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The first day of the two-day festival featured sessions on theatre, music, storytelling and much more

KARACHI: The first day of the two-day 60th Children's Literature Festival (CLF), being held at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, attracted a large number of children and literature aficionados on Wednesday.

All locations of the venue being used for the festival had been renamed by the CLF to commemorate authors, literati, artists, noted citizens, noble prize winners and grand geographies of Pakistan such as Shah Abdul Latif Bithai Auditorium, Sohail Rana Open Air Theatre, Hakim Said ki Baithak, Anita Ghulam Ali Auditorium, Fahmida Riaz ki Baithak, Dr Hamida Khuhro ki Baithak, Sadequain Gali, Bab-e-Hingol, Abdus Salam labs, Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta Courtyard, and Burnes Road.

The first day saw Bhittai Auditorium packed with children interested in theatre. A theatre workshop was conducted by Atif Badar, besides a string puppetry performance by Thespianz Theatre, a play by Tehrik-e-Niswan and dramatic readings by Zambeel, took place in different time slots.

An open mic session for students was held at the Sohail Rana Auditorium, where the participants were adjudicated by an expert panel, followed by Sing Along with Khaled Anam.

The room titled Hakim Said ki Baithak hosted different sessions throughout the day, varying from storytelling, theatre workshops, discussions on children's history of Sindh by Rumana Husain in conversation with Tom Moore, to talks on books and innovative approaches to learning.

Anita Ghulam Ali Auditorium hosted book launches, a play, panel discussions and talks on Karachi's heritage buildings by architect Mukhtar Husain. In Fahmida Riaz ki Baithak, the Oxford University Press hosted a morning session on the great poet after whom the room was named and her contribution to children's literature.

The CLF is the largest learning festival for children and teachers in Pakistan. Organised by Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), it has a nationwide footprint having completed 59 CLFs (in all four provincial capitals and Islamabad and over 25 districts of the country, reaching over 1.4 million children and teachers since its inception in November 2011.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2019.