PRISTINE PUNJAB

PRISTINE PUNJAB

Written By Husain Qazi, Published in The News Sunday 25^th Oct 2009

Pakistan has an amazing diversity with regards to tourism and natural beauty. Our lofty mountains, beautiful deserts, picturesque wetlands and the fertile plains form an amazing geographical variety for the tourist however many of our locations are hidden from public awareness and yet to be explored.

We have an abundance of water resources scattered all over the country, our canal irrigation network of three major reservoirs and the many barrages and canals, ranks among the world’s largest irrigation networks. Our wetlands are scattered all over the country and besides the economic advantages, they have a rich potential of developing into the sites for tourism and recreation. The meandering rivers, quiet canals, vast expanses of headworks-barrages and of course the British era canal colonies with their serene and tranquil setting provide us an excellent infrastructure for developing these sites into tourist and recreation resorts.

‘All work and no play make Jack a dull boy’. Believing in this adage, our school at Lahore used to organize outings and had explored many fine places in the vicinity that could be covered in a day trip. It was this feeling of nostalgia that prompted me to revisit Rasul Headwork’s after three decades.

Visiting wetlands provides an altogether different charm than the mountains. A two hours journey from Rawalpindi or Lahore on the Grand Trunk road takes us to Serai Alamgir (near Jehlum) where the Upper Jehlum Canal brimming with sweet Himalayan water passes underneath the GT road. The charm starts right from the turn as the road running along the canal bank is replete with beautiful water scenes. The gentle breeze, the lush green setting and the quiet road makes it a truly romantic journey that provides a perfect transformation from the din and smoke of the GT road and prepares the visitor for the ecstatic beauty that lies ahead.

After 28 km the sign board of Rasul Hydel Power Station is an indication that the headworks -constructed in the pre partition days, lies close by. A picturesque panorama unfolds as we progress towards the Headwork’s lush green irrigated lands. Inside Rasul, time moves backwards. The luxurious vegetation, the calm, the spacious brick buildings and the British era canal colony take the visitor some hundred years back in the bygone era.

A long katcha driveway under the roof of thick foliage and a stream running along, takes us towards the main rest house where a Raj era building with beautifully sprawling lawns stands romantically in the middle of the vastness. The emblem on the entrance reveals that it has seen 110 years. By now the noise and rush of the mad city has been left far behind and the transformation into the calm and beauty of the rural Punjab starts.

A sip of refreshing tea will prepare the visitor for a walking tour of the area. The most inspiring feature at Rasul is the vastness, the river spreads out in the shape of an enormous lake with thick vegetation all around. A five km long katcha road runs along the barrage and strolling over it provides some amazing water scenes. The canal merging and sprouting from the river, the beautiful river bed, marshy poodles, fisher folk villages and the variety of birds and ducks all around create a lovely scene. Indeed water is life, the earliest human settlements and civilizations developed along the river beds and Rasul is a microcosm of that… A place where nature and human settlements coexist in perfect harmony.

For the one who desires to prolong his stay and be more intimate with the river, there is another rest house right on the watercourse. The setting of ‘Pathar Kothi’ (the Stone Mansion, due to the grand stone structure of the building) is ideal to reenact ‘Wuthering Heights’. It’s a place which gives you the opportunity to completely immerse in nature.

For the adventurous explorer there is lot more to see all around. The ‘Bund Patri’ going along the river leads to the road where the new barrage and the canal colony are located. A network of canals originates from this point that irrigates a vast area all around. A siphon is located close by where the canal passes underneath the river. For the techies, the Rasul Hydro Electric Power Plant and the Rasul College of Technology (constructed pre partition) demonstrate a practical example of harnessing the power of nature for the benefit of humankind. For the lovers of History, a flashback will march them back into the battle between Alexander and Porus. The all-rounder Al Beruni chose this place to calculate the circumference of earth.

To pursue the spirit of exploration I decided not to turn back. After all I had to register some more locations for my future trips. Right after the new bridge comes ‘Misri Mor’ from where the cross-roads lead to different destinations “Go straight along the river and meet the Motorway” advised an old Baba to me. Accordingly I diverted myself on the route along the meandering river with the mountains of Salt Range on the other side. Driving on this beautiful route provides an immense charm as each bent opens up a vista of beautiful river scenes. Driving itself is a relaxing activity on this road due to its gentle slopes, tender turns and less traffic. It was sunset by now, passing through Jalalpur Sharif a mosque on the river bed attracted me inside. The gentle river breeze echoing with the hills provided an ideal setting to pray for the Lord, ‘Who is Beautiful and Loves beauty’.

It was dusky by now, driving on the quiet road provided a pleasure in recalling the beautiful day. While passing through Pind Dadan Khan and the vicinity of Khewra salt mines, I entered motorway via Lilla. With a storehouse of sweet memories I drove back to Lahore with the curiosity and eagerness for exploring some other part of the pristine Punjab at the earliest.

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Email: Husqazi@gmail.com. Tel 0321-5076939