Role of museums in growth of society highlighted at Lok Virsa

Islamabad
To generate public awareness on the significant role museums play in the lives of individuals and growth of society, National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) organised colourful activities on its premises.
The aim of the celebrations was to aware general public about importance of museums and the role they play in educational, social, cultural and economic growth of a society. The special feature of the International Museum Day celebrations at Lok Virsa was the overwhelming participation of students from various universities, colleges and schools who interacted with artisans, folk artists and puppeteers and inquired from them about the techniques involved in creating different products.
The programmes that were organised to mark the occasion at the Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology (Heritage Museum) and Pakistan Monument Museum (PMM) included an exhibition of artisans-at-work along with live performances by traditional puppeteers, traditional drummers (dholis) and folk artists and musicians. Moreover, free entry was allowed to both the museums in order to ensure maximum participation of the visitors. The objectives of the programmes were to create a link between culture and education, to encourage students and youth to value dignity of labour, foster ownership for their culture, inculcate respect for different professions and character building.
In addition, the activities were aimed at creating an understanding of the contributions of craftsmen and women in the sustainable development of their community and country at large, engaging youth in creative works by providing them on-ground opportunities to understand and learn the crafts from artisans and documenting, promoting and preserving the crafts of Pakistan.
Lok Virsa complex was fully decorated with colourful buntings and banners which presented a festive look throughout the day. Eleven master artisans namely Habib ur Rehman in truck art, Samiullah Khan in lacquer art, Gul-e-Zehra in embroidery, Mukhtar Dar in ‘namda’/’gabba’, Rubina Zulfiqar in embroidery, Zulfiqar Ghazi in ‘papier mache’, Sadaf Nisar in ‘motikari’ (bead work), Safeena in ‘phulkari’, Fouzia Naheed in doll making, Irfan Ghulam Nabi in wood carving and others demonstrated their skills in the artisans-at-work exhibition.
Talking to media persons, Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr. Fouzia Saeed said that Lok Virsa follows a proactive approach of reaching out to artisans and folk artists, protects precious dying crafts and act as a bridge between intangible heritage and the modern world. She said that the institution aims to strategise its programmes in a way that the computer-relied youth feel motivated to be part of cultural activities, value its culture and believe in protecting the same. “The support of folklorists, poets, researchers, writers, scholars, educationists and others will always be welcomed in the implementation of this institution’s policies.
Furthermore, Lok Virsa remains the only institution in the country which offers financial assistance to cultural scholars and students, artisans and folk artists particularly from the remotest regions,” she added.