LARKANA: Speakers at a mushaira held here the other day said that Sindh had been rich culturally and materially and remained a land of peace, prosperity and love throughout centuries, which had received all new comers with open arms.

Poet Sarmad Chandio said at the poetry sitting at Arts Council that Sindhis were alive to all challenges to their motherland and culture. `We have a glorious civilisation, culture, language and geography, enough for people to live proudly among comity of nations,` he said.

He said that Sindhi poets had served their heritage and tremendously enriched poetry. Sindhi literature had itsLARKANA: Speakers at a mushaira held here the other day said that Sindh had been rich culturally and materially and remained a land of peace, prosperity and love throughout centuries, which had received all new comers with open arms.

Poet Sarmad Chandio said at the poetry sitting at Arts Council that Sindhis were alive to all challenges to their motherland and culture. `We have a glorious civilisation, culture, language and geography, enough for people to live proudly among comity of nations,` he said.

He said that Sindhi poets had served their heritage and tremendously enriched poetry. Sindhi literature had itsown peculiar trends which had helped it keep flourishing through all ages, he said.

He said that they would have to forge unity among their ranks to ward off threats to Sindh`s peace from extremist elements.

WritersandpoetsAadilAbbasi, Jawad Jafery, Rafique Siyal, Khalid Chandio and Munwar Solangi said that trends and patterns in literature were fast undergoingchangesandSindhiwritersandpoets would have to keep themselves abreast of them. `We have to shun conventional and outdated methods so as to be effective writers in this constantly changing world,` they said.

They said that Sindh, Sindhi language and culture had existed for centuries and they would live for all times to come.

The poets who presented their freshlycomposed poetry included Ahmed Ali Sabir Chandio, Anees Gul Abbasi, Dr Ahsan Danish, Riazat Buriro, Mustafa Unnar, Taswwuar Abro, Aziz Qasmani, Makhmoor Raza, Rizwan Gul, Yasir Mangi, Sanaullah Atique,Nazim Chan dio, Ayaz Abro, Sarfaraz Sakhi, Shaikh Nadeem, Ada Chandio, Koral Qurbdar, Azhar Majeed, Dr Amna Soomro, Hafeez Hidayat Mangi,Mumtaz Lohar,Shahmeer Soomro, Anjum Khokhar, Raza Memon, Azhar Majeed, Sanagar Jamali, Mour Mugheri, Badar Ansari, Shams Chandio and M. Saleh Abbasi.

Famous Singers Saleem Raza Kumbhar and Ilyaz Sangi sang poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Ibrahim Munshi. Earlier, the gathering observed a few minutes silence to pay respects to late poet Parwano Bhatti who dies a few days ago.