Benefit held for flood survivors

The Second Floor organised a benefit qavvaali for flood relief, featuring Fareed Ayaz and Brothers.

KARACHI: The Second Floor, a community space, organised a benefit qavvaali for flood relief, featuring Fareed Ayaz and Brothers, at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture on Saturday.

All proceeds will go to the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation which started its Pakistan 2010 Flood Relief initiative on Aug 2. T2F’s Sabeen Mahmud told The Express Tribune that they were still putting together the funds as the tickets were sold in several places. “We are hoping to raise Rs400,000,” she said. The event was a success and the Indus Valley was packed with people, a good indication that their target may be met.

The Omar Asghar Foundation worked for affected people following the 2005 earthquake and the 2009 Malakand conflict. The design of its flood relief programme is based on first-hand need assessments, a review of secondary data, and the foundation’s knowledge of the area and its links with local people.

The objectives are to extend relief assistance to people affected by the floods by providing: 15-day packages of food and essential non-food items, clean drinking water or water purification tablets, shelter, tents or corrugated iron sheets, chairlifts, suspension bridges, pedestrian pathways, and road clearance, psycho-social support and facilitation to access healthcare and liaisons with government and other organizations to ensure effectiveness.

Fareed Ayaz and Brothers paid tribute to legendary Sufi poets and thinkers, ranging from Hazrat Amir Khusrau to Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi. The qavvaal party belongs to the 705-year-old “Qavvaal Bachon Ka Gharana” of Delhi. They are the sons of the legendary Munshi Raziuddin and are internationally acclaimed as being amongst the finest qavvaals of the sub-continent.

T2F is also hosting “For Flood Relatives - Five Nights of Music” Tuesday through Saturday.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2010.