Lok Virsa praised for conserving folk heritage of Chitral
ISLAMABAD: National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) organized a launching ceremony for its two newly-published books – Aangai and Chitral Ke Lok Geet – with the great musical performance by renowned folk singer Mansoor Ali Shabab from Chitral.
Senator Usman Khan Kakar, Chairman Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas, was the chief guest. Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr Fouzia Saeed while introducing the books said that Chitral Ke Lok Geet was written by Mohammad Irfan and published by Lok Virsa.
This book is about folk songs of Chitral. As the name suggests, the book delves into the scenic musical landscape of Chitral region, describing the culture of music and musicians there, their lifestyles and various forms of instruments playing and its historic evolution.
Aangai is a compilation of poetry which reflects on the struggles of the Karak brides of Balochistan. The poetry serves as a much needed expression to the myriad of challenges that they have faced historically and an introspection from their viewpoint.
The book is written by Ali Kamil Qazlabash and published by Lok Virsa, ED Lok Virsa stated. She said, this would be a literary event dedicated to the actual stories that those books tell and the struggles in putting together such extensive pieces of research.
Senator Usman Khan Kakar said Lok Virsa deserves commendation for doing an excellent job in collecting and preserving the both tangible and intangible cultural heritage that we inherited from our forefather.
He appreciated the work of Lok Virsa for promoting and projecting the indigenous folk culture of Pakistan, especially that of less developed areas. Noted musicians from Chitral captivated the crowd through their mesmerizing performances.
During the performance, Mansoor Ali was accompanied by Aftab Alam on the Sitar and Munawar Shah on the Tabla. Talking about his inspirations, Mansoor Ali says Mirza Ali Jan, Amir Gul and Baba Fateh inspired him to sing.
He said the popularity of classical instruments is declining in Pakistan and as a result talented musicians are feeling abandoned. Prominent columnist and Poetess Kishwar Naheed while speaking on the occasion said that, Lok Virsa is doing its best to create a sense of realisation among our new generation about the importance of their diverse cultural identity.