Visitors to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) on Sunday were treated to a delightful evening of musical nostalgia and mushaira , a poetic symposium, performed by a select group of UAE’s school students as part of a special cultural show.

The event, put together by Bazm-e-Urdu – UAE’s first and the only licensed social club dedicated towards the upliftment of Urdu – saw Pakistani rock sensation Bilal Maqsood take the stage to introduce his latest project Pakkay Dost (Solid Friends), a YouTube series in Urdu for children inspired by Sesame Street.

“The content that today’s children consume in our region is alien to them. So that moved me to make something that’s more relevant to them in their own language,” said Maqsood while lip-syncing a few lines from his series along with protagonists Tufail and Lal Baig during a free-wheeling live session, driving home some real life lessons.

“It’s a series of simple stories told through music and characters that I believe will help shape and give meaning to the collective childhood of the generation growing up now,” said Maqsood, the co-founder of Pakistan’s iconic rock band Strings, while regaling the young and old alike with some of the series’ most popular videos whose second series, now in production, is expected hit the screens within a couple of months.

Earlier, lovers of the Urdu language were presented with a rare mushaira, a poetic symposium titled Hum Bhi Agar Bachche Hote (If we were kids), performed by a select group of six school going children and led by renowned Pakistani TV personality Waseem Badami.

Parveen Shakira’s satirical ‘O My God’ took a dig at women with excessive love for makeup, weight loss and designer bags while Bahadur Khan ‘Kayar’ brought out everyday humour in marriages and offices. Chanda Tiktoria took on a world fuelled by social media followers and filters while Happy Singh ‘Pareshan’ highlighted the woes of a UAE driver navigating through the world of rising fuel costs, fines and traffic signals and fast diminishing parking spaces. 

“‘Hum Bhi Agar Bacche Hote’ is not just a storytelling event; it’s a journey back to the innocence and joy of childhood,” said Waseem Badami. “Through our performances, we hope to evoke laughter, nostalgia, and a sense of wonder in our audience.”