The capital of Saudi Arabia recently witnessed an Indian cultural extravaganza showcasing a rich tradition of songs, ballads, ghazals and comedy performed live by two Bollywood artists.
The highlights of the event, organized by Tanzeem Hum Hindustani (THH), were performances by ghazal maestro Khan Ather and popular film and television comedian Habeeb Qadeer, a master of stand-alone comedy who has performed on stage with almost all popular Indian film stars.
Qadeer has also the distinction of staging several shows in India and abroad. He also appeared in “Laughter Challenge” on India’s popular “Star One” channel where the country’s fun lovers recognized his talent.
The chief guest of the cultural evening, entitled “Ek Sham Mastani,” was Indian charge d’affaires Rajeev Shahare, while Hifzur Rahman, another diplomat, was guest of honor. Ather presented new and old ghazals, and several popular numbers on demand from the audience, numbering over 1,000.
The event began with a welcome speech by Mohammed Quaiser, THH president, who demanded the Indian embassy build auditoriums in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to help Indians organize regular cultural events. “This would also help boost cultural exchange between the Kingdom and India,” said Quaiser.
The THH chief also called on the Indian Embassy to ensure at least one Indian in the Kingdom is nominated for the Pravasi Bharatiya Award each year.
Responding to the calls, Shahare urged the Indian community and social organizations to come forward in identifying venues suitable as auditoriums, prepare proposals and work in coordination to build or acquire them. He said that the Indian mission is always ready to do whatever it could to help facilitate such projects.
The cultural program at the auditorium of Yamamah University was very successful with Ather mesmerizing the audience with his performance. Ather is known internationally for his versatile style of singing ghazals, songs, patriotic numbers and bhajans. He has won several laurels and commendations for his ghazals across the world. He composes his own music and gave background music for the famous TV serial Farmaan directed by Lekh Tandon. Ather was also awarded the title Ustad-e-Ghazal by Hyderabad Deccan Association, UK, and “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Urdu Academy of Andhra Pradesh (India).