Lok Virsa celebrates Pakistan Day

Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage) on Friday celebrated Pakistan Day with a great fervor, enthusiasm and festivity here at Garden Avenue, Shakarparian.
Special programmes organised on the occasion were Artisans-at-work exhibition, song and dance performances by folk artists, musicians and traditional drummers as well as an exotic craft bazaar displaying and selling a variety of traditional handmade items.
The major attraction remained the artisans exhibition which featured outstanding master artisans in various specialised craft fields including Zahid Riaz in wax printing, Fazle Wahid in Swati Shawl, Habibur Rehman in truck art, Hafeez Nasir in zari work, Mukhtar Dar in Kashmiri Namda/Gabba weaving, Zulfiqar Ghazi in Kashmiri papier mache, Mst Fouzia Naheed in doll making, Muhammad Saleem in wood carving, Mst Saddaf Nisar in Motikaari (needle work), Fouzia Malik and Motahir in embroidery work.
Among the artisans who displayed their craftsmanship at the exhibition, Zulfiqar Ghazi and Muhammad Saleem were the most prominent. Ghazi specialises in the famous Kashmiri art of “papier mache”.
He excels not only in the art of papier mache and miniature but is also an accomplished artist in stain glass, fabric designing and traditional furniture painting. Ghazi paints nature, floral motifs, birds, animals, mughal monarchs in his paintings as well on papier mache artifacts.
With artistic skills and creativity running in his veins, Ghazi is determined to preserve and revive the golden era of Mughals. He has participated in scores of festivals, fairs and exhibitions in the country and abroad and won cash prizes and certificates in recognition of his talent.
Muhammad Saleem is a master craftsman in wood carving from the Kashmir valley. He learnt this art from his forefathers at the tender age of seven. Due to oppressive policies of the Indian occupied forces, his family migrated to Pakistan and settled in Rawalpindi permanently.
He is imparting training to several students, thus ensuring continuity of his art to the younger generations. Saleem uses walnut wood, cedar, Dalbergia Sissu (Shisham) for creating exquisitely carved furniture, doors, boxes and decorative items. He often uses teak wood for crafting most profusely intricate carved items. He carves nature, leaf patterns, animals and floral designs. Saleem took part in a number of festivals and exhibitions in the country and abroad.
Female artisan Fouzia Naheed, who specialises in the art of traditional doll making also drew the attention of the visitors a lot. Women and girls thronged her stall and bought nicely made dolls from her.
Traditional drummers (dholis) Shaukat Ali and his group entertained the visitors in intervals with their thrilling performances throughout the day.
In the evening, a folk musical show was organized at Lok Virsa open air theatre. Folk artists and musicians including popular folk singer Qurban Niazi and his group performed in the show and received a great applause from the audience.
The Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology, known as Heritage Museum, depicting living cultural traditions, and Pakistan Monument Museum also remained open for public from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm and witnessed a large crowd.
To attract the visitors, a 50 percent rebate on museum entry tickets for Pakistani adults was granted by Lok Virsa authorities on the day, which was fully availed by the masses.
A large number of visitors including families, youth and general public from twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi attended the activities specially arranged by Lok Virsa.