BAHAWALPUR: The cultural festival leading up to the 19th Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) International Cholistan Desert Rally, scheduled to commence on Feb 20, began at Dring Stadium on Wednesday.

The 10-day festival featured a diverse array of cultural and sports events to engage and entertain the audience. The festivities included a PT show, Luddi dance, a gymnastic display, and a march-past featuring boy and girl students from various local government schools and colleges.

A professional group of local folk people also performed the traditional Jhoomar dance, adding a cultural flair to the event. The cultural programme lasted for over two hours, showcasing acrobatic performances by students from different institutions, receiving applause from the delighted audience.

Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Jappa inaugurated the cultural festival. He said the jeep rally had become an annual feature symbolising the projection and identification of Bahawalpur and Cholistan on the global stage.

An exhibition at Government College of Technology for Women in Bahawalpur showcased hand-woven clothes, jewellery, and handicrafts. Women entrepreneurs participated in the exhibition, which also featured stalls dedicated to IT and a variety of food.

The sports activities, including a T-10 cricket tournament, Takewando tournament, Karate tournament, and a girls’ hockey match, are scheduled to continue at Dring Stadium until Feb 20.

The sports events will then shift to Dilwish Stadium, Derawar Fort (Cholistan), where Malakra and tug-of-war competitions will take place on Feb 23 and 24, followed by camel dance, goats’ dance, other sports activities, and a cultural night on February 25, marking the concluding day of the six-day jeep rally.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024