Chicago September 8th 2008

arrived in chicago to winds and rain; yet it was not miserably cold just wet and crisp.

Thatta: Sind Pakistan "Villages, Mosques and a Necropolis"

November 2005

As the days get cooler in the north, Karachi is hot hot dry hot by day, and by night it's pleasant. This past sunday actualized a desire to go into the interiors of sindh...well 3 hours (from karachi) interior...but nevertheless:-) A small group of us awoke bright and early and headed off with Meeroo, my landladys chauffer/driver who is from Thatta and offered to show us around his home, land, village called Ghulam Laal (Red Servant) Funny name for a village! He is one of the few farmers whose family owns their own land, and are completely self sustainable. Bearing two wives, many children and living in a joint family system, each woman had a baby tucked under her arm instead of a handbag. Kohi, one of the journeyers, took all the photographs; and thank goodness as my camera refused to cooperate!

So we drove out of the city and as we left it behind, all that was to be seen was vast expanses of barren land, and then scattered along the way huge factories: steel mills, machinery factories both local and Chinese. One of them was so high tech looking with its copper pipes, and glassy looking elevators, it looked to be willi wonkas choco factory, only it was polluting the fresh morning air-deadly factory, no chocolate wonderland!

On and on we went, more monstrosities and then finally fields of green, deserted barren strips with only thorny green "keekar" muskeet like plants growing wild, some big trees and others low to the ground (this is the sacred wood I so burn in in the wood kiln in Karachi. A hard wood it creates wonderful mustard hues when its ashes melt onto my works, however, I always feel a sliht pang of guilt burning it as it takes forever for Keekar/Acacia to grow) and then more fields laden with fresh green chilli peppers. We passed a few small tea shops, veggie and fruit vendors, pottery sellers, and food makers, and of course lots and lots of paan wallas. Drove by the Makli Tombs, the largest Necropolis in the world, to return and explore it on our way back. Basically a humongous
graveyard covered in tombs and stone graves.
The grave designs are dependent on stature, class, and economy. The kings and leaders and elite of the time have practically a house sized tomb all to themselves, whereas some don’t even have a wretched stone to demarcate their existence.

Still early morning, we were heading at this point towards a breakfast stall to eat omlettes and parathas (fried flat bread) , drink tea and then move along to the Shah Jehan Mosque, which could be seen gleaming in the sunshine. It was built around the 17th century?! and is worked in pink brick and turquoise blue tiles. November 2005Arches and hallways, domes and more domes (they say a hundred; did not actually count as there were too many) create a peaceful, calm, labyrinth to meander through. Stayed there quite a while and explored every nook and cranny. Sat quietly, breathing in the calm and absorbing the serenity
The sky is so much bluer when the city is left in behind in the dust (literally)
Thatta, I discovered through this experience is a sunny happy town. The people are colourful, warm, and beautiful, and the energy was one of a town that is not drenched in crime and misery. Meeroo and his cousin Ali (who live and work in the city) speak of their mayor type town leader (but not a mayor as such) being extremely good to the people and they say unlike other places the bandits and dacoits don't emerge from their homelands. They claim that they come from deeper parts of the interiors. Even though its only 3 hrs form the city it's a whole different world.

Home to the pink and blue hundred dome mosque, an ancient Hindu Temple, and Makli Tombs, Thatta is a winter adventure!