Mumbai: A one-day seminar on the topic “The Importance of Children's Literature in the Contemporary Era” was recently organised at the auditorium of Hindustani Prachar Sabha, located at Charni Road, Mumbai. The seminar was divided into three sessions.

During the inaugural session, Mr. Feroz Pech, trustee and honorary secretary of the Sabha, welcomed Mr. Sarfaraz Arzoo, editor and proprietor of the daily newspaper Hindustan, who attended the event as the chief guest. The proceedings were conducted by Mr. Rakesh Tripathi, programme coordinator of the Sabha.

Dr. Rita Kumar, Officer on Special Duty at the Sabha, delivered the welcome address. Following this, Mr. Feroz Pech spoke about the activities and initiatives of the organisation. In his address, Mr. Sarfaraz Arzoo appreciated the Sabha's activities and emphasised the need to continue organising such seminars. He described “The Importance of Children's Literature in the Contemporary Era” as an excellent and wide-ranging subject that offered considerable scope for discussion and further work.

Shireen Dalvi, editor of the quarterly journal Hindustani Zaban, delivered an introductory address on the seminar and its theme.

Dr. Rita Kumar felicitated Dr. Abdullah Imtiyaz Ahmed, Mr. M. Mubeen, Mr. Iqbal Niazi, Mr. Anwar Mirza, Mr. Ataur Rahman Tariq, Dr. Azfar Khan and Ms. Shah Taj by presenting them with mementoes.

The first session was chaired by Dr. Abdullah Imtiyaz Ahmed, Head of the Department of Urdu at the University of Mumbai. During this session, Mr. M. Mubeen, Mr. Anwar Mirza and Mr. Iqbal Niazi presented their research papers.

The second session was moderated by Shireen Dalvi and chaired by Ms. Shah Taj. Mr. Ataur Rahman Tariq and Dr. Azfar Khan presented their research papers during the session.

Students and faculty members from the University of Mumbai, Rizvi College and Maharashtra College attended the seminar. Mr. Khaliq-uz-Zaman Nusrat, Mr. Wasim Aqeel Shah, Mr. Farhan Hanif, Mr. Shadab Rashid and Mr. Waqar Qadri were also present.

Shireen Dalvi expressed gratitude to all the participants and attendees on behalf of the Hindustani Prachar Sabha, bringing the programme to a close.