January 14, 2006

Most people consider visiting museums as a dull activity, but inside the National Heritage Museum in Islamabad, it is hard not to fall into a trance. It is a tribute to the ancient traditions of Pakistan and its people, representing the influence of the lifestyle, art, craft and the ethnography of our diverse culture. The four museum blocks cover an area of 60,000 sq.ft and contain 25 galleries, and halls for antiques, Lok Virsa, architecture and future vision. About Rs65 million was spent on the project and land was contributed by the Lok Virsa to house its priceless collections. According to the management of the museum the market value of the collections and land is worth Rs700 million. There are many museums in the country. But the most outstanding of these is the Pakistan Ethnological Museum in Islamabad, which has not received much public attention. It was planned and laid out by Lok Versa and is located on the Lok Versa premises, the same place where the institute was established in 1974.

The museum is situated at the beautiful winding Garden Road, situated behind the Shakarparian Hills. The description of the Ethnological Museum and the functions of Lok Virsa are so closely interconnected that it is not possible to talk of one without mentioning the other. The visitors only look at its galleries and gaze at the figurines and artifacts depicting the march of man from ancient times into the modern world with wonder. It depicts how Pakistan has developed through the years.

The museum provides a splendid opportunity for the people of Pakistan, especially those who live in the capital or visit it, to build links with the past that spreads over a thousand years. While meeting all the requirements of a standard museum it has much more to offer, for it serves as a reference point to educate students of history and anthropology and other related subjects. With soft music playing in the background, a visitor sees the development of various crafts and trades, not just through pictures but also through actual display of the requisite implements. A special feature, for example, is a pictorial and figurative depiction of the development of the transportation system in Pakistan, from the bullock cart of Moen-jo-daro to the modern truck with all its embellishments of pop art. Some space is also devoted to the shrines of Sufi saints, the story of the progress of textiles from prehistoric times to the modern day village fabrics worked by the patient hands of women, the hall of architecture where one can see how the people of Pakistan have lived from time immemorial to the 21st century.

Similarly ample space is allocated to depict the characteristics of life as lived by the people in the four provinces and Azad Kashmir. The peculiarities of the Kalash and other tribes whose origins are shrouded in mystery and such curiosities as the Qehwa Khana of the Frontier towns and villages are also highlighted here. The ancient history of the land now called Pakistan has not been ignored. There is a section named “The land of history” which, besides other things, shows aspects of the invasion of Alexander, and another titled as “The land of wisdom” which revolves around the teachings of the Buddha from which sprang out the glorious Gandhara civilization. There are also other sections, too numerous to mention. It would require a large space to do full justice to this beautiful museum.

Visitors to the Pakistan Ethnological Museum look at the basic functions of Lok Virsa too. During the last 30 years it has not left the remotest part of the country uncovered in its search for folk material. Its mobile recording and filming units were sent out to hunt all kinds of cultural expressions of traditional life. The result is that it has managed to put together a magnificent treasury of rural songs and music, folk tales as narrated by elderly men and women, nursery rhymes, riddles and proverbs and a host of other oral matter that had never been recorded before. Of course its annual Folk Mela is now famous and attracts more foreigners than local citizens. Another worth mentioning feature of the museum is the different stalls inside the museum offering a a variety of products at reasonable rates to the visitors.

The heritage museum offers a captivating journey through the glorious civilizations of the past to the present day traditions. An official of the museum told us that the daily visitors range between Rs 500 to Rs1000 and is expected that the museum would generate more revenue with the passage of time. The Media Centre at the back of museum is a well-equipped place laced with modern facilities for media personnel. However unfortunately taking photographs was not permitted, as one of the guards told us that it was dangerous for the newly installed artifacts. Perfectly understandable, but it is advised that selected photographs be prepared and sold to the curious visitors to preserve some memories of this wonderland.

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