The book has been synonymous with knowledge, and wisdom in Muslim heritage. The revelation of the Quraan and its preservation and perpetuation in book form itself, stands as an irrefutable testimony to this phenomenon.
It is however lamented that, with the passage of time, Muslim societies, gradually alienated themselves from knowledge, and wisdom. It is encouraging that some sense of national obligation still prevails on the literary front of the country. The publication of a set of books is a commendable step forward.
They have been published by the Pakistan Academy of Letters under the series of "The architects of Pakistan's literature" and include a detail description of the great classical Punjabi poet, Waris Shah, the distinguished Pushtuo poet Ajmal Khattak and an Urdu poetess of modern time Ada Jafery.
The great poet, Waris Shah, is ranked one of the foremost poets who successfully depicted love, devotion and sacrifice in a manner that appealed to the hearts of the people. His famous poetic rendering, based on the folk tale of Heer Ranjha, stands as one of the most widely read books in the Punjab.
Hameedullah Hashmi deserves appreciation for his well researched endeavour, for the benefit of teachers, students of literature and general readers.
The second book of PAL narrates the epic story of Ajmal Khattak, the great Pushtuo politician and poet of our time. He devoted his entire life to the cause of the downtrodden in our country. His politics and poetry always focused on the miseries and hardships faced by the poor masses.
Iftikhar Arif, chairman of PAL, while commenting on his literary stature said, "Ajmal Khattak is a man of principal and always stands by the masses. His poetry does focus on the state of depressed humanity. Even his political opponents laud his poetry". Eminent writer and intellectual, Abdullah Jan, has the credit of writing the book on the great Pushto poet.
The third book on Ada Jafery is written by Shahida Hasan. Ada Jafery is considered a reputed poetess, who depicted feminine sensibilities in a style which touches the inner chords of the heart.
According to Iftikhar Arif she is the first female poet in our modern age who excelled in poetic delicacies in expressing the feelings. Her poetic individuality is a combination of the traditional and modern, with reference to technique and style.
DOCUMENTATION OF HISTORY: Dr Mubarik Ali is a great name in the field of history and historical research in our country. His work is considered a valuable source of reference for students, teachers and researchers.
This time Dr Mubarik Ali has come up with his research work in a series titled "South Asian History - People's Perspective". The author focused on the evolution of the historical process in the region, with special reference to the struggle of the masses.
He rejected the theory of the exaggerated glorification of Muslim rulers who came to this land. Instead, the author highlights the dynamics of change and the objective realities prevailing in a particular time frame. Dr Mubarik gives special attention towards waiving off the notion of hatred against the communal divide.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashfaq Saleem Mirza, an eminent scholar and intellectual lauded the efforts of the author for his righteousness in narrating history. He criticised the general trend of our historians, who have romanticised Muslim rulers, irrespective of their cruelty and barbaric policies. He lauded the efforts of Dr Mubarik Ali, who would prove to be a great source of learning history, by the new and old generation alike.
DRAWINGS BY VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN: The Capital city is privileged to have the first ever exhibition of drawings and sketches made by visually impaired children at the Al Maktum National Education Center. (inauguration on May 9). A pottery workshop is also scheduled by the famous ceramist Sheherzadey Alam for blind kids.
Visual pursuits, like painting, drawing and sketching may seem a unique phenomenon for the visually impaired children. But where there is a will, there is always a way. So is the case with the Al Makhtoom education center, a haven for blind kids, where they learn a variety of skills. The project of fostering the creative skills of visually impaired children is part of a multi - dimensional plan of the center.
TACTILE TECHNIQUE: The people attached with the welfare of blind kids have developed a technique called 'tactile', as a medium, to draw for the visually impaired children. A specially made plastic sheet, with an underlay of a silicon sheet, is provided to a kid to draw a line with a ball pen. The line rises up and can be touched and felt by the child.
Thus the image of the line transcends and preserves in the imaginative memory of the child. From now he/she can continue to further draw the entre image on the sheet and complete the drawing, painting or sketch. The visual renditions created by the blind artists are wonderful and expressive of their innocence and their imagination.
The Funkar Child Art, an NGO engaged in the welfare of visually impaired children initiated the project in collaboration with the Al Maktoom some time back. With a variety of ambitious plans, besides tactile technique drawing, it has also undertaken a workshop to impart training to make models with clay and dough.
BUDDHA THROUGH KHEWRA SALT: It would be a treat for art lovers to see the statute of the great Buddha, in salt from the Khewra mines, created by young Razia Sultana at Hunerkada.
Razia Sultana, a post graduate from the University of the Punjab, happens to be a vibrant artist who always pursues new methods and mediums. She explains why she selected salt as the medium of her genre. "I love my soil and the heritage nurtured over here. Gandhara art stands as the most distinctive expression of it and the great Buddha always motivated me spiritually. After clay and stone, salt does stand as the most pure object to use as the medium for my creativity."
The chemical characteristics of salt demand a mixture of any bonding material to the tune of thirty percent. Razia Sultana used it for her sculptures of Buddha. She also created a hollow space inside a furnished sculpture for putting a candle or small electric bulb for illumination to give a more transparent impression to the art piece.
The devotion and delicacy of the artist successfully converted the salt into a source of spiritual ecstasy. The ambassador of Japan in Pakistan, Seiji Kojima, was full of appreciation, as it was a novel experience for him to see the Buddha in salt. He said that Pakistan is a rich land, full of creative and innovative people. He termed the exhibits simple, but very elegant.
WHITHER QUALITY THEATRE: There is a great dearth of quality stage plays in both the twin cities. With the closure of the Liaquat Memorial Hall, in Rawalpindi, there is no proper place for stage plays these days. The newly opened auditorium of the Rawalpindi Arts Council is still lacking the basic paraphernalia and equipment, a pre-requisite for quality theatre.
As for some cinema halls, they are so poorly maintained that a reputed producer dare not go there to stage quality theatre. The vacuum is being filled with counter productive activity, in the form of staging some bad and vulgar variety shows in the name of theatre. The artists, directors, producers and the quality theatre goers are unanimously demanding the revival of the Liaquat Hall and the early furnishing of the auditorium under the control of Rawalpindi Arts Council.
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