Horse and Cattle Show amuses Lahorites after 11 years

LAHORE
EVEN the drizzly weather could not dampen the spirit at the inaugural day of the Horse and Cattle Show 2015 as it blossomed in an absolute frenzy of colours, dance, music and the rich flavour of diverse cultures associated with Pakistan.
Despite stringent security that would deter most, a large number of people showed up at the first day of the festival. It was almost as if the Lahorites, known for their love for cultural activity, had been waiting to pounce on this opportunity. They had been made to wait 11 long years to witness the cultural legacy associated with the Horse and Cattle Show.
‘We thought this amazing event which celebrated the diversity and unity of our people was never going to happen again. We used to tell our children about it, and now that it’s here again, we just had to bring them to the very experience of it’, said Dr Kazim, who was there with his family.
Vibrant hues and enchanting parade of floats representing the lifestyles’ geography and culture of the all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, set the mood upfront for the events to follow. Dancers and children, mostly students, wearing beautiful cultural dresses performed cultural dances of all provinces to an atmosphere abuzz with folk tunes. The performance was rightly titled ‘Unity Folk Dances’ as a symbol of diversity and unity at the same time.
Horse riders amused the crowd and the President with beautiful gaits of their horses marching past the stage. The tent-pegging had always been a main attraction event at the Horse & Cattle Shows before they had to be stopped. On Thursday as well, tent-pegging was by far the most thrilling and most popular of all the performances which engaged and absorbed the crowd to the point that it brought them to the edge of their seats.
Riders dressed in crisp traditional attire and the trademark headgear held high, to which much honour and pride is associated dashed towards the peg, rejuvenating the glory of the past. The thud of the hoofs of horses added to the captivating environment as the riders competed for glory in front of the constitutional head of the land of the pure. The stuntmen of the Military Police were not far behind on the act as they entertained the crowd to some jaw-dropping motorbike riding stunts. There were times when one feared that they might hurt themselves but their skill and valour was a treat. The hound race, though was a short-burst kind of event, yet coupled with the dog-jumping, was no less entertaining and the audience enjoyed it thoroughly. The wonderful discipline and pristine oozing from the Special Drill Parade by the Pakistan Rangers was a refreshing exhibit. The immaculate and unmistakable performance by Pakistan Army Band Squad and Pak Rangers Camel Band Squad was thoroughly appreciated by the President who lauded them with kind words.
‘This is what the people of Pakistan and especially the Punjab stand for, the very happening of this event and the large attendance of people and children here defeats every extremist ideology and defies them any space in this country’, said a visitor Ayesha.