Indonesian, Pakistani artistes come together for culture

Karachi
The Indonesian cultural night at the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) the other evening was a real gala event and turned out to be a real source of pleasure for an otherwise entertainment-starved citizenry.
The evening got going with a folk music piece rendered on the transverse flute by Ustad Salamat Hussain, with adept tabla accompaniment by Ustad Bashir Khan. It was a beautiful, lively piece, the popular toe-tapping Sindhi folk tune, ‘Mor Tho Tely Rana’, which had the audience clapping heartily in accompaniment.
This was followed by a classical piece by the pupils of Napa, with Ustad Nafees Khan on the sitar and Bashir Hussain on the tabla.
However, an even more pleasant surprise was in store as two Indonesian teenage girls presented a native dance that was a wonderful show of gymnastic artistry and the most supple and lithe of movements.
This was followed by a vocal piece by the Indonesian singer, Fonney. Her melodious contralto enraptured the audience while she was accompanied on the piano and the guitar by members of the Indonesian troupe.
Fonney entertained the audience with her vocal numbers for a long time, accompanied on the guitar, the piano, and the percussion. Her voice, though highly mature and seasoned, seemed to carry something perky about it which made it all the more winsome.
There was, of course, a very masterly performance by Napa pupils of the national song, “Yeh Watan Tumhara Hai”, with the trombone and percussion accompaniment by Indonesian musicians.
The main surprise was when the Indonesian Consul General in Karachi, Rosalis Adenan, came on to the stage and presented an Indonesian vocal number in his loud-pitched but melodious tenor.
Even though the lyric was all Latin to the Pakistani audience, the melody made it absolutely captivating.
There were some great fusion numbers blending Indonesian melodies into the Pakistani genre and it was, by and large, an ideal programme.
However, our audiences must realise that catcalls and wolf whistles, which were aplenty, are certainly no measure of appreciation.
The chief guest of the evening, Nisar Khuhro, the provincial information and education minister, lauded the event and said that such exchanges would be instrumental in bringing people of the two countries closer.
“Such events are an ideal method to bridge the cultural gaps between two countries and their people,” said the minister as he vowed to support all such future endeavours.