The annual 'Lahore Spring Festival' and 'Pakistan-India Drama Festival' concluded this week, and other two ie, 'International Puppet Festival' and annual 'Mela Chiraghaan' began in the city this past weekend maintaining a chain of enjoyable cultural activities.
Organised by the Parks and Horticulture Authority, the Lahore's popular month long annual 'Jashne-e-Baharaan' (Spring Festival) completed its schedule on March 23, when thousands of people with their families visited its venue, Jeelani Park to enjoy a variety of events, which included food stalls, book fairs, open music concerts, heritage and flower shows, which created the ambience of a carnival.
Other features of the festival were competition for children such as tableau, national songs, flowers arrangements, float making, and open carriage decorations. A striking feature of this year's festival was the participation of special children in all the competitions organised for the kids. The famous Babu (brass) Band, a number of bhangra dancers and dhol players participated in the concluding session of the festival.
The other popular activity that attracted the attention of sophisticated audiences in the city was the first ever ten-day Pakistan-India Drama Festival, which also concluded on March 22.
Ten Indian educational institutions and seven from Pakistan, including the host - Government College University fielded their entries in the festival with stage plays written by classic and modern playwrights reflected the pleasant and ugly realities of life of Senior citizens who watched these excellent plays. In these plays, they were reminded of the old days when Government College Dramatic Club (GCDC) used to stage plays on a regular basis.

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On March 21 the five-day annual 'National Folk Puppet Festival' opened the Puppetry Museum to mark the observance of 'World Puppet Day'. Inaugurated by Dr Sissel Volan, Deputy Head of the Mission in Royal Norwegian Embassy, Islamabad the event was arranged by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, (despite the far off location of the venue of the event it attracted the participation of about 1,000 children.
Participating folk puppeteers hailing mostly from southern Punjab complained that state interest in this art had waned over the years denying them the opportunities to display their art in small town and large cities in the province. The festival was scheduled to terminate on March 25.
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The annual flower arrangement show was held at Jeelani Park on March 21 under theauspices of the Parks and Horticultural Authority at which models of ecological gardens, lawns and follower arrangement were put on public display.
This year new species of flowers and plants, including Snapdragon, Dianthus, Impatiens, Wallerana were also included in the show. Different spaces in the show were allotted to several contributors to the show to highlight their participation in it. These included the Governor House, Aitchison College, the Parks and Horticulture Authority and the Jinnah Gardens. A large number of lovers of flowers visited the show, which ended on Pakistan Day, March 23.
An exhibition of books was opened by Justice Muhammad Munir Mughal (Retd) at the Madre Millat Park on March 21. Jointly sponsored by Nazria-e-Paksitan Foundation and Tehrik-e-Pakistan Workers Trust it was held to mark the celebrations of the 67th day of the adoption in Lahore of the historic Muslim League Resolution, which demanded the creation of a sovereign and independent state for the Muslims of Asia. The said that only those nations achieve success and glories who learn lessons from history.
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The annual three-day Urs of Sufi Saint Shah Husain also known as Madho Lal Husain being at his Mazar on March 24. As expected a large number of devotees of saint from different regions of Punjab paid homage to the Sufi saints whose message of universal brotherhood mankind expressed through his Punjabi Kafis have won him international recognition.
The annual festival, also known 'Mela Chiraghaan' - the festival of lamps is socio-cultural event dating back to four centuries in which a large number of people participate. A number of devotees of the Punjabi Sufi saint lament that Shah Husain should be given equal treatment and respect by the government when compared with other Sufi saints of Sindh where Prime Ministers and heads of State have visited in the past to pay their tributes.
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The Lahore Arts Council arranged at Alhamra a music concert in honour of the Chinese cultural delegation at which several prominent folk singers regaled the visitors with their enchanting songs.