Curtain comes down on 10th Adab Festival

Lively discussions, book launches, workshops draw literary, cultural, social and academic circles

KARACHI:

The 10th Adab Festival concluded on Sunday, wrapping up two days of lively discussions, book launches, workshops and performances that drew large crowds from literary, cultural, social and academic circles.

The second day sustained the same energy as the opening, cementing the festival's place on Karachi's cultural calendar.

Visitors thronged bookstalls, craft displays, sponsor booths and a dedicated children's literature strand. Activities for children once again proved a major draw, with storytelling sessions by Yasmeen Mutasim, puppet theatre by Mehreen Kamran, book-making workshops led by Ameena Saiyid and theatre exercises by Atif Badr.

Teenagers also found space to explore creativity, particularly at The Storymakers Studio, a well-attended writing workshop conducted by author Taha Kehar.

The day opened with a series of thought-provoking panels covering technology, identity, heritage, women's leadership, education and the arts. A key session, Designing Tomorrow with Artificial Intelligence, featured Jehan Ara, Dr Salman Khattani and Sadaf Bhatti, moderated by Ahsan Siddiqi.

Speakers explored the intersection of creativity and technology, noting how AI is reshaping learning, work and the future outlook of young Pakistanis.

In a parallel discussion, Leaders of Tomorrow: A Conversation with Young Changemakers, Arslan Bukhari, Nael Ibrahim, Maha Hassan and Shoaib Arshad shared their personal journeys and challenges, highlighting the value of resilience and ambition among Pakistan's youth.

Another well-received talk, The Significance of the Musicalisation of Literature, saw composer Arshad Mahmood illustrate how Pakistani literature has long influenced music, theatre and performing arts.

The afternoon featured two book launches: Pirzada Salman discussed Fever Log and Other Stories with Amber Paracha, while Athar Tahir spoke with Amber Romaisa Nagori about Tales of Agni Mitra and Tamanna.

The festival concluded with Power Women of Pakistan: Her Story, Our Future, featuring Mehtab Rashdi, Saira Awan Malik, Dr Sharmila Faruqi and Sheema Kermani, moderated by Zarrar Khuhro.

The panel underscored the transformative impact of women's leadership, providing a fitting close to the festival's 10th edition.

The evening began with a book talk session titled "New Wave of Creativity in Urdu Literature". The first book discussed was "Tasveer Mein Chalta Aadmi" by Inam Nadeem, with Afzal Ahmad Syed and Jawahar Mehdi joining the poet in conversation. The second book was "Bey Mausmi Khwahishen" by Nasira Zuberi, with Frasat Rizvi discussing the poet's work. The third book was "Makhtoota" by Najeeba Arif, with Kiran Singh engaging in a conversation with the author. The final book was "Gul-e-Dogana" by Syed Kashif Raza, with Tanveer Anjum discussing the author's work.

The next session was titled "Yasmeen Lari: Ending Poverty in Post-Flood Communities, One Million at a Time", with Syed Rafeh Ahmad and Sheema Syed joining Yasmeen Lari.

Perhaps the most popular session of the second day was "Mirror to Society, The Journey of Pakistani Film and TV Dramas", featuring prominent personalities including Hina Biyatt, Arshad Mehmood, Ali Khan, Ayesha Toor, Junaid Khan, and Misbah Khalid, with Khalid Anjum moderating.

The second day also featured a unique session, "Tiding from the Trees", conducted in English, Urdu, and Punjabi, and introduced by Raheela Baqai. The session, sponsored by Faisal Bank, was a beautiful example of multilingual expression.

A book talk on Mian Reza Rabbani's "The Smile Snatchers: A Timeless Tale of Children, Resistance, and Hope in Gaza" was also held, with Hamid Haroon discussing the book with the author.

The final session of the day was "Anti-Social Steer on Social Media", with Nadeem F. Parchah, Zarar Khoro, and Shehzad Ghias examining satire, political commentary, and the digital age.

The festival concluded with a musical performance by Saif Samejo, bringing together participants, artists, and guests in a joyous celebration.

Book on Zardari's presidency

Farhatullah Babar's book "Zardari Presidency- Now It Must be Told" was formally launched at a session moderated by johrnalist Aziz Syed with eminent educationist and columnist Dr Naazir Mahmood and journalist cum writer Zahid Hussain, Aizaz Syed as discussants followed by a lively interactive session with the audience.

Babar said that his book was more about the cat & mouse games played by the deep state with democratic institutions that achieved nothing but weakening the state. Recalling the times he said the elected prime minister was forced to cry out on the floor of the Parliament "state within state is unacceptable".

The book talks about Wikileaks, Memogate, raid on OBL compound, the Raymond Davis affair, impeachment of Musharraf, Zardari's offer of talks to India on no first use of nuclear weapons (NFU) and how it backfired.