RIYADH: A full packed house of Pakistani men, women and children at a resort on the outskirts of the capital city enjoyed a colorful cultural extravaganza Friday night. An interesting segment of the mega event was a series of performances by young men including teenagers on popular Urdu and Punjabi songs preceded by a grand ‘Meena Baazar,’ displaying latest fashion-wears, jewelries and cuisine.
This was the first privately-organized event of its kind, which featured the well-known local artists and Ryadh, and drew a record crowd exceeding 2000 people, especially youngsters. There was no admission fee, thanks to the support from the ‘Masti Time Show’ group, which seeks to promote Pakistani art and culture in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.
The event, organized and hosted by Waqas Aslam Rana, Sahil Ali, Abdullah Khan, Faisal Khan and Naaz Fayyaz; was a grand success as organizers of the program have to close the entry at 8.30 p.m. because of the surging crowds. A Pakistani boy Zain Jamil, a terrific dancer, was the man of the show. The audience were so stunned by the unparalleled display of dancing grace of Jameel that, at the end of the dance, they remained stunned for a few moments before breaking into thunderous applause.
Another performer Saleem Rafique sang a few popular Bollywood numbers in fascinating lyrical style. Other artists included Waleed Jamil, Usaf Mustafa, Rana Shafi, Tauseef Rajput, Irtiza Ahmed, Waleed Tariq, Sohail Khan, Syed Nabeel and Faisal Shamsh. “In fract, all performances were entertaining,” said Naaz Fayyaz, a prominent lady, who always extends support to Pakistani and Indian groups to organize and promote such cultural events.
She said that “it wonderful to see their upbeat, powerful and energetic cultural and musical performances.” The performers also enjoyed interacting with the audience and getting the entire crowd excited. “The Meena Bazar also had a large number of customers, who started coming to the resort at 4 p.m. itself,” said Lubna A. Haq, who had a make-shift food stall in the fair.
A number of gifts were also distributed by the organizers, especially among boys and girls, who answered questions in the quiz program. One of the local spectators Adnan asked, “Is this group from Pakistan film and TV industry? They are so powerful, this is great!” “What a promising sight to see the youth of Pakistan entertain on a Riyadh stage, and communicate with the crowds in English and Urdu, he quipped.
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