from Faheem Jawaid
for Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh

Riyadh, Jun 2: Gulping your orange juice while carrying your sandwich to munch on your way, hurrying your kids to school, and rushing to office to make it on time.  

Relax!
Slow down!
WHAT?

Who has the time to relax and slow down in this rapid paced world? Slowing down might sound quite absurd in our present day life, where right from taking food everything seems to be on the fast track.  

This hurricane-attitude of life has downloaded in us annoyance, irritation, frustration and eventually, depression. All these can be avoided, if you have sense of humour – your sixth sense! 

Surely, life is a mixture of happiness and sorrow, pleasure and displeasure, but human nature is such that you cannot scowl or sob, and smile at the same time. Smile and you cannot scowl and sob. Frustration and depression are best buried. There is nothing like a good laugh to dispel the odour of unpleasantness in your life.  

On Thursday, May 29 Tanzeem Hum Hindustani (an active organization that works for NRIs' welfare) organized 'Jashne Mizah' or 'Celebration of Humour', at Saudi German Hospital auditorium, Riyadh, to facilitate the expatriates to shed their stale and stagnant moments of life, and to felicitate the 'Robin Hood of humour' Mustafa Ali Baig.  

The event comprised of three segments: jokes session, humourous prose session and humourous poetry session. 

Imtiaz Ahsan, secretary, THH introduced the 'Tanzeem Hum Hindustani' squad. Khaled Hussain, vice-president, THH welcomed the audience and participants of the sessions.

Mohammed Quaiser, president, THH presided over and Hifzur Rahman, secretary (culture and information), Indian Embassy, was the chief guest of the 'Jashne Mizah.'

The guest poet of the event, theater/radio/TV artiste and author of 'I am sorry' (poetry collection) Mustafa Ali Baig is known to be the only Anglo-Urdu poet in the world, who uses English phraseology, abundantly and skillfully in Urdu poetry.

Each session witnessed different conveners and guests of honour, which were as follows:

Jokes Session:

Guests of Honour: M A Rasool (vice-chairman, OUOBNA)
                           Mirza Saleem Baig (Urdu poet)

Convener: Amir Gaffar Siddique
 
Humourous Prose Session:

Guests of Honour: Shah G Subhani (honourary member, IISR managing committee)
                           Shahabuddin (Jamia Millia Islamia)

Convener: Mir Ahmed Ali

Humourous Poetry Session:

Guests of Honour: Niaz Ahmed Khan (Chairman, OUOBNA) 
                           M A Haseeb (executive director, Hammadi Hospital)

Convener: K N Wasif

In the first session, the jokes of Khazi Atiuddin, M A Mujeeb, Dr Ozair Ghazi, Azam Omer, Aleem Khan Falaki and Mustafa Ali Baig on numerous topics made the audience roar with laughter. Amir Gaffar Siddique’s timely crunchy comments, mimicry items, jokes and monologue performance, were the heart and soul of the session.

In the second session, Zakaria Sultan and Masihuddin Abu Nabeel read humourous articles 'Ab to phoolon main bhi khushboo na rahi' and 'Doc Saab' simultaneously.  

Aleem Khan Falaki’s 'Toub' was well-received by the audience. K N Wasif read his article 'Mizah ka Robin Hood - Mustafa Ali Baig' amidst thunders of applause. Both the articles were found to be of great literary value and significance.

In the third session Tahir Bilal, M A Mujeeb, Aleem Khan Falaki, Shaukat Jamal, Dr Parvez Ahmed, Azra Naqvi and Mustafa Ali Baig recited their humourous poems and ghazals. The jam-packed auditorium of Saudi German Hospital reverberated with peals and shrieks of laughter until the last 'angry ghazal' of Mustafa Ali Baig.

The colossal response of the audience made Mohammed Quaiser, in his presidential speech, promise that such events would be regularly conducted every year.  

The chief guest Hifzur Rahman showed his deep concern about the fact that the forthcoming generation would not have any successor approximating a poet like Mustafa Ali Baig.