Several artisans and craftsmen from the beautiful valley of Kashmir are being featured at the ongoing Lok Mela at Shakarparian, said a press release.
The contingent from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) consists of over 30 participants, including 10 folk artists, musicians and one Gatka dancer. Zulfiqar Ghazi, Muhammad Saleem Malik, Taj Muhammad, Tajal, Yasmin Bano, Nisar Ali, Rubina Zulfiqar, Muneer Sheikh and several craftsmen specialising in papier mache, wood carving, namda, gabba, Kashmiri shawl and embroidery are part of the contigent.
Zulfiqar Ghazi, who specialises in the famous Kashmiri art of papier mache, is the most prominent Kashmiri artisan at the festival. He is also an accomplished artist in stain glass, fabric designing and traditional furniture painting. He has represented his skills and creativity at local as well as international festivals, and has won several cash prizes and certificates for his work.
Muhammad Saleem Malik is another prominent artist representing the AJK pavilion. He is a master craftsman in wood carving who uses walnut wood, cedar, sissu and dalbergia for creating exquisite furniture and decorative items.
A performance area has been set up by the organisers where several musicians present Kashmiri folk music using dhol, flute and shehnai, while Gatka dancers perform the traditional Kashmiri dance, wearing colourful costumes.
A cultural night dedicated to AJK also took place on Thursday where singers including Rukhsana Murtaza, Shakeel Awan, Amjad Butt, Bano Rehman and Altaf Kashmiri Group from Indian Kashmir performed.
The festival has been organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the auspices of National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) in an effort to preserve and promote the rich culture and traditional heritage of the provinces and to allow them to come forward and represent their identity.
“This unique event has given an excellent opportunity to disseminate the dynamic creativity of our countryside and give rural folk a pride in their identity,” said Ahmad Hassan, a visitor.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ