The Adab Festival stands as a pinnacle among Pakistan’s esteemed events dedicated to literature and culture...
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The Adab Festival stands as a pinnacle among Pakistan’s esteemed events dedicated to literature and culture. Ameena Saiyid, initiated literature festivals in Pakistan with the belief that in a youthful nation like Pakistan, we are fortunate to possess a robust and enduring literary and cultural legacy. It is our responsibility to safeguard and enhance this heritage.
The fifth edition of the two-day festival kicked off recently in Karachi with an opening ceremony hosted by Pomme Gohar. The ceremony culminated with the eminent Adab Festival/Infaq Foundation English and Urdu Literary Awards and a performance by ETNS students.
Exciting sessions marked the first day featuring prominent figures and discussions on diverse subjects. Among the highlights was the Power Women of Pakistan session moderated by Sheema Kermani in which Jehan Ara, Uzra Dawood, Tasneem Ahmer, Aisha Sarwari and Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch spoke of their journeys.
Yasser Latif Hamdani spoke about his book, ‘Jinnah: A Life’, with Dr Mohammad Ali Sheikh and Syed Jaffar Ahmed. Liaquat Merchant, the grandnephew of Quaid e Azam, chaired the session. A session moderated by Khursheed Hyder, featured Sultana Siddiqui and Mahtab Akbar Rashdi discussing modern media and societal changes, especially with regard to women.
Afternoon sessions included Hassan Abbas’s ‘The Return of the Taliban’ in which the author, Amir Rana, Zahid Hussain and Arifa Noor discussed the current resurgence of the Taliban, and life after the departure of the Americans and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Another session on Aysha Baqir’s novel, ‘Beyond the Fields’ had the author discussing the book with Aamna Latif and focusing on the theme of gender-based violence and the pursuit of justice. A session titled ‘Television: Then and Now’ had Ehteshamuddin and Atiqa Odho as speakers and Nina Kashif as the moderator
A book launch of ‘Danaye Raz’ by Azad Iqbal, grandson of Allama Iqbal, moderated by Rukhsana Saba featured a heartfelt conversation about Azad Iqbal’s poetry with readings from his Diwan and insights into his life as a poet.
Another interesting session spotlighting ‘Dukhtar-e-Rumi’ featured its Urdu translator, Inaam Nadeem in conversation with Nasira Zuberi. They reviewed and discussed his translation of Muriel Maufroy’s bestselling novel, ‘Rumi’s Daughter’. As the evening came to a close, there was riveting singing of Bulleh Shah’s Kalam by Nadia Jamil and Yousuf Bashir Qureshi (YBQ).
As is Adab Festival’s tradition, the night finally culminated with an enthralling Mushaira moderated by Nasira Zuberi, featuring poets like Asim Raza, Javed Saba, Mehjabeen Ghazal Ansari, A.H. Khanzada, Syed Kashif Raza, Fazil Jamili, Inaam Nadeem, Aqeel Abbas Jafri, Tanveer Anjum, Fatema Hasan and Afzal Syed. Anwar Shaoor, Kishwar Naheed and Pirzada Qasim.
The festival unfolded its literary wonders and intellectual discussions on its second and final day, with a compelling interview of Ambassador and Additional Foreign Secretary, Mumtaz Baloch by Sarmad Ali. This was followed by a discussion on ‘The Reality of Artificial Intelligence’ with Syed Irfan Hyder, Rabeel Waraich and Bina Shah, with Umer Khan as moderator.
The ‘Human Sciences Education in the Anthropocene’ discussion, led by Muhammad Haris, Shama Dossa, and Anum Asi, moderated by Nauman Naqvi delved into the crucial role of education in addressing contemporary issues, environmental sustainability and social justice.
Teachers and performers Atif Badar and Yasmin Motasim led the captivating performance ‘Adab ki Dastak’ showcasing the art of dramatic readings and Dastan Goi. The session ‘Building a Generation: Are Schools Passing their Exam?’ featured speakers Salma Alam, Rana Hussain, Hassan Khan, and Faisal Mushtaq, and was very well-received.
In another enlightening session, ‘Breaking Boundaries: Inspiring Men in Humanities’, speakers Jehan Ara, Muhammad Ashar Khan, Rehan Sheikh, and Hamza Bin Sajjad discussed breaking stereotypes and the significance of promoting boys in the field of social sciences.
In a thought-provoking dialogue, speakers Kishwar Naheed, Afzal Syed, and Iftikhar Arif, led by Zehra Nigah and moderated by Shoaib Arshad, explored the importance of Mushaira in Pakistan.
Kishwar Naheed’s latest book ‘Tar Tar Pairahan’ with speakers Noor-ul-Huda Shah, Kishwar Naheed and Syed Jaffar Ahmed celebrated the legendary poet with captivating recitals by Kishwar Naheed herself.
The audience enjoyed sessions on Higher Education with speakers Anjum Halai, Talib Karim, Anzar Khaliq and Moeed Yusuf, moderated by Shahnaz Wazir Ali, and ‘A Forest in Peril’ which featured a screening of a documentary and stories from the Edge of Delta.
In a session on the bestselling book ‘Lost to the World: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Five Years in Captivity,’ by Shahbaz Taseer, he shared his nail-biting experiences in captivity.
Engaging discussions on literature, education, and society included sessions like on Syed Kaleem Imam’s book, ‘In Pursuit of an Ethical State: Reflections of a Police Chief,’ with the author in conversation with Ghazi Salahuddin.
A session on the book ‘Face to Face with Benazir’ by Zahid Hussain had Sherry Rahman, Raza Rabbani, Ghazi Salahuddin, and the author discussing Benazir’s life and legacy.
Other sessions were on books such as ‘Betrayal’ and ‘Qaidi’ by Omar Shahid Hamid with Inaam Nadeem and Aysha Baqir. ‘Pakistan ki Zarkhez Zabanein,’ featured speakers Amar Sindhu, Saani Syed, Makham Khattak, and Arfana Mallah, moderated by Waheed Noor and chaired by Noor-ul-Huda Shah, which explored the development and growth of Pakistani languages, their societal influence, and their future in the rapidly evolving times.
The final spotlight was on the autobiography ‘My Life & Times: Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai’ translated from Pashto by his son, Muhammad Khan Achakzai, former Governor of Balochistan. The discussion featured Omair Ahmed Khan alongside the author’s grandson and the translator’s son, Ayaz Achakzai.
The evening reached its pinnacle with the performance ‘ART YA AATA’ by GRIPS Theatre, featuring actors Khaled Anam, Faiza Kazi, Khalifa Sajeeruddin, Ameed Riaz, and Aysha Sheikh, as a tribute to the late Imran Aslam.
The fifth Adab Festival Pakistan 2023, with its vibrant literature celebrations, maintained its role as a dynamic platform for intellectual exchange and the celebration of Pakistan’s cultural richness through diverse sessions, performances, and book launches.
- You! desk
