The Punjab Folk Studio on Saturday evening showcased the culture and tradition of Sargodha and its adjacent areas through folk dances, musical performances and a horse dance.
The Punjab Council of Arts hosted the evening in collaboration with the Sargodha Arts Council at Open Air Theatre, Bagh-i-Jinnah. The stage was decorated with traditional stools, pitchers, model of a tube well, pigeons and other items. Since Sargodha is known for producing oranges, there was a cart full of the fruit parked at a side of the stage that were later distributed among the audience along with the traditional sweet dhoda.
The evening opened with a singing of Heer that transported the audience to the time of Heer and Ranjha. A singer from Sargodha enthralled the audience with his amazing folk singing with songs such as ‘Aa jaa yaar dey deedar’ and ‘Sajjan bana lai nee’.
The Fazalur Rehman dance group presented a fabulous upbeat folk dance to the beat of drums and live orchestra. A horse dance had been incorporated into this performance that the audience really enjoyed.
An all-girls dance beautifully depicted how women went to the well to fetch water. Singer Arshad Khan performed ‘Ker Mulqataan’ and Mushtaq Khan Niazi sang folk legend Attaullah Esa Kheelvi’s popular numbers ‘Balo battian’ and ‘Wey bol sanwal’.
The Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture will hold a four-day Pakistan Cultural Festival -- Feb 18 to 21.
At the opening ceremony a musical session and a few speeches would be held. On Feb 19 there will be a Punjab Cultural Day which would feature ghazal and classical singing along with contemporary music. The third day is dedicated to folk tales, Heer and Saiful Malook singing under the title ‘Wasda Rahay Punjab’, while an awards ceremony will be held on the concluding day of the festival where the visitors will have an opportunity to interact with known singers and actors.
The institute held a condolence reference in memory of poet Akhtar Shad on Feb 1.