'Shaikh Ayaz's operas presented women as revolutionary'.

HYDERABAD -- Shaikh Ayaz's famous four operas presented women as revolutionary and held them in high esteem as his classic dramatisation of Bhitai's heroines depicted, said speakers at various sessions on Ayaz at the ongoing Ayaz Melo on Monday.

The sessions were held on Sunday and Monday evening in the festival which also featured staging of Ayaz's opera of Dode Soomre ji maut at Sindh Museum during the five-day melo being organised by Khanabadosh writers' cafe.

A session on 'Ayaz ja opera' was nicely moderated by Sindh's eloquent broadcaster Naseer Mirza, who said that besides being a poet Ayaz had an unusual knack for drama and he used this format for social change through his classic dramatisation of Bhagat Singh, and Ranikot ja dharyal.

Bakhtawar Palijo, who taught at National Academy of Performing Arts, said that people of Sindh should not remain aloof from arts. It was heartening to see that now girls were studying art and taking interest in theatre. 'We need to develop organically,' she said.

Bakhtawar, sister of PPP senator Sassui Palijo, said that Ayaz had held women in high esteem and he had clear understanding of political movements and people.

Before inviting another panellist Ali Akbar Leghari, secretary culture, Mirza who had read Ayaz extensively, pointed out that even Ayaz's prose had a colour of dramatisation that could be reflected only in opera Dode Soomre ji maut.

Quoting dialogues attributed to legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Ayaz's opera on the revolutionary, he said this could only be depicted in an opera. Ayaz's character Chholi, Chanesar's concubine, sided with Sindh's freedom fighter Dodo Soomro and then fought alongside his army when she found that Chanesar had become traitor and befriended Allauddin Khilji.

Leghari made some points in a generalised way, saying that opera on Dodo was most effective. Operas had particular goal and Ayaz had this in mind; he had tried to raise morale of Sindhi people during '70s.

Co-panellist Zaib Nizamani who had herself performed role of Chholi in opera produced by her late husband Nisar Hussaini in 1992 and was...