The event in which 33 women participated was held at the Rawalpindi Arts Council on Sunday with the collaboration of Norwegian Embassy which partners with Lok Virsa in the promotion of traditional arts and craft.
A large audience cheered the amateur singers while renowned artists Ustad Abdul Latif Khan, Ustad Mehfooz Khokar, Ustad Rustam Khan and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan adjudged their performance and also delighted the audience with their own presentations.
Lok Virsa is working in close association with all regional and community based organizations to document and preserve indigenous folk culture and musical traditions, said Executive Director Khalid Javaid. This initiative to support young talent from the Potohar region was a step in that direction, he added.
An official of Lok Virsa said, “The idea behind the event was to encourage Pakistani women, mostly from under-privileged segments, to become part of the country’s cultural scene.” This event provided a forum to young women to prove their talent and win recognition at the national level.
The Norwegian Ambassador to Pakistan, Robert Kvile, said in his message, “To preserve and strengthen Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage is one of our priority objectives.” The ambassador said the cooperation between the two states for the past four decades is the “core of their relationship”. He lauded services of Lok Virsa as a leading Pakistani partner for cultural cooperation between Pakistan and Norway.
Lok Virsa is a specialized cultural body charged with the mandate for the collection, documentation, preservation and dissemination of Pakistan’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Since its inception, it has been working to promote the traditional arts and artists of Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2011.
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