Schools celebrate Punjab's culture

Punjab Culture Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm in schools and colleges across the Rawalpindi district on Sunday. Many schools presented vibrant scenes of rural life, recreating the essence of Punjab's rural villages and mansions.

Students and teachers embraced the day by wearing traditional rural attire. Teachers were dressed in colourful dhotis, long kurtas, and turbans, while also bringing along the cultural specialty of Punjab the hukkah. They lit the hukkah in schools and smoked it gracefully, with some even carrying pipes.

Traditional Punjabi delicacies such as green (saag), cornbread, and cold sweet lassi were also served, as teachers sat on mats to enjoy the food together, accompanied by round pillows and colourful village-style beds.

Students wore traditional shalwar kameez, kurtas, and khussas, with some tying small turbans on their heads or wearing caps. Female students and teachers adorned colourful braids and traditional attire. Traditional games such as stappo, getian, pithu garam, bandar qila, gulli danda, volleyball, and kok lakh chapaki were enjoyed by the students.

Quiz shows, speech competitions, and tableau performances were also part of the day's festivities. Prizes were awarded to outstanding participants. Teachers and school heads delivered lectures on Punjabi culture, and the entire event was conducted in Punjabi.

Amanullah, Head of the District Education Authority, emphasised the importance of preserving Punjabi culture, noting that it is essential to promote the use of the mother tongue in homes and public spaces.

Presidents of the Educators Association, Akhyan Gul and Basharat Raja, expressed their joy over the success of the day, reflecting on the memories of the past fifty years. A student, Kamil Hassan, shared his excitement about wearing a turban for the first time and playing traditional games, urging the government to promote such games once again in schools.