Tour to Lok Virsa Heritage Museum |Pakistan's Biggest Cultural Fair Is happening here

On 14th November, My friends already planned a trip to Lok Virsa Heritage Museum. There was a biggest folk festival that was going on. This particular festival is known as Lok Mela. Lok Virsa heritage museum is all about regional cultures, people, folk, traditions and customs of the Pakistani society.

Four of us were sitting in a car. We all were engaged in a funny conversation. Ranting session was on peak. Along with conversation, I was feeling the little blend of chill in the air. I was not wearing any jacket because this winter is not as chill as it used to be. I remember last year ,when i visited lok mela, I was wearing my green jacket. This time the winter is supet slow and sluggish. It's worrisome.

We passed through jungle hiking track in Islamabad. I will surely go on hiking on day with my fellows. It's strange that i never explored Islamabad hiking trails. Now, I am determined to do all daring things in the coming months. I will not carry wishes for the next year rather i will conduct my task on coming days.
Well, we joked a lot on our dear friend Basit. We kinda roasted him and laughed over it.
In all this ranting session, We reached Lok Virsa Heritage Museum. The very first thing was to get tickets from ticket booth. It was going to be a challenging task for us as there was a long queue standing for tickets. We used our mind and sent Anita to buy tickets as female side is not crowded with ticket buyers.

Luckily, we got tickets on 50% off as we showed our student cards over there. Right after getting tickets, We entered Lok Virsa Museum from a gigantic door. On the entrance of that gigantic door, A security guard was standing who was checking our ticket and tearing that ticket apart into two pieces. We went in crossing a walk through gate.
Anita gave her handbag to me as she wasn't able to carry her bag. She gave blood donation that's why out of care i took her bag with me. Right after entering, I was lost in seeing things. I acted like I am alien to this world and everything is new to me. I like this habit of me that i see every other thing with child like curiosity.

A kikar tree was standing infront of old architectural style buildings. Some visitors were taking pictures so as I was taking.

I miss this old architecture that was alive in past but now it is replaced with bizarre architecture. I have a wish in my heart that whenever i will build a home for me it would be old style architectural home.

These wooden doors, these jarokas and designs on the walls own my full heart. I wanted to stay there for some extra mintues but i was having peer pressure. My mates were lost in the fair and i had to find them.

I took some clicks of the buildings and i ran toward a distant musical sound that was coming my way. It was a Sindhi song that i was listening from distance.
I walked toward the music.

It was a folk group wearing vibrant orange color which is very identical color to Sindh province of Pakistan. Their colors are representing the rich culture of Sindh.

Red floral carpet was crowded with people who were standing at a distance and listening to folk songs. The artist group was holding some really different musical instruments. The musical instruments that I have never seen in my life. Most of the artists in the group were nature and old. They were wearing frock like costumes and it is what we call the culture. It's not weird but normal thing in culture. When i saw the old artists i was inclined to think that their art nurtured with their age. Their art is becoming pure and evolving with each coming day.
I listened their song and waved my body in the rhythm of the song. I feel every song. Wether i can understand the lyrics or not, I have art to feel the present.

I walked and entered Sindh Pavilion. Every side, you can see people who are walking constantly. I was loving the ambiance of the fair. It was full of life and every side i was listening to human voices.

I never been to Sindh but by seeing Sindh Pavilion i can make guesses about the culture and living style in Sindh. One thing which i like the most about Sindh is their attire. People of Sindh wear beautiful, vibrant and colorful dresses.

A woman was sitting along with a charko which is south asian spinning wheel. It's a manual device for spinning thread/yarn from fibers. Traditionally, It was high in use. Every home used to have these charkas and there were so many small cotton industries in Pakistan but now everything is changed. The hut was also beautifully decorated with a painting of peacock on the wall and lightings over the sliding roof.

Besides hut, there was a potter with clayey soil, pottery making device and some pottery items. A little kid was making pottery and his parents were happily recording him. Some foreigners were also standing there and witnessing it minutely.
This clay and pottery triggered nostalgia. It helped me to recall my childhood. Back in my childhood, There was no touch mobile phones in my home. The only thing for my enjoyment was to make clay pots and utensils. I was just able to make some typical clay pots but i always requested my grandmother to make some difficult pottery for me. She is best and bestest. Sne always made pottery for me on weekends. I always teased her in between her important work and requested her to make pottery for me. Now, I sit with my grandmother and listen to her stories and we share our thoughts on different happenings in life.
While writing this blog, Nostalgic hit me so hard that i sent all these clay pottery pictures to my grandmother and sent a voice message to say thanks to her.

In center of the pavilion, Sindhi artists were sitting. They were not performing but resting. I wanted to listen to some masterpiece but it's okay.

Ahead, in a shop made of straw, earthenware and various things were kept. All these things I was looking at with a cursory glance, for there was much more to see, but time was short.

I suddenly caught sight of a shopkeeper who was wearing a colorful turban and wrapping a shawl. I found him attractive so I asked if I could take his picture and he happily gave me permission. Interestingly, He kept the same pose till I clicked the picture.

My eyes suddenly fell on an old uncle sitting in the middle, who was making various clay objects with his fingers. These various objects included clay toys, pots, birds and flowers.

In today's era, mobile has destroyed everything. Due to the age of mobile, children nowadays are only busy with mobile while they have lost the spirit of real life.

These are the copper pots used in Pakistan which can be seen in only in few houses today. I remember that when I was a kid, there were copper pots in my maternal grandmother's house and I used to call these pots as gold pots.But with the passage of time, my grand mother sold all those pots. The pots were not old ones but the memories which are now scattered in the pages of the past.

The truck art of Pakistan is famous all over the world. This truck art was also displayed in different places. People from different parts of Pakistan and from different cultures came to see this fair.

Islamic calligraphy was also put up for sale. I wanted to buy all these things but my pocket doesn't allow it. Being a student, I have very limited expenses and I always have to spend it thoughtfully.

The typical sitting culture of Punjab was shown in the Punjab Pavilion. All these things are reminiscent of the old times but in today's era all these things have become irrelevant. If one wants to adapt these things, it is considered as outdated and out fashioned. We took some pictures over there.

All these things are made by hands. In our local language we call them chabiyan and hand swing fan. When I lived in my previous village, many people used to make these things, but now we are in a city and feel alienated.

The entrance of the Punjab Pavilion is a copy of Chauburji, a historic building and area of Lahore.A wooden structure is made, which is inspired by Chauburji. Lahore is the capital of Punjab, which is rich in historical things but today Lahore is covered with smog and is counted among the most polluted cities in the world.

The first thing I saw after entering the pavilion was the various wooden lamps. These wooden lamps were inspired by many historical buildings and various other things. I always saw such things on Instagram.

These blue colored pots were looking very attractive. Infact the entire shop was looking blue. Such blue patterns are also presented in many historical buildings of Pakistan.

A person was sitting down which was invisible to most of the people. This artist was inspired by truck art and was painting various things on the base of the truck art. There were very few people around to see his skill and were admiring him. He was so busy painting that he was not looking at anyone.

A female was busy making handicrafts. Seeing the contribution of women, I was very happy that the work of many women is being recognized and appreciated here. I asked this female that Who made all the things?she replied smilingly that she made them all herself and she belongs to Rawalpindi, Punjab.

I was feeling like a low person looking at the art of all these people because all these people live with their art. This art has become their life.

This art work is called shisha kari. This art work is also one of the many architectural styles of Pakistan and has been used in many historical buildings. You could also apply henna here in Multani style and If not, you can make a picture in the glass here.

There were many things to be distracted but the good thing is that the artisans and artists were not distracted by anything at all. They were all so engrossed in their work that they felt the most pleasure in it. There was an artist was sitting and weaving the khadar of Kamalia. The process of making khadar is very long and time consuming. The
khadar is made by joining one thread at a time.

The culture of Punjab was represented in the Punjab Pavilion where the ways of life in Punjab were well represented. But as I mentioned earlier these old ways have changed a lot today. Old culture was very vibrant, colorful and lively, but today's culture has become dry.

Everything about the culture reminds me of one thing or another. Like the pitchers there that used in keeping water in the olden days and today the pitchers have been replaced by freezers. In old times, Pitchers used to be used to keep water cool, but this practice no longer exists.

Drums were also there in mini size. One can buy these mini drums but i was distracted while seeing these drums.

I was just looking at the things around me and taking pictures of them when suddenly I heard music from a distance. I start walking towards the music.

On reaching there, I found that a Punjabi folk singer was singing a Punjabi song with audience clapping and some people were capturing the moments. My feet and hands were moving along with the song and I was humming the song. I was fully enjoying.

At one place a woman was sitting and showing a puppet dance. I was separated from my friends and I was enjoying everything alone. Anyway, I enjoy being a stranger everywhere. When you become a stranger. You can meet and talk to many new people while visiting.

Just randomly, I was walking into any part of the fair. Suddenly I met my friends who had left and we joined together in Balochi dance. Although I don't know Balochi dance at all, but i tried. I was watching the movements very closely and trying to copy them.
I tried hard to copy them but I found it quite difficult still I didn't stop dancing and I kept on doing it. While dancing the joy was different and a constant smile was on my face.

There are many things to see here which you may have never seen before in your life. Everywhere I could hear the sound of music.

The street was decorated with various lanterns and on one side there were food stalls where people were sitting and eating. Seeing people eating made me feel hungry but my friends were not in the mood to eat at that time.

The process of making silk was also shown in the Kashmir pavilion. I didn't know that small insects also have to die to make the silk fabric.

Like all the other pavilions, the Kashmir Pavilion showcased the lifestyle and culture of the people of Kashmir. I was not allowed by my friends to visit the Kashmir Pavilion completely as our main objective was to see the Kashmir function.

One problem with me is that I can't sit anywhere for a long time. If there is an engaging performance going on, only then I can sit. There was no performance.

At that time only the stage was being set up and media people were ready to cover it. I found this job very boring so I got up and went out and started exploring the fair again.

My heart is more towards dance and cultural music, so I went to Balochistan Pavilion and there I started to listen Baloch music and Baloch dance.

Along with the music, my attention was drawn to the nearby stalls where I saw various wooden boats. Also, I talked to the Baloch people and tried to learn about them.

Outside a shop, a Balochi craftsman was busy making carpets. Pakistan's carpets are also famous all over the world. There were foreigners standing with me who were watching the carpet making process. Foreigners were recording all these things. They were happy to see all these things. There was a tour guide with them who was explaining all these things to them.

Let me show you a carpet that is very skillfully made on which horse riders are riding.

Also in the shop I saw Balochi culture clothes and talked to the Balochi people there and asked about their well being and after that I moved on.

On one hand, an artist was busy doing calligraphy. I asked his permission to take a picture and also make a video.

As I walked further, I saw lamps made of salt. If you don't know, I will tell you that Pakistan has the second largest salt mine in the world, that's why salt is very cheap in Pakistan and this salt is of good quality.

To check time I saw my mobile phone.Oh, I was getting late. It was time to go back. I had to find my lost friends in this vast fair. I received their calls and they mentioned me a point to meet.

I met my friends and they planned to go back. We booked a car but since there was still time in the coming of car. That's why during that time I went to a crowded place and danced.

Two stone bulls were watching me, but I was afraid that would kill me with their horns, so I moved away from them.

I didn't want to leave the fair because I was enjoying it to the full. On my way back I saw a joker who was trying to make people happy. At first I thought to click a picture of that joker but then I felt it wrong that's why I didn't took any picture of him.

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The entrance of Lok Virsa was even more beautiful at night time. Our car had arrived and it was time to leave but I will always remember this tour. Last year has not been as much fun as this year because this time I have also participated in many cultural dances.
I just have one regret in my heart that I didn't buy anything from this cultural fair to keep with me as a memory.
Hoping for the good 😊.

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_{All images are taken by me}

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