News
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sitaar, a dying classical instrument
By Muhammad Aayan
LAHORE: Sitaar, the soulful stringed instrument adds a special touch to songs and sound clips that are used as background music pieces. It is not easy to master the instrument and the country is almost running out of people that are familiar with it.
Not much recognition has been given to classical instrument players in the country and a living example is the renowned sitaarnawaz Ustad Abdul Latif Khan, who is the winner of the Tamhga-e-Imtiaz and many other awards. The renowned sitaar player worked for 33 years with the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. Latif is a master of musical notes and has come up with his own raag, which he has named ‘RusVati’. “I gave this name to the raag to promote peace between Pakistan and India, as ‘Rus’ represents the rich cultural Pakistan and ‘Vati’ is used as a raag name in India. It was my small contribution to strengthening ties between the two countries,” Latif said.
Apart from making his own raag, he was the first Pakistani be interviewed live at India’s national television (Doordarshan). He was given the ‘Sangeet Ratna Award’, ‘Sahara TV Award’ and a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony for Gami Khan tablanawaz.
His album titled ‘Melody Music’ is a blend of the four provincial cultures of Pakistan. Whereas his three students Zara Salman, Huzaina Bukhari and Ahsan Kamran have also been associated with Radio Pakistan. Talking about the dying art of sitaar, Ustad Latif said that Pakistani cultural institutions are weak and have not focused on talent in the past years due to which the country has not been able to produce any notable sitaar artist over the years.
Separately, the ‘Vibrant Colors of Pakistan’, a solo photographic exhibition by Yasir Nisar was launched at the Alhamra Art Gallery. The exhibition portrayed the country’s rich cultural heritage and breathtaking beauty, its cultural diversity from the Indus Valley to modern-day Karachi, all aimed at highlighting its true colours. The photographer is writing a book about wildlife in Deosai plains, which will come out in the next few months. Another interesting photo exhibition by Rubab Waheed was displayed at Nairang Art Gallery. The young architect has taken photographs of spaces between different objects. She shows a distinctive visual style characterised by dynamic, often complex compositions portrayed by an unusual of intellect spaciousness.
Meanwhile, a Punjabi poetic theatre play titled ‘Madhu Laal Hussain’ was staged at the Alhamra Arts Council amid applause and appreciation from the audience. The play was organized by Lokai Theatre in collaboration with Punjab Institute of Language Art & Culture.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk