ISLAMABAD: The three-day Youth Cultural Mela concluded Sunday with a live performance by young folk musicians and dancers.

Hosted by the Ministry of Information Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage, Lok Virsa and provincial cultural departments, the event aimed to promote the diverse culture of Pakistan by engaging the youth.

The closing ceremony of the festival began with the national anthem and national songs performed by students from federal public schools, followed by a folk music and dance performance by a ten-member group from Chitral that inspired many in the audience to dance along.

Attaur Rehman, who led the Chitraali group, told Dawn all its members were students from various colleges and universities in Islamabad who had formed the group to promote their language and culture.

“Such festivals are a golden opportunity for us to showcase our talent and the endangered culture of our area. The cultural department of Chitral support us in getting such opportunities. We are very glad to receive such huge applause, which motivates us for our future endeavours,” he said.

The Lok Virsa dance group also performed Balochi, Gilgit and Balti and Kelashi folk dances, and tribute was paid to the Kashmir valley with a performance of the song Mere Wattan, Mere Chaman.

Instead of holding it in the Lok Virsa amphitheatre, the concluding ceremony was held in the heritage museum, which felt quite congested because of the size of the gathering. Many people were left clustered at the entrance to the hall, and several were refused entry.

Mumtaz Begum, told Dawn the administration should have organised the event in the open air theatre instead of a hall. “They should have realised that today is weekend and therefore a large number of people would visit the mela, however, unfortunately they didn’t pay any attention,” she said.

The crafts stalls were also buzzing with activity, with many visitors browsing through the traditional crafts from across the country. Many were also seen exploring the regional cuisines on offer.

Saman Fatima, who bought Ajrakfrom a stall, told Dawn the handicrafts and live music at the festival were particularly enjoyable. She added: “I missed half of the concluding ceremony due to the commotion in the hall. Lok Virsa needs to improve their sound system. Other than that, the young artists who performed were brilliant.”

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2018