DUBAI: Actor and motivational speaker Adeel Hashmi enthralled the audience with a mesmerising poetry recital of legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Adeel Hashmi, the grandson of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, was a special guest at an event titled ‘A Tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz: An Evening with Adeel Hashmi’.
The 300-strong audience — from all walks of life — was left in awe with Adeel Hashmi’s recital. Pianist Asad Anees joined in to make the evening more enchanting with his tunes that touched the hearts of everyone present at the Pakistan Auditorium.
The Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) and Poetic Strokes collaborated to organise the evening in support of the Pakistan Medical Centre — the GCC’s first not-for-profit healthcare facility providing quality healthcare to people of all nationalities in the United Arab Emirates.
The PMC has served over 40,000 patients since its opening in October 2020 with a significant majority provided treatment free of cost.
Faiz Ahmed Faiz was one of the most era-defining Urdu and Punjabi poets of all time.
Speaking on the occasion, PAD President Dr Faisel Ikram said that this was one way of acknowledging the legendary work of Faiz. “We aimed to honour his work through our platform on the occasion of his birthday which is marked on February 13,” he said.
Reflecting on the PAD-PMC journey so far, he thanked PAD’s medical wing, donors, supporters and the UAE authorities for materialising “our dream project which once seemed impossible to build”.
“The beauty of this association and centre is that its volunteer central. People have a platform for institutionalised volunteering which you don’t find anywhere else,” Dr Faisel said.
“We want to make this project sustainable and operational. This will be achieved if we have a mechanism where people contribute on a regular basis. You helped us raise the place with ‘Own a Brick’. You own it. With ‘Brick a Month’, now we want to engage people in every tier of society starting from AED 200-AED 10,000 a month. With that, we will ensure sustained support from the community on a monthly basis.
“PMC is just the beginning. Our vision is to expand this centre into a hospital. It is certainly possible if we do it together. Together we serve, together we rise,” said the PAD president.
Poetry enthusiasts, literature fans, businessmen and philanthropists were in attendance who claimed their invitations upon the ownership of a brick (each worth AED 1,000) in support of the Pakistan Medical Centre — which also entitled them to a PAD membership.
A documentary narrating some moving patient accounts of how PMC has made a difference to their lives was also presented to the audience.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE Faisal Niaz Tirmizi was also among the audience. Paying tribute to Faiz, he said: “Faiz was a revolution, a message, a visionary poet whose legacy continues to live on till today.”
Ayesha Imtiaz, Founder/CEO of Poetic Strokes, said: “As an ardent supporter of Pakistan Medical Centre, Poetic Strokes is proud to co-organise this beautiful evening and become a part of this great cause.
“Adeel Hashmi and Asad Anees did justice to Faiz’s magical poetry. Such literary events should happen more often as they bring out the diversity of the unmatched city of Dubai and reflects the strength of the city’s fabric.”
Located on the Iqbal Manzil of the PAD’s main block, the medical centre has over 16 specialties with fully equipped cardiology, ophthalmology, dentistry, physiotherapy units amongst many others.
It is functional seven days a week and serves patients of all backgrounds through a hybrid model of self-pay, insurance, and welfare. The centre treats all its welfare patients through its Zakat and Sadaqah pool of donations which is supported by the community at large.
