• Adib Rizvi gives heart-touching talk on society and education
• Sherry says literature has deep connection with environment
• Three-day annual event to conclude tomorrow

KARACHI: Contrary to what many had thought, the winter season disappeared from Karachi even before it could be enjoyed thoroughly. But, as it usually happens every year, the warmth with which book lovers, although not in a big number, were greeted on the opening day of the 14th iteration of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) organised by Oxford University Press (OUP) at the Beach Luxury Hotel on Friday, it didn’t have to do with weather conditions.

The breeze that blew across the sprawling lawns of the venue was pleasant enough to entice readers and authors that had patiently waited to interact with each other for two debilitating pandemic-affected years.

In his welcome address, OUP managing director Arshad Saeed Husain said he’d like to honour the memories of Zia Mohyeddin, Bairam Avari, Amjad Islam Amjad and Masood Ashar who recently passed away.

He lauded Mr Mohyeddin’s contribution to art, culture and literature. He added that KLF was a beacon of hope and discourse with authors participating in it from within the country and all over the world. On the theme of this year’s event — people, planet and possibilities — he said it reflected the challenges of the times them lived in.

Eminent surgeon, humanitarian and founder of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant (SIUT) Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi was the chief guest on the occasion. He delivered an incisive and heartfelt talk on society in general and education in particular.

He said, “I have been listening with great interest to Arshad Husain. He has exposed what he wanted to expose and very nicely hid what he didn’t want us to know. As a doctor what I see… I see empty-stomached patients, I see children who need immunisation, I see hospitals that need bed and medicines, running water. Our education is in a pitiable state. Education is not for everybody. It is for those who can snatch it. It is for those families who can send their children abroad. Education is for ambitious parents. But their number is less.”

Dr Rizvi said: “I think it’s about time that we should turn our eyes to schools where so many hundreds of thousands of students need to be admitted… Schools need upgrading. School should not be in the autaq of a landlord. Schools need teachers who are there. Schools need children who are well fed and have all the motivation that’s required.”

He said every child that goes to school has some ambitions. They should be fully looked after. It will turn the whole nation into a real nation.

The United States Consul General at Karachi Nicole Theriot, diplomats of Italy and France and acting Deputy High Commissioner of the United Kingdom spoke briefly about the KLF.

The first keynote speech of the three-day festival was delivered by distinguished playwright and poet Noor Ul Huda Shah.

She said her mother tongue is Sindhi and she considers Urdu as its sister tongue. In an emotional speech, she mentioned that she couldn’t avoid talking about certain subjects that society was affected by. She argued that human beings have been using two things as weapons — hatred and love. Hatred is like a bug (deemak) that eats people from within. People don’t understand the difference between a difference of opinion and hatred.

Ms Shah pointed out that human beings have been blessed with two important aspects, country and countrymen (watan aur humwatan). In order to feel and understand that, one requires to be in love (ishq). She then spoke about how people in the flood-affected areas in Sindh managed to survive and how when some of them were shifting to urban areas they were branded as robbers.

Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environment Sherry Rehman delivered the second keynote address.

She said she was advised to speak in English. She told the audience that someone had asked her what connection does literature has with the environment or climate change.

“Literature has a deep connection with the environment. It has to do with your land (sarzameen). Zameen is a bigger mother than the state. No matter how much we try to move away from land, our relationship with land will not break. We have an umbilical cord to nature which we have forgotten, and literature and oral culture such as ours, tells a lot of stories. They spread ideas, they spread change and hope, much more than a PDF or a government video,” she said.

The inaugural session was moderated by Ayesha Tammy Haq.

After the speeches a dance performance titled Raqs-i-Shukr by Farah Yasmeen Shaikh as a tribute to poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and singer Iqbal Bano entertained the audience.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2023