Blame it on the heat; it makes one do crazy stuff. There is openness about the summer that people throng to the roads and streets in the late evenings. While driving on the Margalla road on late Saturday night, and crossing the road going towards the Faisal Masjid, I came across a rally of cars parked along the boulevard with a crowd of people gathered.
This clicked as my colleague at work had invited me to car racing that happens every weekend. He let me in on a secret that they were planning to organize a proper car-racing gala in the near future with a big party splash. Isloo youth are creative in their pursuit of adventure and excitement. I know car-racing can be dangerous but then living on edge has got its own thrill and there is only one life to live! Who speaks of Isloo being a dead city! We live it up in style here!
There was no invitation forthcoming this week so I thought of getting myself invited to the concert of Jazz, Blues and Rock by Zaniboni.The concert was arranged by Alliance Franciase with partial sponsor of Pakistan International Airlines. French Cultural Center's coordinator, Ms Nabila always warmly extends invitations to journalists and it is forever a pleasure to meet her, as she is the epitome of grace and elegance.
The singer is not new to Pakistan; she first came here 10 years ago when she successfully held a concert at the Alliance Francaise in Karachi for over a 1000 people.
She has a warm, rocky voice and her latinness is confirmed by her presence on stage, she is in a constant stage of urgency and emotion.
La Revue du Spectacle, April- May 1991 writes 'Zaniboni sings the blues and rock in her own way, a tad urban, a tad Italian. Whatever the stage, she invades it, sets it on fire.'
Despite her French name, she boasts of Italian heritage. With very little mainstream media attention, she has forged for herself an audience both in France and abroad due to her powerful and expressive voice. As Frank Tenaille wrote in Le Monde de la Musique: "Zaniboni has a universe, a style whose depth and strength are immediately evident in her presence on stage, she has contrasting voices, maternal and warlike, bluesy and realistic, tender and sardonic, brutal and reflective".
She also has an earthy presence, a solid stance on stage, a universe of dark sophistication and a 'signature' audience, which has made an icon of this artist neglected by the media. She also sings in Italian, English, Japanese and of course French.
Although I couldn't understand the lyrics but the guitar played by her during the concert was superb. The last number was in English and that was good. She commented on it being very early in the evening for her to perform as she is used to doing it late in the night. And my hubby in the end remarked that' You'll look like her after twenty years'. This was said because I sport a hairstyle and attire similar to hers. I was pleased with the comparison, as I've wanted to learn how to play the guitar.
My second calling was to Rohtas Gallery where a preview of an exhibition of miniature paintings titled ' Interpretations' was being held. It gave projection to fresh graduates from National Council of Arts.
The artists participating in the show were Farheen Maqsood, Mehreen Zuberi, Ahsan Jamal, Maryam Irfan, Habiba Khan, and Mohd. Zeeshan, Hajrah Y. Khan, Khadim Ali, Mahwash Chisti and Ayesha Durrani.
Habiba Khan said that the theme of her work is based on her relationship between her daughter and herself. It depicts the development of that connection and it took her three weeks to complete her paintings. She plans to pursue a career in art.
Hajra Y. Khan said that her work is an extension of her thesis. The thesis was based on how one grows older the priorities in life change. The work she is presently doing is on letting go of the past and trying to find ones way through the maze of life with limitless possibilities. It likes letting go of things and moving on. She intends to continue painting without exploring its commercial aspect as advised by her jurors.
Mohammad Zeeshan has explored ' male dominance' in his thesis, which is reflected in his work. 'Male organ' has been used as symbol of power and the ammunition projects the conflicts taking place between different organizations. He belongs to a rural area of Mirpur Khaas, Sindh and he associates his work reflecting his background. It is indeed very creative but I failed to comprehend the relevance. He plans to pursue painting as a pro and thought the scope for this in ones own hands.
The week eventually closed with one feeling the heat from within and without and the indulgence in fruits, drinks and ice cream definitely cooling it down with the desire of wanting more.
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