KARACHI: An evening with actor-singer Khaled Anam is expected to be full of wit and humour, and of course lots of songs. This was the case at the Oxford University Press bookshop on Tuesday, where Pakistan’s 71st Independence Day was celebrated with much fervour.

In the midst of singing patriotic songs such as ‘Dil dil Pakistan’ and ‘Sohni dharti’, Anam made the evening an interactive session between him and the audience, which mostly comprised of young and eager children.

Anam decided to interact first with the adults seated in the audience but his question to them was to explain to the children present what Pakistan meant to them and share their insight about this great country.

“When we were young our elders taught us about what Pakistan meant to them, how it was achieved and what legacy they left behind,” he explained. “These great men and women shared stories, sang songs, and wrote books that passed on to the next generation what Pakistan meant to them. This is also what we must do.”

Razia from the audience told the children present that Pakistan is a country that experiences all the four seasons and is a resource-rich country, full of natural beauty too. “We all should collectively appreciate and take care of Pakistan,” she said.

Anam later spoke to the children about the necessity of keeping their surroundings clean. “Pakistan is like your home. And don’t you keep your home clean and tidy? Just like that you must make sure that you treat your country with the same love and respect.”

One of the things much needed in Pakistan is greenery. “In China, every eight-year-old plants a tree. If every Pakistani child also does this, our country would be so much greener. So let’s make a promise to ourselves that we will plant more trees from today onwards.”

Children should also read books regularly and Anam decided to invite some onstage and encouraged them to read from different books in Urdu and English. Some of the books were about Allama Iqbal and Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan’s great heroes.

“We must also honour our heroes who are no less than those from other countries,” he said. “They have worked tirelessly and overcome many obstacles in different fields such as in sports.” Anam then sang the song ‘Himmat seh har kadam uthana’ which highlighted to the children the necessity to work hard and never back down from tough times or a challenge.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2018