SACRAMENTO: The date was auspicious as 11-11-11 will not be revisited again in our lifetimes. It was also the evening of Veterans Day here in the United States, a holiday for many and an opportunity for some to gather at the Citrus Heights Community Center in the Sacramento, California region for a fine musical evening where a majority of Pakistani-Americans plus other South-Asians along with a sizeable representation of locals gathered for both an Eid Milan and a good cause.
Bakra Eid fell on Sunday, November 6 this year and Pakistan has been hit badly by floods again, especially in Sindh province. In Sacramento, a handful of organizers decided to take the high road and combine an evening of fun and low key fundraising ($10.00 for every ticket sold went to the Edhi Foundation) to the delight of the more than 200 people present.
The evening started with a social mixer during which many took the opportunity to purchase dinner from Shaz Restaurant. Dr. Aslam Godil welcomed everyone and pointed out to the observance of Veterans Day and added that the evening was planned for a dual purpose of community entertainment and flood relief.
Emcee Abbasi described the scene of floods in Pakistan as misery beyond what we can imagine.
Local Rapper Zaki Syed started the entertainment segment on a pensive note. He spoke-sang about the suffering common people of Pakistan in his “Pakistan Zindabad” delivery which included lines like “Take me back to the Motherland” and “Flood victims ko Bachao”. Zaki has been involved in Rap for quite some time now and his performances are getting better and better. His proud parents Naeem and Durriya Syed were on hand to offer their support here.
The first singing act brought to the Sacramento area once again Zaheer Abbas from Pakistan who reached the highest level of the “SaReGaMaPa Challenge” in India during 2009. Zaheer has a powerful voice which he very ably used during his opening song “Wohi Khuda Hai”. The follow up Punjabi ballad made famous by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan “Sajna Terey Bina” was also performed very well by him. Zaheer followed with “Dholna” and Shafqat Amanat Ali’s “Bin Terey” and a number of other terrific Urdu and Punjabi language hits.
Zaheer ended his segment with the Dhamal number “Dama Dum Mast Qalandar” which gave many in the audience an opportunity to dance.
Local talent was well represented by Dr. Seema Minhaj who slowed down the tempo with a couple of popular Bollywood hits. Her singing of “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna” was plain excellent.
The main act and final performance was by the very versatile Jefferey Iqbal who already has an established fan and relative base in the Sacramento area. His starting number “Allah Hu” the signature song of the late NFAK was superb and set the tone for many more fine songs to come. His tribute to many India-Pakistan singing legends including Mohd. Rafi, Ustad Mehdi Hassan along with a bouquet of Bollywood hits including “Pretty Woman” really won the hearts (and feet) of people in the audience here.
Besides his opening song, this scribe thinks that Jefferey’s rendition of “Zohra Jabeen” with its catchy Pashtun/Pathan beat really stood out. The Punjabi song “Sohni Lagdi” really got people motivated and his rich duet with Dr. Seema Minhaj set the stage for his final “Shahbaz Qalandar” number which remains one of the most widely performed songs originating from Pakistan yet. This ode to the Qalandar minstrel incorporates both the mystical and rhythmic realms. And Jefferey Iqbal certainly did a fine rendition of it.
Ras Siddiqui
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