Sargodha: Three day literary festival kicked off on Tuesday at University of Sargodha to highlight the importance of literature and its impact on the lives of individuals.
The event organized by the Department of English, Sargodha University, was largely attended by the academicians and researchers from across the country including Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad, the Vice Chancellor Sargodha University, Dr Shahid Siddiqui, Ex-VC AIOU and Dean social sciences, NUML Islamabad, Dr Waseem Anwar, Chairman Department of English, FC College Lahore, Dr Zia Ahmad, associate professor of BZU Multan, Ijaz Asghar Bhatti, Chairman, English Department Sargodha University, faculty members and large number of students.
The event aimed at promoting English literature, linguistics and to promote reading culture among the students and to set a platform for them to explore their hidden talents by enthusiastically participating in the different activities.
The festival includes extended talks on various topics related to language, literature and culture, musical events, ted talks, movie screenings, drama performances, workshop and poem and short story writing competition will be part of the festival.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad emphasized upon the increasing need of merging the literature with the political and powerful discourses. He further highlighted the global issues and role of literature in effectively portraying a positive image of the nation.
Dr Shahid Siddiqui sharing his views on “Literature and Politics of Exclusion” focused on the role of language as a powerful tool in representing and structuring the world. He said that a number of stereotypes are constructed with the help of language and this politics of labeling and naming plays a vital part in the process of exclusion.
The discursive patriarchal hegemony is established and maintained on a regular basis through different social institutions – such as the family, educational institutions and the media. The patriarchal superiority established in a subtle manner through different means including songs, jokes, commercials, matrimonial ads, sayings, proverbs, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, TV plays, films and literature, he added.
Dr Waseem Anwar regarded literature has a bridge between the knowledge and society .He advised the students to read the literature without being judgmental and emphasized on establishing a critical thinking which leads to a productive discourse analysis.
Dr Zia Ahmad focused on the postcolonial Pakistani Fiction in English. He said during his talk that females need to be presented in the same way as men in the fiction. He talked about the binary opposition, Us and They and Master and Slave relationships .Moreover, he encouraged the female audience to break the shackles of the patriarchal society by promoting the literature written by female Pakistani Writers. He gave the example of the novel of Kaisra Sheraz, ‘’The Holy Woman’’ and Sara Suleri’s novel, ‘’Meatless Days.’’
The festival will continue for two more days during which ted talk, drama performances, and movie screenings, poem and short story writing competition would be carried out.