ISLAMABAD: Serena Hotels, under its Cultural Diplomacy initiative, organized a wonderful Heritage Fair at the Serena Business Complex Lawn, to help promote local art and artisans. With cultural music playing in the background and provincial artists dancing, the atmosphere boasted a fragrance of delicious local cuisine as craftspeople and vendors showcased the cultural diversity of the country. The Fair featured stalls of artwork, traditional garments, jewellery, rugs, woven and wooden items, decorative items and healthy and organic foods and dry fruits. With abundant natural reserves of precious and semi-precious gemstones, Pakistan has a rich history of jewelry manufacturing. Stalls of exquisite cut and raw stones, including rubies, emeralds, tourmalines, garnets, moonstones, serpentine jade, a variety of beryl, lapis lazuli, turquoise, kunzite and numerous varieties of quartz caught the attention of consumers. Shawls have been an integral part of the Pakistani wardrobe for generations, with each region producing its own style of shawls with their often intricate prints and embellishments. Regional differences and similarities were apparent in the variances in raw material, weave, patterns and motifs as vendors showcased scarves, stoles and shawls in time for the chilly weather. The culture of Gilgit Baltistan is unique with its natural resources, mountainous flora and fauna, the traditions of the people and the care taken in producing various handicrafts and edible items. Honey – pure and flavourful – is blessed with numerous health benefits and infinite varieties, many of which from across Pakistan were available at the Fair. Dry fruits are a staple part of the winter cuisine in Pakistan and different parts of the country are renowned for their produce of Pistachio, Cashew, Almond, Walnuts and Pine nuts amongst others. Truck painting, a uniquely Pakistani art form, was represented in smaller household objects such as trays, pots, bowls and so forth, while potters, painters, wood carvers and mosaic artists gave live demonstrations of their crafts to visitors. Aziz Boolani, CEO of Serena Hotels, said, “Serena Hotels believes it is important to support and promote causes and values which is why the organization has incorporated sports and cultural diplomacy into its annual calendar by hosting, sponsoring or facilitating diverse events which transcend cultural differences and bring people together. Pakistani art and artisans need platforms to showcase their talents before a much larger audience than they can typically access. He added, “Under the Cultural Diplomacy banner, Serena has promoted the arts and handicrafts activities to inspire a culture of peace and hope. The Satrang Gallery, a dedicated space within Serena Hotel, Islamabad, is devoted to promoting the works of young Pakistani artists and the Heritage Fair is a similar initiative where we have brought immensely talented craftspeople and vendors to Islamabad.” AIOU to hold national conference on social science: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) will hold second national conference on Social Sciences on December 28thand 29th. The event will cover a wide range of interests in different disciplines of social sciences. It would also serve as a platform for presenting new knowledge and insights, promoting innovation in the research-policy-action nexus, and nurturing new academic partnerships. The conference aims at providing theoretical perspectives and empirical research upon which sound national social, economic and political policy can be devised. Two-day book bazar concludes on Saturday: A two-day weekly book bazar concluded here on Saturday. It was kicked off on Friday at the premises of Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL). Talking to APP an official said publishers and book sellers from Islamabad and Rawalpindi set up their stalls at weekly book bazaar. Books on various subjects were available in the bazar on discounted rates. PAL has been making efforts to promote book reading culture in the country. The bazar remained open from 900 hours to 1900