By Munir Ahmed
A cultural float representing dance and music from different parts of the country was an attraction for people of all ages Sunday. The Lok Virsa and Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) worked hard to materialise the idea of the Secretary, the Ministry of National Heritage and Integrity, to mark the 135th birthday of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
Prepared by the Lok Virsa, the float was themed on the famous sayings of Quaid ‘Unity, Faith, and Discipline’ and was decorated with huge portraits of the Quaid, banners, green and white balloons, and skirting in the matching colours. The PNCA had invited three dance groups and some folk singers from different parts of the country to excite people, and create a stir in the town on the Jinnah’s birthday. It was an exemplary collaboration between the two government departments, the PNCA and the Lok Virsa.
The artistes including Qurban Niazi from Punjab, Taj Buledi from Sindh, Akhtar Chinaal from Balochistan, Gulrez Tabassum from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Rukhsana Murtaza representing AJK gave thrilling performance before the float moved from the D-chowk Parade Ground, and passed through the Jinnah Avenue in the first half of the day. Three folk dance groups accompanied the float including dhrees, sammi and Khattak from the Frontier Constabulary. The artistes also performed at the F-10 Markaz before arriving back to the D-chowk Parade Ground.
A 20-minute documentary version of the film Jinnah was also screened on a large screen after sunset. The artistes performed again untill late in the evening despite extremely low mercury.
“It is really heart-warming to see so many people and musicians coming together to celebrate our founding father but it is important that we remember his efforts and apply his principles at all times and not just this one day,” remarked Akhtar Chinaal, a singer from Balochistan.
Sami Dance Group from Jhelum performed in pairs to the beat of ‘dandiyas’ (sticks), while Dharees dance group from Jhang performed a variant of ‘bhangra’. A dance group from Peshawar, dressed in red and white, waved red handkerchief in the air and performed the traditional ‘khattak’ dance, while Sunny Dance Group from Islamabad, performed a dhamaal on the occasion.
It was not merely a celebration of different kinds, but the Ministry of National Heritage and Integrity genuinely contributed towards reviving the traditional way of promoting culture. Just a decade back and before the rise of security hazards in Pakistan, there were many occasions in different cities including Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad when the people had the opportunity to see the culture of Pakistan floating. Many other organisations also used to prepare their floats to represent their work, progress, and development.
The most auspicious occasions were the March 23, and the August 14 every year, the Pakistan Day and the Independence Day of Pakistan respectively. These two occasions were the most witnessed and enjoyed by the people from different walks of life in particular by the women, children and youth. Usually, the later three had rare chance to go around places to see different cultures. Now, the float culture has died down because of the security reasons.
Riffat Ara Baig, a senior artist and art teacher talking about the cultural float said, “The ministry, PNCA and Lok Virsa has done great job in reviving the float-culture to display our traditional heritage. It would surely contribute in promoting our cultural face and heritage realities.”
Fareedullah Khan, Secretary of the Ministry of National Heritage and Integrity said, “The newly established ministry would several initiatives to revive the traditional heritage and promote the culture. We need to take steps to integrate our cultural values for better understanding among the people from different cultures that unite us despite diversity.”
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