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| September 9, 2003 | Tuesday | Rajab 11, 1424 |
Preserving glimpses of past glory
Chakwal abounds in cultural heritage with almost every local village boasting folk musicians, painters and folklorist who have preserved the cultural traditions of their area.
Riaz Ahmed Awan, a painter, is one such people who are keeping the cultural heritage alive through their particular form of art and skills.
A retired drawing teacher of Government High School Bhaun, the artist grew up in the town and observed the cultural traditions and customs that went out of practice since his childhood. As a result, his work focuses on the cultural themes.
He has depicted in his paintings almost all cultural activities prevalent in Bhaun. In the past, when this area was known as Dhan, a funfair used to be held, featuring a weight- lighting competition as a special event. It was a popular game of the area and people came from far-flung villages and towns to take part in it. This custom does not exit any more, but its glimpses can still be seen in some paintings of Mr Awan.
In addition to this, there exited another custom of animal races, particularly Oxen race. It still exits in some villages of Chakwal, in which betting is commonly seen. The artist has also focused on this activity.
Mr Awan has captured some other scenes of cultural significance, too, in his work. He has made a number of paintings depicting camel caravans, showing how in the past camels were tastefully decorated.
The decorated garlands and trappings of camels bear testimony to the fact that these cultural traits were not indigenous and might have travelled to this area from other region, as Chakwal has never been famous for the camel and horse trappings and garlands. Iran and Afghanistan are famous for this kind of art.
—Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro
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