Laal Band spellbinds audience with progressive numbers at music gala
PESHAWAR: The popular Laal Band enthralled the participants at peace poetry musical gala here at IM Sciences Hayatabad on Thursday.
The Art and Culture Society conducted the event. A large number of students, faculty members and music lovers attended the event. Most students tuned to dance with the live performance of the music band.
The numbers including Meray Dil Meray Musafir, Main Nay Usay Ye Kaha, Umeed-i-Sahar, Sadaa, Dastoor, Kal and Aaj Aur Kal received excellent response while Pashto and Punjabi songs also captivated the participants.
Students say such poetry can counter narrative of militants
“Progressive poets always raised voice for the downtrodden and poor. That’s why they have become voice of the public. Laal Band wants to revive that golden era,” Salman Sati, a diehard fan of music, said.
Ali Nawaz, a young member of the band, said that intention and purpose of the music gala was to familiarise and engage the teenagers with the beauty, vitality, dynamism, joy and variety of Pakistani music and poets.
He said that poetry of progressive poets and saints like Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Habib Jalib, Rahmat Shah Sail, Ghani Khan, Rahman Baba and Baba Bulle Shah cast great impact on the audience because such songs appealed to the hearts of people.
Earlier in the day, the Laal Band performed at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan and garnered a standing ovation from the audience while the evening live performance of the band received an overwhelming response from the participants for singing progressive Pashto, Punjabi and Urdu poems.
Zeeshan Javed, a music buff, said that Laal Band was known for its socialist and progressive political songs. He said that Art and Culture Society (ACS) wanted to initiate, support and promote art and cultural activities for the development of a dynamic environment on the campus
Shazia Rahman, a student, said that she and her colleagues enjoyed the performance of the band. She said that such functions were need of the hour while progressive poetic pieces could help counter the militants’ narrative.
Prof Taimur Rehman, a teacher at LUMS University, Lahore , who is also a noted vocal and head of Laal Band, told this scribe that the event was incredible. He said that the energy of students at Abdul Wali Khan University and IM Sciences was worthy of great appreciation.
“I am so impressed by the huge participation of the students on the campuses of both the institutions. I hope other institutes also follow this healthy tradition,” he said.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018
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