LAHORE: Veteran folksinger Suraiya Multanikar was awarded ‘Pride of Punjab Award’ at a well-attended ceremony at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) on Monday.

Provincial minister Begum Zakia Shahnawaz was the chief guest of the award ceremony.

The award was initiated by PILAC in 2013. The first such award was given to folksinger Shaukat Ali and second to Allah Dita Lunaywala. Multanikar is the third folksinger chosen for the award that comprises a shield, along with Rs100,000 cash prize.

At the ceremony, the veteran folksinger was also presented bouquets by guests, mainly from art and music world.

Prominent among those who presented bouquets to Ms Multanikar were film director Syed noor, singers Waris Baig, Nadeem Lunaywala, Saira Tahir, actor Rashid Mehmood, poet Baba Najmi, educationist Rubina Kamal, Parliamentary Secretary on Information and Culture Rana Arshad.

The event was hosted by PILAC Director General Dr Sughra Sadaf, who in her brief welcome address said the institute had recently written a letter to Punjab chief minister, requesting him to establish two more such institutes in the province -- one at Multan and the other at Rawalpindi.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Shahnawaz said Pakistan was rich when it came to talented people in the field of art and culture. The minister addressed the gathering both in Urdu and Sariki languages, reminiscing how she used to request Ms Multanikar to sing her favourite song ‘Peelu Pakhian’ for her.

Lahore Arts Council Board of Governors Chairman Kamran Lashari said he hardly found voices woven deep into the roots of regional culture when it came to folk singing. He then mentioned late folksinger Reshman and Suraiya Multanikar who both had that quality in their singing.

Mr Lashari said he still remembered when he was some 11 years old or so he first saw Suriya Multanikar when she came to sing at their Mozang house.

Educationist and playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed recounted the career of the folksinger and said Multanikar was equally good at singing kafi, ghazal and khayal. Syed termed both Iqbal Bano and Suriaya Multanikar crowns of Multan. He shared with the audience how elaborately the singer has sung kafis vand geets of Khawja Ghulam Farid.

Among others who spoke on the occasion included Waris Baig, Syed Noor, Dr Omar Adil, Nadeem Lunaywala and Hafizullah Khan Niazi.

At the end of the function Suraiya Multanikar and her daughter Rahat Multanikar enthralled the audience with their singing.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2016