Located alongside Garden Avenue, just below Shakarparian Hills, the architecture of Art and Craft Village seems quite impressive, but the Capital Development Authority (CDA) with its co-partner, Indus Heritage Trust (IHT), has been unable to attract visitors since its inauguration in 2008.
‘Potohari: Art and Craft Village’, as it is called officially, is a joint project of the CDA and Indus Heritage Trust (IHT) – a vision that celebrates and showcases the rich cultural heritage of the country that dates back to 10,000 years. The village, considered to be the forerunner of similar outlets throughout Pakistan that was meant to provide a snapshot of the cultural identity of the country, is now presenting a dilapidated condition as various buildings are in a shambles. Sanitation problems, wild bushes and lack of interest by artisans from across the country has made this village lackluster for visitors.
Designed on the pattern of Delhi Haat, India, this unique idea of public-private partnership was governed by a management committee, the CDA chairman as its head, and was managed by Indus Heritage Trust (IHT) on a voluntary basis. The CDA, in collaboration with Indus Heritage Trust, began work on the 20-acre village in January 2005. Initially, Rs 180 million was allocated for the project, but the budget was, later, increased to Rs 20 million. The village was developed within the stipulated period of three years. Currently, the village has 40 stalls, including those of art and craft, traditional cuisines and tea.
According to an IHT official, Art and Craft Village (ACV) houses an open air theatre, an exhibition hall and a studio hall. Under the plan, the village’s opening generates employment opportunities for hundreds of skilled craftsmen. One group of artisans is to be replaced with the other possibly after every two months. “Main features of the village are clusters of craft shops, exhibition halls, design centres, food courts and studios. It also has Artists’ Retreat, an accommodation for visiting artists, an amphitheatre for performing arts, open air entertainment, children-friendly play areas, and “The Sarai”, an accommodation for craft persons and park areas,” the official maintained.
Visitors, while talking to Pakistan Today, said though the objectives of this village was to preserve the country’s rich cultural heritage through design backup, advice and support to make traditional crafts more marketable, but whenever they visited Shakrparian hills, they came here to see what was going on here, but to their utter surprise they found nothing but a deserted look.
“The brilliant traditional structure, the lush green lawns and the beautiful landscape at the time of the ACV inauguration are now presenting a ruin-like atmosphere, so people avoid to go there and prefer to visit Rose and Jasmine Garden, Lok Virsa, Natural History Museum, Pak-China Friendship Centre and Pakistan Monument to spend their time,” said Talha Shakil, a visitor.
Several visitors said this place was good for recreational activities to spend time with families, but lack of basic facilities and activities inside the premises stopped people from visiting the village. Myra Bhatti, a visitor at Pakistan Monument, urged the authorities concerned o make this village functional on a daily basis and hold cultural events and activities on daily basis.
Despite all these issues, the management committee organised five events in the village. The first one was a three-day SAARC Mela organised in February 2009. Soon after that, the CDA decided to go for a soft opening of the facility to which artisans were invited to run two clusters. The activity was stopped after one month mainly due to absence of basic facilities in the village.
After that, three more events, including Jashn-e-Baharan, Jugni Mela and Sawan Mela were organised. Jashn-e-Baharan and Jugni Mela were three-day events whereas Sawan Mela that brought ‘Lucky Irani Circus’ back to Islamabad after 22 years continued for 17 days. An IHT Officail told this scribe that only Jashan-e-Baharan attracted 30,000 people in three days.
The official said that ACV was not simply an exhibition spot; it also included facilities such as educational centres for artisans and art students, art gallery and museum etc. “Organising all such activities with all possible perfection takes time and we are working on it,” the official said, adding the village would not only serve as an entertainment and educational centre but also become a symbol of provincial harmony with the passage of time. According to the ACV management, a one-year plan for Artists’ Retreat is being planned. “Hostel facilities at the village will be available to students from schools, colleges and universities to enable them to interact with artisans and know about their indigenous culture,” the official said. The management has also decided that craftsmen’ travel to the village can be supported only initially and cannot continue for a long time due to the resource crunch. The Potohari Board has also decided to introduce some sort of children’s entertainment area to encourage families to come to the site.
