Khyber Pakhtunkhwa artists are also playing their role to raise awareness about Covid-19 through their art.

The artists through their paintings, poetry and music have tried to raise awareness among public regarding the deadly virus.

Amjad Shahzad, a musician from Malakand district, has set up an institution called Hunarkor to teach music to the youth. However, following the outbreak of the Covid-19, he was forced to teach music online.

Fortunately, his online music classes have grown popular with the Afghan music students, who immigrated to Pakistan following the fall of Kabul to Taliban.

Mr Shahzad said that following the fall of Kabul, most of the artists associated with music left for Pakistan. Many of them settled in parts of KP, Baluchistan and other areas and Mr Shahzad’s online classes came as boon for them.

“Since music students could not sit in a class due to pandemic; therefore, we started using online teaching,” he said.

He said that he teaches rabab, harmonium, guitar and other musical instruments. “I have seven women and 16 males in my class,” he said.

Mr Shahzad said that online education did not posed any issue to youths. “The internet speed is good and youths have become familiar with the online education,” he said.

 

“We urge our students to keep a social distance, wash their hands with soap and get vaccinated to save themselves from the pandemic as it is a deadly disease and we are very concerned about the health of our young generation,” he said. Besides, he said that they also encourage their students to raise awareness about polio vaccination.

Saqib Afridi of Bara Literary Writers Association in Khyber district said that pandemic impacted his poetry.

He said that poets and writers belong to the society and the prevailing situation has a profound effect on them.

Talking to TNN after a mushira or poetry recital, that there was reference to the pandemic in all the poems recited at the event.

However, he added that it was tackle difficult topics in poetry with same ease possible in fiction.

“In fiction, Ayazullah Turkzai has written a short story titled’Quarantine, which was very good short story,” he said.

Besides, he said that Dr. Hamdard Yousafzai has authored a short story titled ‘pandemic’ wherein effects, feelings and harms of the plague have been mentioned in depth.

Khakari Afridi, a poet and member of the Bara Literary Writers’ Organization, told TNN that he has written poems in Pashto to protect against the pandemic.

Besides he said that he also used to occasionally talk to other poets about the effects of the pandemic and how to save lives.

Besides, he has also paid homage to those who lost their lives due to the virus.

Salman Ahmed, a fine arts student, said that the pandemic disrupted his studies, forcing him to tackle the subject in his art.

He has drawn a painting wherein the virus has been shown entering a house in the shape of a hammer. Mr Ahmed said that painting the virus as hammer was to show its prowess and deadliness

“The hammer of pandemic has impacted businesses, educational institutions and all walks of life,” he said. However, he said that in his painting he has also included the SOPs, to show how to put an end to the pandemic.

Khadim Afridi, Naseeb Yar and Nabi Jan contributed reporting.