Lehran facts for kids
| Editor(s) | Irfan Akhtar Kulsom Akhtar |
|---|---|
| Categories | Literary magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founder | Syed Akhtar Hussain Akhtar |
| First issue | March 1965 |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Based in | Lahore |
| Language | Punjabi |
The Lehran (which means "waves" in Punjabi) is a magazine from Pakistan. It is published every month from Lahore. The magazine is written in Punjabi, using a script called Shahmukhi. It also includes the same text in another Punjabi script called Gurmukhi.
Lehran is a literary magazine, which means it shares stories, poems, and articles. It was started in March 1965 by Syed Akhtar Hussein Akhtar. He was a big supporter of the Punjabi Language Movement, which worked to promote the Punjabi language. The magazine is connected to the Modern Punjabi College in Old Anarkali.
Monthly Lehran was the first magazine to publish content in both Punjabi scripts. This was a great idea because it helped bring together people from different parts of Punjab. It helped bridge the cultural gap between Pakistani and Indian Punjab. Many other Punjabi writers in Pakistan have since started doing the same thing.
Today, Akhtar's children, Irfan and Kulsom Akhtar, manage the magazine.
Discovering Lehran Magazine
How Lehran Began
Syed Akhtar Hussein Akhtar started Lehran in March 1965. He was a leader in the Punjabi Language Movement. He got help from other famous Punjabi writers like Faqir Muhammad and Abdul Hameed Amar. The very first cover of the magazine was designed by Hanif Ramay, who later became a politician.
Lehran was linked to the Modern Punjabi College in Old Anarkali. Akhtar also founded this college. Students at the college had to subscribe to the magazine. They also helped out with the magazine's office work.
According to the Dawn newspaper, Lehran filled an important need. After Chaudhary Muhammad Afzal, another educator, passed away, there was no Punjabi literary magazine for college students in Lahore. Lehran became that magazine. In its early days, Lehran mostly published articles related to the college's lessons. It also shared other general literary pieces in Punjabi.
Publishing in Two Scripts
When Lehran first started, it was only published in Shahmukhi. This is the script used for writing Punjabi in Pakistani Punjab. But before 2005, Monthly Lehran began to also print its articles in Gurmukhi. This is the Punjabi script used in Indian Punjab. Lehran was a pioneer in doing this. Many other Pakistani writers later copied this idea.
People praised Lehran for helping to connect people from Pakistani and Indian Punjab. By publishing in both scripts, it helped bring together different cultures and religions. Akhtar also started teaching the Gurmukhi script to readers in Pakistani Punjab through the Lehran magazine.
