Leadership for youth: Anecdotes, music and rousing inspiration in the mix

Programme Dastaan-e-Ishq organised at Edwards College Peshawar.


Express December 25, 2011

PESHAWAR:


Dastaan-e-Ishq (Tales of Passion), a compendium of tales of religion, leaders and a cross-section of cultures influenced by Sufic poetry was staged at Edwards College on Thursday.


The college’s Canterbury Hall was packed with students from colleges across the city. Uncharacteristically, a large number of girls were also present.

The enthusiastic crowd cheered as the speaker, Umair Jaliawal, a senior associate at the School of Leadership (SOL), took the stage. He narrated “tales of passion” from a variety of notable leaders in history, beginning from Hazrat Imam Hussain, Bhagat Singh, and moving on to a more contemporary leader, Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician who now leads the emerging political party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). The crowd was overjoyed at his inclusion, a testimony of his popularity among the youth.

The event was distinguished by Sufic hits from the television music sensation Coke Studio, even its title was borrowed by a song by Ali Zafar for the series.

“The aim of the event was to inspire the youth to do what they want in life,” said Abdul Muqeet, one of the organisers. He said by creating awareness about individuals who through their passions made their mark in history, they aim to help the youth find role models and formulate their own paths to success.

A student, Fasih, doing his Bachelors in Business Administration from the Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences) said he was inspired to learn about gurus from every field in a mix of music and tales. However, he felt that the ticket priced at Rs550 was a bit heavy on the students’ pockets.

Taking to The Express Tribune,  Jaliawal, said the event was about finding one’s passion in life. “As Sufic songs in Coke Studio depict the same philosophy, they were integrated into the Dastaan-e-Ishq programmes they are performing in different cities across the country.”

Starting early in the year, the programme was the sixth in the series, said Jaliawal, adding that the team hopes to expand the show further next year.

A local underground band Khumarian also played at the end of the programme, while a parody of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain earned great applause from the audience. The event was organised by Edwards College in collaboration with SOL.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2011.

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