Lok Mela concluded after exhibiting Heritage of Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: (Parliament Times) Folk Festival of Pakistan, popularly known as ‘Lok Mela’, concluded on Sunday here at Lok Virsa, Shakarparian with a prestigious and colorful award ceremony.
If there is one lesson to be had from the recently concluded 8-day Lok Mela, it is that in every nook and cranny of the country, there is a wealth of talent, be it in folk songs or in crafts. But these artists continue to be neglected and their skill looked down upon.
The annual Lok Mela, organised by National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa), served as a reminder about these talented and diverse artists.
Provincial Minister for Information and Culture, Govt. of Punjab, Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan was the special guest on the occasion.
In his address, Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan congratulated Lok Virsa for the successful holding of this huge festival that brought rural masses from each corner of the country to the capital city enriching its beauty and attraction. “The government is fully determined to strengthen the national institutions. We are aware that no nation can afford to progress in industry, science and technology at the utter neglect and cost of its cultural awareness.
Federal Secretary, Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Shafqat Jalil was the chief guest of concluding ceremony. He said, Lok Virsa is doing a great service to the nation by documenting, preserving and disseminating the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Pakistan. In my view, culture is the path that leads to the provincial solidarity, religious harmony, love, peace and brotherhood among the nation,” he said.
The festival was brought to a close by with a colourful cultural performance showcasing every corner of country.
Over the course of the eight-day event, over than 600 folk artists, musicians and performers participated in the event, enthralling visitors who were attending the festival in large numbers.
The event aimed to promote and preserve arts, crafts, culture, folk music and traditional skills of Pakistan.
Pavilions had been set up, divided for the provinces including Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), displaying cultural aspects of these areas were also set up.
Folk artists at these pavilions performed their traditional songs and dances in full traditional garb.
Earlier, in her speech, Executive Director Lok Virsa Shahera Shahid thanked all provincial governments, in particular their cultural departments, art councils, craftspeople, folk artists, musicians and other institutions for their cooperation to Lok Virsa for making this national event a great success. “I am also indebted to our own administrative ministry for their all-time support, guidance and enabling role in materialising the activities and programmes of Lok Virsa including ‘Lok Mela’,” she added.
During the award ceremony, a number of cash awards were given to the most authentic craftsmen and craftswomen on the recommendation of a jury constituted by Lok Virsa comprising knowledgeable experts in the field of art and culture. Jury held detailed meetings over the last three days and minutely observed working of each artisan so as to arrive on a just and fair decision.
All the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir have fully participated in the festival by way of presenting their beautiful indigenous culture, arts, crafts, music and cuisine in specially designed pavilions symbolizing their respective historical monuments, contributing art, music and entertainment activities.
The chief guest gave away the awards to artisans and artists as a token of their participation in the festival. Kashmiri artisans and artists who received cash awards were Ghulam Muhammad Siddique, Gul-e-Zehra and Banu Rehmat.
From Gilgit-Baltistan, winning artisans and artists who received cash awards sponsored by Lok Virsa were Rehnuma Bibi and Nijat Bibi in Hunza embroidery, Deedar Ali in ‘pattu’ weaving, Sultana Iqbal, Abid khan, Tanveer Ahmed and Sajeel Alam.
Among artisans from Sindh who received cash awards included were Qadir Buksh in blue pottery, Saran in spinning wheel, Nadeemuddin Soomro, Bisham Lal in shoe making, Shaukat Marwari, Krishan Laal Bheel, Rasul Baksh, and Hussain Bakhsh.
From Balochistan, Umeedan, Mai Hazari, Hawwa, Ali Muhammad, Lal Bukhsh, Shahwali, Raza Shaida, Rehmatullah, Rasul Bakhsh, Liaquat Mansoor and Shahmeer Sabzal. From Khyber Pakhtun khawa, Munaza Hayat, Muhammad Faheem, Rakhsana Bibi, Fazl-e-wahid and Ajmal Khan.
From Punjab, Muhmmad Javed, Zeeshan Rasheed, Allah Dita, Ibrahim Alam, Nazish Naveed, Shahida Bibi, Aurangzeb, Riaz Ahmed and Muskan Noshahi.
Exotic cultural and musical performances were also presented during the ceremony, which were greatly enjoyed by the audience. A large number of art, craft and music lovers, cultural personalities, media persons and general public attended the event.