Sufi poets paid tributes at musical evening

LAHORE: A newly-established private art and culture institute arranged a musical evening at its inaugural dinner.

Mystical singer Arieb Azhar elevated the spirits of the guests by his Sufi songs. He started with his ecstatic Sindhi Dhamaal and followed with the poetry of great Sufi poets Baba Bulleh Shah, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh and Khawaja Ghulam Farid. He also sang a Bosnian love song, Aminah. His troupe included flute maestro Akmal Qadri, Kashif Ali Dani on Tabla and Zeeshan Mansoor on lead guitar.

Arieb’s performance was part of the chancellor’s inaugural dinner hosted by Syed Shahid Ali, chancellor of the institute. The guests included Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission Dr Nizamuddin, UNESCO Country Director Vibeke Jensen, Justice (R) Nasira Javed Iqbal, Ms Surayya Anwar, Government College University VC Dr Hasan Amir Shah, eminent artists Saeed Akhtar, RM Naeem, Muhammad Bashir, architect Nayyar Ali Dada, Cartoonist Javed Iqbal, actors Usman Peerzada, Sadaan Peerzada, Faryal Gauhar, writer Asghar Nadeem Syed, Professors Shahnawaz Zaidi, Shahid Nadeem and leading figures from different walks of life. Professor Sajida Vandal, the VC of the institute, while introducing the chancellor paid tribute to his commitment to the establishment of the institute. She said the institute will serve as a leading institute for the promotion of the arts and cultural studies in the country.

In welcome address, Chancellor Syed Shahid Ali said, “Through the institute we are embarking on a new road where we seek to help in raising the quality of our country’s human resource that can only be achieved through education.