Hindko poetry recital session draws a big crowd

PESHAWAR: A literary, cultural and social welfare organisation, Gandhara Hindko Board (GHB), arranged a Hindko poetry recital session at Bazaar-e-Kalan in the heart of the city, which received an encouraging response.

A press release said a total of 20 poets and people from various walks of life attended the session, arranged near the 116-year-old Cunningham Clock Tower or Ghanta Ghar, in the old quarters of the city. 

A senior Hindko poet, Khawaja Yaqoob Akhtar, presided over the programme.  A broadcaster, Ahmad Nadeem Awan, who has a name in rendering Hindko sufi poetry, conducted the proceedings. A distinguished lyricist from Peshawar, Syed Saeed Gilani, was the chief guest. Guests of honour were Sajjad Babar and Nazir Bhatti. 

The GHB representatives, including Vice-Charman Dr Salah-ud-Din and General Secretary Muhammad Ziauddin, spoke on the occasion. They talked of the objectives of the literary function. 

They said poets were an asset to the society and poetry was an important part of the literature of any language. They said this mushaira had and added importance as it had been arranged by the board in collaboration with the Directorate of Culture, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

The literati said the Directorate of Culture had selected GHB for the promotion of the Hindko literary and cultural activities under its newly launched Revival of Indigenous Cultural Heritage (RICH) Project. They said various literary and cultural activities would be conducted under the project.  

Dr Salah-ud-Din, who is a known cultural activist, hoped the RICH Project would work as a catalyst in identifying and reviving the celebrations of the indigenous culture of the province. It will help document all human cultural assets and prepare a online database available to researchers.