ISLAMABAD: A two-day Children`s Literature Festival (CLF) started amid great fanfare at Lok Virsa with numerous interactive sessions, activities, workshops and book launches.

Students from government and private schools came to enjoy day of learning and celebrating literature in various forms.

CEO of Idara-e-Taleem-oAagahi (ITA) and CLF founder Baela Raza Jamil spoke about the magic of the Children`s Literature Festival, saying, `This festival is truly magical; In a CLF in Multan, a teacher told us that I rushed to bring the children from my school because they learn in one day what they don`t in 365.

`A few days ago in a school in Muzzafargarh, I was talking to the children about superheroes and a young boy said that he was a superhero because he was interested in software and had invented a game which was a hit.

She added: `The CLF starts with children and will end with them after two days. Children will learn to write stories, listen to stories and to tell stories but there are also workshops on heritage, theatre and critical thinking.

Students performed the CLF anthem, Humein Kitab Chahiye (We want books), written by Zehra Nigah and composed by Rakae Jamil.

Komal Batool, a student of grade 9, and subject of a documentary on girls` education, `A Dream Reignited` shared her journey and how a scholarship made it possible for her to study after her mother passed away.

Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training Shafgat Mahmood was the chief guest at the event.

Congratulating the festival`s founders he said:`We must see how to adapt to the changing modes of transmission of knowledge and see what the role of books and the role of other mediums will be.

With the formal launch conducted, the festival began with a March for Climate Justice and Right to Education.

A session titled `Cinema Ghar` created awareness on a range of subjects as diverse as child mar-riage, bonded labour, Edhi, Kulsoom Hazara, self-defence, climate change and legal age by screening short animated movies and films by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Films.

Shahmeen Khattak, a Teach for Pakistan fellow, said: `Just the fact that all the videos were in Urdu was a good thing because most of the children who attended the session are from government schools. They are not fluent in understanding English content, so the graphics and the use of Urdu was very good.

`The videos were also visually appealing, and the children were engaged with content which covered topics like `how to stop climate change` and `how to stop child marriages`. My students are from Islamabad Model College for Girls, Golra, and they have never seen things like this and the CLF is a great way for them to change their perspectives.`I am teaching grade 4 Science at IMCG, Golra and I`ve brought 59 children here. There are about 1,500 students in the school but I could only bring my own students. This sort of trip for these children had never been done so when I took my students out of the school they were so excited and over the moon. As soon as we got here, I said we will go to the Fehmida Riaz Hall because they are talking about child marriages and child marriages are common among these children. Their parents expect them to get married after grade 5. I wanted them to understand the consequences of early and child marriages.

Climate change and environmental awareness were a recurring theme through multiple sessions.

Nigar Nazar, who did the session titled, `Gogi on the Go to Control Climate Change`, said: `Imade a painting of Islamabad the Beautiful live where I chose the Faisal Mosque and the surrounding area. When the whole painting was finished and displayed on the big screen, Gogi sneal(s up, picl(s up a marker and spoils the whole painting behind me. The kids in the audience were all screeching and getting excited while I pretended to not know what was happening.

`Then she sneaks away. Later, she comes back and we have a conversation about what we were doing and what she had done.

In the conversation between Gogi and Nigar Nazar, Gogi explains that she had only made the painting realistic by adding the pollution and waste. Gogi offers to perform some magic to fix the painting and removes the transparency with the destruction she had wreaked, and the original pristine painting became visible again.Nigar then went on to discuss climate change and made an animated cartoon of the Earth with the children who thoroughly enjoyed the session.

Tahira Abdullah, who has been associated with the CLF since its start, said: `It goes to the credit of the brains and the spirit behind the CLF, Dr Baela Raza Jamil, who consistently strives to ensure that it is an inclusive, interactive, pluralist and participatory event, year after year.

Hence, we see the Pehli Kiran school students from Islamabad`s katchi abadis, confidently competing with the elite schools and at times outshining them too. All they need is an opportunity, which the CLF provides in abundance `It is a much-needed and sought-after annual event, now being replicated in over 70 cities and towns all over Pakistan, which is so commendable.