Baba Ghundi Festival on World Tourism Day
Press Release
Gilgit, September 24: The Baba – Ghundi festival will be celebrated on World Tourism Day, 27th September, jointly, by the Tourism Department of Gilgit – Baltistan, AKRSP, AKCSP and the Chipursan Local Support Organization. The festival will be celebrated at Ispenji and Baba – Ghundi, the shrine of a legendary Sufi saint.
As part of the festival traditional games, like Buzkashi, Polo, Neeza Bozi, sword dance and other cultural items will be presented by local players and artists. Traditional songs, dances and stalls of handicrafts and food items will also be part of the festival. The general in charge of FCNA woudl be chief guest of the event.
The organizers have urged tourists to visit the festival and “celebrate diversity”, the theme of this year’s world tourism day.
Congratulations Chipursan LSO for the great work. one thing I am not understating that why we are inviting FCNA General as a chief guest in culture or tourism related programs? Is there any link of Army with Tourism, culture or development of the region?
any ways good luck for the success of your program.
JA
HAPPY -EID-MUBARAK
On this special DAY, heared such an zeal attracting idea really demands appriciation and words of encouragements. I congrats. to all from the core of my heart-Institutions and specially individuals whom thought of it and now they are giving it a impliment shape.
I personall request to all the youth of Chipusaan and all Imamati institutions to cooperate with the Institutions and work and plan for the comming future and taking the stackholder positions in comming future.
My special thanks to GM & RPO of AKRSP, Chairman AKCSP and Govt. Machinery of GB.
—Here I am endorsing some of my questions/suggestions for the experts of the concern institutions:
1- Lesson to learn for the interprenure ships for local community??
2- How such programmes are designed/planned with understanding to make it transboarder-relating education, economical, social and cultural linkage for a better living??
3- How we look for genrating/maximum funds from such occassions??
4- What are the basics to tell the International Community that-GB is a safe place for tourists??
My best wishes to all the habitants of Chipursaan and GB.
Dr Noor,
thanks for publishig the news
regards
Aziz
Congratulation
The Chipurson Local Support Organization (CLSO) has great effort and initiative for the promotion of Local games and introducing Baba Ghundi to national and international level. This activity will promote domestic and international tourist to the area. Successful event can provide opportunity to include this event on the calendar year of tourism department. Where this can be celebrated every year.
Hope to see a successful event in Ispang and Baba Ghundi
With best wishes
Didar Ali
Javed Bai,
yaa we have invited FCNA General bcoz two core issues can be resolved by this guy ,
1-They have nominated Army persons in Baba-Ghundi ,they dont permit tourism to go through “Chillange Pass” he may open the border for tourims
2-second core issue of the area is communication .so we are optimist that he may announce for the installation of Digital Exchange in Chipusan
Thank u for organizing this kind of great events and really not for even the chipursan valley’s peoples , this is great honor for whole Hunza peoples to celebrate the Great Daai Hazrat Baba Gundi festival.
Dear Orginizers,
I dn’t hve words to appreciate your efforts towards promoting culture and tourism in the whole Gilgit Baltistan, specially for promoting Chupurson Valley ( a very remote valley of gojal) which has not yet been promoted in such a way. These sort of events must b organized in order to strengthen culture, toursim and ofcorse to build strong relationship b/w villages and people of the whole Hunza region.
Being from this remote valley i’m very much excited and i wish to join the even but i won’t b able for some reasons.
My best wishes and prayers for success of the event..
Karim
http://www.ramanjeee.viviti.com
@ Iqbal bai
Thank you for the clarification.
When a society becomes less cultured or lacks culture it starts to celebrate things which do not exist. During last 10 years we have witnessed emergence of festivals like Broughal, Karumbar, Shontar, Babusar etc. Now there is another addition of Baba Ghundi. It is pity that the commercial mindset has permeated into the remote corners of the region like Chupurson. Baba Ghundi might be turning in his grave by the fact that his acolytes have relinquished his ideals and start worship the Mammon of commercialism.
Indeed, there is nothing to celebrate on such festivals. Baba Ghundi’s festival is another gimmick of some development experts to exploit the backwardness of a particular region to keep their business of tackling poverty projects running. Arundhaty Roy is right that there is lot of money in poverty for rich people and professionals with lucrative salaries. Whenever a donor visits a region the development professionals of that region ask local people to act as if they are satisfied. Bereft of understanding of English language local people believe in what the local professional says. In such meeting people are bundled together as cattle or animals in zoo for an inspection of a donor. I think we should reject such practices which have been in vogue for last 25 years but bore no fruit.
Let me to confess that it is not illiterate people who become conscious pawn at the hand of development or exogenous experts, rather it is so called educated people like me who acts as pawn and excels in fooling his own people. The educated lot of Hunza has sold their conscience for few crumbs falling from development sector. Such is the fate of poor region that even education makes them more impoverished.
Some people may raise an objection that we do not have alternatives and depriving us from existing source of funding will wreck our society economically. I assure that we will be better off without their fund generating gimmicks. What we are doing for last 30 years is getting nourishment through umbilical chord of development organisations. When donors stop providing donation we go back to a position where we started. Hence, we move in circle and it is difficult to say whether we are in the front of development and at the starting point.
The alternative should be developing mini-projects through local efforts. We should resist all kinds of maga –projects because these require highly professional and educated people. And definitely the lucrative jobs are going to be filled by outsiders. The locals only have to do spade work. I am sure the people of Chupurson will do the spadework and the credit will be taken by a professional from Gilgit or Islamabad.
Last objection is invitation to FCNA commander as chief guest. We all know that army personnel treat civilians in Gilgit-Baltistan as blot on the pristine nature of the region. They do not bother about demands of local people and fulfill their whims through the machinery of army at the cost of local people. We are strange people for we seek remedy from the one who has caused malaise. Strange are the ways of society that lost direction. Devoid of capacity to distinguish between good from bad and the creative pulse is dead because of the hegemony of false consciousness, it allows itself to wallow in the illusion of progress .
The event of Baba Ghundi festival is another example of another illusion fostered by development organisation to distract people attention from real issues on the one hand, and willing wallowing of people in illusion. I would be first to welcome this move if I see any possibility of drastic change in economic life of people through this event. Alas! I see no possibility or probability. Therefore, I am forced to utter words that are not tuned to the ears which are tuned to hearing only false promises. Alas ‘there they stand, there they laugh: they understand me not; I am not the mouth for these ears.’
its a high opertunaty to the people of chopurson vally and for tourist .ther ar many people who beleve on Baba gondi and they whant to visit it and pray for the fulfiling of ther aims and prayers .much are succeded and they hundered percent beleve on it .so this event need to guid and protection to such a typ of people on this special occasion.
i m also very happy thanks to LSO
I understand the points raised by Khameto and, to some exten, agree with his accusation that the “revival” of culture gimmick is nothing more than adding a few tents, turbans and Tarpalines, to the villages that host them.
Be it Gulmit, or Aliabad, or the roof – top of Mir Ghzanfar’s “Darbar”, there’s no tangible benefit that the local populations have been able to reap.
Nevertheless, there are silver linnings to this grey cloud.
First, the locals’ confidence and pride in their heritage increases as they realize different dimensions hithertoo taken for granted or ignored.
Second, these events are opportunities for bringing on record, refining, improving, the local music/literature/plays etc. They even help preservation and promotion of local costumes, adding an element of glamour to the, otherwise, “mundane stuff”.
Third, “no matter how much we depreciate the armed forces, they have the final say in this land claiming purity and austerity!! So, it is a pragmatic decision by the local communities. We see from example that the Army men are, at least, able to keep promises regarding development projects (that is, if they make one!!)
Fourth, Chipursan valley is a hidden treasure. There’s immense need to the let the world know that such a place exists, with all its legends and history. This event, if it attracts national/international media, will provide the region more exposure. Whether this would increase “tourist flow”, as many claim, can’t be ascertained. The planners must explain their media polcy.
Fifth, the event will present entertainment opportunity for the lcoal communiteis, while also bringing people from across the region to one place.
There are delusions of “progress”, whereby “development Jihadis”, want to implement a code throughout the world. They treat development as a mechanized process, compromising essence of the philosophy of contextual, indigenous, sustained and tangible process of confident social change.
What we have been seeing in our region is a more insecure feeling of “development”, rather than a confident, community driven, process of growth. One can not expect the communiteis of GB to remain in a shell, secluded from “external” ideas, notions and influences. However, the local must strongly prevail, if people are to associate with and befriend development.
I apprecaite Khameto for his candid critique. There are a lot of development practitioners on this blog. Would like to know their opinons/perspectives.
V’oin
I wish you all the best for the festival, I wish I was there. I have got the honor to organize the first and second Pamir festival in the Wakhan valley in 2007 and 2008. I do know that it was not possible without the kind support of the government officials there in the Badakhshan province in general, and the kindest support of my mentor, Dr. Farman Ali from Khyber Gojal. Ali Ahmed Shani, Chairman Juma from Zuodhkhoon and the rest of the local community were the main supporters which gave the Pamir festival an international fame. For some reason, it was cancelled this year, which I think is not a good sign for the promotion of trans-boundary tourism initiative. Babaghundi festival is some thing that I am very much positive about. having a very well educated work force, the youth of Chipursan valley will try their best to make the best of this opportunity if kept away from the local polotics and organized in a very professional way.
I wish you all the best once again.
Mehboob Aziz,
Islamabad, Pakistan