Rabbani appreciates Perveen Shakir Trust\u2019s efforts for promoting book-reading culture in society
\n Islamabad
\nFormer Chairman of the Senate and leader of the Pakistan People\u2019s Party (PPP) Raza Rabbani has called for reviving the vital link that exists between the reader and the book and commended the efforts of the Perveen Shakir Trust (PST) for working in that direction and promoting a culture of reading and writing in society.
\nAddressing as Chief Guest the PST literature festival and award-giving ceremony here on Saturday at a local hotel, Raza Rabbani paid tributes to the trust\u2019s Chairperson Parveen Qadir Agha, Secretary General Raana Seerat, short story writer Mazharul Islam and other organizers of the event. Senator Raza Rabbani said it was quite heartening to see the PST making endeavours not only to keep alive the memory of the great poet Perveen Shakir but also promoting a culture of book-reading in the country which otherwise is fast diminishing.
\nA large number of art and literature lovers attended the festivals. Literary luminaries like Asghar Nadeem Syed, Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik, Dr Najiba Arif, Muhammad Hameed Shahid, Nasir Ali Syed, Muhammad Asim Butt, Naheed Qamar, Rafaqat Javed, Muhammad Saleem Sethi, Tahir Sherazi, Sabin Younas and others also participated in various sessions of the day-long festival that was creatively designed by Mazharul Islam.
\nA marathon reading of Perveen Shakir\u2019s poetry, lively debates on \u2018Kitabain Udaas Hain: Kitab ka Mustaqbil\u2019 were also among the highlights of the festival.
\nBesides, discussion on the books written on Perveen Shakir and her poetry \u2018Perveen Shakir: Nay Zawiay, nay Mutaliaat\u2019 \u2018Perveen Shakir Alamatiat kay Tanazir Main\u2019 and \u2018Tragedy and Defiance: The Lives and Poetry of Sylvia Plath, Forugh Farrokhzad, and Perveen Shakir\u2019 by Mahmood Ali Ayub also warmed the audience\u2019s hearts.
\nRaza Rabbani congratulated the PST on opening its chapter last year in Canada. Now Perveen\u2019s poetry will find audience overseas also, he said.
\nChairperson of PST, Mrs Parveen Qadir Agha earlier in her welcome address briefed the Chief Guest and the audience about the primary job of the trust i.e. to keep Perveen Shakir\u2019s memory and heritage alive over the past 30 years (Perveen Shakir died on Dec 26, 1994 in a fatal road accident in Islamabad).
\nThis year\u2019s festival is being held after a period of four years because of COVID-19 and other reasons but now we shall try to hold on an annual basis, she assured the audience. She also paid rich compliments to the members of the PST for their unwavering support for last 30 years. Their effort in keeping the legacy of Perveen Shakir\u2019s legacy is truly commendable, she said.
\nA number of awards were also given on the occasion along with cash prizes of total amount Rs1.35 million. Mazharul Islam was given Nayyer Adbi Award for his 2023 novel \u2018Sarus Cranes Have Flown out of their Dreams\u2019 along with Rs200,000\/-.
\nWell-known fiction writer, Mustansar Hussain Tarar received (in absentia) \u2018Husn-e-Funn\u2019 award along with Rs100,000\/. Likewise, Amjad Islam Amjad Adbi award was presented to Hameeda Shaheen (in absentia) for \u2018Zinda Hoon\u2019 along with Rs100,000. Another literary stalwart Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik received Mian Atta Rabbani Award along with a cash prize of Rs 100,000\/- for his book \u2018Ashyana-e-Ghurbat say Ashiaan dar Ashiaan.\u2019 Chairperson of the PAL, Dr Najiba Arif received Aks-e-Khushbu Award 2022 along with Rs50,000 cash prize for her book of short stories \u2018Meethay Nalkay.\u2019
\nMuhammad Hameed Shahid (Iqbal Fareed Adbi Award 2023 along with Rs50,000 for his autobiography Khushbu ki Diwar Kay Peechay), Khurshid Rabbani (Sultan Mahmood Qazi Adbi Award 2021 with Rs50,000 for his book Ghubaar-e-Ayna), Asim Butt (Begum Sarfraz Iqbal Award 2024 with Rs50,000 for Kafka Kahanyan), Saleem Sethi (Begrum Sarfaraz Iqbal Adbi Award 2021 with Rs50,000 for his translation of Attar\u2019s Mantaqul Tairand) others also received various awards including PST\u2019s Aks-e-Khushbu Awards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rabbani appreciates Perveen Shakir Trust\u2019s efforts for promoting book-reading culture in society Islamabad Former Chairman of the Senate and leader of the Pakistan People\u2019s Party (PPP) Raza Rabbani has called for reviving the vital link that exists between the reader and the book and commended the efforts of the Perveen Shakir Trust (PST) for working […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-463157","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n