PESHAWAR: The Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) is holding a three-day Hunar-i-Hawwa Mela (artisans-at-work festival) for the skilled women entrepreneurs to showcase their products and boost income of their families.

The event, kicking off on April 1 here at the PIA Planetarium in Hayatabad, is aimed at holding activities for fun along with providing business opportunities to encourage skilled womenfolk to market their products.

In this regard, a meeting was held on Tuesday at the tourism department to finalise arrangements for the event with TCKP managing director Mushtaq Ahmed Khan in the chair. Additional secretary Tariq Khan and deputy secretary Adil Safi also attended the meeting, according to a TCKP press release.

Women entrepreneurs will showcase their products at the three-day festival

The event was earlier postponed due to the tragic incident of Bacha Khan University in Charsadda and then inclement weather, but the much-awaited mela was now being organised from April 1. It said that the skilled women would also impart training to the visitors so they could learn the skills and establish their own businesses.

Mushtaq Khan also said that a comprehensive tourism policy had been announced, which was the first such policy of a province in the country.

He claimed that the new policy would boost domestic and international tourism in the province and create employment opportunities for the local people.

He said that the department had recently also organised programmes with regard to the Women’s International Day and “Rang de Peshawar” event to colour and paint the dusty walls of the city.

He said that artisans had been invited from all the regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and stalls would be established to display their skills and talents at the festival. The artisans’ stalls include handicrafts, embroidery, Taghar work, Bannu Royal Khaadi, stone carving, Peshawari caps, wax painting, metal work, woodcarving, artwork, calligraphy, ring making, sitar making, Chitrali patti, Gandhara art, Drooza chappal, Sarghashay, Charsadda chapal, Maizaray work, Karawa work, Sarkha, Dandas, Parunay, pottery work, blacksmith work, Hazara Jisti shawl and Moti work.

Traditional food stalls have also been established besides arranging a concert, traditional dances and activities like food competitions, stage, hujra, magic, puppet and juggler shows, games, art exhibitions and kids play area. The concert pavilion will offer traditional Khattak, Mehsud, Attan, Chitrali, Gatka, Attan Ball and Bangash dances.

The instrumental stage show includes Rabab-Mangay and Pashto singing and ‘Tang Takor’ session, while competition area will present cooking contests besides Makha, weightlifting and other competitions like family quiz and singing. Regular musical evening of Pashto and Hindko singing are also part of the event.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2016