Literature Festival spotlights linguistic & cultural diversity

ABBOTTABAD: Storytelling showing linguistic and cultural diversity, poetry competition, group discussions and presentations were some of the glimpses of a daylong Literature Festival here on Wednesday.

Educationists, journalists, literati, students and civil society members participated in the event arranged at the Modernage Public School and College.It provided a platform to all to come together and express the love for language and literature.

The morning session had presentations, renditions, and a competition of “Alif Alfaz Tey Talafuz” moderated by Talib Ansari, a poet and author.The afternoon session had chief guest, Ahmed Hatib Siddique popularly known as Abu Nasr, who is a writer, poet, and columnist.

There was a panel discussion on “Invasive Media: Right to Privacy,” featuring panelists including, Muhammad Zubair, Dr Akhlaq Ahmed and Amanullah Khan. Readings by Saad Aftab, Prof. Muhammad Farooq and Saghir Nadeem were worth listening to.

Literary and poetic renditions were done by Shagufta Aamir (English), Nazia Khalil (Urdu), Riaz Ahmed (Hindko) and Muhammad Rehman Sahil (Pashto). There was a storytelling competition which showcased talent and creativity of students as they presented a diverse array of stories written in different languages.

The event saw a wonderful blend of linguistic and cultural diversity, with students like Qazi Umer Farooq taking the stage to share captivating Hindko language stories, while Jawad Ahmed Khan eloquently narrated a tale in the same language.

The linguistic richness continued with Muhammad Mubashar presenting a story in the Shina language, Abdul Rehman captivating the audience with an Arabic narrative and Basim Kamran sharing his original story in Urdu, ultimately earning the win.

The festival also celebrated excellence in English storytelling with Muhammad Uzair receiving accolades for crafting the best English story. Abdul Waheed Bismil and Zaka Rasheed were the judges.

The second half of the festival consisted of three concurrent sessions, including poetry competition. The winners were Zeeshan Hayat and Samiullah Nawaz. College Principal Abdul Wahid Mir presented souvenirs to the dignitaries in the event.