CLF attracts schoolchildren from beyond Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD -- The second day of the Children's Literature Festival (CLF) at Lok Virsa was attended by children from numerous public and private schools from Mansehra, Nowshera, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Gujrat and Muzaffargarh.

The CLF has the distinction of being an event that is entirely socially cross-sectional with activities for children of all ages and from all educational systems.

Atif Badar, a versatile artist with considerable experience in theatre, ran multiple energetic sessions on the second day of the CLF.

The first was a theatre workshop that engaged the young audience in storytelling with expressions, using a Rumana Husain's publication, 'Tota Khan aur Bakri Ara ka Safarnama'.

Atif Badar enacted the story with great verve, showing the children the illustrations in tandem. He then said: 'The children will now read the excerpt I was reading - with expressions. It is always more fun to read a story with expressions on your face and in your voice and it is very important to imagine whatever you are reading.'

Rumana Husain, author and adviser to the CLF, shared an overview of the books she has written for CLF, including one of the earliest ones which was about Karachi and another that was about myths and legends of Pakistan. She said: 'These are treated as part fact, part fiction. We have our tangible heritage but we also have our folklore, myths and legends which are part of our intangible heritage.'

She participated in two sessions with Atif Badar on the second day of the CLF and also participated in a plenary discussion on the 'Heritage in our stories: relevance for today and tomorrow'.

Nadine Murtaza, teacher, curriculum writer and storyteller, said: 'It's not every day that kids from every sort of school come together at the same event to enjoy the same event.

Our students took part in a mini march for climate change, listened to speeches and watched performances at Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hain Teray. By far, the showstopper was Uncle Sargam -brilliant, funny, relatable and just plain magic.'

Teach for Pakistan Fellows led multiple storytelling sessions where they engaged the audience in exciting stories in...