Indus Watch
Conserving water to improve lives
Nagarparker and the surrounding areas are arid zones, where scarce rainwater limits options for farmers. Sumaira Jajja reports on how the TRDP's Micro Drip project is beginning to change this
Kesri from Nagarparkar could never have imagined that she would one day own a farm, or earn money to support her children.

Prisoner from the granite hills
Veerji Kohli summarises the battles and events which led to the martyrdom of Rooplo Kohli on August 22, 1858
Rooplo Kohli died in 1858, fighting against British imperialism. His name, however, is virtually unknown to many outside Sindh. Some Sindhi writers have published a few books on his life. Ali Baba wrote a story in a book titled "Karunjher-Jo-Qaedi" (the prisoner of Karunjher). After that, Abdul Wahid Aaresar, Rasool Bux Palejo and others referred to Rooplo Kohli in their books, and a faction of the JEay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz started commemorating his birth anniversary every year on August 22. Sadly, however, no step has been taken by the government.

More than just a war?
Zulfiqar Shah writes about the repercussions of the battle of Miayani
The conquest of Sindh by the British in 1843 after the days-long battle of the Miayani forests near Hyderabad initiated two simultaneous processes in Sindh. On the one hand, a process of social transformation was begun, creating and catering to a new class of landlords; increased urbanisation nurtured a new-born bourgeoisie and petty-bourgeoisie class.

The first impression for newcomers after entering Rashidabad is that it is a dream come true. Spread over a 100-acres, the Rashid Memorial Welfare Organisation (RMWO)'s purpose built campus – called Rashidabad, is a scene out of any textbook - lush green surroundings and impressive structures in place, all for the cause of education.

Rashidabad has been established in memory of Flight Lieutenant Rashid A. Khan, a cadet of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) College Sargodha, who laid down his life so that others could be saved. Rashid A Khan was on a routine exercise flight when his plane caught fire due to a technical fault. The Flight Lieutenant contacted his seniors, who advised him to eject immediately from the plane and save his life. However, the plane was flying over a congested Karachi area, and Lieutenant Khan did not eject fearing that this may cause an unimaginable loss of human lives and property if the plane crashed in this locality. Instead, the brave Rashid Khan decided to fly out of the congested area successfully before evacuating the plane. However, as luck would have it, he could not save his own life. He died in the crash.

His parents decided to pay tribute to their son in a manner that others did not contemplate. They went ahead and established an educational complex where today hundreds of children, who would otherwise have not access to formal education, are enjoying state of the art facilities. The idea to set up this project came to the mind of Khan's father Air Commodore Shabbir A. Khan who wanted to dedicate it to the memory of his only loving son. Commodore Shabbir had retired from the Pakistan Air Force in 1997. After receiving the sad news of his son's martyrdom the first thing he did was to purchase a piece of land on the Hyderabad – Mirpurkhas Highway and soon after began working on the project.

A spokesman of the RMWO, Mohammed Javed, told Kolachi that during his training period at Sargoadha PAF Base, Commodore Shabbir A. Khan-- originally hailing from the same neighbourhood of the newly established Rashidabad-- discussed with his colleagues the idea of establishing an exemplary education city in a rural area. Here they would set up education and health facilities for the poor and marginalised sections of society. They started work on planning the project soon after but it was only after the death of his only son--Rashid A Khan--that the Commodore gave a practical shape to the plan.

Today Rashidabad is a unique place in the country.

In its vicinity, the RMWO administers meaningful welfare projects on health and education for the less privileged. The projects established near the Karachi- Munabao railway are funded by charitable institutions and philanthropists of the country. In its premises, the organisation has established a co-ed English medium school called the Yakub Khuwaja (YK) Academy. This has classes from Nursery to Class X, and is affiliated with the Hyderabad Board of Education. The school has students coming from neighbouring areas out of which 30 per cent are studying free of cost on the basis of private Zakat donations. Near the YK Academy is an Urdu medium school set up by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) which is also affiliated with the Hyderabad Board of Education. A boarding school: the Sargodhian Spirit Trust Public School also lies within the administration of the RMWO housing 380 students from all over the country. The school was founded by the PAF Sargodha Old Boys and is affiliated with the Cambridge University Board and has strict administrative policies.

Students living in Rashidabad are expected to stay in the school's hostel. Presently, the school has four hostels named after the great poets: Bhitai, Sachal, Rohal and Shahbaz. The RMWO also runs twenty non-formal schools within a 20 kilometre radius around Rashidabad, providing education to boys and girls for whom government-run schools are not accessible. Besides the school, the RMWO also houses an orphanage, the Amzi Home. This is currently being run under the administration of the Mustafa Benevolent Trust, Karachi. At present there are 150 children out of which 100 are those that have neither parent. The Trust takes care of their schooling, food, boarding and health.

Another impressive project in the RMWO is The Layton Rehmatullah Benevolent Trust (LRBT) Eye Hospital. This hospital provides treatment to all patients free of charge. A large number of patients come in everyday and the OPD is said to receive over 400 eye patients daily. The hospital arranges about 30 to 40 major operations each day. The LRBT takes care of the general needs of both patients and their attendants, providing food at extremely nominal rates. The Chief Executive of the RMWO Iqbal Samad told Kolachi that they were also approaching the Fatimid Blood Bank and Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) to set up their centres on the premises and provide facilities to deserving people.

The RMWO projects employ about 2,000 employees and a residential area is also available for faculty and medical staff. One of the most appreciable things is that although there are many institutes running in the same premises under different administrations, nobody is seen smoking in public places, spiting paan or throwing waste recklessly in the vicinity. Children are provided with playgrounds, an artificial lake with boating and swimming facilities, squash complex, basket ball and volley ball courts, horse riding facilities as well as various other recreational activities. It is like a dream come true for them.

However, all has not been well for the RMWO. In the past couple of years, it suffered major losses of up to Rs20 million on December 27, 2007, after the death of PPP's chairperson Benazir Bhutto. Enraged mobs destroyed property and burnt ambulances near its entrance. These ambulances were in use to run mobile-clinics in nearby villages to provide health facilities to people in need.

Sharing a story, Samad said that one day Shabbir A Khan came to see him in Lahore after his retirement, and shared plans for this project. At that time, Samad out rightly rejected the idea and advised Shabbir Khan to refrain from "doing such things." But then Commander Shabbir took it as a mission and succeeded starting the school and its allied services. Samad said after the initial years he realised how important the project was and he joined hands to serve the poor and deserving rural people.

Samad is working voluntarily. His wife, who is an experienced teacher, is now the Principal of YK Academy and they live in the RMWO's residential area. He says in the evenings both him and his wife go to the orphanage and spend time with children and senior citizens. He said they wish to focus on the children's moral education. That is why in the entire vicinity nobody can dare to pollute. It is a fulfilling life for most people here. Both the teachers and the students get a sense of satisfaction in what they do and the quality of life is far more superior to what is experienced in the cities of Pakistan.

The last time Sepoy Abdul Ghaffar Baloch met his aged parents and his young wife, he gave them word that he and his regiment would soon be flying to Karachi through a special chartered army plane from Swat, the war-torn valley where he was posted. He kept his promise as in less than two months, his coffin wrapped in colours of green and white made its way to his home on the same plane that he had talked about.

Baloch, a valiant soldier, sacrificed his life for his country during the Rah-e-Rast Operation in Swat on May 25, 2009. Two days later, he was laid to rest in the Chowkandi graveyard, amidst rosy floral wreaths, colleagues who grandly saluted him and family members who were not yet ready to accept his departure.

At 26, Baloch embraced Shahadat (martyrdom) and was able to fulfill his greatest dream of giving his life for his country. His nephew and close friend, Muhammad Feroz spoke to Kolachi about this brave soldier. "Since childhood, Baloch had dreamt of being in the armed forces. He regularly visited one of our relatives who was in the army, and keenly observed the life of soldiers living in the mess. He loved dressing up like military men and carrying himself like a soldier." Apart from the army, Baloch's other love was education, but poverty became an unavoidable obstacle and he had to discontinue his studies. However, his passion for the forces was so strong that he passed the entrance test, beating three friends to get into the final selection in army. Baloch's devotion and commitment to his line of work can be judged from the fact that he was always ready to offer his life for the country. Being posted in Kashmir, and then later on in Swat, dauntless Baloch was quite happy to be fighting against the Taliban. "He felt that he would now be doing something fruitful for the country by fighting against the foes of the country. While he was there, we knew that he wasn't getting enough time to feed himself or even sleep, but nonetheless, he never complained during his six month tenure there," Feroz told Kolachi.

A strong willed Baloch served the army for five years and four months, joining it when he was 19. According to Feroz, Baloch's Shahadat took place while he was protecting an army regiment in Swat, when the militants suddenly fired at them, attacking them from all sides. Baloch died on the spot. The third sibling among four brothers and two sisters, Baloch was the only brother who was in the army. Married four years ago, he wasn't only an admired family man, his good nature and humility was also appreciated in the army. Baloch also wanted Feroz to join the army. "He told me to join the forces after completing my studies. I will fulfill all his dreams and make him proud," concluded a strong-willed Feroz, another Baloch in the making.

Twenty four-year-old Talha Ahmed always dreamt of fighting for his country on the frontline. Like any average young man he imagined himself charging against the enemy, shouting, dodging bullets and hoisting Pakistan's triumphant flag high in victory.

Talha, however never pursued his dream. Instead of applying for recruitment for the armed forces he chose to do MBA. He is now content with working in a multinational company. "Joining the army was my first priority," he told Kolachi, "I did not apply because everyone discouraged me that there was no chance for a boy from Karachi to get in there."

This perception that Talha pointed out is generally prevalent among the majority of people of country's largest city. Most of the people feel that the armed forces hold a special quota for one province, which has led the people to believe that men from other provinces are neglected when it comes to joining the uniformed cadres. They believe that even if someone gets in, their chances of getting higher ranks are minimal. Unfortunately this belief is hardly limited to Karachi.

Saeed, a pass-out of the Larkana Cadet College, hails from interior Sindh. He also became a victim of this belief that the army was not meant for him. "I was selected in the army but did not join," he recalled of the recruitment exercise of 2007. "Everyone said that my career as a solider was doomed. They said I would not be promoted above the rank of a Major even if I tried my best."

The tremendous sense of alienation fueled by years of neglect by successive governments has made people from Sindh and Balochistan all the more apprehensive about joining the armed forces. The question here is whether the Sindh quota in the army is less because the cadet colleges here do not train the students well enough or the boys from Sindh and particularly Karachi are not physically fit.

On the contrary the sources from the army negate these thoughts. "The selection is primarily on the basis of our criteria and not on ethnicity," a high official at the ISPR Karachi told Kolachi. "We believe that we can't afford to compromise on standards. We have to be very uncompromising in selection," he added.

Meanwhile people from the Punjab have a more interesting opinion about this. "We grow up under the shadow of the army life and activities and thus are attracted to it. There is no special activity of army in Karachi, so the people there seem to lack the aptitude and interest for the profession," claimed an army officer from Rawalpindi.

Regarding the general perception that Karachiites do not make it to the top level in the armed forces, the army authorities reveal that even currently there is a lot of serving generals who belong to Karachi. Ex-Vice Chief of Army Staff, General (retd) Ahsan Saleem Hayat, the current DG, ISPR, Athar Abbas and former Chief of Army General (retd) Pervaiz Musharraf are some of them who have made it to the highest commanding brass in the army, reasoned the ISPR offical. On the other hand an army officer justifying Punjab's domination in the army said that it is dated back to the 19th century. It was in the mutiny of 1857 that the Punjabis earned the reputation of being extremely loyal and thus they started to be preferred over other ethnicities.

Where alienation of people from Karachi is concerned, the army still claims to have a huge turnover at the selection centres. "There are still queues outside the army recruitment centres at the time of selection and the numbers of applicants are increasing day by day," said another official at the ISPR.

Indus Watch

Nagarparker and the surrounding areas are arid zones, where scarce rainwater limits options for farmers. Sumaira Jajja reports on how the TRDP's Micro Drip project is beginning to change this

Kesri from Nagarparkar could never have imagined that she would one day own a farm, or earn money to support her children.

For years, Kesri, her husband, Bhuro, and their 10 children, worked as tillers on the farm of a landowner in Thatta. 'It was hard work and little pay. Although we were lucky that the landlord did not abuse or harass us, we were paid Rs2,000 per month. Sustenance was becoming increasingly hard for us,' she told Indus Watch.

Now in her mid 40s, life took a turn for the better for Kesri when she agreed to pool her savings and became a farmer in the Thar Deep Rural Support Programmeís (TRDP) Micro Drip project.

Micro-financing micro drips

Kesri and Bhuro think that this is something that they have looked forward to all their lives. ìWe wanted to have our own farm. We had land, but our area was dependent solely on rainwater. We did not have the money to buy fuel-powered pumps to get underground water,î Bhuro said.

The couple put in an initial investment of Rs80,000, while the remaining Rs600,000 was provided by TRDP and the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) under a public-private partnership deal, allowing solar panels and a solar lift irrigation pump to be installed. Now, reaping the rewards on their eight-acre farm, Kesri and Bhuro have planted sunflowers and have earned around Rs30,000 in eight months.

The Micro Drip initiative came to Pakistan with the Acumen Fund partnering with TRDP. As a result, low-cost but highly effective technology was transferred from GEWP, an Acumen Fund India investee. The drips are procured from India and are being marketed to farmers in 3,000 villages that come under the TRDP network. The rubber tubes with tiny holes deliver water directly to the roots of plants, and allow farmers to plant more than one crop a year.

Some help from the sun

In Malo Bheel, a small town located 55 kilometres from Mithi, a solar water pump has enabled 600 homes to avail clean drinking water and start kitchen gardening. 'I easily earn Rs300 per day by selling spinach, tomatoes, onions as well as other vegetables that I have grown in the patch of land close to my house,' says Sweta, a resident of Malo Bheel.

She has three children, and says that she feels more independent now that she has more money. 'Also, due to this pump, we are saved from the long walks -- around five to six kilometres -- just to get a few litres of water,' she said.

Why is water so scarce here?

Tharparkar and Nagarparker are arid zones and with rainwater playing a major part in all farming and livestock activities, thus limiting options for farmers in these regions.

TRDP CEO Dr Sono Khangrani told Indus Watch that the conservation of water was an important issue and the communities need to make the most of what they have. ìWe have been trying to conserve water. The Micro Drip project was part of this initiative. This system uses rubber tubes which reduces the amount of irrigation water needed to cultivate land, thus allowing increased yield for the farmers,î he said.

Cost-benefit ratio

Dr Khangrani conceded, however, that the initial costs of the project are very high. 'What we are hoping for is a change of mindset. We want farmers to contribute to the cost, even if what they chip in is just a fraction of the actual amount required, because we want them to have a sense of ownership,' he said.

'Due to the scarcity of water, indigenous communities, especially Kohlis, migrate every year to other parts of Sindh to work as farmhands but ended up getting exploited. Those who wanted to carry on farming in this area had to depend on rain or underground water. With Micro Drip, however, they can farm throughout the year. The sun is there most of the time, and once the solar panels are installed along with the Micro Drip system, they have unlimited access to water, without harming the environment or spending extra cash on fuel,' he said.

Rooplo Kohli died in 1858, fighting against British imperialism. His name, however, is virtually unknown to many outside Sindh. Some Sindhi writers have published a few books on his life. Ali Baba wrote a story in a book titled "Karunjher-Jo-Qaedi" (the prisoner of Karunjher). After that, Abdul Wahid Aaresar, Rasool Bux Palejo and others referred to Rooplo Kohli in their books, and a faction of the JEay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz started commemorating his birth anniversary every year on August 22. Sadly, however, no step has been taken by the government.

The battle of the Mirs

The Mir rulers were attacked and defeated in 1843 b the British, under the leadership of Charles Napier, after which the flag of independent Sindh was removed from Pakka Qilla, Hyderabad, and the British flag was installed there. The brutal battle which led to this defeat was fought at Miani near Hyderabad and Mir commander, Hosh Muhammad Sheedi, sacrificed his life.

After this, even though the British government announced its rule all over Sindh, they faced severe resistance from the Kohli and Sodho tribes in a portion of the Tharparkar desert. In order to curb this rebellion, Lord Dlhowsey was nominated as the governor of Sindh in 1848 by the East India Company. He imposed Lagan (Tax) and started new railway tracts.

The resistance intensifies

Parkar, where small states were ruled by Maharajas and Ranas, was the center of this mini-resistance movement. The boundaries of this region touched Kutch and Bhaujh. Three strong tribal leaders met at the Ranpur Teelat event (tilk was the traditional Hindu ceremony of the Maharajas) and decided to fight a joint battle against the British.

Thakur Ladho Singh of Veera Wah, Sodho Kalji of Pithapur, and Amar Ruplo Kohli of Nagarparkar established their field at the Karunjher Mountains. More than 8,000 Kohlis joined this force, under the leadership of Rooplo Kohli, Dajo Kohli, Mado Kohli and Chatro Kohli.

The rebel forces started attacking British-controlled police stations, revenue offices, and telegraph offices and brought them under their control. In retaliation, the British army, under the leadership of Colonel Tyrwhitt, attacked the Parkari force on the night of April 15, 1859, but were badly defeated. Several British soldiers were killed, and Colonel Tyrwhitt escaped from the battlefield and hid in the house of Ladho Meghwar which was near Pran Wah.

The next day, he escaped on a camel and came to Hyderabad, where he met Col. Avenes and prepared a strong force.

This force passed through Mirpurkhas, Mithi and Islamkot, and reached Veera Wah, a few kilometers away from Nagarparkar.

Local treachery

The Thakurs of Bhodesar turned in favour of the British force and surrounded Nagarparkar, and Sodo Kalji, who was leading the Kohli troops, was killed.

Interestingly, the Kohli troops who were fighting the imperial might of the British army, were only armed with traditional weapons such as arrows, Bhalas and Kaatars (a wooden curved weapon thrown at the enemy).

Temporary victory

Lado Singh was arrested and imprisoned, while Rano Karan Singh and Rooplo Kohli escaped to the Karunjher Mountain.

Colonel Tyrwhitt destroyed Chandan Gadh with tanks and deputed some locals to search for Rooplo Kohli. A local Pandit told the British forces about the Pag Waoo Well, where Rooplo Kohli and his men used to go to fetch drinking water. As a result, Rooplo Kohli was finally arrested, and brought before Colonel Tyrwhitt, who offered him unlimited wealth and land from Karunjher to Nav Kot if he became a vassal.

Rooplo Kohli refused, however, and was severely tortured. Meanwhile, his wife, Menawati, was allowed to meet him in prison, where she reportedly told him to not surrender before the British forces "even if they killed [him]."

"I am not worried because even if you die, several Rooplos will be born to save their motherland," she said.

The hanging

When torture did not work either, Colonel Tyrwhitt consulted with the Thakurs of Bhodaser -- Mavajee Lohano, Hanspuri Bavo and Ladho Meghwar. It was decided that Rooplo Kohli should be killed.

He was hanged on August 22, 1859, from a tree on the bank of the Gordharo Stream, on the eastern side of Nagarparkar and the Karunjher Mountains.

What now?

Ironically, the descendents of Amar Ruplo Kohli lead the lives of slavery today. Some Kohlis have migrated to barrage areas, where they work as bonded labour on the lands of local landlords. Some have been freed under the Abolition of Bonded Labour Act of 1992, but most continue to live in misery. The government needs to intervene and take steps to rescue the descendants of one of the most steadfast fighters of the battle for Independence.

-- The writer is the Hyderabad coordinator for an Islamabad - based NGO.

The conquest of Sindh by the British in 1843 after the days-long battle of the Miayani forests near Hyderabad initiated two simultaneous processes in Sindh. On the one hand, a process of social transformation was begun, creating and catering to a new class of landlords; increased urbanisation nurtured a new-born bourgeoisie and petty-bourgeoisie class.

On the other hand, patriot Sindhis fought at least three major liberation wars which went on for a hundred years from 1843 to 1943. The first major battle was fought on April 15, 1859, in Nagarparkar. The war went on for six months and was finally routed by the military power of the British. It was fought by three local commanders, out of which two were martyred and became national heroes of Sindh. The three commanders were rebelling under Rana Karan Singh, a Thakur of Nagarparkar.

This war can be analyzed in two phases. In the first phase, British troops were defeated and the rebels finally forced Colonel Tyrwhitt, the commander of the British troops, to leave the area. He escaped to Hyderabad to reconsider his war strategy. In the second phase, Tyrwhitt re-entered Nagarparkar with a larger army and negotiated local Thakurs, offering them land and privileges in return for withdrawing support for Karan Singh and his local commanders.

This time, the British troops, comprising larger and technically well-equipped troops, overpowered the army of Karan Singh. All his commanders, except Rooplo Kohli, were killed instantly. Finally, Rooplo Kohli himself was captured.

He was offered land and privileges in return for a public or private apology to the British government, which he denied, and was finally hanged publicly under a Babool tree near Nagarparkar town.

After his death, Rooplo Kohli's mother Kesrbai and the rest of his family migrated to Kunri, which is part of district Mirpurkhas today.

His descendents live and work on the Talpur's lands near Kunri. Rooplo Kohli belong to the historic Kohli tribe of Sindh, who descended from the hunting and gathering population which subsisted on Thar's abundant fauna, fruit and wild products, such as honey.

Today, they are now the poorest of the poor, and absolutely uneducated. Many live as slaves, bonded to landowners via debt, thus reducing these descendants of warriors to the lowest possible rung of the social ladder, despite the fact that they come from an indigenous Dravidian tribe of ancient South Asia, and have been living in Sindh and defending it for thousands of years.

-- The writer is a socio-political activist from Sindh.