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| June 23, 2003 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 22,1424 |
Artisans-at-work festival kicks off
ISLAMABAD, June 22: The federal minister for culture, sports and youth affairs, Raees Munir Ahmed, inaugurated the 25th ‘National Festival of Artisans-at-Work’ at the Lok Virsa, Shakarparian on Saturday evening.
The festival is being organized as part of the ‘Year of Madre Millat Mohatarma Fatima Jinnah.
“I am glad that the festival is being held to celebrate the year of Madre Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, which is a tribute to her and follows the guidelines she has set for nation in the field of handicrafts,” Raees Munir said.
The minister was particularly pleased because the artisan selected for the honour of chadarposhi this year, Ms Ghulam Sakina, belongs to Rahimyar Khan, the constituency of the minister. She is a master craftswoman and specialises in ‘Rilli work’
Raees Munir vowed to support Lok Virsa for the protection and preservation of traditional arts and culture throughout the country. He placed an embroidered yellow ‘chadar’ on the shoulders of humble Ms Ghulam Sakina amidst a good hand of applause from the crowd and in the lights of camera flashes.
Earlier, Dr Shamim Zaidi, the director of Lok Virsa, and the festival coordinator, in her speech, highlighted the objectives of the festival.
“The Lok Virsa has been striving to bring culture and traditions from every nook and corner of the country to the federal capital not only to entertain people but to create awareness about our rich cultural and traditional heritage,” Dr Shamim Zaidi said.
Speaking about Mst Ghulam Sakina, the selected artisan for ‘chadarposhi’ this year, Dr Shamim Zaidi said she learnt the art of ‘rilli’ which is also known as ‘Gandi ka kam’ in Rahimyar Khan, from her mother and was busy keeping the tradition alive she was 14 years old.
“Ghulam sakina has been participating in the Lok Virsa festival for the last 16 years and has been awarded cash awards and certificates of excellence many a times over these years. Today she has been selected for the honour of ‘chadarposhi’ which is a tribute paid to her for her dedication and masterly skills in her field,” Dr Shamim Zaidi said.
The executive director of the Punjab Arts Council (PAC), Khawaja Tahir Jameel, said the PAC was also engaged in similar efforts in Punjab.
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