Master artisans at Lok Mela attracting masses

By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD: During Lok Mela on Sunday, Punjab pavilion remained centre of attraction due to work of master artisans and craftsmen of the province.
The land of five rivers, Punjab has centuries old attractive and beautiful culture. Punjab Pavilion contains pottery work, chalk, khas, Dari on desi khadi, Gotaknari, the art of soldering or wood, stone, artisans of ivory, metal or textile and the art of tapestry. Punjab Pavilion and are engrossed in the creation of their works of art. Around 50 stalls of artisans have been decorated in the Punjab Pavilion, in which around 100 skilled craftsmen are engaged in the work.
Among the artisans are Hajran Bibi Chungir Sazi from Bahawalpur, Shahada Bibi Kishda Kari, Ibrahim Alam Pottery Work, Asma Zahoor Kishda Kari from Multan, Muhammad Ahmed Block Printing, Zeeshan Rashid Camal Bone Work, Shah Jahan Begum Moti Work, Surya Abdullah Chenri Making and Abdul Rehman Camel Skinwork, Muhammad Aslam Khasa Making from Faisalabad, Muhammad Riaz Lacquer Art, Kaneez Fatima Chhabi Making, Sarfraz Hussain Khadi from Gujranwala, Ghulam Abbas Desi Dari khas, Zulfikar Ali Blue Pottery from Lahore, Ziaul Haq Woodwork, Muhammad Afsar Khan Brass. Work, Fauzia Naheed doll-making from Rawalpindi, Hafeez Nasir Zari work, Zahida Sultana Crocia work and Ghulam Hussain stone carving are worth mentioning here.
In the festival, Shaukat Dholi, who made Pakistan famous at the international level, is also entertaining the fans. The Punjab Folk Dance
Party is also showcasing its art. Regional traditional food stalls are also
set up in the Punjab Pavilion, in which corn bread, greens, butter, chatti
ki lassi etc. are very popular. Punjab Pavilion is visited by domestic and
foreign tourists in numbers every day.