KP pavilion boasts richness, diversity of magnificent culture

Islamabad : More and more people kept pouring in to witness the vibrant culture of the country at the ongoing folk festival ‘Lok Mela’ organised by National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) in collaboration with provincial and regional culture departments with all of its festivities.

Enthusiasts, who are exhausted from the routine affairs, are thronging the festival grounds to get respite and enjoy the colourful ambiance, folk dances, rural music and hordes of artisan stalls.

All the provinces and regions like Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have set up their pavilions presenting folk music, dance and traditional arts from their respective areas.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pavilion has its own charm. The replica of ‘Bab-e-Khyber’ as entrance to the pavilion stands tall with its grandeur. The pavilion boasts of thirty five diverse craftsmen and craftswomen from different parts of the province. This year, many stalls have been allocated to the female artisans. Women artisans include Rameem Naz in crosia/wool work, Ishrat Safdar in shawl weaving, Noshaba Noshad in Haripur phulkari, Munaza Hayat in handmade motifs work, Farah Naz in cross stitch calligraphy work, etc. Among them, the prominent is Noshaba Noshad. She specializes in ‘Phulkari’ which is the famous form of embroidery of Hazara region.

‘Phulkari’ means flower work or flowering on a hand woven coarse cotton cloth. As the tradition of embroidery runs in her family, she attained the mastery in this field from her mother and other female members at very tender age. Embroidery is the embellishment of any material with patterns or designs done with the needle and thread on material.

It reflects the local traditions, culture and physical environment of people and place where it developed. ‘Phulkari’ is well known for its intricate designs. Silk threads in yellow, shocking pink, white and green are used and darning stitch is employed in vertical, horizontal and diagonal movements to create elaborated geometric and floral patterns. Phulkari is done mostly in shawls and shirts.