Special programme on Kashmiri folk crafts

LOK VIRSA

Islamabad

A seven-day special programme on ‘Kashmiri Folk Crafts: Engagement with Artisans’ marking the Kashmir Solidarity Day began here at Shakarparian on Wednesday under the aegis of the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) in collaboration with the Federal Directorate of Education and Directorate General for Special Education.

The event is part of the popular series of programmes titled ‘Craft of the Month’ launched by the Lok Virsa in September 2015 carrying the slogan ‘Harnessing Culture with Education’.

It aims at focusing on a particular craft every month with major emphasis to promote traditional crafts and provide an opportunity to the youth community, who has little or no exposure to the living cultural heritage of Pakistan, to interact with artisans and learn essential craft related techniques from them.

Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan secretary Pir Bukhsh Khan Jamali was the chief guest in the opening ceremony of the programme, who also performed the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Kashmiri artisans at work.

The event featured a number of Kashmiri indigenous crafts including papier mache, wood carving, embroidery, ‘namda’, ‘gabba’, jewellery and others. In his address, the Kashmir affairs secretary commended the efforts of Lok Virsa for promoting and projecting the Kashmir cause in such an effective manner.

“Kashmir is a core issue between Pakistan and India. The government of Pakistan is taking every possible step to resolve this issue in light of the United Nations resolutions to provide the people of Kashmir with the right of self-determination,” he said.

In her welcoming address, Executive Director of Lok Virsa Dr. Fouzia Saeed said the organisation had initiated this training programme for students and young children around folk crafts. “We highlight one craft every month for a week and have artisans and experts available for children to engage them in creativity in a peaceful and interactive environment. These craftsmen not only display their crafts and make them in front of the people but also teach children and have materials for them to experiment with the medium. It will give them a hands-on opportunity to become familiar with folk crafts,” she added.

Dr. Fouzia Saeed said the programme was specially focusing on Kashmiri indigenous folk crafts coinciding with the Kashmir Solidarity Day 2017 with the objective to highlight the sacrifices of Kashmiri people struggling for their right of self-determination in the India-held Kashmir through a cultural perspective.

The programme aims at creating a link between culture and education; encouraging youth to value dignity of labour; fostering ownership for their culture, inculcating respect for different professions character building; helping understand the contributions of craftspeople in the sustainable development of their community; engaging students in creative works by providing them opportunities to learn crafts from artisans; recognising the hard work of artisans associated with various crafts to ensure continuity of the crafts from generation to generations; and documenting, promoting preserving the crafts of Pakistan.

Fifty children aged between six and 14 years enrolled in various schools and colleges working under the administrative control of the FDE and Directorate General for Special Education are participating in the programme apart from children of the visitors to the Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology (Heritage Museum).

Master artisans, who are imparting training to the children include 65-year old Sheikh Muhammad Yousuf in Kashmiri embroidery, Mukhtar Ahmad Dar in Kashmiri ‘namda’ ‘gabba’, Irfan Ghulam Nabi in Kashmiri wood carving and Liaquat Ali in traditional jewellery making.

The Potohar Organisation for Developing Advocacy has also contributed participation of two female artisans Asifa Ali and Yasmin Akhter in Kashmiri papier mache. All of them possess a vast knowledge and experience of association with this profession.

They have been participating in national and international exhibitions and festivals and promoting the image of Pakistan by demonstrating their skills before the foreign visiting delegates and dignitaries. These artisans will teach children about their respective crafts till 7th February 2017 at Lok Virsa Heritage Museum, Shakarparian daily from 10am to 5pm.

Hundreds of people including Kashmir community, students, parents, families of participating children, youth, media persons and art craft lovers attended the special ceremony and enjoyed the fantastic live folk musical cultural performances rendered by youth and children.

The students of Islamabad Model College for Girls, I-9/1, Islamabad Model School for Girls, G-6/1-3, Islamabad Model College for Girls, rural area Thanda Pani and special students of Directorate General of Special Education presented popular national songs, Kashmiri patriotic and folk songs. Lok Virsa dance group also presented a special dance performance based on the famous folk tunes and folk songs of all provinces including GB and Kashmir.

The venue of Lok Virsa has been decorated with beautiful and colourful banners and standees projecting the Kashmir cause.