revival Lahore’s
twin in Poland
revival The influx of
thousands of tourists to the scenic valley of Kalam to attend the
recently-held summer festival was a rather welcome sign for the tourism
industry in Swat, the Switzerland of Pakistan. The festival was organised
in Kalam and Mahodand simultaneously by the Pakistan Army from July 12-16.
Programmes were held in Mahodand during the day and at the grassy ground near
the Kalam bazaar at night. According to the Inter
Services Public Relations Swat in-charge Colonel Arif, thousands of tourists
visited the valley following the return of peace and construction of roads
— and sent a message to the world that Swat is now open for tourism. Mahodand is a scenic resort
located some 35km north-east of Kalam. There is a big natural lake where
boats and other water vehicles were available on rent. On the way, a traveller
came across stunning glaciers, waterfalls and hydropower stations, and could
devour some delectable snacks. Emergency medical camp had been established
too. Accommodation in tents was available but several tourists had brought
their own tents. Horse riding, free-fall and other athletic activities were
also arranged. However
speeding cars and vans created a lot of dust as the road has not been
carpeted yet — though it was negotiable even by small Suzuki cars. Some
adventurous youngsters had reached the valley on motorbikes in groups. Unlike previous years, when
the Bahrain-Kalam road was navigated only by 4-wheel drives, this year public
transport was available to Kalam from Mingora. However, no public transport
was available between Kalam and Mahodand. Tourists either travelled by their
own vehicles or hired taxi from Kalam at Rs2000-2500 for two way journey to
and from Mahodand. “I have been to various
tourists resorts round the world but Mahodand is simply wonderful… The area
has all the potential to attract tourists,” said Muneeza Hashmi, a tourist
from Sialkot. In the grassy ground of
Kalam, tourists enjoyed festivities at night. Hayatullah Khan, another
tourist, recollected it was the same
ground where a militant in April 2009 had openly challenged the state —
“It is heartening to see that today a multitude of tourists are attending
the festivities”. At night, dozens of
tourists went up and down the road dancing to the noisy beat of music played
in cars or that of drums played by local men. The presence of vast number
of female tourists was encouraging in the Kalam bazaar. Unfortunately, no foreigner
was seen strolling in Kalam or Bahrain or Miandam or other attractive valleys
in the area. Are they not allowed or do they prefer not to come here, one
wondered. But Col Arif said foreign tourists are not barred from visiting the
area. Tourism in Swat has been
badly impacted by militancy, indifference of government and raging poverty.
Kalam, Bahrain and Madyan were devastated by floods. Of the total 136 hotels
swept away by floods in 2010, 50 were in Kalam. It still wears a deserted
look. But friends and couples were sitting besides the river on boulders,
charpoys and standing in the crystal clear water of the river Swat, enjoying
snacks and chatting endlessly. Details
about the identity of tourists are registered at several checkposts between
Kalam and Mahodand, which most tourists found to be time consuming. Zulfiqar
Ali, a tourist, said he counted 17 checkposts from Dargai to Mahodand. “The
number of checkposts could be reduced without any compromise on security by
opening a big registration camp at Landaki Swat where the visitors are
registered and issued special passes,” he said. Zahid Khan also said though
these are meant for public safety, there should be no more than 5 checkposts
from Dargai to Kalam. Col Arif however said that
the number of checkposts was reduced from 29 last year to 15 this year to
facilitate tourists. “Some tourists’ information and facilitation centres
may have been mistaken as checkposts,” he said. Though the hoteliers
haven’t announced any special discount for the tourists unlike last season,
Iftikhar Ahmad, a hotel manager in Bahrain, said room fares were far cheaper
than other tourist resorts in Murree or Kaghan. He was all praise for the
USAID which he said offered in-cash and in-kind support to the hotel industry
in Swat. “Earlier communication to
Kalam and other upper Swat areas would remain suspended for days. But last
winter, for the first time in history, traffic to Kalam didn’t stop even
for a day. Hopefully, the coming season will be the best in terms of winter
tourism,” Col Arif added. Zahid Khan, the president
of Swat hotel association, said funds allocated for the roads should be
released without delay. “Former Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani had promised
he would release funds for the Swat expressway linked to Peshawar motorway
but its fulfilment is still awaited. The Tourism Corporation KP should
construct roads or provide chairlift facilities to far off valleys in
Swat,” said Khan. Though tourism is part of
the productive sectors, the sector was allocated just Rs0.67billion or one
per cent of the provincial annual development plan (ADP) in 2010. The next
year, the sector’s budget was increased to Rs1.22bn or 1.4 per cent of ADP
but has been slashed to Rs0.68billion this fiscal year. There is however no foreign
funded project in the ADP for the tourism sector in successive budgets. Tourism has been devolved
to the provinces, yet the PTDC hotels and motels are yet to be handed over to
the province. If devolved, the resourceful PTDC would suffice the province to
run the ministry from its own revenues.
Lahore’s
twin in Poland Following a hectic
tour of Warsaw and Deblin, which was mainly aimed at exploring areas of
defence cooperation in 2002, we got a welcome break for a couple of days at
Kraków, the cultural capital of Poland located in the far south. ‘Krakuf,’ we were
reminded about the knotty pronunciation by the well-informed Second Secretary
in the Pak Embassy at Warsaw, who was accompanying us. Soon after checking in at
Garnizonowy Hotel, we took a walk along the Planty, a lush green belt that
forms the perimeter of the inner town known as the Centrum. There can be few
places better than Planty to learn what happens in spring and here we were,
in the middle of April, with flowers abloom and squirrels darting about in
the oak trees that abound. Lahore’s well-maintained Lawrence Gardens, along
with several others, come to mind, though Planty is far more extensive in
area. Numerous monuments and statues dot the park, but one needs a good dose
of Polish history to make any sense of them. Kraków rose to prominence
in 1038 when it became the seat of the Polish government under Duke Casimir I
of the first Piast Dynasty. By the end of the century, it had become the
leading city of trade and commerce. The Mongols ravaged the city in 1241 and
it was later rebuilt completely. It survived two more Mongol onslaughts,
thanks to defensive fortifications that had been built in the wake of earlier
attacks. The last king of the Piast Dynasty, Casimir III the Great, ordered
the building of the Wawel Castle over the ruins of an earlier fortification.
Today the castle, much rebuilt, stands out as the most famous landmark of
Kraków. After a good night’s rest
and a carefully selected kosher breakfast next morning — for pork closely
follows God, Honour and Fatherland in Polish dogma — a few of us history
buffs walked down to the nearby Wawel Castle. A gypsy folk band playing on a
violin, a double bass and an accordion, regaled us with a rather beat up
melody as we headed towards the gateway. The courtyard is surrounded
on three sides by colonnaded galleries, reflecting the Renaissance Style that
was in vogue at the time of the castle’s complete reconstruction by
Sigismund I, in the first half of the 16th century. Of similar vintage, our
Lahore Fort pales in front of Wawel Castle in every way, especially with
regard to restoration and maintenance. The castle’s courtyard is where
grand ceremonies take place, the last one being the internationally attended
funeral reception for the late Polish President, services heads and numerous
other government officials who were killed in an air crash in 2010. While touring the royal
apartments, we noted the considerable distance between the king’s and the
queen’s bedrooms with some amusement, though this was no hurdle for
Sigismund I who sired eight children from two wives! A rich collection of
Flemish tapestries adorn the walls of the king’s bedroom, as well as the
Audience Hall and the Senators’ Hall. An armoury, house and a rich
collection of royal artefacts are reminiscent of the Sikh Collection at the
Lahore Fort. The tour was rounded off
with a short visit to the Wawel Cathedral, which has been the traditional
site of royal coronations and the resting place of Polish heroes. Of the
several chapels that are adjuncts to the cathedral, the Sigismund Chapel
stands out for its glittering dome of pure gold. One is reminded of Sunehri
Masjid in Inner Lahore’s Kashmiri Bazaar, though its domes are of everyday
copper. In the afternoon, we walked
down to the nearby Main Market Square, to which are rooted many of Kraków’s
colourful traditions. Large revelling crowds, horse-drawn carriages,
fluttering pigeons, numerous flower and gift shops and the utterly clean
streets provided enough justification for the title of the ‘World’s Best
Square’ conferred by the New York-based Project for Public Spaces. The famous Cloth Market,
the Town Hall Tower and St Mary’s Basilica are some of the famous landmarks
of the Square. Not far is the Jagellonian
University, the oldest in Poland and one of the oldest in the world. Its
Collegium Maius counts Nicolaus Copernicus amongst its students. He was the
famous astronomer of the late 15th century who revolutionised ideas about the
solar system with the sun at its centre. We were just in time at the
Market Square to hear the trumpet which is blown at each hour from the tower
of St Mary’s Basilica. Legend has it that a guard on the church tower
sounded the alarm by blowing the trumpet when the Mongols attacked Kraków in
1241; the city gates were promptly closed while backdoor evacuation of women
and children took place. The trumpeteer, however, was purportedly shot in the
throat by a Tatar arrow and was unable to complete the tune, which is why it
now ends abruptly before completion. It was a theatrical re-enactment of a
past event — no matter if it was part myth — and, had a subtle message of
devotion to duty for everyone. We all were quite
fascinated with the little drama. After a day of riotous
sightseeing, the serene Vistula River meandering around Wawel Castle beckoned
our tired eyes for a mellow glimpse. My friend Asif, ever eager to appreciate
Nature, joined me for an after-dinner walk along the base of the Wawel Hill
which is supposed to house a dragon’s lair. Suddenly, we caught sight of a
tongue of flame lashing out of the mouth of a creature that did seem like a
dragon from afar. Much to our amusement, we saw the metal sculpture spewing
fire every two minutes. Steeped in myths and
legends like all old cities are, we learnt the story of a rapacious dragon of
Kraków, which was slain by a cobbler’s son Skuba, after everyone else had
failed to stop it from gobbling the city’s fair maidens. As a reward, Skuba
got the hand of the last surviving maiden — the king’s daughter. Of
course, they lived happily ever after. Tourists can be so
gullible, we thought, but nonetheless Kraków was doing well at their
expense! While we were sitting on a
bench watching the dragon in its fire-breathing act, we heard a strange noise
that seemed to have threatening overtones. Not far was a crowd of fifty-odd
jeering punks approaching in our direction. As they got closer, we picked out
the beer bottles in their hands. Asif was quick to sense that the situation
was likely to get nasty, so without much ado we got up and scrammed, giving
no chance for a missile to be launched at us. The short trip to Kraków
was rounded off the next day with a trip to an unusual place: the Nazi’s
infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. In less than an hour, we had driven
right up to the gate displaying the famous sign, “Arbeit Macht Frei”
(work makes you free). Following a group photo at the gate, we were assigned
to a tour guide, one of the Israeli-sponsored college students who volunteer
for such duties during vacations. We were taken to various internment
barracks and some grisly locations like the gas chambers, crematoriums and
firing ranges for summary executions. Roomfuls of exhibits included
prisoners’ eyeglasses, shoes, headgear, hair trimmings, etc. The camp was one large
museum of human atrocities on an unprecedented scale. To us, it did not
matter if some sceptics questioned the scale of the holocaust; to the
suffering family, one death of its dear one meant the same loss as did a
million deaths to everyone else. In an unusual gesture, our group laid a
floral wreath at the Execution Wall, which was heartily approved by surprised
on-lookers, this being a first of sorts by Pakistanis. After the visit to
Auschwitz, we drove off to Warsaw across the undulating plains which exude a
rustic old-world charm. Horse-drawn ploughs, women in long skirts and scarves
and, men in baggy trousers, were a far cry from the urbanity of Kraków that
we had seen. During our short stay, we
had noted that Poland’s difficult history had a common chord with our
tormented one. In that backdrop, it was easy to see some commonalities, and
the one that stood out most was the similarity of Lahore with Kraków. No
matter that our city is many times more populous and far less tidy, but the
fort, the gardens, the leafy suburbs and a rich history are fair indices to
stake a claim to being a twin city. That, we learnt is quite
true, for Kraków and Lahore are indeed officially declared twins! ksrtfl@yahoo.com
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