PESHAWAR, Jan 31: A total of 196 students from Bannu, D.I. Khan, Lakki Marwat, Charsadda, Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar and Federally Administered Tribal Areas on Tuesday exhibited their flair for communication skills, modeling, acting, singing, comparing and content writing at a ‘Talent Hunt’ show.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Culture Journalists Forum organised the event at the Nishtar Hall in Peshawar.

It was a unique event in which college and university students participated in live stage performance. A panel of judges evaluated their talents on the basis of facial expression, posing ability, language proficiency, walk variety, dialogue delivery, pitch range, intonation, education, cultural knowledge, voice quality, oration, creative depth, character adaptation, portfolio and confidence level.

An official news release issued here said the event was organised to introduce youth to new media exposure, skill development, capacity building, and inculcating sense of rediscovering the lost cultural identity.

Ihtesham Toru, president of CJF, told participants that the ‘Talent Hunt’ show would be organised in other districts, too, to know youth’s flair for different disciplines of performing art.

He said CJF would provide access to the aspiring artistes to display their talents and would encourage the educated youth to take part in healthy cultural activities.

Actor Arshad Hussain said arrival of young people would boost up cultural activities showcasing local traditions and entertainment.

He said students disowned obscene CD culture and vowed to act as culture volunteers to help the society fight vulgar elements and bring forth neat and clean art activities in the militancy-hit province.

The actor suggested that young artistes be given career opportunities through public-private partnership programmes.

“Our youth has great creative potential. I was wonderstruck to see that without training and cultural background, most of them performed extraordinarily well, many were so enthusiastic that they had brought costly musical instruments with them,” he said.

Senior experts, including Shaukat Ali Khan, Professor Dr Yar Mohammad Maghmoom, Rokhan Yousafzai, Arshad Hussain, Israr Bacha, Mohammad Ilyas and culture director Pervez Khan Sabatkhel, were also in attendance.

Umair Ali, a student of BBA (honors) from a private university, said youngsters like him wanted to come forward and play their due role in boosting up the province’s soft image.

Anwar Khan of Shabqadar said: “I teach at a local school against the monthly salary of Rs3,000. I love acting and even if am not selected, I will continue practicing and groom students so that they grow up as art lovers not philistines.”

Samina Afridi, another participant, said youngsters should be given a proper chance to exhibit their latent talents.

“I want to become a singer and spread peace through this art,” she said.

Organisers said participants would be called for a close session next week to participants the show results.