To mark 25 years of its existence as an independent organisation promoting peace and brotherhood among people of different religions, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust is organising a cultural extravaganza at the Constitution Club here beginning January 1.
Titled “Awaz Bol”, the event is part of a series of yearlong programmes, which have been designed to create awareness about the life and work of iconic theatre personality and activist Safdar Hashmi.
It will also point out how the brave activist, known for his outspoken attitude and egalitarianism, was brutally attacked by miscreants while performing his play Halla Bol at Sahibabad, an industrial area near the Capital on January 1, 1989. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old crusader for secularism succumbed to his injuries the next day.
According to SAHMAT founder Ram Rahman, the spontaneous anger generated by Safdar Hashmi’s murder grew into a resolve among all creative people to resist all forces which threaten freedom of expression.
“Safdar Hashmi was a man with a positive frame of mind. He was always optimistic that he would succeed in disseminating his message. His positivity became the core spirit of our group. We set up SAHMAT with a view to give artists a platform to freely express their point of view without having to adhere to any political diktat. However, after a lull in communal temperature, the nation is again witnessing ascendancy of right-wing communal forces,” he said.
On Wednesday, musicians and other artists will be performing at least one piece reflecting their association with SAHMAT over these past 25 years. The programmes include an art exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi, the venue of our founding art exhibition and auction “Artists Alert in 1989”.
