels that raised
the pulse beat of many.
Yet the sound system was not the sole irritant for the community
present in the LA Coliseum. Indisputably SAFLA has brought
about a qualitative improvement in organizing the Independence
Day celebration yet its performance on Saturday was not
entirely flawless. The mandatory “donation”
of $ 5 for entering the coliseum was resented by quite a
few community members. The absence of popular Pakistani
food vendors like Shahnawaz, Bismillah, Alwatan, Bilal,
etc was another cause of annoyance. Quite a few individuals
also complained of a serious lack of representation of local
talent in the program. Ashraf Ali, President, Pakistan American
Arts Council, remarked that at least “half a dozen
Pakistani artists are roaming around” and they should
have been given a chance to perform. Mr Hamid Malik, President,
COPAA, felt such programs need to be “more organized.”
The Independence Day celebration is “a community function…”
The community “has to be more involved. There are
people who have done some good programs. They should be
associated with the Independence Day celebration. All PSAs
in the LA campuses should have a role in organizing the
program,” Mr Malik felt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------