As thousands flocked to commemorate the living legend that was once Faiz, I also became part of the throng present on a sunny Saturday winter’s evening on the 18th of November 2017 at the Alahamra Cultural Complex, Lahore. After passing through well-organised and well-placed reception kiosks and the two-day program hoardings, it was not difficult to locate Hall 3 hosting the evening’s talk titled “The evolution of Pakistani Pop Music: Koi naghma koi khushboo.” The session was hosted by musician/composer Mr. Arshad Mehmood, the veteran journalist and columnist Nadeem Farooq Paracha and the upcoming and breakthrough pop idol Mr. Ahmed Jilani (leadman and lead vocalist of Pepsi Battle of the Bands’ runner-up ‘Badnaam’). After the usual introductions, a short documentary highlighting the salient breakthrough moments of the very short pop history of Pakistani music was displayed with the usual third world breakdown of the voice recording in the video. However, host Mr. Arshad Mehmood covered up for it with his inimitable sense of humour.
My quirky sense of humour, on the other hand, transcended into the acceptance of a grim aftermath following the conclusion of the session and before the beginning of my anxious wait for the next one “An Evening of Poetry and Piano: Hum bhee dekhain gai,” to which I will get back to, later.
First, I would like to make special mention here of the very fact that during the whole of my presence in the first session, only once did host Mr. Arshad Mehmood even mention Faiz (quoting his couplet) and that also only in the passing. Taking a que from this one can easily construe that in this Faiz Mela, Faiz was somehow ‘lost’ somewhere. And what was ‘found‘ instead were multiple and diverse voices on nearly every topic under the sun except Faiz’s poetic contributions.
Waiting in a long que, my father and I had a hard decision to take, either wait for umpteen minutes for the doors to Hall 2 to open for the next program, or listen to the grumblings in our stomach made worse by the enticing aroma reaching our nostrils from the food stalls. And, definitely, our stomach won from our mind. After quickly grabbing a hearty meal of dahi bhallas and Kashmiri chai till the time we rushed back to Hall 2, the inevitable had happened. The door to the hall was closed, guarded by an old woman esguard (a Faiz sahib family member) blocking our way to our destination. By this time a small mothly crowd had gathered requesting her to let them in and enjoy the session. She remained as adamant as ever and after my very personal and humble request to let me enter and cover my journalistic assignment, she chided me with the comment that she hadn’t even allowed a sitting ‘high-court’ judge to pass through. It seemed like it clearly reflected to the old lady that her principle stand was more important than the enjoyment of this piano recital by common Lahoriites who were all Faiz lovers. This prompted one voice from the crowd to shout the following:
“Mai utthay ja keh Faiz sahib nu dassan ga keh tussi mainu andar naehin warran ditta.”
This was evidence enough if any evidence was needed to substantiate the very fact that this Faiz festival had turned from an event to be enjoyed by all variety of Faiz lovers to one elitist event which swept Faiz’s humanity and mass appeal under the carpet. Also, in this time and age when there is an inundation of the genre called “festival” of all kinds, it is not only difficult but rather impossible to segregate something exceptional from the mundane and the profane. Faiz International Festival 2017 is one of the many entertainment carnivals dotting our literary landscape. Its attempt to be unique has really petted out into a frivolous amalgamation or conglomeration of acts of omission and commission which can only be described with the Urdu proverb “kawwa challa hans ki chaal apni bhi bhool gaya.” This is in reference to sessions like “Conversation with Bushra Ansari, Mahira Khan, Discussion on Qawwali” etc which have got no relevance at all either to Faiz’s literary pursuits or his journalistic endeavours. In Faiz’s words, “majbooriyo daawaye giriftaariye ulfat”. At this very effort which may have been inspired by the very noble attempt to introduce Faiz as a poet to the younger generation and be inclusive of all, in my considered opinion this event can only turn Faiz into not more than a laughing stock or at best, a personality known only for his intellectual and literary conspicuousness. The question remains till the end:
Was he a great poet, a socialist, a conversationalist, a journalist, or merely a friend and a socialite?
Organisers of the Faiz International Festival must ensure that this Mela should not merely contribute towards making Faiz a cosmopolitan and international celebrity only but rather strive to ensure the task of sealing his position in the annals of Urdu Literature as a “unique romantic lament of his age.” One can also easily recall how after Faiz’s death, this festival was celebrated as it should have been with the title ‘Faiz Aman Mela’ at the Open Air Theatre Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore and was attended by all and sundry with a festive ambiance. This Mela was further made accessible to the common man in the street by being held at the Railway Stadium, Dharampura and was attended by thousands of ordinary workers and citizens, thus paying tribute to the socialist leanings of Faiz, the recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize. It is sad to see the present state of affairs and certainly, Faiz sahib would be turning in his grave seeing his so-called ‘majaawars’ depicting him as the very saint which he continued to hate all his life.