When I use to attend Sadequian Awards I did not even have the faintest idea that one day I would be sitting as a judge on the rostrum of Sadequian Awards. It was a pleasant surprise for me when I received a call to accept an invitation to become a judge at the Sadequain Awards 2012.
I have a great affiliation with Sadequain and Frere Hall. I have attended almost all Sadequian Awards ceremonies since its inception in 1991. I assisted in arranging that ceremony and since then I associate myself to this award. Almost every senior artist and senior art critic of Pakistan had performed the role of a judge in this award at different times. In 1991, the first prize of Sadequain Awards was won by Shehla Rehman in painting and the judge's panel included Sultan Ahmed, S Amjad Ali and Muhammed Jahangir.
As a teenager, I met Sadequain, shortly before his death in 1986, in the premises of Frere Hall - the finest building of Karachi. That afternoon I went to Frere Hall to meet my friend Mobin Qadir, who was recently appointed there. My friend took me to a nearly carpeted room where he introduced me to Sadequain. While shaking hands with him I was unaware of the fact that I was being introduced to a legendary artist. Dressed in white Kurta and pajama, slim and smart, with unkempt hair, wearing heavy spectacles, surrounded by various size paint brushes and different colours he was squatting on the floor and doing his work: painting.
And at that time he was working on the most prestigious painting project of his life on the theme of "Man and his Universe". It was the last great project of his life, which he began in 1986 as he came back again to resume painting. It was a mural, which is now displayed on the ceiling of the Liaquat Hall (old Frere Hall) in Karachi. He died, leaving it only three-fourth complete. It has been painted on 87 hardboard panels of 8X 4 feet, while thirteen remain unpainted because of his death on February 10, 1987. It is entitled "The Universe of Earth and Heaven". It includes two huge figurative murals, one represents 'Darkness and Light', while the other represents 'War and Peace', in allegorical form and symbolic images.
Thus it shows that Sadequain felt deeply the sufferings and trials of man. He strove constantly using his art for promoting the cause of goodness and righteousness, progress and enlightenment, peace and happiness.
Sadequain was a very socially conscious artist who felt acutely the ills and evils, the tragedies and sufferings of life. He adopted cactus, a thorny plant grows wild in the harsh desert conditions as a symbol of man struggling and surviving in the most adverse conditions.
Sadequian Awards are just like film and TV awards for the artist's community. It was introduced to appreciate the artist's work in their respective field - painting and calligraphy. This award is considered as a great honour for the artists in Pakistan.
Artists participate enthusiastically in this award. This year about 300 candidates participated for the award. This time the Awards coincide with the 26th death anniversary of Sadequain on February 10. It was 16th Sadequain Awards and to commemorate the Sadequain Awards 2012 Karachi Metropolitan has printed a special issue including detailed information about the awards.
The winners in painting category were; Muhammed Akram Spoul (1st position), S Abdullah Ali (2nd position), Ashraf Husain (3rd position) and Zafar Mehmood and Junaid Qadir were awarded consolation awards.
The winners in calligraphy category were; Mehfooz Ahmed (1st position), Muhammed Kashif Khan (2nd position.), Abdul Aziz Awan (3rd position) and Muhammed Naveed Maroof and Muhammed AbuBakar Siddique were awarded consolation awards. nadeemzuberi71@gmail.com