HYDERABAD, Dec 21: Great enthusiasm was witnessed among the people of Sindh when they celebrated the ‘Ajrak-topi Day (or Sindhi culture day) with men, women and children dancing in the streets of almost all towns and villages on Friday.

Political, social and religious organisations, besides the Sindh culture department and administrations of various schools, colleges and universities, organised a variety of events including seminars, debates, folk music programmes, drama and theatric performances, tableaux and literary sittings to mark the recently introduced annual festivity. Sindhi culture, history and heritage were highlighted at the events.

All men and children as well as many young female participants taking part in the events wore Sindhi caps to express their pride over being Sindhi and waved their Ajraks to greet one another and express their joy over being together on the occasion.

In Hyderabad, hundreds of people clad in cultural dresses joined in rallies taken out from various localities and converged on the local press club, where the main function of the city was held.

Pakistan People’s Party leaders and activists took out rallies and held different programmes on the occasion.

Hyderabad PPP general secretary Fayyaz Ali Shah, Akhtar Bhurgari, Zahid Mirza, Rajab Khaskheli, Aftab Khanzada and others spoke to the audience at one of the programmes held on Wadhuwa Road.

Leaders and activists of various nationalist parties and other organisations spoke to the audience and vowed to promote Sindhi cultural values and traditions. They belonged to the Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party, Awami Tehreek, Awami Jamhoori Party, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz-Bashir, Jeay Sindh Qaum Parast Party-Bhatti, Sindh United Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, National People’s Party, Sindh Hari Committee, Sindhi Adabi Sangat, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Sindh National Party, Hindu Panchayat, Sindhi Sahafi Sangat and others. They renewed their pledge to foil all conspiracies to divide Sindh on any lines.

Folk singers and other artists, including Ustad Ameer Ali Khan, Sajjad Yousuf, Gul Hassan Gul, Tahir Mitho and Master Ghulam Hussain gave their performances.

Since Friday night, the city had been reverberating with folk and nationalist songs like “Jeay Sindh Jeay! Sindh Wara Jiyan” (Long live Sindh, Long live people of Sindh) played on music systems brought to the function venue and placed at street corners. Some youths also celebrated the happy moments by firing into the air.

Welcome reception camps were set up at the Naseem Nagar roundabout, Hussainabad Chowk, Thandi Sarak, Old Campus and other places where folk songs were played throughout the day.

Meanwhile, Sindh Museum Director Mohammad Ayub Jamali said that he had received directives from the provincial Minister for Culture Sassui Palijo and Secretary Abdul Aziz Uqaili to chalk out programmes to continue celebrations until Dec 23. As such, he said, more musical programmes were being organised for the next couple of days.

LARKANA: A number of events were held in Larkana and Kambar-Shahdadkot districts on Friday to highlight Sindhi culture and traditions on the Ajrak-topi day.

The main programme was held at the main entrance of Jinnahbagh where children attired in traditional Sindhi dresses and wearing Sindhi caps gathered and danced on Sindhi tunes.

The whole area gave a festive look as people belonging to all walks of life and different political, social and other organisations mingled with and greeted each other during the course of the function. They also took out rallies and marched through the streets of major cities of the two districts.

Murtaza Kalhoro, Naveed Larik, Ayaz Soomro, Mehdi Shah and representatives of other Sindhi-language channels spoke to the jubilant people.

Crowds of people were seen visiting Moenjodaro to show their love and affection to the heritage site.

UMERKOT: Celebratory rallies were taken out in Umerkot, Samaro, Kunri, Pithoro, Shadi Palli, Dhoronaro, Chhore Cantonment and other areas of Umerkot district on Friday to observe the Ajrak-topi day.

The participants, especially youngsters, took part in the rallies with great enthusiasm singing and dancing in the streets and shouting slogans of ‘Jeay Sindh’.

Wearing Sindhi caps and having Ajraks on their shoulders, people from all walks of life took part in various events with keen interest and embraced each other with resolve to promote the Sindhi traditional values and culture. Nationalist, folk and other Sindhi-language songs were played on the orchestra arranged at various programmes organised by almost all public and private educational institutions in the district.

Teachers, students and their parents, and other participants spoke at the programme and highlighted the rich historical and cultural heritage of Sindh and expressed their devotion to the motherland.

DADU: In Dadu town, activists of various political parties along with schoolchildren, students of colleges and universities and members of the general public celebrated the Ajrak-topi day by taking out rallies and holding cultural events.

Participants in the rallies danced in the streets singing folk songs and exchanging gifts of Sindhi caps and Ajraks.

Journalists, literary figures and representatives of Sindhi-language TV channels took out a rally from Allama I.I. Kazi Library and converged on the local press club, where they delivered speeches on Sindh culture. A large number of people attended the programme.

Similar events were held in Mahar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Sehwan, Jamshoro, Kotri, Johi and Thana Bula Khan towns.