PESHAWAR: The popular literary organisation Da Qalandar Momand Sahu Leekunkio Adabi Maraka resumed it formal weekly session after three months due to Covid-19 lockdown.

Poets, writers and budding critics attended the session amid tight standard operating procedures.

After offering fateha for the departed souls of the poets and writers passed away during the long break, the Adabi Maraka formally started its literary session.

Zaland Momand, general secretary of the literary body, told this scribe that his organisation faced the longest closure ever since its inception in 1962. He said that Adabi Maraka had started to observe Ramazan break on the directives of late Qalandar Momand on the advice of Mushtaq Majrooh, senior writer and general secretary, who died of coronavirus about two months ago.

Mr Momand said that poets, writers and young scholars had been eager for resuming formal literary activities but owing to Covid-19 restrictions they could not do so.

He said after the Covid-19 positivity rate came down in and around Peshawar, the literati were allowed to resume their activities after assurance of observance of SOPs.

“During the log break, our colleagues worked on almost 10 books of Mushtaq Majrooh and Qalandar Momand which would be brought out in the coming weeks. The titles include poetry, fiction, prose, historiography, satire, critical essays and research treaties,” he said.

Mohammad Zaib Shahkar, a young poet and student of law, said that the lockdown had mentally disturbed every individual where poets and writers were no exception being very sensitive to everything and event around them.

“Unfortunately, we lost three great literary figures, Mushtaq Majrooh, Salim Raz and Tahir Afridi to Covid-19. They left Pashto poorer but we young literati pledge to carry on their legacy to spread love, universalism, humanism and peace advocated by them in their writings,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2021