Bilingual Poetry Symposium in Southern Chitral Draws a Large Crowd

FLI supported a bilingual poetry session at a government high school in Beory village, Southern Chitral. The majority of the village’s population speaks the Palula language, and this was the first poetry session where they were joined by Khowar poets, a predominantly spoken language in the Chitral valley. Over a hundred people attended the event, including community members of Palula and Khowar, teachers, religious leaders, students, and poets from both language communities.

Four poets from the Palula community and sixteen from the Khowar community presented their poems. The Principal of Government Higher Secondary School, Drosh, Mr. Muhammad Saleem Kamil, was the chief guest on the occasion. He appreciated the concept of holding a bilingual poetry symposium, encouraging the Palula community poets to express themselves in front of the Khowar people. He added that the event would introduce the tradition of enjoying each other’s languages, leading to harmony among linguistic communities and strengthening the linguistic diversity of the valley.

The participants thanked FLI for supporting such a delightful event, which provided a pleasant experience for all.