Press release

HAIKU POETRY TRAINING WORKSHOP BEGINS AT THE CITY SCHOOL

PRESS RELEASE N0: JPNEMPAK 14-03

Islamabad: 28 January 2014

A four-day Haiku Poetry Training Workshop has commenced today, 28th January 2014, at the City School, Capital Campus, Islamabad aiming to teach the art of Urdu Haiku poetry to the young students of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Ms. Tomoko Koide, Deputy Head of Public Affairs, Embassy of Japan, inaugurated the training workshop on 28th January which will be concluded on 31st January, 2014. Mr. Rafiq Sandeelvi, Professor of Urdu literature and Haiku poetry, will conduct the workshop.
The Embassy of Japan has arranged Haiku poetry training workshop for the first time in Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Haiku Society and the City School. A sizeable number of students from different schools in the twin cities participated in the training workshop. The students participating in the training workshop will be given an opportunity to recite their Haiku during the annual Haiku recital which will be organized by the Embassy of Japan in March 2014.
Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that dates back to the 17th century. Haiku is the most precise, compact and condensed poetry originating in Japan. Haiku is defined as an unrhymed verse, written in 5-7-5 syllabic form, usually in three lines. Its subjects are predominantly nature and life experiences. Haiku, one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry, still remains popular in modern Japan, and in recent years its popularity has also spread to many countries including Pakistan. Many poets in Pakistan today practice this compact yet profound and evocative form of expression that leaves a lot of room for interpretation and subtlety.
Ms. Tomoko Koide while speaking at the inaugural session of the Haiku poetry training workshop appreciated the students for showing their interest in learning Urdu Haiku poetry. She hoped that this training workshop would be beneficial for the students to learn the basics of this form of poetry. (End)