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Punjab gen

Punjab gen

April 1, 2007

AUTHOR: Tales of our land

By Altaf Hussain Asad

Dawn

Punjab gen

PUNJAB, the land of five rivers, boasts of many a historical edifice and monuments capable of stirring the inner chords of any diehard wayfarer. One can catch glimpses of centuries-old relics and historical remnants of times gone by in sheer abundance here. However, it is unfortunate that no one has as yet made any noteworthy effort in order to get acquainted with the history behind these monuments that dot the province due to which our lack of concern towards cultural heritage is fast reaching its apogee. Our heritage as a consequence is not only vandalised but is also in the throes of decay. The situation seems to be very bleak.

However, there is still light at the end of the tunnel in the garb of people like Muhammad Daud Tahir. The author skilfully fuses together history, geography and folklore to educate and acquaint us with our own land. A travel-writer, he narrates the tales of far-flung areas in simple yet engrossing Urdu. The purpose behind writing in the national language is to reach out to the common man who may be unfamiliar with the English language. After receiving a positive feedback from his readers for his first few books, Tahir penned more books based on his trips to countries all over the world at various stages of his life. As he churned out one book after another, literary heavyweights of the likes of Syed Zameer Jafri and Ashfaq Ahmad acknowledged his talent.

An inveterate traveller, Tahir’s persona oozes humility which comes forth as a pleasant surprise. Debonair and down to earth, he goes down memory lane to share with you his chrysalis years. “I was born in Gurdaspur in 1944. After 1947, our family came to Lahore where we stayed for some three years. Later, however, we shifted to Jhang where I received my early education. My father was a very well-read man and we grew up on magazines such Phool and Taleem-o-Tarbiat. After graduating from college, I joined Punjab University and did my masters in political science in 1967. Initially, I did not have any idea where I was heading but my teachers, Qazi Muhammad Aslam and Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, motivated me to join the civil service. After passing the C.S.S examinations in 1969, I joined the then Pakistan Taxation Service. In my extensive career, I worked in various areas and finally retired as a Grade 21 officer. During my service, I strictly followed the rules and regulations. I also made an effort to hear out the common people, keeping my door always open for the general public,” Tahir states.

All those years, his life revolved around his official routine. However, in 1989 he got a chance to visit the US. The trip turned him into a travel writer. On returning to Pakistan, his friends were eager to hear from him the chronicles of his stay in America. He was bombarded with a volley of queries by just about everyone he knew. So to amuse his friends with the details of his visit, Tahir decided to put pen to paper.

The result was Shauq Hamsafar Mera. Speaking of his first book, Tahir says, “It was my friends’ demand. At first I was hesitant, as I had not written anything before but somehow I was sucessful in recording my experiences on tape. The recordings later took the shape of a manuscript that I sent to my friends for their comments. A leading Urdu newspaper was interested in printing it in instalments so I gave it to them. I got a very positive reaction from people in the form of letters, etc. That was when I decided to get the manuscript published in book form. Again I was lucky as a leading publishing house showed interest in it. That’s how my first travelogue hit the bookshelves in 1995. It went into several editions.”

Tahir at first only wrote about the foreign lands which he got an opportunity to visit. The urge to concentrate on his own land came much later. Cashing in on the heavy response of his first book, he felt that he should write more. After visiting Iran and Turkey, he once again wanted to write about these countries in light of his experiences. Safar Zindagi Hai, his travelogue of Iran and Turkey, saw the light of day in 1998. Once again his attempt won the hearts of his readers.

“I always thank Allah for his countless blessings.” Once the habit of writing developed, Tahir never let his creative ink dry out. One book followed another. His trip to Kuwait culminated into another book titled Ek Safar aur Sahi.

After completing it, he thought of doing something on the domestic front too. He felt that instead of writing about foreign shores, one must also explore one’s own land as most of our people are quite oblivious of their cultural heritage. The task was no doubt cumbersome. It needed in-depth research but Tahir did not waver from conducting it. His job provided him with the opportunity of visiting many areas across the length and breadth of Pakistan, which helped him acquire first hand information about numerous small towns and cities. He wanted to write a book on the historical sites and towns of Punjab.

“When I decided to write about my own land, I thought I should focus more on Punjab and pinpoint its cultural and historical landmarks. The people of Punjab can be very ignorant as far as the history of their land is concerned. I wanted to write something for them. But in doing so I had to face a lot of difficulties. There is a dearth of authentic material on the small towns and cities of Punjab still I was able to collect much material about the towns and cities. It is a fact that local historians at times tend to distort real facts. However, I have tried to give a historically fair account of the areas and the places I visited,” he explains.

Braving against heavy odds, he succeeded in documenting nearly all the relics and historical sites from Attock to Shahdara. His magnum opus Manzil Na Ker Qabool is a history of the magnificent G.T. Road and all the villages and towns it touches. Starting from Attock, he slowly brings to life the many buried and forgotten facts about the cities and towns. Finally, his long and illustrious journey ends at Mirza Kamran’s Baradari that sits right in the middle of the Ravi river. His findings are alarming.

“It is sad to note that our history is in great peril. We are not bothered about it. Even the local residents of a particular historical town or village do not know much about their history. Let alone preserving history, our people are literally known to vandalise these sites due to which some of the places exist only in the archives. The situation gets worse with the passing of each day. If we want to save our cultural heritage, the government along with the people need to take this issue more seriously and be more cautious. The government should start publishing geographical dictionaries of districts as done earlier by our colonial masters. Archaeology should also be taught in schools and colleges to spread more awareness,” he laments.

Tahir wrote another travel book on the Punjab documenting all the historical places that dot the motorway from Islamabad to Lahore. Nai Manzelein Hein Pukarti is his second book covering the Punjab. But he is still a restless soul. “I want to focus my attention on southern Punjab. I have garnered enough material on it already. I plan on following the road from Lahore to Sadiqabad. It’s my wish to cover all areas within the province. I also plan to make some documentaries in the future,” he announces.

Muhammad Daud Tahir, who now intends to pen his biography, says he has no regrets in life although he believes that his readers can learn from his personal and professional experiences. He feels deeply indebted to his wife whose support made him what he is today.

Punjab gen II

The Punjab scene

By Shoaib Ahmed

Punjab gen II

Much is happening on the tourism front in Punjab. Along with foreign tourists, the province also plays host to a large number of visitors from India on occasions such as Basant and Sikh festivals.

According to the figures gathered from the tourism department, around 20,000 Indian tourists visited Punjab last year. The Evacuee Property Trust officials confirm the figures saying the above number of Sikhs visited Punjab due to the different agreements concluded between India and Pakistan. The tourism department is expecting around 40,000 Sikh tourists this year.

A large number of foreign businessmen and delegates visited the province last year. The Pirzadas, who hold World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore every year, informed this scribe that last year 800 delegates participated in the event. This year approximately 300 foreigners are expected to attend the Sufi Soul festival scheduled to be held in Lahore from April 12-16 and around 250 delegates are expected in the International Youth Festival, which is being organised in March. Faizan Pirzada said that since 1992, the first year of the festival up to 2007, 11,000 delegates have visited Lahore from 78 countries.

The Tourism Development Corporation (TDCP) has also initiated a number of tourism programmes to promote tourism in Punjab which includes religious, school, women and domestic tourism.

Under religious tourism, members of the Sikh community, who visit Punjab from India and other countries of the world, are taken to their sacred places by the tourism department. These places include Nankana Sahib, Sacha, Sauda, Gurdwara Rori Sahib and Chaki Sahib Eimenabad, Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, Dera Sahib, Samahdi of Mahraja Ranjeet Singh and Tomb of Guru Arjun Dev. The Besakhi and Janam Din are also two important occasions in which a large number of Sikhs visit Punjab. The religious tourism is gaining momentum and with different agreements being signed between the two countries, a large number of Sikhs now frequently visit Punjab.

Keeping in view the immense potential for international tourism, the department has now set up a new section named ‘Foreign Tourism’. Officials are being sent abroad to participate in international tourism fairs. The objective of this cell is to reach out to the foreign market for the promotion of tourism in Pakistan. They want to educate and inform foreign tourists about the historical, cultural and scenic treasures this part of world has to offer and to act as a bridge between the foreign tour operators, airlines, embassies and private tourism sector in Pakistan.

The tourism department through women tourism wants to facilitate women clubs, associations, NGOs, commercial and educational institutions. Special packages have been introduced for women, which include shopping of handicrafts and indigenous items, picnics and mystic tourism. The tourism department has specially designed these tours keeping in view the female clientele.

The initiative of school tourism was taken in August 2004, to promote outdoor education through tourism to broaden the vision of the youth. The good thing about school tourism is that the tours are cost-effective keeping in view the limited budget of students. The places in Punjab where tours are directed to are Tilla Jogian, Rohtas Fort, Mangla Dam, Kallar Kahar, Khewar Salt Mines, Islambad, Taxila, Harrapa, Hiran Minar, Changa Manga, Muree and Swat. This initiative has been taken in collaboration with the private sector. The tourism department has requested affluent individuals and organisations to sponsor at least one school.

The Hidden Treasures of Lahore is also an interesting package, under which TDCP takes people to different important but less known historical sites. These include Ali Mardan Khan’s tomb, General Allard’s tomb, Dai Anga’s mosque and tomb, Saru wala Maqbra, Wazir Khan’s Baradari and Dara Shikoh’s mosque.

The Cholistan Jeep Rally, in recent years, has emerged as an important tourist activity in Punjab. This rally was initiated to promote the south of Punjab as a tourist destination. The first rally in the sandy terrain of Cholistan was organised in March 2005 with the collaboration of the District Government of Bhawalpur.

Set in the backdrop of Darwar Fort, the rally attracts a large number of visitors from surrounding areas as well as other parts of the country. Cholistani music, fireworks and tent villages are the additional joys of the rally. A local festival is also organised during the rally season.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the Basant festival, the tourism department is estimating a loss of huge foreign exchange, as a large number of foreign tourists visit Punjab during this time.