News Desk
ISLAMABAD: As many as ten ‘Legends of the Languages’ awards (Celebrating Lifetime Achievements of Prominent Personalities of Mother Languages) were presented at the ongoing Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival (MLLF) 2023 here Saturday.
The legends included Amar Jalil (Sindhi), Salma Shaheen (Pushto), Dr. Fatima Hassan, Ms. Sarwat Mohiuddin (Punjabi), Sharif Shad (Pothohari), Dr. Fazal Khaliq (Balochi), Riffat Abbas (Saraiki), Dr. Muhammad Sagheer Khan (Pahari), Dr. Muhammad Irfan (Khowar) and Abdul Rehman Brahui (Brahui)
Promoting Literature of Mother Languages
Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival (MLLF) 2023 embraces multiple colors of Pakistan’s mother languages. Writers, poets, and artists representing various mother languages and cultures gathered from across the country.
The festival was arranged by Indus Cultural Forum (ICF) in collaboration with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).
Secretary of National Heritage and Culture Division Fareena Mazhar hailed the efforts of the Indus Cultural Forum (ICF) and Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). She assured her complete support for such inclusive initiatives and added that such moves also reflected the vision of the government.
Ayub Jamali, Director General PNCA, expressed his ownership for promoting diversity and cultural manifestation of all mother languages of Pakistan. He encouraged people to speak in their mother tongue at home, which would preserve the languages and diverse dialects too.
Director General (Culture), Government of Sindh, Munawar Ali Mahesar vowed that Cultured Department had been supporting this festival as it supported the promotion of the Sindhi language at the national level. He assured the continuity of the Culture Department Sindh’s support for future festivals.
Eminent writer and cultural activist Jami Chandio stated that languages flourished only through communicating with people from different cultures and backgrounds. He, therefore, stressed that the state should also support diversity as a strength of Pakistan, and regional and native languages should be recognized at the national level.
Swaang theater group presented theater on Saadat Hassan Manto’s stories. The play received massive applause from the audience.
The festival will launch more than eighty books on fiction, poetry, dictionaries, travelogues, and children’s literature. Poets representing over twenty mother languages will recite poetry in their mother tongue, with translation in Urdu, in Mushaira.
