ERA POST-1975:
Odyssey of Talents Guild continued ahead with zeal and enthusiasm inspiring as supporting the people either directly or indirectly belonging to performing art. These artists were either well-known or unknown Guild had been facing impediments continuously introducing unknown known. Theatre was popular among a certain class. The nation was having a limited channel of communication comprised of one Radio station and one TV station in each big city. The print media (newspaper) was communicating well to the public; however, unable to provide exhaustive information regarding what had been happening in the country and abroad. Limited time was in the hands of TV to telecast advertisements, feature programs, and news. Maximum coverage of news and feature programs was next to impossible. It was the demand of time to diversify communication. The government of Pakistan realized the impediments, thought with delay, took positive steps by allowing subscription of licenses of private TV channels in 1996 so that the public should no longer remain deprived of entertainment, global information; and performing arts could be unleashed and unknown artists could be sized up to known.
YEAR 1974:
“BARA SAHIB”, a famous drama written by a very famous Pakistani writer Mr. Agha Baber, was staged and gained popularity among the theatergoers in 1974. Mr. Iqbal Latif; PTV (Pakistan Television) producer, played the lead role of “BARA SAHIB “and Mr. Shahzad Raza, who is also a famous artist of today, played a key role, too.
YEAR 1975:
Ceremony held to give an award in recognition of performances of artist including Qasim Jalali, TV producer; Bakhtiar Ahmed, TV producer; Zaheen Tahira, Qazi Wajid, Behroz Subzwari, Munawar Sultana, Muhammad Yousuf (Late) who performed in the dramatized TV serial based on the novel “KHUDA KI BASTI” written by Mr. Shaukat Siddiqui. The award was given by the panel of judges included Mr. Abdul Karim Baloch, General Manager (PTV); Mr. Mohsin Ali, (Program Manager – PTV); Neelofar Abbasi, (TV – Artist), A.R Mumtaz, journalist (Late); and Ghazala Rafiq, TV artist (Late). The drama title “BEECH RASTAY MAI “, also composed for theatre was written by Mr. Manzar Imam, a prominent dramatist of all time. This was his debut as a drama writer and the debut of Mr. Shahzad Raza as director.
Celebrated as an evening with Mr. Moin Akhter (Late), the legendary artist who was in the fledgling stage of his field of art, was a step ahead in embedding the tradition of celebrating the evening with the artist and other iconic personalities.
Singer, Bashir Ahmed and his wife Meena Bashir, also a singer who had a melancholy voice, left for Bangladesh. Mr. Bashir Ahmed had stayed in Karachi for a long time and his songs, especially of Urdu movies “Darshan“, were very popular among the listeners. His art of singing was at culmination at that time when he with his family left Pakistan for Bangladesh. To say goodbye, Talents Guild organized the biggest musical event to celebrate the memorable evening with them.
YEAR 1996:
Recognition and promotion of Art to be left unleashed was the motto of Talents Guild since inception. The area of management event was enhanced by laying the foundation of a tradition of publishing in paper-back or hardbound edition under the caption (in Urdu “SHUKHSIAT “). The edition contained the life-time achievements of the personality under review. In this regard, the initial edition was published based on the life achievement of the personality under review. In this regard, the initial edition was published based on the lifetime achievement of prominent poet and writer Mr. Himayat Ali Shair in 1996. The inaugural ceremony of this edition had been held in Khursheed Hall. Hotel Avari Tower, Karachi was attended by various dignitaries, intellectuals, journalists, poets, writers and other renowned personalities of the city. The efforts of Talents Guild towards publishing edition were acknowledged and applauded by intellectuals and other renowned personalities belonging to social, cultural, and traditional circles as well as by renowned journalists. And exhaustive comments and reports in acknowledgment of the editing were also published in newspapers and magazines abroad.
YEAR 1997:
The second editing of (in Urdu “SHUKHSIAT”) was published based on the lifetime achievements of columnist, humorist, dramatist, and well-known satirist Mr. Kamal Ahmed Rizvi. The inaugural ceremony of this edition had been held in Khursheed Hall. Hotel Avari Tower, Karachi was attended by various dignitaries, intellectuals, journalists, poets, writers, and other renowned personalities of the city.
An evening with famous Urdu dramatist Mr. Hameed Kashmeeri was celebrated at the venue of the Arts Council of Pakistan. It was a big ceremony in which various well-known personalities, poets, writers, and journalists of the country attended and shared their views about the iconic personality of Mr. Hameed and applauded his efforts in promoting Urdu Drama. An evening with a famous songwriter, Mr. Fayez Hasmik was celebrated in the same venue. The ceremony, successfully organized was one of its kind. The ceremony was completed in two phases; in the first phase distinguished guest personalities and speakers shared their views in the perspective of music and songwriting of Mr. Hashmi and in the second phase songs written by Fayez Hashmi were sung by the artist at the penal of Arts Council of Pakistan. In this way, new voices of the different artists were introduced. A ceremony in the same pattern was organized to pay tribute to a famous poet and song written by Mr. Himayat Ali Shair. The ceremony held was in the perspective of his book titled “Tahj Ko Ma’aloom Nahi” consisting of songs that had been written by him for the Pakistan Film Industry during the era of 60s, 70s, and 80s. The ceremony was presided over by one of his fellow poet, national songwriter, intellectual, and columnist Mr. Jamil Uddin Aali; and other famous film critics, and poets shared their views about the songs of Mr. Himayat Ali Shair. Afterward, singers of a generation of the 90s rendered their tribute to him by singing his ever-green songs before the audience. This was a big ceremony with reference to literature and music.
YEAR 1998:
Ceremony held in the honor of nationally and internationally acclaimed famous flute player-Ustad Salamat Hussain. Guild had the honor to celebrate an evening with his first time in Pakistan. He performed before the audience and made them his fans who applauded his performance by giving a standing ovation. Other singers and artists also participated and performed by giving a standing ovation. Other singers and artists also participated and performed before the audience received applause with high-handed slapping along with repeated demand of song sung, lately, and ceremony lasted till late night. Apart from this ceremony, a ceremony was held in the honor of a renowned singer, Mr. Ahmed Rushdi a few months later in the same venue as well.
YEAR 2001:
The third edition of (in Urdu “SHUKHSIAT”) was published on the life-time achievement of famous fiction writer and dramatist Mr. Hameed Kashmeeri and the ceremony was held in Khursheed Hall, Hotel Avari Tower Karachi. Writers and journalists admired the initiatives of the Talents Guild and rated it as “outstanding” And edition was very much adored and applauded also at the national level.
YEAR 2004:
With reference to recognition and inspiration, an evening was celebrated with the renowned movie producer, director, and movie star, Mr. Syed Kamal at the venue of Arts Council of Pakistan. In the first phase of the ceremony renowned personalities of the film industry such as Nadeem Baig, Zeba Bukhtiar, Shakeel; and renowned poet and songwriter, The Honorable Mr. Himayat Ali Shair shared their views about the unique performances of Mr. Kamal in the movie, their production, and their direction. In the second phase, the audience was entertained with clips of movies in which he had given his amazing performances. And in the third and last phase, young singers of the generation sang those songs which had been picturized on Mr. Kamal. This ceremony had high importance with reference to show the business activities of the city.
EPILOGUE:
Last but not the least, Talents Guild has now become a stable and esteemed institution with reference to event management and repository of lifetime achievements of artists, columnist, dramatist, intellectuals, journalist, poets and writers who had kept and has been keeping and will remain to keep alive the “Performing Art”, Weather they are alive or deprived Talents Guild from their company, Talents Guild was thankful and has been thankful and will remain thankful to those personalities without the contribution and collaboration of whose Talents Guild could not even budge. Talents Guild do have preserved the history and memories of the odyssey of performing art during the last 44 years span of which.