ISLAMABAD: Lok Virsa hosted the inaugural ceremony of its annual 10-day folk festival, popularly known as Lok Mela, in Shakarparian on Friday.

Federal Minister of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Senator Pervez Rashid inaugurated the festival, which will continue till April 10.

As a tribute to cultural artisans, the minister presented Khurshid Nauma, an 80-year-old master in Sharma weaving and Namda making (embroidery) with a chaddar.

He also presented a dastar (turban) to Sachu Khan who is a prominent saroz player.

In his address, Senator Pervez Rashid said: “Pakistan has a rich and diverse culture and the people of all the provinces are proud of their traditions.”

He said Lok Mela is a reminder of the importance of preserving our culture and that such events reinforce national harmony and integration by promoting cultural heritage.

He said harmony is also reinforced at such events because all the provinces contribute to the organisation of the festival.

Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr Fouzia Saeed said Lok Virsa’s mandate is researching, collecting, documenting, preserving and the dissemination of Pakistan’s heritage.

She said: “The focus is on the promotion of our many cultures and inculcating them in the lives of people in order to rejuvenate our pride in who we are as a nation and appreciating out pluralistic identities”.

The festival will be open from 11am to 10pm every day and includes provincial pavilions, folk songs and dances, rural music, cultural nights, a shopping area, craft bazaars, live performances by artisans and stalls offering traditional foods.

Around 500 artists from across the country are taking part in the Lok Mela and will be showcasing their traditional skills.

The festival will focus on the diversity of the provinces and will provide craftsmen with the opportunity to display their skills and also sell their products without the involvement of middlemen, thus making them understand the value of their craft.

The mela also serves to provide an opportunity to the diplomatic community to experience authentic folk music and other cultural entertainment. They can also buy authentic, traditional items.

To highlight the diversity of the provinces, the festival will include provincial pavilions depicting certain cultural themes.

The Punjab pavilion is themed around the culture in the Cholistan Desert, Balochistan’s pavilion features the traditions of Makran, the culture of the Thar Desert is shown by the Sindh pavilion and Chitral is promoted by the pavilion reserved for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The cultural departments of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir have also set up pavilions to showcase their cultures.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2016