Hundreds of children attend literature festival

LAHORE:Attracting hundreds of students, teachers and families, the 64th Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) kicked off at the Children Library Complex here on Tuesday.

Punjab Minister for Food Samiullah Ch inaugurated the CLF 2020 cutting the ribbon of a beautiful installation celebrating the theme and Tarana of the CLF “Hamein Kitab Chahiye”.

The first day of the two-day CLF 2020 culminated with over 50 sessions taking place simultaneously throughout the day including storytelling, creative writing, illustrations, theatre, music, puppet shows, digital, robotics and STEM workshops, book launches and book fairs.

According to the organisers, nearly 10,000 children from public, private and special institutions attended the country’s largest children’s learning festival on its first day.

The minister while presenting the CLF Awards to CLF resource persons said: “Today is a very special day for me; I want to be a child once again- let us all work for the learning beyond the narrow textbooks culture”.

Earlier, the festival’s inauguration at the Children Library Complex’s main ground mesmerised the audience with brilliant renditions by the children from Government Special School Chouburji and Shahdab School, two young authors who share their writings in Urdu and English, and the Sanjan Nagar School students of Faiz Ahmed Faiz poetry.

Commenting on the event, MPA Ms Talath Fatemeh Naqvi said she was awe struck at the scale and beauty of this festival – the only one of this kind in Pakistan.

Dr Fauzia Saeed, Director General Pakistan National Cultural Academy (PNCA), said CLF was a powerful platform that celebrated diversity and learning. She said: “I am overwhelmed each time by this unique festival for children committed to enhancing the love of reading and critical thinking among children through beautifully crafted storytelling, creative writing, illustrations, theatre, music, puppet shows, digital, robotics and STEM workshops, book launches and book fairs.”

Announcing the need to celebrate learning, reading, storytelling, and children focused activities, Baela Raza Jamil, CEO ITA and founder CLF said, “We are back today with the magic of CLF all due to the efforts of over 40 amazing partners and 130 valuable and celebrity resource persons present making our children happy; multiplying the love for stories, storytelling, reading and inquiry for expanding our imagination.

Good things happen when we work together for them to happen,” she said, adding that books, literature as performing arts and science as interactive inquiry of nature through all senses broadened the minds of our children and teachers to new and fresh ideas.

To honour and encourage our teachers, the Teachers’ Literature Festival will be held to foster professional development and multiply the CLF in the classrooms on January 23, 2020 from 9:00 -3:00 pm.

The first day saw the main stage packed with kids in sessions conducted by Khaled Anam, Atif Badar to storytelling sessions by Suno Kahani Mari Zubaani and a concert “Rocking Timeless Poetry” by Ali Noor, Ali Hamza and Rakae Jamil etc.

The Children Library Complex (CLC) Shakespeare Hall held dramatic storytelling, puppet show by Alif Laila Book Bus Society, and Shair o Shairi, Mushaira by Sanjan Nagar school students.