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Dance the Way of Expression-in Pakistan

Zarbab Ayesha Malik.

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Dance has been an important part of most cultures from their earliest times. In, celebrations, ceremonies, entertainment, teaching, dance serves social, spiritual, artistic and, emotional functions. It is a way of expression for many people. Folk dances are performed to celebrate the harvest and seasonal festivals. People generally use dance as a means to transfer information and knowledge. Many stories are told through dance performances done as a group. We have a variety of dances that belong to different ethnicities. Main traditional dances are:

  1. Bhangra

Bhangra is a traditional folk dance of the Indian sub-continent, originating in the Sialkot Majha area of Punjab. It includes various kicks, leaps, and bends of the body with upraised, thrusting arm or shoulder movement. It is mostly done on a beat of Dhol. A heavy beater on one end and a light striker on the other. Bhangra is usually danced in April, which is the start of the harvest season in Punjab.

  • Sammi

Sammi is a traditional dance originating from tribal areas in Punjab. The dance is very popular in the Sandalbar area of Punjab. The dancers are dressed up in kurtas with bright colors in them. They also wear skirts mostly known as Lehengas. A silver hair ornament is always worn and is associated with the dance.

  • Luddi

Luddi is historically a folk step. The dance includes steps from the upper body, legs, lower body, and head. Luddi is performed by women of all ages in groups. This dance is done in a group. “Luddi hay jamalo” is a song sung by Madam Noor Jahan in which women dance in Mehendi functions.

  • Jhoomar

Jhoomar is a folk dance native to Balochistan. This dance is done by males in the region. People dance around a drummer standing in the middle. It is performed at weddings. Up to three generations dance together, father, grandfather, and son. Dancers move forward and backward while using arms.

  • Leva

This song goes from slow to fast especially when youngsters perform. People dance while using all their bodies. The people from the coastal town of Makran perform the Lewa dance due to its connection with the former African slave trend.

  • Chap

Chap is a famous traditional folk dance of Balochistan. When dancing, performers move to their right, and the left, facing performers on each side. This dance is performed regularly by men and also women in some events. This is an infectious Baloch dance. It’s a folk dance especially performed by males. It includes clapping of hands

  • Attan

It’s a folk dance that belongs to the Pakhtun brothers from Quetta and Waziristan. This dance historically derives from Afghanistan but is also performed by the Pakhtun people of Pakistan. Pathans do the Attan at weddings and other celebratory occasions. Attan is performed both indoors and outdoors. Attan is a form of dance native to the Pashtun ethnic group. It is now considered the national dance of Afghanistan. Attan is performed by groups of 50 to 100 dancers. It is an addiction in itself. 

  • Khatak

It is a challenging dance in Pakistan. It is performed by sword and handkerchief. People of the Khattak tribe do this dance. People do different moves with their bodies and blades. Through this dance, Pakhtun people celebrate their valor and bravery. This swordplay dance is used as a war preparation exercise.

We also love religious dances. Sufism believers dance like dervishes of Turkey. We love watching these dances though in Pakistan these devotional dances are not performed and celebrated a variant called “Raqs-o-Sama” exists. Chistia school of Sufis (the most popular school in the country) has integrated dance as a part of their ritual. During religious festivals people do Dhamaal dance, pointing fingers to the sky and moving in swirls, showing the unity of the whole universe in order to unite the creation. It is loved by many spiritual people in Pakistan. These Sufi dances also happen in Lal Shehbaz Qalandar shrine in Pakistan.

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Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder while Pakistan comes into every Eye (Episode 6)

Fariyal Mir

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Hello… Welcome back with the hope that you all will be fine and doing great. If some have got some issue even then no worries ups and downs are part of life. We all wish for the betterment of each other and everything will be alright. Anyhow you must be waiting for the next episode of our visual tour. Before going into visualization I want to tell you that always do remember that everything happens for something better. So keep your struggle and hope for the best. As Quaid once said: “Expect the best, Prepare for the worst”.

Now, what do you think to have a visualization of our northern area? I believe whenever you hear northern area the name of Hunza comes to your mind. So let us know something about the forts of Hunza valley.

Altit Fort              

Hey ….! This is the Altit Fort located in Karimabad in the Hunza valley in Gilgit Baltistan. This fort was home to the hereditary rulers of the Hunza state. They were known to be the Mir. You know it is one of our antiques as it is about 900 years old. That means it is the oldest monument in Gilgit–Baltistan. Some decades back it was in great disrepair. But Aga Khan Trust for Culture has graciously restored it. And then it has been open to the public since 2007. You can see the antiques preserved from the Mir kingdom. Oh, how lovely are old things.

Altit Fort

A fort under the clear blue sky, high mountains, and down valley is just an ideal to many but it is present. Nature is shouting from every angle. Now just mend your imaginative steps toward Baltit Fort that is not far from the Altit Fort.

Baltit Fort

So here we have reached our second destination of today’s trip. This fort is also near the Karimabad town Hunza Valley. Let’s know a bit about its history.  It was founded in the 8th century CE, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list since 2004. In the past, the survival of the feudal regime of Hunza was ensured by the impressive fort, which overlooks Karimabad. The foundations of the fort date back to 700 years ago, with rebuilds and alterations over the centuries. In the 16th century, the local prince married a princess from Baltistan who brought master Balti craftsmen to renovate the building as part of her dowry. All this information is so interesting, aren’t they?

You all know there is a level of our kings or Mirs so far the Mir of Hunza also abandoned the fort in 1945 and moved to a new palace down the hill. The fort started to decay which caused concern that it might possibly fall into ruin. But fortunately, the Royal Geographical Society of London initiated a restoration program and was supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Program. The program was completed in 1996 and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust. You can see it has preserved the rich heritage of Mirs of Hunza. How finely everything has been restored. You can see its architecture is far different and unique.

Baltit Fort

I think we should have to stop it here so that we have some more to visit and to visualize some other day. We will be covering the whole of our country. And for that, we would like to thank digital to bring us together and making this visualized tour. Bye, Bye for today.

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Culture

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder while Pakistan comes into every Eye (Episode 1)

Fariyal Mir

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This writing is for all beauty lovers. Especially for those who love nature. The Ultimate Being has blessed this land with all the elements of nature. I invite you all to start your visual tour of Pakistan. And I assure you all its five provinces have mesmerizing scenes. Let’s begin our tour from Sindh province.

Nature Spots in Sindh:

Sindh is the bottom down sea level province of Pakistan. It has amazing spots to be visited. Here we will visualize some of them.

  • Gorakh Hill:

So Gorakh Hill comes first which is an elevation of 5700 feet. The amazing hill shower you with its coldness. It gives breathtaking views. The footpath diverging the shrubs and the sandy elevation leads you to unending peace. Moreover, the blue sky seems about to touch you.

Gorakh Hills
  • Kot Diji Fort

Now enter into Kot Diji Fort located in the town of Kot Diji in Khairpur. The symbolic fort has preserved an important cultural heritage of Sindh. As Talpur Dynasty was built from 1785 to 1795. So, the royal structure widens eyes.

Kot Diji Fort
  • Mohenjo Daro

Hey come out of the social study book and visualize this beautiful civilization. It is located in Harappa, Mohenjo Daro which means “the mound of the dead”. Whereas it takes you away from the present back to that oldest civilization. The inside construction system is just an amazing and idealized one.

Mohenjo Daro

Let’s have some views of Baluchistan province. That is also an amazing outskirt for tourism.

  • Pir Ghayb (The Invisible Saint) Waterfalls – Bolan, Balochistan

Aww, these beautiful falls flow emotions with it. The beautiful scenery is associated with the myth. But what is seen is no less than a miracle.

Pir Ghayb
  • Quaid-e-Azam Residency, Ziarat

It is so honoring to visualize the residency of the Father of the nation. This wooden cottage is very fine to speak about Quaid. So have a mesmerizing visualization.

Quaid-e-Azam Residency, Ziarat
  • The Hannah Jheel, Quetta

Continue your journey with me because now we are entering into the frozen and astounding lake, Hannah. It is too perfect and amazing. A complete depiction of nature.

Hannah Jheel

Hey readers what do you say? Should we end our trip here? I think we should stop so that we can have the rest of it on our next reading. I hope you have enjoyed the visualization. It is not just for visualization. You can come and visit all these nature spots. Believe Pakistan is full of natural beauty. Bye….. Bye …. Will meet you all in the upcoming writing.  

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Culture

Pakistani culture has the worth to attract millions

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(APP): Pakistan Community Purchasing Center set up in Chengdu, Sichuan Province would help set up a good foundation for the sale of Pakistani products to Chinese consumers. In the future, more such centers will be set up in different places in China, said Li Hongwu, President of Pakistan Sichuan Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday during his visit to the Pakistan Commodity Purchasing Center.

Our center aims to shorten the lengthy procedure of wholesale distribution and retail to enable buyers to communicate with manufacturers directly, he said adding that this center is similar to a factory store, but its quality requirements are more strict.

Li Hongwu told China Economic Net (CEN) that the center selects representative products from both China and Pakistan, where Chinese customers can physically examine Pakistani products. It can help set up a good foundation for wider sale channels of Pakistani products including handmade products with Pakistani characteristics which are very popular in China.

Many people appreciate handmade brasses and asked about how many days it takes to make one piece, said Pakistani Hamza Malik, a merchant whose business settled in the center. Last month, the center organized a 7-day event, which attracted around 300 visitors. The visitors tasted Pakistani milk tea and Pakistani food, and Pakistani rice was their favorite, he said.

“We also played a video of Pakistan’s scenery, and many people showed interest to visit Pakistan. People’s enthusiasm was beyond our expectations,” Li Hongwu said.

Cultural representation is the actual representation of any nation. It covers up our values, norms, tradition, language, and all others. And it is the time to show our cultural values to the world, not just China. Culture is the aspect that makes us unique and different from the world.

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