Multan Cultural Festival continues for fun lovers

MULTAN: The colorful cultural festival "Lok Mela" is continuing here till February 27 to attract fun lovers with a view to document and project indigenous folk arts, crafts, culture and music of the country.

The festival also aims at promoting and safeguarding practitioners associated with the centuries' old traditions by way of providing a platform for recognition of their talent.

The event is organized by Lok Virsa (the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage), featuring beautifully designed cultural pavilions with the depiction of culture and traditions of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Artists from across the country have brought an artisans-at-work exhibition, arts and crafts exhibition, song and dance ensembles, Saraiki cultural pavilion, musical concerts/cultural evenings, traditional/regional cuisine, NGO stalls, an exotic craft bazaar, children play land, magic shows and other attractions.

Master artisans in the specialized fields of wood work, embroidery, metal work, lacquer art, wax printing, papier mache, basketry, doll making, miniature, block printing, Ajrak, tie and dye, weaving (in particular khes, darri and shawl weaving) and traditional jewellery are demonstrating their craftsmanship in the artisans-at-work exhibition aesthetically designed and created by the organizers.

Large contingents of folk artists, rural musicians, performers and dance groups from all the provinces are also mesmerizing the visitors through their periodic performances at the festival.

The prominent performers include Shahid Qureshi, Khalil Ahmed, Najma Malik and Ahmed Ali Joka from Punjab, Sajid Ali Multani and Shahzada Asif from Saraiki region, Zulfiqar Khan, Asim Khan, Khayal Muhammad Solang, Jhangi Khan, Muhammad Ramzan, Muhammad Bashir, Bismillah Khan, Amanullah Mengal, Ali Adil, Shahan, Imdad Ali, Muhammad Umer and Shah Wali accompanied by two folk dance groups (Leva chap and Makrani) from Balochistan, Shakila Naz, Aziz Hussain and Ijaz Sarhadi from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as junior Allan Faqir and others from Sindh.

"Cultural nights" to focus the culture and folk music of the provinces are also taking place daily wherein outstanding folk singers, attired in traditional costumes, perform in accompaniment of the folk musicians and folk dance groups.

Saraiki cultural pavilion is the major attraction of the 9-day festival wherein artisans, artists and performers from the Saraiki region present popular folk songs in fusion with artists and musicians from other parts of the country.

Executive Director Lok Virsa said the festival will give an opportunity to the participants from all the provinces not only to interact with their counterparts from other provinces and regions but also display and sell their products to the public without involvement of middleman. This can eventually serve as an important step towards eradication of poverty among the craftspeople and folk musicians, he added. (APP)