Chelam Josh – the annual religious festival of the Kalash tribe – concluded in Bomburit valley with all its colours and festivities, the other day.
Though the main event, known as Joshi in the local language, has ended, the festival still continues in the Kalash valley of Brir.
During this festival, men beat drums as the women perform folk dance, shoulder to shoulder in a circle, while singing religious songs.
The women and children of different villages gather in groups and dance to the beat of dholak.
Religious leaders of the community, Qazi also sing and pray on the occasion. Their families decorate their caps with banknotes of one hundred, five hundred and a thousand, and it is considered a sign of respect and dignity for them.
In the afternoon, Kalash people hold walnut branches and leaves in their hands and wave them as they move to the tunes.
Read this too: Kalash’s Ice And Snow Festival Attracts Scores of Tourists
As they do so, they move slowly towards the main dance spot, called Chirsu, where Muslims or people of other faith are not allowed. There, the remaining participants dance with great enthusiasm.
Once that is done, the religious leaders of the community, i.e. Qazis, pour milk in wheat crops for blessing.
The men are then seen holding walnut twigs, leaves or flowers in their hands and praying loudly in the local language.
Then, led by their Qazis, they reach Chirsu, where they dance and throw leaves and twigs on the women.
'No attention to tourism'
The festival is attended by a large number of local and foreign tourists, but they face great difficulty reaching the area due to the dilapidated roads, and a lack of seating and other facilities.
Nearly a dozen tourists from Finland visited the valley for the first time, this year on the invitation of Chitral Travel Bureau.
When asked about the festival, they said that the government and non-government organisations should pay more attention to the area from the tourism standpoint, and take concrete steps in this regard.
Read this too: In Pictures: Chitral Roads Cleared After First Snowfall In 15 Years
Doing so, they maintained, would help boost the economic conditions of the people of the area.
Some of the tourists also highlighted that the huge amount that comes out of the exchequer in the name of organising festivals, tournaments, and other events in Chitral, could instead be spent on the repair and construction of the roads to facilitate tourism and uplift the area economically.
They noted that the money is instead spent on VIP protocols of bureaucrats or a few officers and their families.
Local community’s role
The role of the Chitral Travel Bureau is evident in advancing a responsible, sustainable, regenerative, and transformative tourism, particularly in the context of nature-based tourism.
In a discussion with our representative in Kalash valley, CEO CTB highlighted the crucial role of engaging the local community in managing the operations and events to mitigate the adverse effects of tourism and amplify its benefits.
He expressed the concern that unorganised and unregulated tourism may jeopardise the objectives of sustainable mountain tourism in the regions such as Hindukush, Karakorum, and Himalaya.
These areas, he added, are highly sensitive to climate change, glacier melting, and environmental degradation, thereby harming the biodiversity and overall sustainability of the tourism industry.
Though the main event, known as Joshi in the local language, has ended, the festival still continues in the Kalash valley of Brir.
During this festival, men beat drums as the women perform folk dance, shoulder to shoulder in a circle, while singing religious songs.
The women and children of different villages gather in groups and dance to the beat of dholak.
Religious leaders of the community, Qazi also sing and pray on the occasion. Their families decorate their caps with banknotes of one hundred, five hundred and a thousand, and it is considered a sign of respect and dignity for them.
In the afternoon, Kalash people hold walnut branches and leaves in their hands and wave them as they move to the tunes.
Read this too: Kalash’s Ice And Snow Festival Attracts Scores of Tourists
As they do so, they move slowly towards the main dance spot, called Chirsu, where Muslims or people of other faith are not allowed. There, the remaining participants dance with great enthusiasm.
Once that is done, the religious leaders of the community, i.e. Qazis, pour milk in wheat crops for blessing.
The men are then seen holding walnut twigs, leaves or flowers in their hands and praying loudly in the local language.
Then, led by their Qazis, they reach Chirsu, where they dance and throw leaves and twigs on the women.
'No attention to tourism'
The festival is attended by a large number of local and foreign tourists, but they face great difficulty reaching the area due to the dilapidated roads, and a lack of seating and other facilities.
Nearly a dozen tourists from Finland visited the valley for the first time, this year on the invitation of Chitral Travel Bureau.
When asked about the festival, they said that the government and non-government organisations should pay more attention to the area from the tourism standpoint, and take concrete steps in this regard.
Read this too: In Pictures: Chitral Roads Cleared After First Snowfall In 15 Years
Doing so, they maintained, would help boost the economic conditions of the people of the area.
Some of the tourists also highlighted that the huge amount that comes out of the exchequer in the name of organising festivals, tournaments, and other events in Chitral, could instead be spent on the repair and construction of the roads to facilitate tourism and uplift the area economically.
They noted that the money is instead spent on VIP protocols of bureaucrats or a few officers and their families.
Local community’s role
The role of the Chitral Travel Bureau is evident in advancing a responsible, sustainable, regenerative, and transformative tourism, particularly in the context of nature-based tourism.
In a discussion with our representative in Kalash valley, CEO CTB highlighted the crucial role of engaging the local community in managing the operations and events to mitigate the adverse effects of tourism and amplify its benefits.
He expressed the concern that unorganised and unregulated tourism may jeopardise the objectives of sustainable mountain tourism in the regions such as Hindukush, Karakorum, and Himalaya.
These areas, he added, are highly sensitive to climate change, glacier melting, and environmental degradation, thereby harming the biodiversity and overall sustainability of the tourism industry.