Funds for folk art promotion

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 22

The Punjab Arts Council has come to the rescue of a project on promoting and rehabilitating folk art forms of the Majha region.

The project being helmed by Kewal Dhaliwal, president, Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy, focuses on documenting and promoting the folk artistes from the region into active cultural scene.

“At a recent meeting, the Punjab Arts Council approved funding of the project on developing folk art forms. Initial amount of Rs 5 lakh will be released soon,” informed Kewal Dhaliwal.

“It will be for the first time that a project under the Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy has been lent monetary support by the council. It is a positive initiation and Punjab Arts Council will continue funding it after assessing the progress at regular intervals,” said Dhaliwal.

Meanwhile, a special commemorative event was hosted at Virsa Vihar in collaboration with the Punjab Arts Council to pay tribute to the revolutionary Punjabi poet, Bawa Balwant.

“Bawa Balwant’s poems were progressive and helped initiate a movement in Punjab that resonated with the nationalist sentiments of that time. It’s not easy to recite his poems as his language was rich and deeply metaphorical,” said Padam Shree poet Surjit Patar, who was the chief guest at the event.

Bawa Balwant was born in Neshta village near Wagah border. His writings were bold and considered outrageous by the British government. His first book in Urdu was also banned by the British government and he later on switched to writing in Punjabi.

“Bawa Balwant’s writings are a part of the rich and strong literary legacy of Punjab. Though the state seems to have turned its back on preserving such a legacy, efforts like these need to be continued to make the young generation aware about their connection with the past,” said Kewal Dhaliwal. Young artists from Gurmeet Bawa’s institute of music recited the poems by Balwant in a musical treat.