Rochdale Kashmiri community celebrates its Pahari culture

Rochdale Kashmiri community celebrates its Pahari Culture

The Rochdale Kashmiri Association brought together Pahari writers, poets and singers from across Britain and Kashmir at Apna Gahar, Kashmir Youth Project.

The writers included Dr Serena Hussain, Shams Rehman, Adalat Ali, Alyas Ahmed and Zafar Iqbal along with famous poets Mumtaz Awan, Sadiq Mirpuri, professor Saeed Saqib, Azarr Karblai and Qari Sumandar and the renown Sufi artist Lala Qadeer Ahmed.

Chow guest for the evening, Zafar Iqbal, came all the way from Kashmir, where he is a member of legislative council and vice president of the Academy of Jammu Kashmir arts culture and languages and a renowned Pahari writer, along with Alyas Khan, a research scholar from Juwar Lal Nehru university Dehli.

Councillor Dalat Ali presented his short story 'Khaab Dream' and Councillor Samina Zaheer presented her favourite Sufi poetry.

Deputy Mayor Zaman welcomed the quests while Farooq Qureshi conducted the poetry session.

Sheraz, of Kashmir Youth Project ,summed up the event in English saying we should be proud of our British as well as our Kashmiri identities and play a positive role where ever we live.

The event was concluded with atouching performance by Lala Qadeer who presented Saidulmuluk by Mian Muhammed Bakhsh, a poet philosopher of Mirpur who is famous all over Punjab and Kashmir.