ISLAMABAD: The College of Youth Activism and Development (CYAAD) and Small Grant Ambassador Fund Programme (SGAFP) in collaboration with the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) organised a programme titled ‘Revival of Suroz’ at Lok Virsa on Friday.

Senator Hasil Bizenjo was the chief guest on the occasion while actor and painter Jamal Shah was invited as the guest of honour.

Mr Bizenjo said the programme had been organised to pay tributes to the bolstering but unheard folk musicians of Balochistan who had lit this candle for centuries despite countless odds and miseries.

Jamal Shah said: “Suroz is a Balochi musical instrument played with the help of a fiddle.

It has colourful, protruding tuning knobs at right angles to the neck of the instruments. It is ornamented with large mirrors and colourful, beaded tassels, pompoms hanging from its knobs.”

Executive Director of Lok Virsa Dr Fouzia Saeed said: “This is yet another endeavour of Lok Virsa in line with its ongoing efforts to document, preserve and promote indigenous folk culture and musical heritage of Pakistan.”

The programme aims at revitalising folk music and people’s confidence on its significance as metaphor of peace, tolerance and social harmony, she added.

The programme was followed by performances of Suroz by teachers and students including Mohammad Fahim, Tania, Nisar Ahmad, Shazia Khan, Khawand Bakhsh, Hoorahn, Khawaja Khan, Abdul Hakeem, Habibullah, Khalid Dad, Muhammad Naseem, Mohammad Azam, Ali Muhammad and others.

A large number of people from different walks of life attended the event and appreciated the contribution of the partner organisations in documenting and preserving the rich musical heritage of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2015

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