Literacy Activities; A Tool To Curb The Growing Corruption Within Society

KARACHI- The 20th Thematic Calendar launch, based upon the theme of ‘Role of Children’s Literature in National Rebuilding,’ designed and produced by Jahan-e-Masiha Adbi Forum, in collaboration with a pharmaceutical firm, was recently held at a local hotel in Karachi.

Many writers, poets, educationists, doctors and pharmacists from various public and private organizations were present at the ceremony.

While addressing the audience at the launch ceremony, eminent poet, scholar and educationist, Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui mentioned that corruption is like a mental illness, which can only be cured by character building through promotion of literature and activities associated with it, by instilling it in the minds of children during the early years of their lives.

He added that nowadays youngsters’ level of interest is decreasing when it comes to reading books, all due to the presence and excessive use of electronic gadgets, which are negatively impacting their cognitive abilities.

Dr Qasim maintained that creating literature for children had never been an easy task, as it is a challenge to evaluate the mental status of children and to spark their cognition.

In order to teach children about honesty and integrity, one must take steps to introduce them to quality literature and history.

It was revealed that over 35,000 calendars will be distributed among public and private hospitals, educational institutes, among doctors and researchers, so that children and parents visiting them could learn the importance of books and literature in character building of children.

President Hamdard Foundation, Mrs Sadia Rashid in her address, mentioned about her late father, Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Saeed, who was one of the pioneers of Urdu literature for children in Pakistan, and introduced Hamdard Naunehal Magazine, which was a part of most children’s lives in the past 50 years.

Director Quaid-e-Azam Academy, Mr Khawaja Razi Haider added that selecting writers and contents for the thematic calendar was a gigantic task as they could only select 12 writers to cover each month.

Mr Syed Jamshed Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of Pharmevo, which has been financing the thematic calendars since last 19 years, deplored that the use of Urdu language was diminishing, even within the educational institutes, and that children nowadays were facing difficulty in expressing their feelings and communicating in their mother tongue.