A Motivating First Ever Poetry Event in Shina Language

A maiden poetry session specifically in the Shina language, held in Gilgit city in Gilgit-Baltistan has motivated poets of the language to exercise their mother tongue for the lyrical genre. The participants left the venue with the hope and excitement of having laid the foundation of a new era, the beginning of a tradition of the poetry session, specific to their mother tongue. Abdul Saboor, an office bearer of the Sasken Research and Development Foundation (SRDF), a community based organization which works for the Shina language said that the activity opened doors to strengthen the orality of the language on one hand and motivate the poets to produce poetry in their own language on the other.

“Poetry sessions are not new to the region, in fact the poetries are among the activities which take place most frequently in the city”, Mr. Amir Haider, an author and the Shina language researcher who is currently working with the Forum for Language Initiatives (FLI) opined. He added that the unique part of the activity was its medium, the language. Mr. Haider said that poets of Gilgit used to express themselves in Urdu and English and hardly ever have attempted to create poetries in their own language, Shina. The event will help draw the attention of local poets concerning using their language for poetry creation, he hoped.

The momentous literary gathering was attended by the language enthusiasts including poets, writers, students and civil society members as well as academicians. FLI contributed to organizing the historic event collaborating with SRDF. The known linguist, Mr. Shakeel Ahmad and Engineer Arif were among dignitaries who attended the event.