Festival continues to attract visitors

Islamabad’s Knowledge Festival draws many teachers, students and families.

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad’s Knowledge Festival is gaining popularity in the twin cities with every passing day as a large number of people including students, teachers and families participated in the festival on Sunday.

The main highlights on the third day, besides debates and cultural performances, were three programmes including interactive knowledge-based activities for children, book reading session and presentations illustrating messages of Sufi poets.

National Book Foundation, the organiser, had arranged to read out key topics from books of renowned poets and writes like Saadat Hassan Minto, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Noon Meem Rashid, Perveen Shakir and Ghulam Abbas.

The purpose was to motivate youngsters to read books about popular scholars and poets, said Mazharul Islam, an organizer of the event.

“It was a fantastic event,” said Mohsin Iqbal, a 10th grade student form Islamabad Model College for Boys F-8/4. He said he was impressed by the stall giving information about different animals and their role in history. “It was interesting to know that horses were used for transportation even during 500 BC.” Iqbal suggested that such event should have been organised during school holidays, saying that this time “students are mostly busy preparing for their exams”.

Managing Director of National Book Foundation Mazharul Islam said, “The festival will go a long way in generating an urge among the youth to learn and love knowledge.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2011.