Light Within

One of the earlier recorded travelers was Herodotus, the Greek historian who voyaged to Egypt 2400 years ago to stand in awe before the pyramids. Visiting places and raising awareness has always been one of the valid causes around the world. Awareness can make the difference. Trust for History Arts and Architecture, Pakistan (THAAP) is doing a great deal to create this awareness about small towns in Pakistan. Third International THAAP Conference being held in November 2012 and their Evening Series on ‘Life in Small Towns’ are efforts to creating awareness about life in small towns and how they care changing. Second evening last month covered two important towns of Gujrat and Wasirabad.

 

Today (Monday, June 18, 2012), the third evening of the series is being held on “Jalalpur Pirwala and Uch Sgarif ” Prof. Dr. Syed Khawaja Alqama, the Vice Chancellor, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, will presided the evening. Among a lot of talk from insiders I am expecting, Dr. Nasrullah Khan Nasir will give presentation on Uch Sharif - the Land of Sufi Saints and Dr. Alamdar Bokhari will present Cultural Life in Jalalpur Pirwala.

As a traveler, I have been all over the country paying tribute to life in small towns starting from Gawadar to Drosh (district Chitral). I also touched Thatta, Ptttan Munara, Uch Sharif, Sialkot, Nandna (in Salt Range) and Mansehra along the journey that continues till today.

The life in small town is changing fast. The cultures that are expressed in beautiful mosques, gardens tombs, forts, temples, monasteries, palaces, havelis, and other Islamic, pre Islamic, Hindu Sikh and British architectures are falling apart. All these are the magnificent vistas of our land. All this has to be opened to the rest of the world before it totally disappears. THAAP is doing just that.