RLKU hosts Asma Hassan, Syed Khalid Mahmood for enlightening session on book reading promotion

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Rashid Latif Khan University (RLKU) and the Rashid Latif Medical College (RLMC), located on Ferozepur Road in Lahore, have emerged as leading educational institutions, striving to raise the bar in the field of health sciences with unstinted enthusiasm and total dedication. 

Under the able leadership of Prof Dr Rashid Latif Khan (Vice Chancellor) and Sabahat Khan (CEO), they have worked assiduously since establishment to carve a niche for themselves in a rather short span of time. 

Among other things, they have also earned recognition by forming the Talking Books forum, spearheaded by the versatile Shafqat Rafique, Chief Librarian, RLKU Library & Information Resource. The project has been designed to create a platform where people share life stories and experiences in sessions of 30 to 45 minute. 

They invited Syed Khalid Mahmood, Co-Founder, Karachi Festival of Books & Libraries (KFBL) and President, Rotary Club Karachi Darakhshan, along with Asma Hassan, a noted Urdu columnist and author of Mayar-e-Zindagi, for a session at their central library on November 8.

It turned out to be a truly productive and inspiring session as the RLKU team, headed by its Chief Librarian, deliberated with the learned guests on finding ways and means for engaging the youth in scholastic activities. A meaningful discussion ensued on Talking Books, E-Libraries, innovation in research, and how academic libraries can strengthen reading culture. 

Asma Hassan’s work spans leading digital and print platforms, where she highlights motivational perspectives on social issues and offers thoughtful solutions, emphasized that a mechanism needs to be brought in place to retain the students’ interest in reading books which generally declined after their school life. 

Syed Khalid Mahmood, having authored the highest number of books on the subject of sports in Pakistan, opined that the engagement of youth in reading could be enhanced phenomenally if high-quality books of their favourite topics were brought out to keep them interested. 

While wholeheartedly appreciating the input from both the distinguished guests, Shafqat Rafique did not mince words in stating that scholars like Asma Hassan and Syed Khalid Mahmood be inducted in the National and Provincial Curriculum Boards to bring about a positive change in this direction.

Asma Hassan’s captivating podcast for Radio Pakistan

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Radio Pakistan Podcast with Asma Hassan, a renowned writer and author of Mayar-e-Zindagi, turned out to be quite a captivating session as she shared her views, aimed at motivating the masses in general and the youth in particular, in a most candid fashion. 

The credit for making the interview so thrilling also belonged to Dr Karim Ahmed, the young and energetic Programme Manager of Radio Pakistan Lahore, who conducted it with high standards of professionalism on November 7. Quite remarkably, the whole session of nearly half an hour was recorded without any retake. 

Asma Hassan, during the podcast, revealed having gained the confidence to write for various newspapers and digital platforms from the training provided by her parents who always encouraged her to pursue a career of own choice. 

“Soon after completing MBA, I took to the profession of teaching because of the eagerness to share the knowledge obtained during my university life with the students. Then, since 2019, I turned towards fulfilling my ambition of making a name in the literary world. Starting with poetry, my interest then shifted towards writing motivational articles,” she recalled. 

When inquired about the publication of her first book, she disclosed that it was during the period of lockdowns caused by Covid-19 when ‘Mayar-e-Zindagi’ was conceived in the summer of 2020 and the team of Jumbo Publishing enabled it to see the light of the day in a matter of just a couple of months. The book was subsequently launched with great fanfare at the Karachi Press Club. 

The interviewer, quite articulately, touched on various subjects which were covered by Asma Hassan in ‘Mayar-e-Zindagi’ and the author explained the situations wonderfully to sustain the high intensity of the podcast. 

Upon arrival, Asma Hassan was warmly received by Dr Ahmar Sohail Basra, the station director of Radio Pakistan Lahore. The author presented a copy of her book ‘Mayar-e-Zindagi’ to the learned official, who praised its contents and production. Syed Khalid Mahmood of Jumbo Publishing was also present on the occasion.