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Preservation of cultural heritage demanded

By Zahiruddin

CHITRAL: Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage), Islamabad authorities have yet to take concrete and tangible measures for collection, preservation and documentation of local culture, traditions and folklore. Talking to chitraltimes.com here on Friday, a number of people associated with research on the local culture and traditions said that Chitral is rich is cultural heritage and folklore which needed proper attention of the government against being thrown into oblivion. Expressing their dismay over the working of the government body, they said that except including a small fraction of the cultural heritage of Chitral in the national exhibition, noting has been done so far. They said that different social events were assigned with folk songs for the expression of sentiments but the new generation can hardly recall any of them and the numerous types of folk dances were the sources of enthralling the people in the old days. “In folk dance and songs, we had a treasure but it has become a part of the unwritten history and is eroding with each passing day”, said Gul Jawan Shah, a young researcher. He said that there are folk tales of love and epic actions of war times which are second to none in any other regional language of the country with regard to their substance and quality. City example, he said that the tale of Baba Siyar is quite corresponding to that of Heer and Ranja which occurred in the soil of Punjab while the name of the mother of prince Begal has become a household name due to her bravery which she evinced at the face of aggression and her son brutally murdered. Mayon Shah, another researcher said that a number of musical instruments have become extinct in the course of time while if some instruments like sithar, gharba and some others exists but there is no one to play them. He said that it is great failure of the lok virsa as not a single tape is available in its library about the old songs, folk tales and dances. He said that the works of the old artisans have yet to be preserved who produced different items of decoration and prepared costumes which are known for their beauty and elegance. Mr. Khan said that artisans-at-work festival must be held in Chitral under the auspices of lok virsa and the artisans, both male and female, must be given a chance to exhibit their potentials. He said that old tools used in farming have also long gone obsolete when replaced by machinery but a study of the olden tools and instruments shows how the people were technical minded and knew how to develop gadgets for their needs. He proposed that lok virsa should devise a strategy on priority basis and rush to the rescue of the cultural and traditional heritage of Chitral which is at the verge of extinction. He said that the provincial governments including the present one has completely ignored the preservation of culture as it is evident from the recently tabled budget of the province in which not a single penny was allocated to the cultural activities.
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Marble and granite industries Development Progrm included in Budget..Salim Khan

Chitraltimes.com Report

PESHAWAR: The NWFP Minister for Population Welfare, Saleem Khan has termed the NWFP, budget for the fiscal year 2009-10 as a balanced and poor friendly one and said that despite unfavorable circumstances, the provincial government has announced a tax free and public welfare oriented budget which is not less than a big achievement in the prevailing scenario.

In a statement issued here, he said that special attention was given to education, health, agriculture, irrigation, poverty alleviation, other public welfare progammes and law and order which shows that public welfare and law and order are the top priority of the government.

Regarding the increase of hard areas allowance in the budget, Saleem Khan said that the monthly hard areas allowance for the employees serving in Chitral has been increased twelve folds which will help to address the long lasted problem of the shortage of staff especially of doctors in Chitral.

Progammes to develop marble and granite industries; and Kalash community of Chitral have also been included in the budget; he added. Regarding his own department, Saleem Khan maintained that this year the budget of population welfare progamme has been increased to 57 crore as compared to 42 crore in the last year adding that 164 new family welfare centres, four regional directorates and a number of reproductive health centres would be established in the province during the financial year which would help to extend the service of the department to the far flung and backward areas of the province.