MARDAN: Renowned singers and artists mesmerised the audience through their live performance at the concluding session of the two-day Mardan Literary Festival here on Wednesday.

The festival was organised on the premises of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice-chancellor Dr Khurshid Khan said that such festivals not only provided entertainment to people but also informed them about importance of their culture, literature and arts.

He said that all forms of expressions, from literature to performance, were essential for the people to feel connected with their surroundings. He added that AWKU would continue to hold such activities.

The second day of the festival began with a panel discussion where famous archeologist Dr Ijaz spoke about the Buddhist traditions of the area. He said that Mardan and its surrounding areas were the “carriers of the history.”

He was joined by traveller Wajahat Malik, who highlighted the need of responsible tourism. He asked the youth to travel as “it is the best form of exposure and remedy of all kinds of prejudices.”

A guided tour of the University Museum was also arranged for the participants of the festival that was followed by a briefing about the artifacts at the museum.

On the occasion, youth were also provided with an orientation on countering various kinds of “fake news” in the age of social media.

Gohar Mardanvi, Ali Tariq and Talib Hussain Sial were among the leading panelists, who discussed the traditions of “Na’atia Adab in Pashto language.”

An Urdu novel titled “Jandar” by Akhtar Raza Saleemi was also launched on the occasion.

A poetry reciting session was also held at the festival where many local poets recited their verses. Guest poets Akhtar Usman and RafaqatRazi also rendered their poetry on the occasion.

The festival concluded with a musical performance where traditional Pakhtun music was presented. Melodious tunes of the fusion entertained the audience.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2019