Kohat festival concludes with pledge to promote Hindko language, culture

PESHAWAR: The ‘Hindko Cultural Festival’ concluded in Kohat with the pledge to make more efforts to preserve and promote Hindko language and culture.

According to a press release, a Peshawar-based literary and cultural organisation, Gandhara Hindko Board, and Gandhara Hindko Academy had arranged the elaborate programme at the Bacha Khan Library Hall. Collaboration was struck with local literati and cultural activists for the purpose.

A noted Hindko writer, poet, research scholar and Gandhara Hindko Board General Secretary, Muhammad Ziauddin, was coordinator for the programme. A known literatus Dr Syed Matiullah Shah was the chief organiser while Tariq Mehmood deputy organiser.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Member National Assembly (MNA) from Kohat, Shehryar Afridi, was the chief guest on the occasion.The programme was themed ‘Hindko culture - a symbol of peace’. The delegations from Peshawar and Hazara regions also attended the function.

Among some of the participants were Ahmad Nadeem Awan, Arshad Siddiqui, Nazir Hussain Shah Kasailvi, Prof Nasir Daud, Ajmal Nazir, Raja Noor Mohammad and Dr Shahida Asghar.

The speakers said Hindko was an important and second mainly spoken language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They said concerted efforts were needed to preserve and promote the language. The literati said it was our duty to transfer the language to our next generation in its original form.

Parents were urged to converse with children in Hindko at home as that would infuse a new life into the language. The speakers said poets and writers had the foremost responsibility to promote Hindko language side by side with other languages.

Muhammad Ziauddin said the Gandhara Hindko Board had been working for the preservation and promotion of Hindko language and culture for the last 23 years.He said the board had recently expanded the scope of own work and included other provincial languages as well in its literary and cultural activities.

The writer said the board had published over 100 books on various genres of the Hindko literature and was bringing out journals as well.Dr Syed Matiullah Shah talked about importance of Hindko language and culture. He said Kohat had produced legendary literary figures such as Ahmad Faraz, Muhammad Rustam Kiyani and several others whose work stood widely acknowledged. He expressed happiness at the response the festival had received and gave its credit to all the organising team members.

MNA Shehryar Afridi said mothers were the real custodians of culture and they should train children in loving respective languages.He said all the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa languages were like a bouquet of flowers which commanded respect and required efforts for promotion.

The PTI legislator, who is a familiar face on the private television talk shows and is seen vigorously defending his party policies, received a huge applause when he switched his medium of speech from Urdu to Hindko.

Shehryar Afridi praised the Gandhara Hindko Board, Gandhara Hindko Academy and Kohat chapter of the literary body for arranging such a colourful programme to highlight Hindko language and its culture. He pledged all help in promoting literary and cultural pursuits.

The organisers had divided the cultural festival into various segments such as folk songs, music, skits and mushaira or poetry recital session.The folk songs and poems rendered by Abdul Hameed Hameedi, Qadir Jan, Qayyum Shad, Shafiq Anwar, Mohammad Ramazan, Mariam Hussain, Khan Zaman Azam and Ashiq Hussain enthralled the audience.

Prof Shujaat Ali Rahi, Mohammad Israr, Masoom Shah, Shamsul Islam, Arshad Naeem, Imran Talib and others recited Hindko poetry and won acclaim.A skit ‘Babu Sahib’ played by Mastan Gul which was appreciated by the audience.

A Hindko proverb quiz competition was also conducted. Prizes were given to the people who explained them fittingly.Raza Kazmi along with children of his school highlighted the vanishing customs at wedding ceremonies. The school girls beat ‘Dhol’ and sang Hindko songs which used to be common in the past on such festive occasions.

The artisans from villages displayed skills by weaving on the spot various household items. Other locally made handicrafts were also exhibited on the occasion.The art pieces of a Kohat-based artist, Liaqat Ali Khan, were displayed during the festival. A book stall was set up on the sidelines of the festival that displayed various Hindko language books, publications and journals being published by the Gandhara Hindko Academy, which was launched last year as a public-private partnership project in Peshawar to preserve and promote Hindko language and culture.