KARACHI:

The National Academy of Performing Arts-NAPA organized a qawwaali night with Hamza Akram and party at its Zia Mohyeddin Theatre on Friday.

The 26th generation of Qawwaal Bachchon ka Gharana, Hamza Akram, along with his two brothers, Taimoor Akram and Abdul Akram, enthralled a capacity crowd. They sang some of the most popular songs from their repertory.

Their performance began with Allah hu Allah hu composed in Raag Bhairon and Jhaptaal. Then Hamza Akram moved on to Mere Banne ki Baat na Poocho, a very famous naat that Akram’s grandfather, Ustad Munshi Raziuddin used to sing. It was written by Kamil Hyderabadi.

Then it was the turn of Hazrat Amir Khusrau’s all-time hit, Mun Kuntu Maula. The final piece that he presented was Hazrat Maulana Jaami’s Naseema Janib-e Bagtha Guzarkun.

A full house enjoyed themselves throughout the evening with applauses every now and then.

The qawwali performances were followed by Sehri for the audience.

Zia Mohyeddin was the founding Chairman of NAPA. He had been asked by Pervez Musharraf, then the President of Pakistan, to establish and lead a national institution for arts and music. Besides being the founder and former chairman of NAPA, he had impeccable credentials. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he spent a lifetime dedicated to the theatre, films and television, appearing in many local and foreign productions. He had also performed in numerous Broadway and West End plays. He also produced and directed extensively.