Three-day Sindh Literature Festival kicks off at Arts Council

The ruins of Mohen-jo-Daro speak of the glory of the Indus Valley Civilisation that has always cherished the value of peace. The new generations of the province must know that they have inherited a great civilization.

Sindh Minister for Culture and Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah said this on Friday as he inaugurated the 5th Sindh Literature Festival at the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP). The three-day event has jointly been organised by the ACP and Sindh Literary Foundation.

According to a statement issued by the ACP, Shah said the word industry in English was derived from Indus. However, this claim does not seem to corroborate with the etymology of the word industry in reputed dictionaries like that of Oxford.

The education minister praised the Arts Council for holding the conference on Sindhi literature. He said the ACP had been working for the promotion of all languages and nationalities. Education is our foundation and it is our responsibility to improve this foundation, Shah remarked.

Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon said that the festival had proved that we wanted to keep our heritage alive. He commended the services of the ACP in the fields of arts and culture.

ACP President Ahmed Shah was of the view that we had to reform ourselves, increase observation and study, and re-conduct study circles. “Sindh is proud of its glorious past,” he remarked.

Author Noorul Huda Shah said that holding such events was a civilised way to promote our culture in the world. She added that because of the efforts of the ACP president, people speaking different languages were seen sitting together.

The festival’s organiser, Naseer Gopang, said the diversity of languages was like a bouquet made of different flowers. He explained that the event was primarily about the literature of Sindhi language but it also featured other languages.

Video messages from American archaeologist Mark Kenner and German archaeologist Michael Jensen were also shown at the inaugural ceremony of the festival. Former secretary of archaeology Dr Kaleem Lashari also expressed his views on the civilization of Mohen-Jo-Daro at the session.