News
Monday, August 26, 2013
Incredible desert journey : Thar awaits both govt attention and tourists
By Amar Guriro
KARACHI: While standing on red rocks of Karoonjhar, we could feel the intensity of desert winds blowing from the south, as we glanced at the greenery up above hills it looked as if someone has poured green liquid at the top of the hill, which is flowing down.
A Manganhar (member of local singer community) was singing Dohro, the traditional songs of Thar Desert on the beats of harmonium, sitting under the shades of desert plants with two other men playing Dhol and Yaktaro.
A group of Hindu yatris, covering their heads with cloth and lowering their gaze, were seen rushing towards the centuries-old historical Sardhro temple, one of the few ancient and sacred Hindu worship sites.
It was the second day of our trip in Thar Desert when we arrived at the Karoonjhar Hill, a unique and colourful granite mountain range, which suddenly appears after the long journey between sand dunes.
The drenching monsoon rains transform the drought affected arid lands of Thar Desert into lush green fields, and it also washes the colourful pebbles of Karoonjhar Hills on the southern parts of the desert.
The subtropical Thar Desert placed in the eastern parts of Sindh and around 300km from provincial capital city Karachi, is located right alongside the Indian border and goes on inside the Indian territory with the remaining part of the desert lying in Rajasthan.
The rain brings opportunities of tourism in this wonderland which holds a unique landscape, desert plants, green pastures, and beautiful birds like peafowl and other wildlife, animals, birds, reptiles, wild herbs and others.
Suffering with water shortage, due to the deep aquifers and less rainfall, Thar Desert witnessed around 13 droughts in last twenty years, according to the official data of the Sindh government. But this year, the scenes are entirely different. Though, the monsoon was late to arrive this year, the few showers have ended the droughts and brought smiles on the faces of Thari people.
Between the green-clad sand dunes, the local farmers are singing Hamarcho (A traditional song of the desert) while ploughing their fields with the help of camels and donkeys. The sound of cowbells worn by the freely roaming livestock mixes with singing desert wind to introduce an entirely different melody associated only with this land of rich music, art, culture and heritage.
As the rains pour, all those Thari people who had taken their herds to the barrage areas of Indus River in the northern parts of the province, start returning back to the desert. While travelling inside the desert, one can see hundreds of such herds comprising famous Thari goats, cows, sheep and even camels.
The minors, who plucked wild mushrooms in the morning, can be seen standing on roadside selling them to the tourists and locals. The rains have faded colours of centuries-old Jain temples, which are located in every nook and corner of the desert, but still they look great.
Attired in colourful dresses, Thari women work with their men on the farms near their huts made up of cone-shaped straws with blue peafowls sitting on the top. To witness such colours of nature, hundreds of local tourists come to Thar Desert. Young men from far-flung areas came on motorbikes in caravans and many people along with their families rush to Thar Desert after rains. But, despite having all these beauties, the Thar Desert is yet to be declared as tourist spot by provincial Sindh government.
In absence of being declared as a tourist spot, the area lacks basic facilities which otherwise are very important for tourism. There are many historical sites, centuries-old Jain temples, Verawah village, Bhodysar pond, Choorio village, Bhalwa the native village of Marvi, Talpur Bastion in Naiukot, birth place of Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, and countless other tourist spots and several stories associated with these sites.
Also, the great culture, language, art, handicraft and the wildlife, and above all, the great hospitality of Thari people can be a great potential for the tourists. But there is not a single guidance from the government in this regard.
Sindh government has not designed any website explaining the routes, historical sites and their importance. Even there are no sign boards installed outside the temples and other historical places, which can otherwise help in explaining the historical background and importance of these sites.
There is only one guest house in Mithi established by district government Tharparkar and another in Nangarparkar, even in these only few rooms are available and mostly both of these guest houses are only used by government officials. Though, there are few private guest houses in the area, but they can not accommodate such large number of tourists.
According to an official of district government Tharparkar, around 0.5 million tourists visit Thar Desert in the three months after the rains (August to October) and in absence of proper facilities, most of the people prefer a day-long trip and return back on the same day or they live under the open sky.
With zero crime rate, Thar Desert is not risky for the tourists if they prefer to stay under open sky, except for reptiles like snakes, but even then they need some facilities like toilet, shops and basic use items. There are no public toilets anywhere in this tourist spot to facilitate the visitors.
"Once Sindh government declares Thar a tourist spot officially; the area will get some essential arrangements for tourists," said Khatau Jani, senior journalist and district correspondent of Sindhi language private television channel KTN News in Mithi.
He said that provincial government allocated huge funds for the construction of some guest houses in Mithi and Nangarparkar, but due to the negligence, these sites have not been established yet.
"In the entire country, people suffer with power shutdowns, street crime, blasts and lack of the entertainment facilities, and in such conditions, Thar Desert can be a great place for the local tourists.
In the absence of government sponsored tourist guides in the area, local residents serve as tour conductors, who are not paid well.
Subhan Domki, a resident of Benazirabad (former Nawabshah) told Daily Times that he saw photos of Thar Desert on internet and came to enjoy the beauty of this wonderland. "It is beyond my imaginations. It is such a wonderful place, only if government provides some facilities here people will forget Murree and Kashmir," he said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk