CHAKWAL: The Municipal Stadium of Chakwal remained abuzz for five days as the recently concluded Jashan-i-Chakwal provided a rare entertainment to the locals. The cultural carnival, which commenced on April 23 and ended on April 27, had much to offer. The attractions included tent pegging, horse dance, dog races, karah, kabbadi, musical performances and the Lucky Irani Circus to name a few.

Jashan-i-Chakwal is one of the major festivals in the district; it used to be held annually but suffered a severe blow after 2007, due to security concerns and a lack of interest of the administration.

The initiative to revive the festival was taken by the newly appointed district coordination officer (DCO), Asif Bilal Lodhi. `We are very thankful to the DCO, who provided us with this excellent form of entertainment,` said Raja Haroon Gulzar, a resident of Mohra Rajgan village, who had come to attend the event.

Albeit all the events attracted large crowds, karah and kabbadi kept the vast stadium jampacked with spectators.

Karah is the hallmark of Chakwal`s culture.

The sport involves bulls of Chakwal`s original Dhani breed that are yoked together with a plank, called the karah, ploughing the soil as they run. The increasing weight on the plank makes it even more difficult for the animals tomove as they pull it through the field. The winner of the competition is decided by the large audience, based on the animal`s speed and gait.

More than 600 players participated in the tent pegging competition, which was won by the Chakwal club. `It is a great honour for us to win the event,` said Chaudhry Qammar Abbas, the captain of the winning team.

Meanwhile, players from various districts of Punjab participated in the kabbadi tournament, and enthralled the audiences with their performance.Perhaps the most positive aspect of the event was that a large number of women turned up to see the performance by the Lucky Irani Circus.

`If we stop such cultural events on the pretext of security concerns, the whole society will get choked,` said DCO Lodhi, while talking to Dawn.

He vowed that he would try his best to provide entertainment facilities for the people of the area.

`We have tried our best to make the festival a success,` Tehsil Municipal Official Chaudhry Tariq Mehmood Paroya said, adding that `the event was conducted peacefully.