Acknowledgement: Services of artisans, other professionals appreciated

Lok Virsa organises a plaque unveiling ceremony at National Monument Museum.

ISLAMABAD:

A ceremony to unveil a plaque acknowledging the services of contributors to the establishment of the first thematic museum in Pakistan - The National Monument Museum - was held on Monday. The museum is situated adjacent to the Pakistan Monument at the apex of Shakarparian Hills.

The event was organised by Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage), the designer and creator of the museum. Federal Secretary of Culture Moinul Islam Bokhari unveiled the plaque.

Opened to public in November last year, the museum is dedicated to those who sacrificed their today for a better tomorrow. Through three-dimensional dioramic displays, it depicts the history and struggle for freedom that led to the emergence and development of Pakistan. It also presents the country’s key achievements, particularly in the fields of culture, tourism, education, defense, communication, science & technology, sports, industries, women development and other important aspects of national life.

One can also find glimpses of the meritorious services rendered by the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, national poet & philosopher, Allama Iqbal, and other national heroes. A complete storyboard on Pakistan movement also forms an integral part of the museum’s displays.

Speaking on the occasion, the secretary of culture said, “It is indeed a great pleasure for me to acknowledge the contributions of professionals, artists, sculptors, painters and technical experts who worked shoulder to shoulder, day and night with the Ministry of Culture and Lok Virsa for creation of this milestone achievement. It is an excellent gift for the people of Pakistan, who are the real bearers of our magnificent cultural heritage.”

The secretary also maintained that the museum is unique in the sense that it projects Pakistan in all its dimensions of thought & action without raising controversies. He expressed the hope that the museum will go a long way in educating the younger generation about the sacrifices of their predecessors while promoting the soft image of Pakistan to the outer world in a more effective manner.

In his welcoming adress, Lok Virsa’s executive director, who is also the project director of the museum, took immense pride in his institute’s achievement and lauded the hard work and passion of the museum’s creators. He also thanked the Ministry of Culture for the continuous support and patronage that he and his team received during the museum’s creation.

He explained to the media that in making the museum, Lok Virsa undertook a comprehensive research, documentation, collection, compilation, layout and creative exercise. Fieldwork was conducted by a mobile professional unit, researchers and collectors through village-to-village and town-to-town surveys, employing modern tools. Special efforts were made for field photography in order to create an invaluable photo archive. State-of-the-art displays and large visual panels created by designers offer the finest graphics on Pakistan. Modern display cubes, glass casings, steel & aluminium showcases and stands were fabricated locally for the museum on a very high standard.

The contributors to the museum’s technical and creative works included chief supervisor Moinul Islam Bokhari, Project Director Khalid Javaid, Creative Directors Naseemullah Rashid and Asif Javed Shahjahan, resource persons Qutub-ud-Din Shaikh, Dr Zawwar Hussain Zaidi, Shariful Mujahid, Abdul Sattar, Akram Shaheedi & Ahmad Salim, sculptors Aftab Ahmed Changezi & Saimwell, artist Muhammad Azeem Iqbal, painters Saleem Minhas & Qaiser Minhas.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2011.