PESHAWAR: A new multilingual literary organization titled ‘Idraak International’ was founded to promote linguistic diversity by enhancing literary activities and arousing a spirit of participation among the literati.
A special consultative meeting was held in which five members cabinet, including Prof Nasir Ali Syed, Neemroz Qais, Nabi Gul Zaheer, Rahim Awan and Ajmal Farooqi were selected as Patron-in-chief, president, vice-president, general secretary and copyist of the organization.
Shedding light on the aims and objectives, Prof Nasir Ali Syed said the newly-formed organization would try to promote the cause of linguistic diversity and bring out the latent talent of the budding poets, writers and critics hailing from a wide range of linguistic backgrounds.
The new literary body would provide a platform to young literati of all languages spoken in and around Peshawar.
“Multilingual literary organization, Idraak International was formed with an objective to encourage literati producing literary pieces in any lingo thus safeguarding our linguistic diversity, which would breed mutual understating,” he elaborated.
Neemroz Qais, a noted Pashto poet and critic, pointed out that Peshawar had been hub of literary and cultural activities down the ages and founding a multilingual literary organization would lend quality to the literary tradition of the provincial metropolis.
“Over two dozens literary bodies had been operating in Peshawar city run both by male and female writers playing a significant role in shaping up the outlook of the young bards,” he stated.
Meanwhile, speakers at an event held here have asked young students to take maximum advantage of social media for competing modern day challenges and avoid wasting time on it purposelessly.
The intelligent use of social media would help young learners gain much but its misuse would earn them irreparable loss, they said.
An English speech competition titled ‘Does social media make us social or otherwise?’ arranged at a local college where student contestants spoke for and against the proposition.
The participants did not carry it with an argument that most young people unfortunately used social media purposelessly thus drawing away from social norms and civilized attitude.
The contestants highlighted both negative and positive aspects of social media in their speeches and asked young students to use it for promoting peace, tolerance and social cohesion with an objective to build a peaceful, just and prosperous society. “Social media is neither bad nor good but it is the user’s choice that makes it so,” the competitors observed.
The advanced technology should be used purposefully especially for knowledge and promotion of good cause so that maximum benefits could be eked out of it and new avenues of exploring thoughts and ideas could be accessed, the principal of the college stressed.
Parents and teachers should keep a vigilant eye on the adult children using social media, he advised. Later, certificates of commendation were distributed among the winning contestants.