By: Shehneela Mazhar
Arieb Azhar, our Center Stage Alumnus 2012, has recently completed an Environment Protection Grant funded by US Mission in Pakistan in partnership with Pakistan-US Alumni Network (PUAN). Under this project Arieb penned, composed, and produced an Environment Song and video titled ‘QATRA’. Through his song, Arieb highlighted the importance of protecting the environment and preserving water resources across Pakistan.
Beautiful landscapes of Pakistan, local folk artists in colorful costumes, and the featured guest American Artist, Philip Nelson from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, who had training in Opera singing made ‘QATRA’ a successful call to action to combat Pakistan as well as global climate crisis. Azhar’s prime objective was highlighting the philosophy of Permaculture and spreading environmental awareness among children and adults in a positive way. Music creates harmony among masses. To develop harmony and change wrong perceptions among masses, Arieb also featured artists hailing from minority Hindu communities of musicians in Pakistan from Tharpakar and Tando Adam in Sindh province and Rahim Yar Khan in South Punjab. The song is in the three languages of Urdu, Sindhi, and English. The video was filmed over two days on location at the Islamabad Organic Reri Farm together with all the featured musicians.
According to Arieb Azhar, ‘Art’ as the language of culture and it not only connects us with our past but also responds to our present needs. This is the reason he has been trying for years to connect arts and culture with Permaculture and environment through his music. The prime rationale of our grantee was to re-establish connections with the nature and the Earth in response to biggest challenge of our times i.e., Climate Change and a Self-Destructive Economy.
Arieb Azhar believes that the most significant outcome of this project was first and foremost the song video itself, which has the potential to be taken up not just by environmentalists as an anthem for the climate movement of Pakistan, but also be taught in schools to spread awareness about the environment and the inter-dependency of all life.
On World Children’s Day, he was invited to the Mashal Model School for street children where he sang a live version of this song. His live performance developed interest among the children to watch the video and learn how to sing the song themselves. Another significant outcome was the coming together of the folk musicians from Sindh and South Punjab to collaborate with each other as well as with Phillip and Arieb and realize their potential to tour as a united troupe instead of holding solo performances. This song video will introduce our indigenous musicians to many newer audiences and will contribute in securing them future gigs and projects.
One of the beneficiaries of this project, Mia Nimani from Tando Adam, shared his feedback in following words: “This project gave me the opportunity to learn a new type of phrasing in Urdu singing besides my own part in Sindhi, and the chance to collaborate with Arieb Azhar from Islamabad and Phillip Nelson from the USA. It was heartening to see that people in the city are aware of the need to preserve our natural way of living!”
While shedding light on his experience regarding this grant project, Arieb Azhar shared that he was given ample support as well as artistic freedom to conceptualize and realize his idea and that he looks forward to many more such successful collaborations in the future.
