Srinagar, May 24 (UNI) Three day Pahari Cultural Festival commenced in the border town of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday.
The festival is organised by J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in collaboration with the Tourism Department and Baramulla District Administration at Mini Stadium, Uri.
Addressing the inaugural session of the conference, Chairperson, District Development Council Baramulla, Safeena Beigh, who also inaugurated the festival, said Pahari Culture is very rich and has distinct traditional Attires, Folk Songs and Language and it is the prime responsibility of all Culture lovers to preserve the Cultural and Linguistic traditions of Jammu & Kashmir.
She said that it is an important language in Jammu & Kashmir and has a great historic significance.
Safeena Beigh underscored the need for holding cultural events depicting the varied nature and cultural diversity of every region and group.
Director Tourism Kashmir GN Itoo on the occasion highlighted the importance of preserving and protecting the culture and heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that these festivals help increase tourism and cultural exchange in the union territory as the tourists visiting here from across the country or abroad show keen interest in knowing the culture and heritage of the region.
Itoo said cultural activities form an important component of tourism promotion and the Tourism Department encourages these cultural festivals as it gives a boost to the tourism sector.
He said the Department has recently identified 75 new tourist destinations and the basis of their identification has been their unique cultural identity, heritage quotient and cuisine.
A series of performances were showcased which reflect the cultural richness of the Pahari language during the first day of the festival. Renowned artists of the valley mesmerized the audience with their performances.
The Artists presented patriotic songs and patriotic poems in Kashmiri, Urdu, Gojri and Pahari.
A variety of cultural items was also presented which received applause from the participants.
Secretary, J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages, Bharat Singh formally welcomed the delegates to the festival.
Earlier, DDC Chairperson, Director Tourism and other guests inspected various kinds of stalls that were installed on the occasion depicting the culture, heritage and language of the area.
The Festival was inaugurated by Chairperson, District Development Council Baramulla, Safeena Beigh and Director Tourism Kashmir, G.N. Itoo was a special guest on the occasion.
