ISLAMABAD: The Asian Study Group (ASG) hosted a fabulous end-of-year event at the Serena Hotel with performances by Rocklite, the band, and Khanzada Asfanyar Khattak.

Andrea Wicke, ambassador of Austria and patron of the Asian Study Group, welcomed the guests.

The evening began with a short series of questions, quizzing the audience on their obscure and not-so-obscure knowledge of Pakistan. From identifying the oldest surviving city of Pakistan and the origins of the Kutchi tribe to the names of the killer mountain and the city that is the heart of Pakistan, the quiz tested the general knowledge of the guests. Each of the eight winners received prizes for correct answers.

Khanzada Asfandyar Khattak gave a brief performance fusing Khattak and Kathak dances that he had choreographed to the poetry of Khushal Khan Khattak and the music of vocalist Ustaad Nazeer Gul, sareenda player Ustaad Aijaz Sarhadi, harmonium player Ustaad Gul Nazeer, clarinet player Ustaad Ghulam Mohayyudin, rubab player Ustaad Gulab Khan, tabla player Ustaad Zulfiqar Afridi and dholki player Ustaad Niaz Ali.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Wicke said: “ASG President Perveen Malik has been the driving force behind this organisation for many years and has become a personal friend. This event exemplifies the power of community coming together for a cause.”

Perveen Malik, on the other hand, said: “No organisation survives without help. This is our 50th anniversary, and I don’t know of many organisations that have survived this long, but we have. We are a voluntary body, and the reason we have survived is the commitment and dedication of our committee members.”

“Ambassador Wicke has been a wonderful patron, very generous and committed, and it has been a pleasure having her on board,” she said.

Ms Malik said the last ASG end-of-year event was held in 2019. For two years, we had Covid-19, and then, for various reasons, the events could not take place. It is so unfortunate that dance is no more in Pakistan, or at least there is very little of it. We have folk dances, but classical dances do not exist any longer. In the past, Asian Study Group has hosted famous classical dancers like Naheed Siddiqui, Sheema Kirmani and Faseehur Rehman.”

With a brief break for dinner, the event continued with a performance by Rocklite – the band. Their passion for music was evident.

Rizwan Haque was the producer, composer, lead and rhythm guitarist; Imran Hanan played the bass guitar; Ajay Rao was the lead vocalist in English and Bilal Ashraf and Waqas Iqbal were the vocalists in Punjabi, Pushto, Seraiki and Urdu. They straddled the line between genres and cultures, shifting from Western to Eastern music.

The band performed a set of classics for the pleasure of foreigners and locals alike, starting with Sanwali Saloni by Vital Signs and All Night Long by Lionel Ritchie, and going on to Channo by Ali Zafar and Le Freak by Chic. Goray Rang ka Zamana by Vital Signs, Lal Meri Pat by Junoon and Allah Hu by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan resonated with the Pakistanis, while Kiss by Prince, Edel Weis from The Sound of Music, and Livin La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin were familiar chords for most of the audience.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2024