Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Ajoka Theatre observed the 65th birthday of its founder and theatre icon, the late Madeeha Gauhar. The ceremony was held in the artistically decorated lawn of the house where she spent her childhood, also the venue of the first Ajoka performance in 1984. The ceremony. titled “Celebrating Madeeha”, was attended by Madeeha’s family, friends and her Ajoka colleagues. The ceremony started with a documentary on the contribution of Madeeha Gauhar for the promotion of socially meaningful theatre in Pakistan. The programme included sitar recital by Ajoka Chair Zara Salman, Violin by Madeeha’s son and Director of Ajoka Institute Nirvaan Nadeem and musical tributes by Usman Raj, Madeeha Rasheed, Asad Yousaf and Kanwal Christopher. Thomas Yousaf played table. Well-known Qawwal, Khawar Ali sang Sufiana Kalam on the occasion while dance teacher Luke Calvin presented a dance tribute to the Ajoka founder. Madeeha’s husband and Ajoka’s Executive Director Shahid Nadeem hosted the event. The event was live streamed on Facebook. A birthday cake was cut by Madeeha’s sons Nirvaan and Sarang. Those who were present included Ajoka’s Board member Salman Chima, Executive Committee member Nayab Faiza, General Secretary Sohail Warraich, Technical Coordinator Nadeem Mir, Core members Bilal Mughal, Mohammad Qaisar, Muzammil Ali, Ali Haider, and media person Fizza Jamal.
