Students exhibit sensitivity towards social problems

Islamabad
The venue of a poster competition themed ‘Street Life’ presented a true scene of the inner city streets as students of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) used their creative skills to bring life to a simple poster competition.
The innovative ideas, artistic abilities and sensitivity of students towards social problems were evident from the themes and issues highlighted in the posters but the typical ‘gubaray wala’ (balloon vendor) on a bicycle, ‘goll gapay’ and ‘paan kiosk’, bangle seller and beggars roaming around the hall brought energy and entertainment to the overall environment.
There was even a drug addict sitting in a corner besides a roadside barber. “It was a great experience for all of us. The university provided us with a platform to practice our creative skills,” said Hamad Liaquat, a third semester student of the Mass Communication Department, who acted as a drug addict. He said that he searched through the internet and watched documentaries on drug addicts to act as one at the exhibition.
One side of the venue presented life of the urban streets with phone booths, ice cream vendors, musicians and sophisticated streetlights. A boy with a guitar entertained visitors with live music.
Syeda Fatima Zehra, one of the organisers, said that it was the fourth year of such exhibitions. “Art relates to all education disciplines. Even we are amazed to see such art pieces made by future economists, journalists and intellectuals,” she said.
The exhibition was organised by the NUML Art and Graphics Society under the aegis of the Mass Communication Department of the university. Students from different departments used different mediums to highlight the lifestyle on Pakistan’s streets besides pointing out the plight of the underprivileged.
A street scene from Balochistan depicting a woman with her little child having lunch with plain ‘bread’ got the first prize in the painting category. “It was a picture taken by me a few years ago in a street of Quetta. The scene of this woman feeding her child despite all hardships stayed in my mind and when I heard about this competition, I decided to bring that on the canvas,” said the painter, Fayaz Baloch, a seventh semester student of BS Economics. He named it ‘When the World is Only a Piece of Bread.’
Maham Ayaz of English Department and Alishba Waheed of the Mass Communication Department stood second and third respectively in the painting category.
In the sketch category, Danish Ali of Mass Communication Department won the competition followed by Mehwish Muzaffar and Habibullah of Mass Communication Department for second and third positions.
In the third category of graphics, Syed Talha Rashid, Syed Qasim Raza and Zain Shaukat of the Mass Communication Department got first, second and third prizes.
Speaking on the occasion, NUML Rector Major General (r) Masood Hasan appreciated the efforts of students. He said that such activities not only nurture the creative abilities of the students but also help society to improve its standards. He urged students to join volunteer work and adopt a street to contribute in practically improving the life of people living on streets. “Even a little change makes a lot of difference,” he said.
In his welcome address, NUML Mass Communication Department Head Mufti Jamiluddin Ahmad explained the concept of street art, which was followed by a presentation on the theme of the exhibition by a member of the NUML Art and Graphics Society, Amna Zulfiqar. Later, the rector distributed prizes among the winners.