Art and flowers exhibit draws large crowd

The festival has been organised by the Cantonment Board and will continue for two weeks.

Paintings and drawings by students of 12 public schools have been exhibited at the festival.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Multan Corps Commander Lieutenant General Abid Pervez. He appreciated the hard work put in by the students.

Hundreds of students and families visited the exhibition.

Cantonment Board President Brigadier Taufeeq Tahir told The Express Tribune that army officials had put in a lot of hard work to set up the festival. “Students from all public schools in the city helped us put together the art exhibit”. He said 78 kinds of chrysanthemum were on display.

The inauguration also featured musical performances by 50 primary school students.

The children dressed up in colourful costumes depicting Spring and the culture of various ethnic groups in the country.

General Pervez said the flower arrangements reminded him of Pakistan – various ethnicities, languages, religious groups and identities made up the beautiful garden that was Pakistan.

He said, “We are all one under our flag – a united and prosperous nation.”

Dr Muhammad Abbas who brought his family to the festival from Alipur village in Muzafargarh said the festival was a source of nourishment for the soul and a healthy activity for families.

The entrance to the festival is free for families and students.

The art exhibition features a collection of the paintings by students of public schools in the city, most of them girls. Students whose paintings have been displayed said they had been given five topics, including the cultures of Pakistan, historic and political personalities and historic monuments, for the art exhibition.

The entries were submitted to the teachers in the first week of March.

Officials of the Cantonment Board said their flowers were covered with canvas at night because it got very cold.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2014.