Horsing around: The provinces finally dancing in sync...

Horse & camel dance fair brings together performers from various provinces.

RAHIM YAR KHAN: An elaborate fair was organised to feature Siraiki, Punjabi, Sindhi and Baloch culture on Saturday.

According to dozens of residents, the fair was arranged in Chak-150 PG in the Manthar area and hundreds attended the festivities. “It was very well organised as there was food being sold from the different provinces. There were also dozens of stalls of locally made products and handicrafts,” said resident Masooma Bibi.

“It is amazing how people from different provinces showcased dances from their areas. Every province also showcased the different horse dances that were popular in their areas,” said fair judge Basit Anwar.

Many spectators said that they particularly enjoyed the camel and horse races. “There was also horse dancing and camel dancing and the music that went with it really drew in a crowd,” said local organizer Shamsher Ali.

Sindhi camel herd Akhtar Khan said that he had brought over several camels to showcase the famous Sindhi jhumer and dachi dances. “The performance involves us dancing the jhumer with the camel performing as well. This ‘dachi dance’ dates back over a century and is revered in Sindh,” Khan said.

Spectators from Indian Punjab, Lahore, Islamabad and other part of the country appreciated the performances. “The music and local performers were fantastic and the horse and camel dances were captivating,” said a spectator from Indian Punjab Musab Singh.

Nizamuddin Unhar was awarded the best Dachi dancer prize. “I have been doing this since I was a child and my entire family trained camels in the dachi dance. Tending to my camels and training them is my life,” he said.

Unglo Shar’s camel was given the title ‘Cholistan ka jahaz’ (Cholistan’s aeroplane) and horses belonging to Hashim Shar, Abdul Qayum Dasti earned prizes for the best dancing horses. “My family has been breeding race and dancing horses for over 40 years.

This part of our tradition and we begin training colts and fillies when they are a year old.

The training usually lasts for over eight to nine months and then we weed the horses out to see which should be showcases in fares and festivals,” Shar said.

Ludhiana based Sardar Rajinder Singh and Ranjeet Singh said that they had immensely enjoyed the festival. “The horse and camel dances were brilliant and mesmerising. This is a part of Pakistani culture that needs to be seen more often,” Rajinder Singh said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2011.