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A soulful performance by a group of international
artistes mesmerised audiences in Karachi this weekend. The show
that lasted two nights, brought Moulana Jalaluddin Rumi’s
teachings to life with the whirling of dervishes of the Mevlavi
order from Turkey, devotional chants of exotic performers from Iran
and spirited recitation by seasoned artistes from India and Pakistan.
An enthralling rendition by Abida Perveen in the end completed the
experience. The night was dedicated to devotion.
Karwan-e-Rumi – a spectacle of recitation,
music and dance inspired by Rumi’s teachings – is a
show by the Rumi Foundation led by renowned Indian filmmaker Muzaffar
Ali. Aga Khan University’s (AKU) Annual Giving Committee collaborated
with Rumi Foundation to bring the show to Karachi to raise funds
for Aga Khan University Hospital’s (AKUH) Patients’
Welfare Programme. The event commemorated the 800th anniversary
of Rumi’s birth.
The show was conceived and designed by Muzaffar
Ali whose passion for poetry, visual arts and their application
to the celluloid and digital formats has been path breaking. He
is well known for being the director of the movies Umrao Jan, Gaman,
Aagman and Anjuman.
Performers from Turkey, Iran, India and Pakistan
presented a beautifully choreographed show which integrated devotional
elements from their diverse cultures along a unifying theme of seeking
a spiritual union with the Beloved Sustainer.
Set whirling by Jalaluddin Rumi 800 years ago, the
Mevlavi Sema is the most evolved of the many forms of Sema which
is a dance to empty oneself of all distracting thoughts and be filled
with the presence of God. The dervish must be inwardly pronouncing
the name of God, feeling the connection through the Sheikh of the
ceremony to the whole Mevlavi lineage and its founder Mevlana Rumi,
turning with the love of God. The packed house was all admiration
for the tireless whirling by the Dervishes from the Mevlavi order.
The splendour of Iranian devotional music held the
audience in a perfect rapture. An hour of spirited performance by
male vocalists seeking ecstasy in the name of God through collective
chants and music was duly complimented by imaginative use of lighting.
Zia Mohyeddin, the veteran actor and elocutionist,
recited translations from Moulana Rumi’s work, ably supported
by Indian actors Nandita Das and Murad Ali who read soulful selections
before an engrossed audience.
The evening culminated with a characteristic performance
by Abida Perveen which completed the cycle of soul searching for
the night.
Shama Zaidi wrote the script for the show while
Meera Ali was the production designer. Imaginative use of lighting
by Roosevelt D’Souza and excellent sound by Fali Damania complemented
the artistic stage design by Vikram Sharma.
Earlier, AKU President Firoz Rasul welcomed the
audience to the show and thanked the supporters of AKU for their
constant cooperation in helping to make AKU’s services accessible
to those who cannot afford the full cost of their treatment or education.
He praised the services of Muzaffar Ali and his team who presented
the show gratis to further the cause.
Aga Khan University Hospital’s Patient Welfare
Programme offers financial assistance to those patients who are
unable to afford the medical cost of treatment. In 2005, 74 per
cent of all patients treated at AKUH were from low- to middle-income
groups. Since the inception of this welfare programme in 1986, over
Rs. 1.4 billion has been disbursed to more than 250,000 needy patients.
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