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adventure Grave
matters
I don't
know what feminists did in the 1950s but I know for sure what we do now:
repeatedly tell each other "we don't need to care about men and how they
treat us: we don't need them! You know why? Because we've got ourselves --
and each other! Please tell me I'm right." I am
part of such a clique of which two others and myself, recently, decided that
we MUST go and watch the Lucky Irani Circus, which happens to be in town
post-Eid. We made the pre-visit As we
parked our shiny, clean Santro outside Minar-e-Pakistan, I really didn't have
any misgivings. It was 12 pm; a hazy yet sunny day. I was well prepared,
wearing shalwar kamiz with a wide dupatta draped around me (as were my
friends). What could possibly go wrong? We were three innocent, happy
civilians who only wanted to see a lion jump through a ring of fire and then
eat gol gappas on our way back. The
venue was covered by tents on every side, big and small. As we walked towards
the camp with the main show, our ears were subjected to a variety of sounds
emitting from loudspeakers from each camp. My first impulse was to run back
from where I came but I was optimistic; about to partake in an ordinary
pleasure, bursting my own pretty little 'Defence' bubble, by being among the
truly 'common' folks. One of my friends wished for a clairvoyant with her
crystal ball in one of the tents and then promptly realised what the
loudspeaker above her tent would be proclaiming. "Aoo Aoo..A kay apna
mustakbil jan lo" which would have ruined the attraction. Trying
to remain close to each other we reached the main tent to see two guards in
military uniform (what was military doing there?). They informed us that the
first show would not start till 3:30 in the afternoon. By the time we turned
to go, there was a huge crowd of men with very few women and children,
outside the enclosure, peering in at us as if we were the real circus
attraction. We decided to spend some time at the Lahore Fort and Badshahi
Masjid just across the road, and in passing check-out the Minar-e-Pakistan.
Who knows, we might even get a panoramic view of the city.
Did any
one know that our people actually started using Minar-e-Pakistan to hurtle to
their deaths? Another guard (not military) told us that no one could go
inside the tower since a whole lot of people were known to have jumped from
the top. And so, it is officially closed, except for cleaning purposes every
now and then.
The
Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort part of the day was relatively smooth.
Except for us three, literally having to acrobat to cross the road, and at
least two rickshaw drivers heading straight for us (on purpose I swear). An
old baba in the mosque who was incensed at me for not covering my head, some
teenage boys following us and oh yes, did I forget? A woman, who must earn
about as much as or maybe a little more than beggars (from the looks of her),
is standing with her kid (who seems about four) in the cafeteria area in the
Lahore Fort. The kid was licking ice cream cone that suddenly fell to the
ground and the kid started wailing. I heard my friend say, "Oh no she
did not just do that" and I looked up to see the mother scooping back
the ice cream into the cone from the ground. No judgement. Back to
Lucky Irani at 3 pm. We were jostled inside the main show tent, which was
teeming with people. 'Co-ed' seating? Not here, Dear God. My friends were
unfazed, and looked as excited as I felt inwardly disgusted. Of course I
ended up sitting next to a bunch of guys who seemed quite harmless and had a
few kids with them. What could I say? Too close for comfort. In my defense, a
few minutes after being seated, not only is there no space to move (and
uncomfortable on the posterior) we detect a foul smell... gas... of the human
variety. The
acrobats had started doing their amazing routine. The loudspeaker guy was
commenting (again) on each move and his commentary was interspersed with him
singing old fashion Indian film songs. Suddenly the clown jumped from the
top, extracting a reaction of shock and applause. I was in a heated argument
with one of the guys sitting next to me. I told them to move over a bit and
in reply, heard "Itnay Nakhray na karro" (and maybe deserved it a
little) As the
next act rolled around, I vacated that spot and look for a proper chair.
During the next act, which was another version of acrobatics I had gotten
into another fight, snatching a chair from a teenaged girl in Hijab (did I
mention, nine out of ten women there were in burka or hijab?). And as I sat
on it my head was hit by the leg of a chair which had been dragged over my
head. I stood up and pushed the chair back on the guy who was passing it,
letting out a stream of expletives. And, I
had missed the third act. By the time I was actually seated, I didn't care at
all about sitting through the entire show. The circus was outside that
enclosure! It was the crowd, and I felt justified in being a little snooty.
The woman on my left coughed. Then, the woman on my right coughed. Oh, the
man behind me coughed! I coughed!!! Germs! Air space! Increased carbon
dioxide! Whatever it was, it was making me giddy. Then, a
very good-looking foreigner woman came out into the ring. Everyone looked on.
There was a pause in the endless chatter. Then, a foreigner guy came out.
Okay, I was watching. They danced a little. The guy lay down on a bed of
nails. Then some thing happened. He swallowed fire. Then some thing else
happened... You see the parts I missed? Well, these was the moments when the
crowd ahead of me would stand up to cheer, making it impossible for me to
look across. Close to the end I stood up on my chair, shamelessly, for a few
brave moments. The
highlight of the show for me was the amazing act put on by the children who
must not be more than seven years old. A long rope was rolled down from the
top and a child grabbed it with his teeth. The children spinned around in the
air like perfect professionals and performed something that I can only
describe as an 'air ballet'. The
truth is, we left before the lion act. But, it was at the very end. And I
didn't want to stay that long. I had heard a lot about the act, though. I had
heard about the lion jump though the ring of fire. I did, however, catch a
glimpse of the lion before it was to leave its cage. It looked rather bored
and yawned frequently, wanting to go back to sleep. The
drive back home from Minar-e-Pakistan was a pretty long one. I closed my eyes
and slept till the surroundings began to look familiar. All in all, it was a
tiring day. Later, the whole experience led to a big round of conversation
about how we had felt like complete aliens at the circus, and what it meant
to be the middle class in a country populated by people who are in the lower
income bracket and ruled by people in the very high income bracket (who would
prefer the system to remain like this, of course). At least, there's some
truth in the saying, 'There is no place like circus!
In the
midst of Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan hills, district Jhelum, lies a small village
named Rawaal -- a backward area of Pakistan. Rawaal is located almost 35 km
away from Pind Dadan Khan city. Passing through Dharyala Jalap is the most
appropriate way to visit the area. One comes across a series of coal
mountains and swarms of woods. Unfortunately, the condition of the people of
this beautiful village is not as pleasing. Most of the population here
belongs to the shiite sect. The most
astonishing and interesting characteristic of this village is a long and deep
grave believed The
salient feature of this grave is its 78 ft. length. The grave has now been
transformed into a tomb covered by a green cloth and an epitaph erected with
'Hazrat Ham Ibn-e-Noah' engraved on it. This tomb is 42 inches high from the
surface of the earth covered with ancient and expensive marble. A huge tree
and a stream along the grave enhance the mysterious image of the place. There
are two epitaphs engraved on each side at the entrance of this tomb. The left
side includes the lineage of 536 year-old Haam. The right epitaph depicts the
historical perspective of this grave. According to this, one the grave was
first discovered in 1891 by Hafiz Sham-us-Din of Gulyana, Gujrat. He was a
renowned religious personality of the period. He claimed that Hazrat Haam
disclosed the 'information' about the grave in his dream. This gave him a
strong enough reason to come here and build a tomb. From then on, this place
has been renovated twice. Rawaal
is an interesting place for its cult practices and interesting rituals. Like
most of the local population from underdeveloped areas the people here are
very superstitious. They come to Rawaal from other areas to perform rituals
like hanging rags and black, green or blue pieces of cloths on the trees and
grave heads to attract the wandering spirits. They also arrange offerings
like placing of the meat and other eatables on the grave. 50 year
old Mohammad Shahbaz is responsible for cleanliness of the grave.
"People perform different rituals on the tomb. A huge amount of food is
often distributed among people. People come here with a lot of hope and offer
their prayers as well." Shahbaz himself has decided to devote his life
in the service of Hazrat Haam. According
to the local people, not a single calamity has befallen Rawaal since the
discovery of the grave. Shahbaz attributes this to Hazrat Haam. When he was
asked whether any calamity such as earthquakes, floods, epidemics and all had
ever occurred before the discovery of this grave in Pind Dadan Khan or its
surroundings, he had nothing to say. "Hazrat
Haam invites his followers to his grave in their dreams. So the believers
come here from different areas all over Pakistan and recite the Holy Quran
along with arranging milads and khatams. When they receive a signal from the
prophet, they go back to their home lands," states 75 years old Afzaal
Shah. 58 year
old Mumtaz Shah says one of his relatives from Sindh developed arthritis, he
tried all possible treatments but to no avail. But when he came here and
rubbed the dust of the grave on his body, the pain just went away. On being
asked where this lucky soul could be seen, it was told he lives in a remote
area of Sindh. I asked if I could meet the first person who rubbed the dust
on his body but no one knows of his whereabouts either. The truth, therefore,
remains hidden. Dr.
Sarfraz Naeemi, a religious scholar and principal of Jamia Naeemia Lahore,
says "There are two versions of this story. One is that people of Hazrat
Noah's time were huge which might be a reason behind this grave. Secondly, to
dig long graves as opposed to the ordinary was normal during those
times." Answering a question, he said that there was a possibility that
Hazrat Haam might have come in Hindustan since Hazrat Adam and Eve believed
to have first lived in Sri Lanka. "Though this is a Hindu version of the
story about Adam and Eve and Quran does not support it. Neither do the
sources of anthropology seem to agree with the claim that Adam and Eve ever
lived in Sri Lanka." Mohammed
Sami Mufti, another religious scholar, holds a different view. He asserts
that historically, the generation of Hazrat Haam belongs to Africa and no
evidence supports his entrance in this area making the history of this grave
mere rumour. Salman
Rashid, famous travel writer, looks on the issue with a different angle.
According to him, "this grave was, in fact, a Buddhist temple before
1947. After partition the temple was destroyed by some people to satisfy
their vested interests. It is also believed that these people blackmailed the
beliefs of simple Muslims through Hazrat Haam and his so-called grave just in
order to satisfy their lust for money. Moreover, it is almost impossible to
prove historically that Hazrat Noah or any of his sons ever came to this
area." Shahbaz Khan, director Archeology Department Punjab, also refused
to believe the myth since it has no authenticity. |
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inquiries, called 17, got their main office
number and a week after Eid, on a fateful Sunday, we were ready to go.
I
couldn't resist asking him about the people who had jumped. Had he seen any
of them? The guard, with his white hair and beard and a sour expression, gave
me a look as if our curiosity was unjustified. "Did any woman ever
jump?" I asked. According to him, all kinds of people did. Men, women,
teenagers. 
to be that of Hazrat Haam, son of Hazrat Noah -- the second
prophet according to Islam from eleventh generation of Adam. Hazrat Haam was
one of the three sons who accompanied him in the Ark.