Lifetime Achievement Award to Zia Mohyeddin by the Pakistani Community in the UAE….reports Asian Lite News
The Asian community in the UAE has presented “Life Time Achievement” award to Pakistan’s most famous orator and theatre reader, Zia Mohyeddin for his enormous and continuous contribution towards literature, art and theatre.
More than 400 of people from both Pakistani and Indian communities attended the function where for more than two hours, Mohyeddin read several essays from Urdu and English classics in his own legendary style. He was accompanied by Ustaad Nafees Ahmed Khan, who played sitar during the reading performance.
Later,the Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE, Mr. Moazzam Ahmed Khan presented the white shield to Mohyeddin. Consul General of Pakistan, Syed Javed Hasan, along with community representatives from Pakistan Association Dubai, Pakistan Professional Wing and Pakistan Business Council were also present at the occasion.
“We were delighted to support and attend the Lifetime Achievement Award in appreciation of an icon, Zia Mohyeddin and to learn of his accomplishments spreading almost 60 years. He kept the hundreds of people glued / spell bound as he read his prose and poetry,” said Irfan Malik, Chairman , Pakistan Professional Wing.
“Zia Mohyeddin is the pride of our country. The octogenarian artist has contributed in various forms towards arts and literature of Pakistan; he indeed deserved this gracious moment,” said Rizwan Fancy from Pakistan Association Dubai.
Indian community member, Kamran Ziauddin, said that Urdu is a mutual love of Indians and Pakistanis and it was a great honor to be the part of this evening. “It was a mesmerizing lifetime experience to listen to the Legend ‘Zia Mohyeddin’ live… the eloquence in his speech and diction, the depth of his voice, the breaks and pauses and above all the choice of script were all to perfection.”
Poetic Strokes and Ambika Vohra who brought this evening together, this weekend, felt that the love for Zia Mohyeddin was overwhelming. “Presenting any artist to an audience is a huge responsibility. The part I enjoy the most when I bring any artist, is the research I do to know more about them. This time the onus was much bigger but so was the reward in terms of enjoyment as I continued learning more about Zia Mohyeddin,” said Ayesha Imtiaz, one of the the two organizers and the founder of Poetic Strokes said :
“It was such an honor and delight to host such an eminent personality and acknowledged doyen of the performing arts.I am sure many lie me as looking forward to his revisit,” said Ambika Vohra- the co-organiser of the show.
