Exhibition of paintings based on Rumi’s verses commences

Dozens of art aficionados were in attendance at the Sadequain Art Gallery on Wednesday for an exhibition of paintings by versatile artist Lt Col Zahid Iqbal.

Themed on the fabled verses of Persian philosopher Rumi, the exhibit comprising 80 paintings was inaugurated by renowned painter and humanitarian, Jimmy Engineer.

Each of the paintings is based on Rumi’s verses, ranging from life to love and from dreams to peace.

A self-professed Rumi devotee, Zahid Iqbal is a talented individual who displays a multi-faceted persona as an artist.

His love for poetry, he says, is what led him to read and understand Rumi, and to now paint his interpretation of the mysticism and oneness with the Almighty that Rumi preached.

Having spent his youth in Peshawar where he and his friends formed a music band, Zafar’s passion for the arts led him to try his hand at various other forms. As he joined the Pakistan Army and rose within the ranks of the officer corps, his passion for things literary and artistic continued to grow. 

While serving as a captain at the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen, Zafar kept his guitar with him and even composed songs at those dizzy heights. As a major, when he went to the first Gulf War, Zafar took his weather-beaten guitar along. He composed, wrote papers on different subjects and even penned a book about his experiences as a soldier.

He commanded a tank regiment as a colonel and it was after he took his release from the army, in the middle of the first decade of this century, that Zafar decided to spend more time on his art. He made many sculptures which adorn his drawing room today.

His foray into the fine arts is a recent development. He started painting about six years ago and to date has 15 exhibitions to his name. Through these exhibitions and with the help of social media, his work has been well received.

Zafar is a self taught artist who has had no formal or informal lessons but is blessed with an analytical mind that enables him to grasp an idea and convert it into an art form, be it a sculpture or a painting.