Lok Virsa holds ‘dholak geet’ contest

Islamabad

To promote folk musical heritage, reintroduce ‘dholak’ as an important instrument and identify new talent in this particular field, a ‘dholak geet’ contest was organised by National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) on Thursday.

Around 100 participants, including a large number of females, participated in the contest and presented folk songs playing ‘dholak’ based on wedding rituals of different provinces and regions.

Speaking on the occasion, Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr. Fouzia Saeed, said Lok Virsa is working on a theme `women reclaim culture' keeping in mind that gradually many of Pakistan’s cultural activities are becoming more male-dominated.

“Women used to be the repositories of folklore and tradition but gradually they are losing out their space. We have had seminars on developing models of indigenous feminism, encouraging women folk artists and recreating spaces that women had for bonding, learning and expressing themselves creatively. Weddings used to be a socially acceptable space where women got together and sang songs. ‘Dholak,’ a percussion instrument is the only one which women have owned fully. We want to bring back the ‘dholak’ in the lives of families and make it a symbol of women's creative expression. To achieve this goal, we have organized this contest which are being participated by young women, men also, from various schools, colleges and universities. The response is tremendous".

On this occasion, Lok Virsa also released an audio CD called ‘Dholak Geet (wedding songs)’ and also made ‘dholaks’ available for sale at the Lok Virsa premises. The students of Islamabad Model School for Girls, G-6/1-3, Joint Staff Public School, Chakala, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad as well as special persons of Directorate of Special Education took part in the contest and presented live folk musical performances playing ‘dholak’. Their dedication to the cause and enthusiasm was amazing.

Judges, who adjudged the contestants for prizes, included renowned Music Director Wazir Afzal, former music producer of Pakistan Television Khawaja Najmul Hassan and folklorist, cultural expert, research scholar and social activist Dr. Fouzia Saeed.

Three cash prizes were granted to the winning contestants in full view of the media. First prize of Rs15,000 was given to the students of Islamabad Model School for Girls, G-6-1/3 for their excellent performance in the contest. Second prize of Rs10,000 was received by special persons of Directorate of Special Education. Third prize of Rs 7,000 each was awarded to Quaid-i-Azam University (Pushtoon Group) and Lok Virsa Group.