PESHAWAR: Artist Rashid Khan has embarked upon a journey of preserving the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa culture and lifestyle in the old walled city through his eye-catching colours on different walls around the provincial metropolis.

The city district government has undertaken a project to beautify the city with artworks. The services of Rashid Khan were recently hired for the project.

His art attracted attention of city dwellers when he painted 150-year-old city wall at Kohati Gate in Peshawar Town-II. He told this scribe that he used to draw sketches of human figures and natural scenes on his home walls and most often would get punishment from his parents.

After qualifying 10th grade, he thought that he should convert his fad into a career. “I am born with a master hand for painting and calligraphy. I picked up both pen and brush. I used to paint and write for private educational institutions,” he said.

He said that being from a poor family he borrowed some money from one of his friends in the beginning to buy brush and colours and embarked upon his journey to bring back the lifestyle of residents of Peshawar.

His luck struck at the right time when a year ago a competition was arranged under the auspices of city district government and his artworks were billed as the best.

“My dream of preserving the old culture on the city walls through my art came true. I want to paint old lifestyle inside the city, how the residents used to keep the city clean, free from pollution by displaying flower pots at the widows of their houses and grow variety of plants. I also paint old buildings on the city walls carrying a historic significance,” said the artist.

Receiving an overwhelming response from the local residents and art lovers, he said that all city walls and public places painted with such landscapes and historical structures and other cultural forms would give out a strong message to people to keep the environment clean and green.

It would also help to create awareness among youth not to spoil the city walls with dirty and hate slogans rather should decorate it with inscription of social messages and artworks.

The artist said that if young people didn’t have enough time to read books, they should revisit and enjoy the sight of good old times on the city walls.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2021