Wakhi food and music enthrals twin city residents

by Najeeb ullah Naveed

Islamabad, December 10: It was the second day of Wakhi cultural festival 2009 at Lok virsa Islamadad. A large number of residents of the twin cities and people from all parts of Hunza and Gilgit-Baltitan witnessed the proceeding of the day.

Many interesting programs were staged today and visitors expressed great interest in various stalls. The stalls related to Wakhi cuisine and handicrafts were frequented by visitors.

Among the cuisine stalls Molida was very popular among the visitors .the visitors enjoyed the taste of Quruth and felt the warmth of Apricot oil in the chilly weather of Islamabad.

Besides the hand Wakhi carpet weaving and wallet making were visited and lauded by the visitors. The stall run by wazir aman holds various products made from seabuk thorn including jam, dried seabuk thorn and juices.  These products are considered very important on medical ground as experts believe that their use can be helpful to reduce the risk of cancer and also can be a potential cure for cancer patients.

The hall mark of toays programs werequfuz palying and singing of  lus  by an elderly lady sultana arman. Qufuz is a musical instrument cositing of a single sting which was used in ancient times ingoajl whreas lus is a gener of music through which the singer eulogies any deceased fellow or relative. Another important item presented today was the famous Wakhi lus Sinisai by a group of elderly ladies led by Meam sultana from Gojal Hunza.

The visitors were exhilarated with the tunes of Rubob, qufuz, Duf and Dudang. The  enchanting voices of Fazal RehMan Shirin Sudo ,Ali Ahmed Shani ,Hyder Murad, Tariq, Zia and Rehmat Karim kept them dancing and enjoying  the whole day.

Anisa a student of arts at F7/2 College said she was really inspired by the uniqueness and tranquility of Wakhi Culture. She took special interest in the works of craftswomen and asked about the role of women in Wakhi society. She was impressed by the positive and constructive role of women in Wakhi culture; she expressed her astonishment for the extraordinary talents of Wakhi women particularly mentioning the playing of qufuz and singing of lus by an elder Wakhi lady Sultana Mehraban.

Another visitor Naseem Shah, a renowned social worker from Islamabad, expressed his gratitude for the festivities and stalls satged in the festival. He said that he wished to visit Hunza and Gojal to observe the cultural activities and life styles of Wakhi people in their own region. He said that he found wakhis among one of the most forward looking and peace loving ethnic groups of Pakistan.

A seminar on Wakhi language and a Wakhi Mushaira are highlights of tomorrow’s program.