Arabic/Urdu Calligraphy Paintings Exhibition in BC“Peace & Harmony”

he 80th death anniversary of Allama Iqbal was observed on 21st April 2018 at the residence of a well respected community member, Farooq Rai in Richmond. On this special occasion the Consul General of Pakistan Dr. Mohammad Tariq, Pakistani media, executive members of the Canada Urdu Association and Iqbal Academy of BC along with the office bearers of Pakistani community organizations were invited for an early preview of Arabic Urdu Calligraphy Paintings Exhibition which is to be held in British Columbia in the coming months. The program started with the recitation of the Tilawat-e-Quran Q and Dua-e-Maghfirat for Allama Iqbal and all deceased Muslims. Farooq then displayed some of his collage art work p paintings based on Allama Iqbal’s inspirational message. He has also tried to include the positive glimpses of Pakistan in his visual art work. Farooq was asked to shed some light regarding his devotion and special nisbat’ to Allama Iqbal. Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan, who had a close relationship with Allama Iqbal, was Farooq’s great uncle. Farooq’s late father professor Rai Mumtaz Ali Khan wrote a book Iqbal ki yaad’ in1940. It was pointed out for the sake of knowing our history in British Columbia, that it was March 1967 when the message of Allama Iqbal was first loudly heard in British Columbia during a memorable standing room capacity gathering at the International House at UBC, Vancouver. Farooq was the Coordinator of the historical event as outlined in his book, Pakistan to Canada: A -ourney. The poster titled “The first significant Pakistani event in B.C- March 1967,” containing rare photos of the media coverage of the event was shown to the invited guest. There was a great reaction while viewing the photos reflecting back to the historic event more then half century ago. The importance of preserving our unique cultural identity and heritage in British Columbia was emphasized by everyone for our new comers and younger generation. It was apparent that Farooq has spent indeed a considerable time, energy, and financial resources in completing over 100 paintings for a worthy cause. It was quite obvious to those who attended that this art work project is done with a great passion and sincere commitment to raise awareness of our cultural heritage and to promote goodwill in Canadian society. Farooq also shared the positive news that a limited edition book and a short documentary containing paintings and brief information about Urdu Arabic and Allama Iqbal etc., inshAllah, will be published this year. He also intend to translate his artwork into English wherever possible. This type of initiative will further promote and encourage the idea of sharing our unique valuable literary heritage in the mainstream. The whole initiative is completely a volunteer effort on Farooq’s part. He further stated that he would never sell the paintings even to recuperate his substantial cost as some have suggested that he should do. Instead, later on, he intends to donate some paintings for a good cause or worthy fundraising. g It is his wish and a strong g p plea that the community should immediately establish a place of their own and he has pledged that he would d freely donate his large collection n of paintings and other related valuable items to place like Pakistan House, or an Urdu or Iqbal Academy. Such a generous gesture was applauded by all present. He also emphasized again the need for r youth and women’s active participation in community development t and capacity building. The Pakistan Festival in August t 2018 will also showcase Farooq’s paintings. It is also matter of our community’s pride that Farooq’s paintings have also been selected for display during the Richmond World Festival 2018 which is scheduled for the September Labour Day long g weekend. This festival celebrate Rich- mond’s significant cultural diversity and the world is invited to the party’ as stated in the festival promotional material. The World Festival was recently awarded Most Outstanding Event in Canada at the Canadian Event Industry Awards gala, as the Richmond World Festival is a free event that attracts over 25,000 people and features over six performance stages, an artisan market, and numerous fun activities. The Grand Rotunda of the Art Gallery will hold Farooq’s Arabic Urdu Calligraphy Paintings Exhibition “Peace Harmony.” The exposure to Arabic and Urdu languages along with visual art of our Pakistani and Islamic literature will be seen by thousands of people in a mainstream arena and will leave significant lasting positive impact on our community. At the end of the display, everyone was given g the opportunity pp y to p provide their com- ments and d f feedback. db k Everyone spoke k hi highly hl of Farooq’s conviction and efforts to highlight and preserve our literary heritage. The art work which consists of over 100 collage paintings was very extensive and truly impressive in thought provoking quality. Farooq offered to hold further displays for any interested community groups or members at his residence. There is also recommendations to hold forums in conjunction with the exhibition to pro-actively engage the broader community about our particular areas of concerns, especially as it has been reported that Muslim Canadians are experiencing discrimination at an all time high. Farooq feels that more opportunities to share messages of peace and compassion will lead to us feeling more positively connected to each other. We need to diffuse intolerance with a positive and informed response. Concluding the artwork preview, Farooq and others felt that there is a critical need for our own place’ in the lower mainland. The Council General, Dr. Tariq and all other guests in strong terms commended and appreciated Farooq’s significant volunteer contribution and commitment to promote our unique cultural identity and literary heritage. All spoke in unison about the importance and relevance of Allama’s vision and inspirational message. The guests also thanked Rukhsana Rai for her contribution in hosting and supporting Farooq’s ongoing tireless mission. Farooq was visibly moved by such feedback and sincerely thanked everyone for their encouragement and support.