Historic Pahari conference in Jammu witnesses book launches, poetic recitals, and drama performances
Two-day Pahari Literary and Cultural Conference in Jammu concludes with major resolutions
Jammu; Feb, 26: The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages successfully organized a two-day Pahari Literary and Cultural Conference in Jammu. Held at the Hall of the Arts, the conference featured sessions including poetry recitals, short story readings, scholarly papers, music performances, and drama presentations. Additionally, two significant books were launched during the event.
Pahari Literary cum Cultural Conference concluded with a unanimous resolution to document the ethos of the Pahari language in audio-visual and book formats, ensuring its preservation and promotion for future generations.
On the second day, the first session was graced by Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Thanamandi, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, as the chief guest. Academy’s Secretary, Harvinder Kaur; former Secretary of the Pahari Advisory Board, Showket Ali Kazmi,Senior SSP Rashid Bhatt; Pahari leader Jamaat Ali Shaheen; and Cultural Officer and Pahari Editor, Mohd Ayub Mir Naeem (Karnai) also shared dais. Adv. Altaf Hussain Janjua conducted the programme.
The session featured musical performances by Master Kartar Chand, Sher Singh, Waseem Anjum, and Muzammil Shah Nazki, who entertained the audience with Pahari music. The welcome address was delivered by Secretary Harvinder Kour, while Ayub Mir presented a descriptive speech highlighting the Academy’s Pahari Sections’ achievements. The chief guest emphasized the importance of organizing such events to promote Pahari language and literature and assured full support. He also pledged to raise issues related to the Academy in the legislative assembly.
Following the inaugural session, a music session was held where artists like Master Kartar Chand and his team, Ashfaq Ahmed Mir and his team, and Parvez Malik presented various Pahari musical pieces. Tabla player Prabhat Bali and flutist Rakesh Basotra enhanced the musical ambiance.
The most significant session on the second day was Mehfil-e-Mushahira, where approximately twenty poets presented their latest Pahari poetry. The session was chaired by senior poet and writer Rashid Qamar, with SSP Rashid Bhatt as the chief guest and Sheikh Azad Ahmad Azad as the guest of honor. The session was moderated by renowned poet, writer, and senior principal Anwar Khan. Participating poets included Rashid Qamar, Sheikh Azad Ahmad Azad, K.D. Mani, Parvez Manos, Sheikh Zahoor, Swami Antar Nirro, Parvez Iqbal Malik, Anwar Khan, Bashir Ahmad Lohar, Mahmood Tahir, Sadiq Ahmad Siddiqui, Dr. Arif Iqbal Malik, Malik Zakir Khaki, Sameena Sahar, Syed Ishaq Tabassum, Khalid Awan Rahat, Bilal Ahmad Bilal, and Zulfiqar Rahat.
The final session featured a Pahari drama titled “Betti Te Doctor” (Daughter and Doctor) under the banner of Pakiza Cultural Club, Dera Hall, directed by Parvez Malik. Former MLA Ravinder Raina was the chief guest, with DDC member Iqbal Malik, former MLC Mohammad Rashid Qureshi, and renowned historian and researcher K.D. Mani as guests of honor.
During the conference, Iqbal Shawl’s short story collection ‘Terran’ and Parvez Manos’s Pahari novel “Qabeela” were launched. Advocate Altaf Hussain Janjua, Dr. Abdul Haq Naemi, Javed Haqani, and Saleem Bukhari presented scholarly papers. Zafar Khokhar, Sardar Rattan Singh Kanwal, Iqbal Shal, and Sheikh Azad Ahmad Azad presented short stories.
The conference was attended by notable personalities, including Rtd Director Gulzar Qureshi, former DC Ghulam Ahmad Khwaja, former Secretary of the Pahari Advisory Board Dr. Ikram, Prof. Abdul Rashid Munhas, Professor Dr. Javed Iqbal, Prof. Abdul Qayoom, Prof.M.K. Waqar, Sarwar Chohan, DSP Manzoor Haq Kalaiwi, Dr. Shah Nawaz Chaudhry, Iqbal Shal, Prof. Mohd Imran Khan, Prof.Natan Sharma, Dr. Rajiv Chaddha, Rakesh Khajuria, DSP Crime Aftab Bukhari, KAS officer Nasir Khan, Preeti Sharma, Dr. Abdul Haq Naemi, Saima Qazi, Advocate Murtaza Akser, Advocate Sheikh Altaf Hussain, Gohar Hafeez Wani, Dr. Kifayat Rizvi, Trade Union leader Babu Hussain Malik, Tauseef Sabri, and Mushtaq Ahmad Shawl.
The conference was organized under the leadership of Dr. Javed Rahi, the Academy’s divisional head and chief editor of the Gujri department, who played a pivotal role in its successful execution. The two-day conference proved to be a significant step towards fostering the Pahari language, literature, and cultural heritage, reaffirming the commitment of scholars, artists, and institutions to its preservation and promotion.
