Daily Times

A comedy session, ‘Let’s smile again’ was held at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, here. The ceremony was presided over by famous columnist, writer Ataul Haq Qasmi. He thanked Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari, Secretary Information Ahmed Aziz Tarar, and the Alhamra chief executive officer.

Qasmi said that laughter is a strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in body. He said laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side could put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding on to bitterness or resentment. Qasmi shared some funny events he experienced during his routine life and foreign visits.

Executive Director Alhamra Sara Rasheed was responsible for organising the event. She also attended the comedy session.

As soon as Ataul Haq Qasmi started relating humorous event, people applauded heartily and their faces lit up with happiness. At the comedy session, beside others noted writer and author of book Hudd-e-Adab Shahid Zaheer Syed, Hussain Shirazi, Gul Nokhiz Akhtar, Nasir Malik and Saleem Mirza attended the sitting and presented their creative work on humour.

Noted writer and advocate Shahid Zaheer Syed said that positive humour suggests a relief mechanism for pent-up emotions or tension through emotional expression. He said laughter serves as a homeostatic mechanism by which psychological stress is reduced. Humour thus facilitate ease of the tension caused by one’s fears, or social or financial stress. Laughter and joy are resulted from this release of excess nervous energy. He said humour is used mainly to overcome sociocultural inhibitions and reveal suppressed desires. “It is believed that this is why we laugh while being tickled, due to a buildup of tension as the tickler strikes,” he added.

Shahid Zaheer said laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humour lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner.

Syed also quoted a Hadith, which said: “A smile on the face of your brother is a charity.”

Dr. Ayesha Azeem added to the splendor of the event by organising it in her unique style.

Talking to APP, Dr. Ayesha, who accomplished her special research work on Ataul Haq Qasmi, said Qasmi is a great man, as well as a writer, adding, all his life he promoted those who came even after him. She said the most distinguished character of Qasmi’s column is his satire on social inequalities of society, which he boldly describes in his columns. He has a unique style of writing columns compared to any other columnist due to the humorous way, Ayesha said, adding he handles even the serious issues in his own style.

Qasmi has written more than 20 books and many articles on different subjects for the leading newspapers of the country.

A large number of people attended the session at Alhamra.