Reminding the children of the struggles undergone for the creation of Pakistan, the puppets encouraged the young ones to be more proactive and to strive with honesty and integrity.
ISLAMABAD:
Young students squealed with excitement as puppets personifying Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Fatima Jinnah came on stage at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Monday.
Reminding the children of the struggles undergone for the creation of Pakistan, the puppets encouraged the young ones to be more proactive and to strive with honesty and integrity.
The auditorium was packed with tiny tots from across the city, aged 7 to 12 years, enlivening the theatre with their traditional shalwar kameez and kurtas and ethnic jewellery.
The puppet show, organised by the National Puppet Theatre, was among the various colourful tableaus, patriotic songs and speeches performed to highlight the struggles in the creation of Pakistan and to celebrate the life of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a day prior to his birth anniversary - which coincides with Christmas Day.
The puppet show was followed by recitation of the Holy Quran and naat. Tableaus were then performed by students of Regional Public School Rawalpindi, titled “Yoon De Humain Azadi,” and by students of Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) Sector G-6/1-3, titled “Dosti,” enthralling the audience with their well-coordinated and colourful performances.
The tableaus were followed by speeches by Mehreen Arshad of IMCG Sector G-6/1-3 and Hasan Bilal of Pak Turk International School. Staying true to the theme of the show, the two highlighted various hurdles that Jinnah faced in the creation of Pakistan.
“As the youth of this country, we must not forget the blood that was shed by our ancestors. This is our time to show the world we can surpass any hurdle and shine bright,” said a confident Mehreen.
Young Mubashir Fayyaz from Sir Syed Public School said, “Let’s look forward and urge the country to progress in science and education. Instead of getting into petty issues and breaking this country into little provinces, let’s keep it whole.” Speaking like a true little patriot, he received much applause from the audience. After his speech, one teacher commented, “he was like a tiny Quaid-e-Azam at the podium.”
After all the tableaus and the speeches, the evening concluded on a positive note with students of Sir Syed Public School and IMSG singing national songs such “Ay Mere Watan Taiz Qadam” and “Ay Rooh-e-Quaid”.
Photo exhibition at PNCA
A photograph exhibition on the same lines was organised at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) on Monday. Speakers paid rich tributes to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the exhibit of historic pictures on the life and activities of the Quaid, said a press release issued by RAC. The exhibition was attended by people from all walks of life and included senior politicians and journalists.
A senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), Dr Jamal Nasir, said the pictures are “a great source to revisit the history of Pakistan.” He said it was the sincerity of Quaid-e-Azam that led to the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent. “The leadership of Pakistan would have to benefit from Quaid’s vision to make the country a developed state,” he added.
RAC Resident Director Waqar Ahmed announced that an event will be held at the art’s council today (Tuesday) in which national songs and tableaus will be performed to pay tributes to Quaid-e-Azam on this birth anniversary.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2012.
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