Students flex artistic skills at PAC

The first Punjab Painting Competition of the year was organised at the Punjab Arts Council (PAC) for students and enthusiasts of the twin cities.

The themes for the competition ranged from social topics such as early marriage, family planning and poverty to the civilization and culture of Punjab and the natural beauty of Pakistan.

Students aged 16 to 35 from various schools, colleges and universities participated in the competition. These included students of Rawalpindi Women's University, National College of Arts, Fatima Jinnah Women's University, Rawalpindi Medical University, National University of Medical Sciences, Viqar-ul-Nisa University, government and private schools and colleges.

The competition was organised at the district level in Rawalpindi under the directions of the Director General Punjab Arts Council, Syed Bilal Haider.

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Patrons of art, Ahmed Habib, Saima Amir and Zarar Haider Babri were called upon to serve as judges in the competition. Assistant Commissioner Coordination, Shabana Nazir was the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony.

Speaking at the event, Shabana said “Like poetry, painting is also a result of human feelings. What a poet does is what a painter does. Poet with tongue, painter with pencil or pen. Painting is also a pictorial language that has been spoken in all ages.” Finally, the chief guest congratulated the Arts Council for organising the painting competition.

Arts Council Director Waqar Ahmed said that painting is the oldest art in the world. “Painting has a very high place in history. It not only reflects the cultural, social and religious conditions but it can also accurately predict the impact of economic fluctuations. Painting also plays an important role in evaluating the civilization of nations,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 29^th, 2024.