The 10-day folk festival of Pakistan, popularly known as “Lok Mela” opened here at Shakarparian. This mega annual cultural event is organized by Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage).
The inaugural ceremony was hosted by Shahzada Jamal Nazir, with federal minister for Religious Affairs, National Harmony and National Heritage & Integration as the chief guest.
In his address, the minister said, “Lok Virsa is doing a great service to the nation by preserving our indigenous folk traditions, and projecting them at the national and international levels.We can defeat terrorism and extremism by promoting our cultural heritage. I am glad to see that Lok Virsa has given due representation to all provinces and regions.”
In his keynote address, Ministry of National Heritage & Integration Secretary Gul Muhammad Rindh assured full cooperation to Lok Virsa and the festival participants on behalf of his ministry and added “This event is a true depiction of rural Pakistan. The direct beneficiaries are rural folk including craftspeople, folk artists, musicians and other performers participating from each and every corner of the country. The festival, therefore, serves to disseminate the dynamic creativity of our countryside and gives rural folk a pride in their identity”.
In his welcome address, Lok Virsa’s executive director, Khalid Javaid gave a brief overview of the concept and objectives of the festival with special reference to the mandate of Lok Virsa. He assured participants from all the provinces and remote areas a very warm hospitality at Islamabad during the festival period.
More than 500 artisans and artists from across the country are participating in the festival, bringing with them their creativity in arts, crafts and innovation. The festival will continue till Sunday, 21 April 2013 daily from 11.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. at Lok Virsa Complex, Garden Avenue, Shakarparian.
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