LAHORE: The Punjab Culture Day was celebrated with special colourful events representing the Punjabi culture held across the province on Tuesday.

In the provincial capital, the Punjab Institute of Language Art and Culture (Pilac), in collaboration with Lahore Arts Council, under the auspices of the Information and Culture Department, organised a festival at the Alhamra Art Centre.

The cultural activity was inaugurated by Punjab Minister for Information Amir Mir.

A colourful day as a crafts village was established, having various stalls of traditional food, jewellery and dresses. Drum beating and horse and camel dances were also a part of the festival. Prominent singers who sang songs included Tarranum Naz, Sain Zahoor, Fazal Jutt and Arif Lohar. The venue had an aura of festivity as most of the participants were wearing turbans and traditional Punjabi outfits. The women visitors were also wearing traditional jewellery and dresses.

LAC Executive Director Nazia Jabeen welcomed the minister and other guests. Pilac Director General Beenish Fatima Sahi and Information Secretary Ali Nawaz Malik also attended the event. There was a theatre performance by children as well.

However, the people, who had come to attend the Punjab Culture Day at Alhamra, later got stuck in the traffic as a police operation was going on at Zaman Park and roads leading to the Canal Road and Gulberg were completely closed for traffic.

BAHAWALPUR: The Punjab Cultural Day was celebrated with functions held by the district administrations of Bahawalpur and Lodhran.

In Bahawalpur, Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Ahmed Jappa inaugurated the day-long activities at Satellite Towns’ Farid Park. The DC and other officials wearing traditional Punjabi turbans with blue-coloured Ajraks led a walk, largely participated by the people hailing from all walks of life.

The main events included camel and horse dances, a catwalk of goats of different breeds, stalls by the government and private schools and colleges, handicraft stalls exhibiting the cottage industries of Cholistan, art pieces and traditional pottery of the former Bahawalpur state.

The children from the Child Protection Bureau sang the welcome song inviting great applause from the audience. The Parks and Horticulture Authority set up flower stalls. The government schools organised special functions across the district. The culture day festivities were also held at tehsils of Khairpur Tamewali, Hasilpur, Ahmedpur East and Yazman.

In Lodhran, the day’s celebrations began with a big rally, led by DC Syed Mashhad Raza Kazmi. It paraded from the DC office to Ghausia Park where the DC said the basic concept of the Punjab Culture Day was to preserve the Punjabi heritage.

SAHIWAL: The cultural day was celebrated with enthusiasm by academicians, students, bureaucrats, political workers and language and rights activists in the city.

More than one dozen functions at different public and private venues were held during the day.

The functions were held at Sahiwal Arts Council, Chak 5/11-L, campus of the Barani Institute of Sciences, Govt Imamia College, Harappa Foundation, Govt Graduate College and office of the Directorate of Colleges.

The events included performance of theatre play, Mayawati, by college students, jhoomer by Sanwal Group, Punjabi Baithak at Arid University, a painting exhibition, Punjabi turbans tying by Peru Pehlwan and Punjabi games like Vanjho, kabbadi and Pithu Garam.

Commissioner Shoaib Iqbal opened the day at Sahiwal Arts Council with jhoomer dance. Around 36 Punjabi turbans of different colours were given to local heads of district and divisional administrations by arts council director Riaz Hamdani.

Raja Jahangir of Punjab Lok Lehr held a jhoomer dance competition among students at High School Chak 5/11-L.

TOBA TEK SINGH: The Lyallpur Museum celebrated the culture day with depiction of different stages of the rural life from the Sandal Bar times to the modern age.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Director Arts Council Zahid Iqbal said the Lyallpur Museum was a repository of local culture and contained memories of the people settled between the Ravi and the Chenab.

Museum Education Officer Shahnaz Mehmood said the museum had preserved culture of the Sandal Bar from the 7th Century BC to the present era.

The day was also observed in Toba Tek Singh district. DC Adnan Irshad was the chief guest at Divisional Public School and College while ADC Revenue Zoha Shakir and AC Nauman Ali Dogar were also present.

SARGODHA: The cultural events were organised in all the districts of the division and they included folk dance, songs, drama and exhibition of pictures at the Arts Council Complex.

Commissioner Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti, Additional Commissioner Yasir Bhatti, ADC Headquarters Arshad Ahmed Vito, ADC General Umar Farooq, AC Sargodha Nabeel Memon, CO Education Sardar Akhtar Abbas Baloch, Director Public Relations Shahzad Ahmed Work, AD Arts Council Adnan Khaliq Bhatti and Dr Haroonur Rashid Tabassam participated.

A rally, led by Commissioner Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti, was also taken out.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2023