Zikr: In the Light and Shade of Time is the Autobiography of Muzaffar Ali

Journey of a world-renowned personality

Prolific film maker, artist, painter, author, revivalist, composer, fashion designer, social worker: are just few of the many hats donned by Padma Shri Muzaffar Ali.

“….he has had a fascinating and multi-faceted life…” And that is what Mr Muzaffar Ali has written about in this delightful read, says former Parliamentarian Dr Karan Singh.

Honouring the living legend, The Lucknow Management Association in association with Rumi Foundation and in collaboration with AMU Old Boys Association Lucknow designed this unique opportunity to understand “Zikr: In the light and shade of time” his Autobiography by way of a conversation.

After a resounding welcome by Mr. A.K. Mathur- Vice-President, LMA and an Introduction of Mr Muzaffar Ali by Qais Mujeeb, Young Rumi and Executive Member – AMU Old Boys Association Lucknow, Devika Singh (Young Rumi, Educationist) had a dialogue with Muzaffar Ali saheb. Excerpts of the autobiography interwoven with the conversation and an aura of his old-world charm were what made this a truly magnificent Shaam-e-Awadh.

Muzaffar Ali saheb spoke about his childhood, influence of his parents on his shaping up, school days at Lamartiniere, College Life at Aligarh where he found his love for poetry and painting, his career in Advertising and Film-making, the experience with getting in and out of politics, his bent towards Sufism and how it dominated his work afterwards, to the future of film-making and his opinion on getting into OTT content.

The book discussion was graced by an esteemed gathering of Bureaucrats, Politicians, Educationists, Businesspersons, Artists, and some of the leading influencers in Lucknow. A few names worth a mention include: Dr. Mansoor Hasan, Navneet Sehgal, Vandana Sehgal, Ammar Rizvi, Dr. Qamar Rahman, Jayant Krishna, Anis Ansari, Asma Husain, Kanak Rekha Chauhan, Dr Shakil Kidwai, M. Ghufran, and Syed Shoeb.

Eminent personalities as well as Ex-Bureaucrats such as Tariq Ghauri saheb, Aftab Ahmad Khan, Mr Mohd Shahabuddin IAS, Mr Pradeep Shukla, Mr. Suleman Rizvi, Ms. Anita Jain IAS, and Mr Ashu Jain, IRS. Prominent faces from Academia were Dr Kirti Narain, Afzal Ahmad Siddiqui, and Dr Noor Khan. Businesspersons Mr Pravin Dwivedi, Mr Vipin Gupta, Mr Arun Mathur, M Abdul Hai were also present.

Presentation of mementos to the dignitaries by Mr. M.A Khan, Convenor of Rumi Foundation and a vote of thanks by Tahira Rizvi (Young Rumi, Educationist) culminated the evening as the conversation moved to a more informal setting with High tea and book signings.

Overall, it was an evening that left the audience wanting for more. It was flight of fancy with the author himself – the very down to earth, charismatic, enigmatic erstwhile Raja of Kotwara.