ISLAMABAD, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP): To organise Lok Mela annually is
a wonderful effort by Lok Virsa to enliven the otherwise calm and
quite atmosphere of Islamabad.
The 10-day Lok Mela organised by Lok Virsa is usually an
amalgamation of different cultures of all the four provinces,
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit -Baltistan thus
presenting an awesome look.
After entering the gates of Lok Virsa it portrays the live
map of Pakistan encompassing cultural pavilions of all the four
provinces, Balochistan, Sindh,Punjab, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa(KP),AJK
and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The pavilions featured artists and artisans at work ranging
from carving,weaving,pottery making,truck art,furniture making
beside traditional apparel,food music and dance.
A visitor Prof. Shakeel Abbasi alongwith his family at a
stall of carved wooden furniture while talking to APP said that
all the pieces were an instant hit and he has bought those not
only for his family but also as gifts for foreign friends.
The professor said he and his family loved to visit lok
Mela every year and “we enjoy Balochi Sajji very much,” this
time he said ,”We also had sajji and enjoyed the thrilling
performance of Baloch folk dancers also joined by the visitors.”
He was all praise for Lok Virsa saying that it made an
excellent effort to relive diverse traditions of Pakistan beside
protecting and preserving cultural heritage of Pakistan.
He said such festivals provide a chance to people of
Islamabad to see the diverse traditions of Pakistan and
also an opportunity to buy traditional items of their choice.
A child, Dua Zafar buying some pottery from the truck art
stall when asked by APP that why she was showing so much interest
in that stall said, “Truck Art” was her assignment and she has
to write a ‘reflection on it’.
“I have bought some items from here and will take these to
my school,” Dua added.
Moreover, the traditional upbeat folk music coupled
with performances takes the audience to an aura of enchantment
making them dance to the traditional folk tunes.
Beside this provision of entertainment,Lok Virsa is also
encouraging the male and female entrepreneurs from across Pakistan
by allotting them stalls.
A handicapped (one hand) wooden showpiece maker Zameer Ahmed
Khan from Hyderabad at his stall in Lok Virsa awaits recognition
of his art by government.
While talking to APP, Zameer Ahmed Khan said he lost his one
hand while working at a textile mill.Afterwards,he learnt his skill
of wooden artcraft and made the wooden trophy of 2011 ICC world cup.
Besides, he said,he also made the miniature model of tomb
of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
He said if government patronises him, he intended to open an
institute to transfer his skills to others so that they can shape
their destiny specially the handicapped ones.