Remembering Zia Mohyeddin on his First Death Anniversary

By Imran Shirvanee

Death anniversaries are usually mourning events. But when you observe such a date for a legend, it becomes more of a celebration of his life than remembrance of his death. So, when the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) observed the first death anniversary of its founder, Zia Mohyeddin, the mood was anything but bereavement. A glowing tribute was presented to the departed thespian by his colleagues, friends and students at NAPA, recently.

The programme began with a panel discussion with Zia Mohyeddin’s wife Azra, actor and old friend Munawwar Saeed, NAPA Chairperson Syed Jawaid Iqbal, NAPA’s advisor on theatre Khalid Ahmed, former senator Javed Jabbar and poet Ashfaq Hussain. NAPA CEO, Junaid Zuberi conducted the discussion. He said it was difficult to speak on the personality of Zia`Mohyeddin in just one session. The panel he had chosen, decidedly, could speak for hours on the life and achievements of Zia sahib.

Azra Mohyeddin narrated her first meeting with Zia Mohyeddin at a dinner where she had corrected Zia sahib’s Urdu and that, perhaps, made him believe that she was a person of strength. This opinion of hers, she said, was shared by Arshad Mahmood who was also invited at the dinner. The host of that evening, Tina Sani, had later told Zia sahib that Azra was a no-nonsense person. The rest, she said, was history.

Former Senator Javed Jabbar said Zia Mohyeddin was an embodiment of the stage. He made the works of poets come alive. Poet Ashfaq Hussain remembered how Zia sahib loved playing bridge. He said Zia Mohyeddin was a shy person who preferred to stay away from public view, except for his performances.

Actor Munawwar Saeed relived his first meeting with the legendary thespian when Zia sahib had directed Khwaja Moinuddin’s Lal Qilay Se Lalukhet. He narrated how he had handled the cast who had already performed this play under the direction of Khwaja sahib himself. But unlike his production style where he would stage his plays in front of a curtain, Zia Mohyeddin opted to go for a proper set, thus using the theatre space completely.

Syed Jawaid Iqbal said the legacy of Zia Mohyeddin was that he took classical literature out of drawing rooms to the masses through his parhant, the readings that he made famous with his distinctively styled talks. He recalled that he was a regular in the audience of PTV’s Zia Mohyeddin Show in the 70s. The programme which was the first introduction of Zia sahib on TV in Pakistan.

Khalid Ahmed recalled the day Zia Mohyeddin passed away and how, even though NAPA was closed for three days in mourning, students assembled there to remember their great teacher every evening. He urged Zia sahib’s students to keep his legacy alive through their work.

Former Senator Javed Jabbar said Zia Mohyeddin was an embodiment of the stage. He made the works of poets come alive. Poet Ashfaq Hussain remembered how Zia sahib loved playing bridge. He said Zia Mohyeddin was a shy person who preferred to stay away from public view, except for his performances.

Later, a number of Zia Mohyeddin’s students and fans paid tribute to him by reciting poetry and reading text from Urdu literature. Two of Zia Mohyeddin’s students—Zubair Baloch and Sheheryar Ahmed—also enacted a scene from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Urdu using Khalid Ahmed’s translation. Zubair Baloch’s performance as Claudius was praiseworthy. He showed the quality that only a Zia Mohyeddin student could present.

Earlier, Faisal Talib recited Hasan Koozagar by N.M. Rashid. His performance though not bad, one expected a little more subtext in his delivery due to the nature of the piece.

Zarqa Naz reading Ghalib Key Khatoot actually did not read out any letter from the great poet, presenting prose written by a lesser-known writer, Gulam Ahmed Furqat. But she made the reading so interesting by stresses and pauses that one could not complain too much about not getting anything on Ghalib.

Riaz Baloch and Qadeer Ahmed’s group Tilismistan presented Safshikan Batair from Fasan-e Azad. The performance was praised by the entire house. Asad Ullah Khoso enacted a piece from Chacha Chakkan. There were more poetry recitals mostly from Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and many students of Zia Sahib must have made him proud by their diction and delivery. But the best was kept for the end. Mohsin Ahmed presented a tribute to his teacher. He had written the piece himself and later read a poem, Dastango from a Lahore-based poet. It was a praise to the dastangoi of Zia Mohyeddin in a befitting finale.

The event was emceed by actress, writer and director Sameena Nazir, herself a student of Zia Mohyeddin.