Golden melodies

HOPE fundraiser musical night brings back nostalgic memories.

KARACHI:

Decked in white, the foyer of the Imperial was fragrant with the scent of motia and the serene night belonged to evergreen melodies from the era of Noor Jehan, Naseem Begum, Mala Begum, Mehdi Hasan and Ahmed Rushdi.

The event, a fundraiser arranged by the NGO Health Oriented Preventive Education (HOPE) on the May 21, was titled Raat Chali Hai Jhoom Ke.

The evening, which kicked off rather late due to the late arrival of corporate associates, started off with instrumental numbers such as “Teray Bin Mera Jeewan Kuch Nahin” and moved on to numbers like “Kiya Hai Pyar Tou”, “Aye Mausum Rangeelay”, “Abhi Dhoond Hei Rahi Thi to Dil Darkay” and other duets sung by Mazhar Iqbal and Hina Asif.

As the night progressed, the performers enthralled the audience with more Urdu numbers and a few Punjabi hits like “Jadoon Hole Jaya” and “Sanno Neher Wallay Pull Tay”.

This trip down memory lane, bringing back old Pakistani silver screen songs, was a refreshing way to raise funds for educational benefits for the under privileged dwelling in the northern areas of the country.  HOPE will also be using money for on-going relief efforts, medical camps, building housing for purchasing household stuff.

A private event, the ticketed affair that was completely sold out, as all the patrons of HOPE supported the effort very enthusiastically.

All in all, a great musical experience that stirred nostalgia through great numbers associated with the heroes of yesterday, including Nadeem, Waheed Murad, Shabnum, Zeba and Mohammad Ali, Shamim Ara and Rani.



Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2011.