Zubair Qureshi
The Pakistan Academy of Literature (PAL) is all set for a three-day international conference on children’s literature titled ‘Children’s Literature: Past, Present & Future’ covering almost all issues relating with children’s mental, intellectual, academic growth through literature and its various genres.
The inaugural session will be held on Tuesday (tomorrow) in the Faiz Auditorium of the PAL. Chairman PAL Dr Yousaf Khushk will welcome the guests while Senator Irfan Siddiqui will be the chief guest while noted writers and columnists Mehmood Sham and Amjad Islam Amjad will read papers. Secretary National Heritage Culture Division Zafar Hussain will give a vote of thanks on the occasion.
The three-day conference is going to be a mega event, first of its kind in the history of Islamabad, rather Pakistan focusing on children’s literature specifically and discussing various issues related to their mental growth and personality’s grooming. In this age of mobile phone and children’s obsession with video games and cell phone addiction the conference serves like a ray of hope perhaps we could bring these crazy souls back to the pure delights of childhood which happen to be story books, magazines, kids’ rhyming etc.
The conference will be featuring 30 sessions in which children will not only listen to the acclaimed writers and poets in general but those of kids’ literaure in particular. Chairman of the PAL Dr Yousaf Khushk while briefing the media persons Sunday about the international conference said the conference was going to serve the purpose to bring children back to books and literature. This in turn will enhance their creative power and shape their personality as a tolerant, civilized and productive member of society. Director/Chief Editor, PAL Asim Butt, PAL Libraru In Charge Naseerud Din Azar Saeed, Malik Mehr Ali, Mian Nawaz Solangi, Ms Kiran and senior staff members of the PAL.
According to Asim Butt, a book fair displaying children’s books and magazines will also be part of the three-day event.While elaborating on the international conference Dr Yousaf Khushk said in the 46-year history of the PAL this is going to be the first of its kind event that will highlight and acknowledge children and the writers of the children’s literature. We have taken great cares in selecting various segments as well as guest speakers for the different events that will be taking place simultaneously in the four halls of the PAL, said the Chairman PAL. To a question, he said the idea behind the conference is since all of us cherish our childhood memories and they continue to haunt us throughout our lives leaving a strong impact on our personalities we should provide our children some memories to cherish and cultivate in them positive habits like book-reading, story-telling/listening. This will serve to groom their personality and revive the link with books, he said.
