For 17 days in March, the ad industry spun into overdrive in a frenzy of anticipation about who would be the lucky 17 that would carry home a coveted Aurora Award for Excellence in Advertising. At the event, the lucky 17 turned out to be the lucky nine in a night that was full of surprises and charged with emotion. Fouzia Mapara reports.*

Adcom swept the 2007 Aurora Awards for Excellence in Advertising, carrying away no less than seven Auroras! And it was icing on the cake when a Lifetime Achievement Award went to agency head Imran Syed’s father, the late SM Akhlaq.

The Aurora Awards Ceremony, which took place on March 17, was originally scheduled to be held on March 11. However, unexpected rain on that Sunday morning forced a postponement, further heightening the suspense that had built up over the last month among advertising professionals.

The ceremony was flawlessly hosted by CityFM89 radio celebrities Ayeshah Alam and Leon Menezes, who put on the kind of class act one would expect to see at an international awards ceremony.

The Aurora Awards were a moment of triumph and pride, not just for the winners, but for anyone who believes in the recognition of true merit. Considered (and not by an insignificant few) as the Pakistani advertising industry’s reply to the Oscars, the second Aurora Awards for Excellence in Advertising (the first were held in 1992) have clearly established the event as the premier showcase of creative talent in advertising, giving recognition to – and honouring – the best in the field.

It was a cool Karachi evening, with a light salty breeze scented with the therapeutic fragrance of motia, chambeli and raat ki rani mixed with the occasional waft of Envy Me, Prada or Salvatore Ferragamo. The serene magnificence of the Mohatta Palace stood witness to the designer wear and camaraderie of the glitzy advertising industry, as it did to the silent prayers of the finalists awaiting the moment of truth.

As the guests entered the cast-iron gates of the Mohatta Palace, they were greeted with a red carpet welcome and by the pleasant notes of live Sindhi music, after which they proceeded to meet, greet and mingle, while they were served a delightful array of mocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

There was plenty of fashion, style and flair to be seen and written about, which showed that ample excitement and anticipation did indeed precede the glitzy evening. Beauty salons must have been full of activity and a lot of N-series and Motorola cell phones must have sizzled with predictions about the winners, details of the flashiest diamonds, the shortest capris and the most elegant silk saris.

After all, this was the one night when advertising people finally allowed their workaholic mindsets to ‘de-juice’, their frazzled nerves to chill and surrender to the splendid ambiance, and to enjoy the rewards for all the toil (and trouble) that is part and parcel of their gruelling work as advertising professionals.

The anticipation went back all the way to September 2006, when advertising agencies sent in the entries that best presented their work between June 2003 and June 2006 for 17 categories in electronic, print, outdoor advertising, as well as multiple media. As over 600 entries were received, three separate panels consisting of five judges each had to be constituted. The first panel dealt with print and outdoor, the second with TVCs only and the third with radio and multiple media campaigns.

Hence on the night of March 17, with bated breath, some nervous gestures and a few overconfident smiles, agency heads, art directors, marketing professionals, creative directors, copywriters, (and anyone who understands the passion of giving birth to a Big Idea and taking it right up to final execution) awaited to find out where the 17 Aurora Awards would finally end up.

The Awards Ceremony was preceded by a sumptuously imaginative dinner served in the palace lawns. Prior to dinner, while guests mingled in the Char Baagh, they were treated to an array of exotic juices ranging from ambrosian strawberry and coconut water, to motia, sandal and ilaichi from the 16th century Hakim Dars workshop in old Thatta. More conventional juices were also on offer; freshly pressed kinnoo and grapefruit as well as apple and pineapple.

The appetizers turned out to be the precursors to a truly imaginative culinary experience and included Prawns Mohana (freshwater prawns netted from the creeks of the Indus Delta) Pakora Maghazi (succulent morsels of lamb brain seasoned with pungent green chillies and red talahari mirch), and Goth Jo Chattpato Tempuro (local sweet and sour village tempura).

Thereafter, dinner was served in the arena and a buffet (with the same menu) in the luxurious lounges reserved for 30 carefully selected young agency people). According to the Aurora team, the meal was prepared by some of the most sought after master chefs from inner Sindh, who put together a menu derived from recipes that went back some 500 years…

There was Ra’oo Samundi (carp from the freshwater lakes of Sanghar in eastern Sindh); Murgh Shikargahi, (morsels of boneless chicken simmered in a white sauce made from cardamoms and white cumin seeds), a treasured delicacy said to have been served at the hunting lodges of the Talpur Mirs. Also on the menu – and I will contain myself to just mentioning two more dishes – Kofta Nizamshahi (tender mutton koftas made from a recipe dating to the 14th century Soomra Court of Jam Nizamuddin in Thatta and Noorie’s Ransom. The latter being made from freshly plucked Sindhi spinach, gently cooked with young lotus stems from the Kheenjhar Lake. All this was rounded off with the Coupe Zafarelli (named after the poet Zafar Kazmi, whose favourite dessert this was), consisting of deliciously handmade Matiari pineapple and pistachio ice cream.

Given the anticipated duration of the evening, dinner was served promptly at eight o’clock and with that out of the way, the Ceremony could begin in earnest. Kicking off the proceedings was a four-minute film on Aurora (the magazine), tracing its nine-year evolution since its launch in July 1998. The film over and the stage went pitch black and then lit up again as a purple spotlight focused on a statue-like figure whose face appeared to have been covered with a veil. With the music reaching its crescendo, the ‘statue’s’ arm dropped and with it the veil, and out stepped Ayeshah Alam in a soft cream sari, simply announcing: “Hi! I’m Ayeshah and I will be your host tonight.”

Next, the spotlight moved to pick up the figure of a suited Leon Menezes as he moved forward to introduce himself and so begin one of the most awaited evenings in the history of Pakistani advertising.

Interspersing the awards were seven fabulous musical segments presented by some of the most talented exponents of Sufi Soul. Apart from the incomparable Abida Parveen and her rendition of the Sufi kalam, the evening included Naseebo Lal and her melodies from Punjab and Rajasthan; Zarsanga with a selection of Pushto folk songs and Akhtar Channal Zehri from Balochistan. There were also the performing troupes from Jhang and Multan, folk songs by Dhamali Alan Fakir and the Sur Kalyan performed by the fakirs of Shah Jo Rag led by Khan Fakir.

The guests left past midnight, clutching their tabloids and bouquets of fresh orchids. It was truly a scintillating night certain to be remembered for a long time, a night that brought triumph to some and a new resolve to others to reach out for the stars in the years to follow. But most of all, it was a night that did the advertising profession proud. It honoured those of its pioneers who had either retired or passed away in the 15 years since the first Aurora Awards were held at Baleji Beach in 1992. And looking to the present, the Aurora Awards have finally given the industry what it so clearly lacked – a transparent recognition system for the best creative it can muster.