Moving tributes were paid to the late stage and film comedian Sikandar Sanam who passed away after a protracted illness recently, at the Karachi Arts Council Tuesday evening.
There was a galaxy of showbiz personalities to reminisce about the star in the fondest of manner. The reference was held under the joint aegis of the Karachi Arts Council and the Muttahida Social Forum.
Faisal Nadeem, who also compered the function, paid tribute to Sikandar’s grit and determination whereby he rose to great heights in the showbiz world, having originally started off his professional life as a worker in the packing section of a match factory.
He spoke highly of Sikandar’s popularity, especially in India, where he often visited along with Kashef to perform.
Wali Sheikh, who formed a two-man team with Sikandar, was too overcome by emotion and despite making an attempt could not speak.
Shoaib, another showbiz figure, said that he’d never come across a person as fine as Sikandar and said that Sikandar never indulged in backbiting. Shakil Siddiqui said that it was easy to become a top-rated star but difficult to become a good human being. Sikandar was one of the very few who was both.
MQM MPA Tahir Qureshi recalled how very popular Sikandar Sanam and Liaquat Soldier were in the areas they lived in. He quoted Bollywood idol Dilip Kumar’s statement that artistes know no national or geographical boundaries and to endorse his statement, he cited the frequent trips Sikandar and his colleagues made to India and the popularity they enjoyed among the public there, totally free of the acrimony one associates with Indo-Pak ties.
Noted vocalist of yesteryear Muhammad Ali Shaiki said that artistes mostly had a tragic end-stage of their lives and that was because society did not accept them. They were always financially in the doldrums towards the end of their earthly tenures. It must not be forgotten that we are every bit part of society and we are an asset to it. There should be institutionalized arrangements to help artistes in their lean years just as there are provisions for people of other professions.
Iqbal Lateef, Member, Governing Body, Arts Council, said that an artiste should not be referred to as a deserving person. An artiste is a person society is indebted to. He said that the Arts Council was committed to helping needy artistes silently.
Ahmed Salim Siddiqui of the Muttahida Social Forum said that today attempts were being made to divide our society along various lines even though we were one and the same with the same religion, the same cultural values, and the same national identity. Among others who spoke were Hanif Raja, Shahzad Raza, Amjad Rana.
Ahmed Shah, President, Karachi Arts Council, endorsed the exhortation by Hanif Raja that artistes should save for the rainy days. He also assured assistance to disabled artistes and recounted the artistes who already had been aided and their medical treatment fully subsidized by the Arts Council. The late Sikandar Sanam’s son, Shoaib Sikandar, did the Tilawat of the Holy Quran.
