Waqar Naseem Wamiq
RIYADH – Rahim Shah, famous Pakistani singer, enthralled thousands of his fans at King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh recently. The mega concert was arranged by the Pakistan Embassy under the aegis of Ambassador Manzoor ul Haq on the auspicious occasion of Pakistan Day celebrations.
Thousands of music lovers, men and women, young and old attended. The venue was jam-packed, and was divided into different enclosures for special guests, families and singles. Embassy officials and volunteers were present to welcome the attendees at the KFCC main entrance, several booths of sponsors were exhibited on the ground floor, and overall arrangements done by the organizers was well managed.
The concert began with the introduction of the star of the night Rahim Shah by community Welfare Attaché Capt. (R) Syed Hammad Abid. He said: “Shah’s solo career began in the late 1990s with lots of hits to his credit. His songs Ghum and Jhoola broke popularity records. The albums to his credits are Ghum, Sadma Bewafa Ka, Saba Ru, Laila, Peera, Channa, Pyar Nahin Milta, Yarana, Chercha, Maa’ma Dey and Gul Jana.”
Ambassador Manzoor Ul Haq thanked the Saudi government for their support and said: “We are highly thankful to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for all his support to us especially the separation of the Pakistani conjoined twins following his directives, and Pak-Saudi brotherly relations are stronger than ever and we are determined to take these brotherly relations to new heights.”
The ambassador thanked the sponsors of the event especially SAMASCO and the company CEO Saad Nahar Al Baddah, the chief guest of the occasion, for their valuable contribution. He also thanked other sponsors including Al Hussam School, Royal Orchids, National Foods and Pakistani volunteers for making it a highly successful event.
The Chief Guest Al Baddah congratulated Pakistanis on their National Day and vowed to support them in future. He praised Pak-Saudi relations and said it’s a true bond of friendship. In a short and elegant award distribution ceremony Haq and Al Baddah distributed awards of appreciation to the workers and volunteers.
Rahim Shah took centerstage and presented a number of his songs, starting with a famous national song and ending on his patriotic number. In his masterly performance, he sang Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi and Pashto songs. The jubilant crowd cheered and danced to many of his hit tracks, while Shah mingled with the crowd many times and brought some of his fans on stage too.
Finally, his song “Jhoola” provided the show-stopping moment of the concert. Jhoola means swing especially for kids and this song particularly reflects a person recalling his childhood memories and wishes to have his mother near him, and pushing him on the swing.
Rahim Shah’s concert was part of the Pakistan’s national day celebrations and a series of cultural events by embassy to showcase the soft image and diversity of Pakistani art, music, literature and culture. Recently prolific writer Amjad Islam Amjad visited Riyadh and spent days with the literary circle of Pakistanis in Riyadh, and many famous singers were invited by the embassy including the music Guru Arif Lohar, Singer Marvi Sarmad, Sensational voice Tufail Sanjrani, Mega Star Shiraz Uppal and now fabulous Rahim Shah.
