Jora, Nasir inaugurate Handicraft, Art Exhibition

NEW DELHI: After Remarkable Success of Jammu Kashmir festival on day one which was inaugurated by HE the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Mr. N.N.Vohra and Hon”ble Chief Minister Mr. Omar Abdullah at India International Centre New Delhi,The festival was followed on second day morning with the inauguration of Handicraft exhibition by Minister for Tourism & Culture Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora and in the afternoon inauguration of seminar on conservation of Dal Lake and wild life, photo exhibition and film show by minister for Forest & Environment J&K Mia Altaf. The exhibition and film show were jointly organized by Information and Tourism Departments.
Thousands of people having interest in the Handicrafts and scenic beauty of Kashmir visited the festival and expressed keen interest in the exhibits. Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Mr. Nasir Aslam Wani also accompanied Mr. Jora on the occasion.
After inaugurating the Handicraft Exhibition, the ministers had a round of various stalls put up by artisans to showcase with the different traditional crafts of the State.
The main attraction of the handicraft exhibition include Paper Machie by Mr. Ali Mohammad Dangroo, Walnut wood carving by Mr. Ghulam Rasool Ahangar, Copper wear carving by Mr. Farooq Ahmed Zargar,the famous Thanka paintings of Ladakh by Mr. Smanda Tsering, Basholi paintings by Mr. Lalit Kumar Dogra and Kani Shawl weaving by Mr.Ghulam Mohammad Rishu.
The large crowd was witnessed on different stalls in the premises of IIC eagerly looking and enquiring about the rich traditional crafts of the State.
On the occasion, the artists of J&K Academy of Arts, Culture and Language presented various regional, traditional folk theatre forms from Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions which got splendid applause from across the audience on the 2nd day. The main attraction of the folk theatre was Bhand Pather of Kashmir and famous Lama dance of Ladakh.
The Exhibition reflecting rich cultural heritage, wildlife, tourist spots and pilgrimage sites of the State attracted large crowd at IIC.
Minister for forests and environment while speaking on the occasion appreciated the role of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) in conservation of Dal Lake and its ecology. He also expressed keen interest in the Photo Exhibition organized by department of Information and Public Relations, J&K Government.
Information department also presented films on different environment and historical aspects of the State including Environment balance between human and wildlife, Dal Lake- epitome Environment, Desert in the sky, snow leopard and life history of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
The films were contributed by WWF India, J&K Chapter, Forest, Environment and Ecology department J&K and J&K Information Department.
The Minister further informed that Jammu & Kashmir is the most ecologically sensitive landscape in the Himalayas and is richly endowed with diverse forest resources. These forest resources are very vital as a important source of livelihood of Indigenous and rural communities. He said that state forest policy adopted in 2011 aims to protect land from encroachment, conserve and develop forest resources, expand the area under tree cover, meet villagers real needs of fodder and fuel, conserve critical wildlife habitats, preserve and cultivate medicinal plants, promote ecotourism and encourage participatory management.
Mr. Altaf said that Jammu and Kashmir Government is fully committed to take care for the conservation of its forests and environment and added that suggestions put in by the experts in the seminar would be incorporated to take appropriate steps for the conservation of state’s natural resources.
This seminar brought together the key environmentalists of India who have a special interest in the ecology and environment of Jammu & Kasmir. Dr. C M Seth, Director WWF, Jammu & Kahmir introduced and welcomed the speakers. The lead speaker in the seminar was Sh. Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO of WWF-India. He said that species like Hangul, Black-necked Crane and Snowleoprad needs to be protected on top priority. Latter Sh. Shakeel Ramshu from the Department of Geology & Geophysics of the Kashmir University highlighted the importance of Glaciers as source of water for the state. He said that the way the glaciers of the state are melting is a cause of concern.
He said taht there is an urgent need to study these glaciers on long term basis. Dr. Sidharth Kaul, Advisor, Ministry of the Environment & Forests, Government of India spoke on the wetlands of the state. He said that wetlands of the state are important not only for biodiversity but also for the people. The seminar was also addressed by Sh. Ravi Kesar, Director, Directorate of Environment & Remote Sensing, government of J&K. He also proposed formal vote of thanks to the Chief Guest, Guest Speakers and other dignitaries present on the occasion.
Chairman INTAC Mr. Saleem Beig also presented papers in the seminar.
Among others, Commissioner Secretary Tourism Mr. Atal Dulloo, Director Information Khawaja Farooq Renzushah, Director Tourism Mr. Farooq Ahmed Shah, Director IIC Mrs Kavita Sharma and senior officers of the State and Central Governments were present on the occasion.