Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of Japan in cooperation with the Pakistan National Council of Arts and Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association (PJCA) has organised a Japanese calendars exhibition at the National Art Gallery.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Takashi Kurai, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan on Friday to celebrate the year 2017 as the year of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan. The exhibition will remain open for the public from February 4 to February 17, from 09:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony Ambassador Takashi Kurai said that it was a variety of Japanese calendars which has been put on display in this exhibition which represents the beauty as well as the true life image of Japan. “Our purpose is to introduce various aspects of Japan to the people of Pakistan through this exhibition” he said. Speaking to Daily Times Ambassador Takashi Kurai said that it was an honour to see so many people come here for the exhibition of Japanese calendars He said that these calendars depicted various aspects of the society of Japan. Pakistani people will learn many things about Japan from this exhibition. He said the Pakistani Embassy was also conducting different events in Japan to introduce Pakistan there. “I would like more cooperation in art, culture, social, economic and other fields in future” he added.

Earlier, speaking at the event Jamal Shah, Director General PNCA, said that Japanese people are art lovers. He also stressed upon more cooperation between both countries in art and culture.

Diplomats from different countries also came to see the exhibition. Sewa Lamsal Adhikari, Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan, speaking to Daily Times said that the exhibition was very interesting and had a lot of things regarding Japan. She said that calendars consisted of beautiful sceneries of Japan.

S M Reham, President PJCA, told Daily Times that it was a fascinating exhibition, which provided people the calendars of fine print technology of Japan. A teacher, Saleha Tamoour, told this scribe that it was a wonderful exhibition. She was of the view that both countries’ school children were also given a chance to see each other’s art and cultural things, which will further boost relations between the two countries.

Most of the calendars being displayed are produced by private Japanese companies, and most of them are printed on recycled paper which is a fine example of Japan’s efforts to be eco-friendly.

The calendars showcase heritage, cultural identity, reflect images from Japanese traditional and contemporary arts, sports, automobiles, rates, architecture, gardens, flowers, forest, buildings, wooden floors, zoo and classic cars.

Japanese Calendars Exhibition is an annual feature of the cultural activities organised by the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan, which is very popular among the people of Pakistan. This year, around 137 calendars have been displayed in the exhibition with the cooperation of Japan Calendars Association, Tokyo and few Japanese companies. Since every calendar is a piece of art, the exhibition not only gives a picture of the socio-cultural development of Japan spread over centuries, but also exhibits the aesthetic features of Japanese printing technology.

After the exhibition, all the calendars will be distributed to the lucky visitors through lottery that will be conducted later on by the Embassy.

Hiking festival: Capital Club will arrange a Family Health Hiking Festival at Daman-e-Koh here on February 4 (Saturday).

An official of Capital Club said in this Capital Family and Health Hiking Festival there will be family activities,family hiking from Trail 2 to Daman e Koh.

A number of stalls will be placed to attract the people of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. There will be an awareness, campaign, cultural music, media corner, youth corner, school

and college students will also highlight productive activities.

There will also be a Talent Hunt Show and many more activities based on the life style of the Islamabadians.

Kashmiri folk crafts programme: A week-long special programme on “Kashmiri Folk Crafts: Engagement with Artisans” in connection with Kashmir Solidarity Day is in full swing here at the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa). Fifty children (age: 6-14 years) studying in various schools and colleges of the capital city are participating in the programme apart from children of the visitors to the Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology (Heritage Museum).

Master artisans, who are imparting training to the children include 65-year old Sheikh Muhammad Yousuf in Kashmiri embroidery, Mukhtar Ahmad Dar in Kashmiri namda & gabba, Irfan Ghulam Nabi in Kashmiri wood carving and Liaquat Ali in traditional jewellery making.

Executive Director Lok Virsa Dr. Fouzia Saeed said that a week-long cultural event would promote the culture and art of Kashmiri people.

She said the event was specially arranged to focus on the Kashmiri indigenous folk crafts coinciding with the Kashmir Solidarity Day 2017 with the objective to highlight the sacrifices of Kashmiri

people struggling for their right of self-determination in Indian occupied Kashmir through a cultural perspective. She said these craft-persons would not only display their crafts but make them in front of the people and also teach children.