The Amazing Chitral (Part 2): “Kalash” The Time Machine to the Past

 

Kalash

Tourism is thriving and one can find small hotels with reasonable facilities in Kalash. It was internationally famous place as Greeks claim Kalash people, decedents of Alexander the great and the unique culture of this small community has also attracted foreign visitors for years but now with the exposure of this place on social media it has been highlighted to those who live in Pakistan. So more and more domestic tourist are visiting Kalash now which is creating big problem as the facilities at Kalash to accommodate visitors are limited so people some times don’t get rooms to stay. The hotel owner where we stayed for the lunch mentioned us that this year lots of people showed up without knowing whether there was accommodation available or not so many people had to stay in camps or in small shelters. He insisted that there should be a controlled tourism in Kalash as they can handle the growing tourist flux.

The hotel where we had our lunch

 

Actually the niece of Mr Zohran Shah who came with us was working with this hotel management which I didn’t know before this conversation. They were a small group of young people working to promote tourism in Chitral. While we were sitting on that wooden deck in the above picture waiting for lunch a woman with few months old baby suddenly appeared from the camp beside the wooden deck. She began to ask us about our journey. She was from Lahore and came with her parents without her husband and got really afraid on the way to Kalash.

Yes! The way to Kalash is a dangerous one and those who don’t travel to remote northern areas in Pakistan can have no idea how dangerous hectic that can be and specially if one is travelling with few months old baby this journey is not safe. So I asked form that woman, did you have any idea where you were going?

“Yes, we were coming to Kalash but I didn’t know that the journey would be so hectic and dangerous, It rained throughout the way, we were very much terrified and when we reached to Kalash it’s just a small village and nothing else”, she replied.

I had a small conversation with that great lady who came to that remote area of Pakistan with few months old baby. “

“Does, your husband know where have you come with your baby?” I asked.

“No! No! He doesn’t even have a clue, if he would know this, he would be very angry with me”, she said with fear in her voice.

I felt a little bit naughty and said, “Do, you even have an idea that the rain will not stop for next 3 days and you can be stuck here with this small baby”. I know she was already afraid and I was making her more afraid but I could not resist .

Mr. Zohran and his family smiled as they knew what I was trying to do. They added few more terrible things in the story I made to make this trap work.

“I know you are making stories to make me afraid”, She replied with fear on her face.

We all knew that she got afraid but then we all laughed together and said, “Yes, you are right, you will be perfectly alright, just don’t worry, we were just kidding”.

She came to Kalash just because pictures and posts uploaded on social media not knowing that those pictures were taken by frequent travelers and professional photographers. Common people in Pakistan when think about northern areas they imagine a place with lush green valleys with snow coverd mountain peaks and fresh water streams but Kalash is different. Yes! It is surrounded with mountains and a stream is also flowing beside the village but the scenery is not out the world it’s a common village in mountains. It’s not the scenic beauty for which one should visit Kalash it’s the culture, it’s the people, and it’s the heritage of Kalash which is unique and worth it to be seen.

Bumburet Village

The Kalasha people have settled down in three main locations the largest one is called Bumburet and others is called Rumbur and Birir. It was the Bumburet where we visited and it is the famous one too. I was really excited to see the festival but the hotel manager told us that the first day rituals had already been completed. Each day has the name and the first day is called “Flowers day”. All the people from the village go to the woods and pluck flowers of white color and fix them in their hair and they do it early in the morning. I was very disappointed that I could not witness the festivity. The local manager said that though we missed it but we could visit the village and talk to the people about it.

Some random views of ancient Bumburet village life

There are some places where you go and feel that time has stopped. You can feel that you have gone centuries back and can see through time. Kalash is one of those places. Though modern world has affected the place a bit, one can see bulb with solar panels lighting the streets but culture and heritage is same for centuries.

I was standing there and standing still, the feeling was so strange as if I had gone to ancient times of Alexander the great. The small houses and streets of that village were talking to me and telling me thousand of stories. There were people, real people from that ancient culture living their traditional life in this modern era. I stood there in the middle of the village where they have an open space for their festivity. That was the place where young girls and boys dance on third day of “Chilam Josh” festivel and choose their life partners. Though there was no one dancing but I could hear the laughter and songs of those who have danced there for centuries.

 

Then I realized I could capture those moments in camera and can cherish those moments later on by looking at pictures. I started taking pictures, old women were working at their homes, children were playing around, girls were sitting in garden, I captured everything around me not realizing that I was an intruder in that environment and was disturbing those people in their daily routine work. Then I thought how would I feel if some stranger come to my house and starts capturing my home daily routine affairs. Though Kalasha people are used to tourist but still one should think that our presence and our observation can make them feel uncomfortable.

 

Therefore I requested Mr. Zohran Shah to talk to them in local language and seek permission for me to photograph them. Thanks to his communication with locals I was able to capture some moments with beautiful people of that special place.

 

Then we went inside a local house and I talked to local Kalasha people. Local language of Chitral is Khuwar but Kalasha people speak Kalashi language but can also understand khuwar so Mr. Zohran was communicating with local kalasha people in Khuwar. I asked the honor of the house if he could speak Urdu. To my surprise he said yes. I asked,” what is your name?”

“Gulam Hussain”, He replied.

“Oh, this is a Muslim name, are you Muslim and how can you speak Urdu?” I asked.

“I work in Karachi and I use this name there and I have learnt Urdu form there”, He replied.

We stayed there for a while had a brief chitchat and then we went back to our hotel. While we were going to our hotel I saw two young Kalsha girls standing in a garden. I took their picture from far away earlier but now I wanted to take their picture with their consent so I asked Mr. Zohran again to communicate my request to them. He asked them in Khuwar but they refused. Mr. Zohran told me they might ask for money for that so I said ask them how much they require for one picture. He again communicated my query to them and they laughed and said, “It’s not about money, we just don’t like to be photographed”. Mr. Zohran said they would not agree and then we went to hotel.

We were about leave and I wanted wonder around more so while Mr. Zohran and his family were sitting in hotel I sneaked out to have a final tour to the place. While wondering around I again came across those two beautiful girls. I wanted to give it a last try. I stopped and asked, “Can you speak Urdu?”

“Yes! We can”, one of them replied in Urdu.

“How can you speak Urdu? From where did you learn it?” I asked with surprise.

“Because we are Pakistani”, they laughed and replied.

I realized how stupid my question was and then I asked, “What is your name?”

“Katrina Kaif”, she replied with smile on her face.

Now I was sure they were making fun of me. It was sarcasm at its best and I was feeling stupid in front of those village girls. They were much smarter than me and by this time I had realized that well.

So I came directly to the point and asked, “Can I take one picture of you?”

The answer was simply No!

I should have backed off at that point but I said with innocent face “it’s a request”.

“Why do you want to take our picture?” she inquired.

To be honest I had no clue what to say and I was not expecting those Kalasha girls to be as smart as they were but I replied anyway, ”I want to take it with me as memory, as I came here from faraway place.”

“No! You can’t take our picture”, she simply refused me again.

Now there was nothing left to argue about and I was totally confused so I thought it is better to leave. I said thanks to them for their time and apologized for the inconvenience and left without wasting any second.

 

Kalash Museum

Everyone at the hotel was waiting for me; we started our back journey from here. We have a brief stay at kalash museum. Government of Greece with collaboration with local people has built this amazing museum and did a great job of preserving kalasha heritage. The architecture of the museum is amazing which is a blend of both modern and Kalasha architecture. By the time lots of things which Kalsha people had been using for centuries are becoming obsolete. Modernization of the Kalsha people evident as they are now very much connected with rest of the world. Therefore the museum is a great initiative for the preservation of those cultural things which were part of that society but now are part of history.

 

Old Kalasa households at Kalash Museum

Kalash museum at Bumburte village

 

Old Rumburte Graveyard

Kalasha people don’t bury their dead ones. They just leave them in open which is very unique. They also don’t get sad on death of their loved ones instead they celebrate their death as they believe the dead one has left the miseries of this world and has gone to start the eternal life. They used to leave precious belongings of the dead one with him open in a ground in a open wooden box but with time local Muslim population has grown and some the local Muslims now have settled near the Kalasha villages and those locals had started to steel the precious belongings from the graveyard, therefore now this ritual has been changed and Kalsha people don’t leave anything with the dead ones. Infect with more more growing Muslim influence Kalsha families have now started to bury their dead ones but still one can see open wooden coffins of those people who leave their will before dying that they should not be buried.

 

Graveyard at Bumburet village

 

Famous statues (Gandoa) at Bubmburet graveyard

 

It was getting dark and the way was dangerous one so it was time to leave that amazing place. I wanted to spend more time in-fact days there but I had to come back to Lahore to continue my duties. Soon we were on our way back to Chitral. On our way we saw a Land Cruiser with two of its wheals hanging in the air in a gorge and two were on the road. A spare wheal under the cruiser had saved it from falling into the gorge. That was a terrifying scene thank God all the people in that cruiser were safe.

 

Shahi Qila at Chitral on the way back to Seen-Lusht from Bumboor.

 

It was dark when we reached Mr. Zohran’s house. We were tired and next day I had to leave for Lahore so after having dinner and a brief discussion with Mr. Zohran I went to sleep. Next Morning i was served with delicious Xolaie (wall nuts stuffed in bread a Traditional Chitrali dish ) in breakfast. It was so delicious that after eating as much as I could I requested Mrs. Zohran to pack the remaining Xoloies so that I could take them with me.  When I went out after breakfast  I was greeted with a laud “Aslam o Alaikum Sir” by little school kids. The children were smiling and happy to see me visiting their village. I replied them and took few selfies with them. I wanted to spend more time with those beautiful children but I was getting late so I said good bye to all of them and started my journey back to Lahore.

 

Assembly of Children at School owned by Mr. Zohran Shah

 

Beautiful landscape at Lawari tunnel

 

Lawari Tunnel

 

I was on my way back to Lahore after an amazing experience. It was a short trip but I gathered lots of memories. I can never forget the warm hospitality, the unique culture, the most delicious food and amazing people of Chitral. My heart is full of love and respect for the people of Chitral. Though I spent only a day in Kalash but the impact of that experience is un-explainable.  The Kalasha people opened their heart for me they invited me to their home even if I was totally stranger for them. They are the people with colourful dresses and  golden heart. They have precious heritage and unlike us they are still proud of it.

 

Bundle of thanks to Mr. Zohran Shah and his family. You guys are amazing 🙂