Events to celebrate

A.M. Khan

What nature has endowed with and man taps its human wants of them. This article intends to focus on the events being celebrated in Chitral, and to bottom up the potentials in them and other affiliated industries sustainably.

The Shandur festival is one among them scheduled this year on June 28. Many of us still remember our footprint at Qaqlasht that shouldn’t be repeated at Shandur since we host a global audience there.

What man needs making it to happen and to be festive. The signification of space and time, season, location and its inclusivity determines the event being eventful. An event becomes momentous for its continuity and appeal to wider invitation. Shandur festival is one among them, being celebrated in the highest polo ground.

The events and festivals have been cherished and loved by the people of Chitral. Those events have their roots deep in the past have become historical and continue to appeal to a global audience. What we need to do is to bottom up the potentials of such events sustainably with the industries to be revived for the benefit of people in the area.

It is a good time to rethink tourism, and local understanding of it, before we also confront the situation that happens in countries of tourist attraction where people have come out to protest. The government and people affiliated with hotel industry are more inclined to bring as much as tourists to Chitral without considering the perils of overtourism. Chitral is a resource-scarce area, and it has met with the consequences of climate change, and somewhere devastating. To be aware of them and creating awareness about our ecosystem is a forethought. This is a good time to adopt environment friendly and sustainable infrastructure that has to be built for ecotourism in the area without promoting mass tourism.

Besides Eids, Nauroz and festivities of Kalash community are celebrated with much fanfare. Qaqlasht and Shandur festivals have been more inclusive and receptive to the larger community in the area and across the globe. The latter’s wider attraction brings diverse people every year. Other than the monetary gains and recreation opportunity they offer; these events bring ‘what must be done’ into the notice of the government and diverse people.

The road, power supply and hotels to boost tourism industry appear to be first before reviving and marketing local production from cottage industries which include handicrafts, ceramics, rugs or carpets indigenous to the area of their artistic designs and craft.    

As faded in Chitral the mountaineering, once used to bring many of the foreign mountaineers to Chitral needs to be revived. This industry has potential to engage travel guides, porters, mountaineers and affiliated businesses in Chitral.

The discourse in Chitral is almost resolved about the potential of tourism that could bring to the people of the area and the businesses. The locals have been hosting different events and festivals and love to do it. Also thanks to the digital media to market the festivities of Chitral, in different seasons, into the global attention for tourism, adventure and recreation. 

What we need to promote balanced and sustainable tourism along reviving and promoting cottage industries to reach monetary benefits in the lower rung of the populace in Chitral. Environment friendly and sustainable infrastructure for ecotourism and including local stakeholders in policy making before we confront overtourism and damage to our ecosystem.