பாகிஸ்தானில் இந்துக்களின் சோலிஸ்தானி கலைவிழா

சோலிஸ்தானைச் சார்ந்த இந்துக்களின்கலைவிழாவான வாதி பண்டிகை கலை விழா விமரிசையாக நடந்தது.
அதுபற்றிய பாகிஸ்தான் பத்திரிக்கை டெய்லி டைம்ஸ் செய்தி

Cholistani art steals day two of Waahdi Festival

By Hina Butt

LAHORE: Friday was the second day of the Waahdi Mela that exhibited the Cholistan lifestyle of the Hindus. The ambiance was of a village with dancing women and camels on traditional Cholistani music.

One of the musicians at the scene, Preetam Da0s, said that he played the ‘Ranti’, which has been played for nearly 2,000 years to welcome visitors who cross the ‘Kakra’ river to come to Cholistan. Women used to play it earlier, dressed up in their regional wear, ‘Ghagra’ and ‘Phottian’, and heavily accessorised to attract travelers.

The ‘Suranda’ was another instrument he commented on, saying that it was played to seek happiness. He mentioned the ‘Sunk’ was played as a call to the animals in the desert, but was earlier used to call the gods. Then he said the ‘Ektara’ was played to wish well to those who became hermits for spiritual gain, and the ‘Murli’ was played to control snakes. He said that very few people knew the art of playing these instruments nowadays.

Muneer Ahmed, who wove ‘Flassi’, a hand woven rug, said that it took about five days to complete. He also made cushions, bags, mats and decoration pieces. He makes the mats out of camel hair, which is very costly, but a lack of resources doesn’t allow him to sell his work in further off areas, where he would be adequately compensated. He said government officials had now signed a contract with him to export his work.

Surjan Ram made the ‘Khussa’ shoes, which he sold at various cities. It took him about four days for a pair and his wife made bed sheets and floor mats with patchwork.

Preetam Das revealed the living conditions of Hindus in Cholistan. He said they were treated with no respect and were discriminated against. He said the dishes Hindus got served in at restaurants in Cholistan were different from those of the Muslims. He also said the government had solved their problem of water shortage, but they still did not have enough residential area. He requested the government to improve their living standards.