20

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

In search of Buddha:
A journey of a thousand miles

met her on the Lahore-bound bus

from Islamabad earlier this month -an educated woman about my age,
medium height, clad in shalwar kurta.
As we talked, I learnt that like me, she
is a traveler, a writer and a journalist
but from India. It felt like a meeting of
two Dushi (souls) two travelers
and writers pulled together with a
metaphysical magnetic wave.
With three books already published,
Sunita Dwivedi was visiting Pakistan,
now headed to Lahore to take the bus
back to Delhi after having traveled
along the Grand Trunk Road with
the aim of writing about the Buddhist
heritage of Pakistan.
A former journalist with a post-graduate
in English Literature from Lucknow University and a Masters in Education from Allahabad University, Sunita has worked with
mainstream dailies like The Times of
India, The Hindustan Times, and The Pioneer. She left her full time job in 1997 to
pursue her passion for travelling and photography along the Silk Road through Asia
and Europe. She continues to study Ancient History at Jiwaji University, Gwalior.
Sunita has travelled by road from the
Wagah Border through Lahore, Gujrat,
Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Mardan. In no country of Asia was I welcomed
with such warmth as in Pakistan, she says.
I was here when thousands of anti-government protestors were on the streets.
Tear bombs were exploding and politicians
were crying hoarse. Rivers were rising and
inundating thousands of villages. People
around me in India were drilling fear into

By Agha Iqrar Haroon

A Pakistani travel
journalist and writer
encounters a
kindred spirit on the
Lahore-Islamabad
bus -- Sunita
Dwivedi, author of
three books on
Buddhist heritage
sites in India,
Central Asia and
along the Silk Road

me. But in Islamabad, I saw that normal life was in full swing and there
was no scare among the people. All
was calm and quiet except in the limited area of the Red Zone near the Parliament.
I found Lahore cleaner than Delhi
and was told that streets in Lahore
were washed at night. The campus of
Punjab University was a canopy of flowers
and amazingly clean. I traveled on the M1
and M2 Motorway and found it so grand.
Although not a Buddhist, Sunita is
known for her series of books about the

Sunita Dwivedis Buddha books

trilogy: India, the Silk Road, and
Central Asia. Next: Pakistan?

Sunita Dwivedi: We need to propagate

peace and prosperity by preserving our
common cultural heritage
impact of Buddhism in the region. The
first, The Buddhist Heritage Sites of India
(Rupa, 2005) with a foreword by the Dalai
Lama, is an account of her
own Dharmayatra in the
footsteps of the Buddha in
the land of his birth and enlightenment, from the famous
rainy season retreats like
Vaishali, to Himalayan and

Ladakh
monasteries.
The second,
In
Quest of the
Buddha: A Journey
on the Silk Road (Rupa, 2009), released simultaneously in Kathmandu and
Delhi, is about her travels along the Silk
Road in China and the Buddhist sites along
the trade routes in the Taklamakan and the
Gobi deserts, and in Sichuan and Tibet.
The just published Buddha in Central

Asia: a Travelogue (Rupa, September,

2014) records her journey into the past
that still lingers on in the crumbling ruins
as she puts it. The book describes the
monastic sites of Central Asia that once reverberated with chants of monks, but are
now gradually merging into dust. Soon
they will become a thing of the past.
She doesnt recall when the Buddha
first entered her life. As a child she wandered barefoot through fields and jungles
to the Ramabhaar Stupa near her house in
Kushinagar village, where she was born.
I used to play at the giant mound of
bricks where the Buddha was cremated
two thousand years ago. The Mahaparinirvana Buddha image made a profound impression upon me. The serenity and loveliness of his face simply fascinated me.
Can you imagine that as early as the
6th century BC, thousands of women had
joined the Buddhist Sangha? They were
mostly householders and lay devotees.
What attracted them to the Sangha? What
was it that once lured the whole of Asia to
Buddhist thought? Was it not the spirit of
tolerance, of peace and liberation, of the
logic of the Middle Path that taught people
to avoid all extremes, and of the Eight Fold
Path for right behaviour? The attainment of
Nirvana, the freedom from attachments is a
powerful idea even for non-Buddhists. To
assimilate the practice of fusion against division, of peace against violence is the
need of the world. Buddhist thought transcends the barriers of cultural and ethnic
differences.
Since the time of Asoka the Great in
the third century BC, scholars and translators of Buddhist texts, monks and pilgrims, travelled with trade caravans along
the ancient Silk Routes to spread the message of the Buddha, building stupas and
monasteries along the way. The remains of
these crumbling monasteries that seemed
unable to fight the forces of nature are
still visible, says Sumita, who has traveled
from Kabul in Afghanistan to
Kayalik in Kazakhstan through
Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
They exist precariously on
mountain tops, in the Gobi and
Taklamakan deserts, along
rivers and in the steppe lands of
Central Asia.
What does she think about
Central Asia as a tourism destination?
Many places in Central Asia
are hot tourist spots, she responds. The Paghman Darreh
and Bagh-e-Babur of Kabul, the
painted caves of Bamiyan, the
marble city of Ashgabat,
Dushanbe where the National
Museum of Antiquities houses
the largest Buddha of Central
Asia, the medieval monuments of
Bukhara and Samarkand, the historical museums of Bishkek, the nature reserves of Almaty and the Buddhist sites of
Xinjiang are all top tourist destinations. But
it is difficult to get a visa to visit Central
Asia although most have contiguous bor-

ders with Pakistan and India.

What does she think of Central Asian
hospitality?
Central Asia is a lovely place to be in.
Even though you may not know Russian or
local languages you will still understand
what people are saying. There is a special
bond between Pakistan, India and Central
Asia historically and culturally. As soon as
you say you are from India or Pakistan people flock around you. They are extremely
welcoming. Even if you enter a shop and
buy nothing you are greeted with freshly
cut melons, bunches of black and green
grapes, dry fruits and black tea. All this for
free.
She found herself fascinated by many
places the ancient caravan serais and
bazaars of Bamiyan, old Bukhara and the
Registan of Samarkand, the Blue city of

Takht-i-Bahi, Mardan: part of Pakistans vast Buddhist heritage.

Mazar-i-Sharif, Bishkek - the Switzerland of
Central Asia and of course the hills and nature reserves near Almaty."
Any incident that stands out in her mind
is having to wear a burqa over her shalwar
kameez. Traveling from Kabul to Mazar-iSharif with her friend Fauzia Wardak, she
says, We knew we would have to trudge
into the remote villages of the northern
province of Afghanistan where one has to
observe the local tradition of purdah. So
Fauzia and I clad in long burqas over our
salwar kameez and heads covered in black
scarf scurried in and out of Aibak where I
was in search of the Naubahar monastery.
That was the first time in my life, I wore the
burqa and covered my face even as I
walked along the pradikshana path at
Takht-eRustam.
Ideally, where would she like to spend
the most time?
I could live all my life in Samarkand,
the beautiful city of Timur and spend
hours gazing at the architectural wonders
of Sher Dor and Ulughbeg Medrassas and
the brilliance of the Tillakari mosque at
the Registan Square.
I would love to spend more time in
the Archaeological Park of ancient Merv
in Turkmenistan which is dotted with
dozens of ancient and medieval settle-

Beyond the headlines

Gaurav Chauhan and Ramsha Jahangir continue their online cross-border coffee table discussion.
The first installment of this conversation was published in Aman ki Asha on September 3, 2014.
Gaurav Chauhan: Being honest
with you Ramsha, Pakistan is
mostly in the
news only for
the wrong reasons. The common man living
in Pakistan may
well be oblivious
to this hatred we
hear of and see,
but how much do
you think this
common man participates in or supports it?
Ramsha Jahangir: I live in
Karachi, the industrial hub of Pakistan, a busy city. My
city is also called the
city of lights is full of
life yet individual peculiarities stand
out as you pass down the streets.
You see, life might be really industrialised here, but the traditional aspects still survive. Such is the juxtaposition that exists in Karachi. You
will find all sorts of people here -- Biharis, Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochis,
Muhajirs, Pathans, even Gujratis. All
in one place! Never have I witnessed
such diversity in another province
of Pakistan.
Given its economical significance and high level of street
crimes, strikes, political unrest and
other issues that affect security,

Karachi meets the headlines often.

Youll often hear
people exchanging
experiences
of
being mugged at
gunpoint. All this
is of concern
while investing in
a long-term project but it still
does not hinder
the beauty of life
in Karachi, in
Pakistan.
To be honest,
people here do
not choose to
flee
abroad,
they are

Gaurav Chavan

forced to.
As a free citizen here,
nowhere in the world
will you be welcomed with such
pride and comfort.
Unfortunately, Pakistanis suffer because those running
this country lack direction. This nation
was created to provide rights to people, not deprive us
of justice. Over the
years, the lack of
evenhandedness

THE FIRST STEP

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

Feedback, contributions, photos, letters:

Email: amankiasha@janggroup.com.pk
Fax: +92-21-3241-8343
Post: aman ki asha c/o The News,
I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi

Karachi: A city of contrasts

Ramsha Jahang
ir

has
contributed to the
downfall.
I see India
differently. I
see
Indians
struggling, but I
also see them
advancing while
Pakistan seems
to be constantly
deteriorating.
India being a geographically larger
country and much
more populated is
subject to major
failures too. It is
difficult to deal

ments. Here one can find camels with decorated tents on their back to take tourists
from one settlement to another inside the
desert. Also I dream of another, perhaps a
last chance to search for the Buddhist
monastery of Gyaur Kala that I could not
locate inside the deserts of Merv.
I asked if she had seen Muslim cultural
heritage and monuments in Central Asia
also?
I saw more Islamic monuments than
Buddhist, she replies. Many times I
prayed at the mausoleums of Sufi saints
and in mosques, like the Blue Mosque in
Mazar-i-Sharif, the Ruhi Masjidi near Ashgabat, the Kalon Mosque in Old Bukhara,
Juma Masjid at Ichon Kala in Khiva, Khoja
Akhmed Yassavis mausoleum at Turkistan which is also called the second
Mecca for Muslims, Arslan Bab mau-

opment and progress as does the

transfer of power to the same political parties. Corruption exists everywhere worldwide, but when it is so
dominant, it is hard to break.
Pakistans provinces are divided
by political parties, and individual
interests. Often I wonder, am I a citizen of one nation or a state divided
by four provinces? Pakistan struggles to establish a nationalistic culture. With time, instead of developing a united nation to further
progress, the country is dividing
within itself. This is where we reside
in chaos. A state separated from its
roots to safeguard and provide identity to Muslims struggles to find
ownership today. Beyond green and
white, there is a world where the
with all provinces (states) evenly.
moon resists its own light and
The situation in the less developed
the stars spar to shine.
provinces of India seems as dauntThis is Pakistan today, a
ing as in Karachi and elsewhere
wanderer in search
in Pakistan. Correct me if I
of power.
am wrong; we are born of
My questhe same soil, are we not
tion to you,
progressing at the same
Gaurav:
Is
pace in terms of national
India divided?
SERIES 3:2
uniformity?
What does InThe major setback Pakdians say about
istan faces is the prevalence of pre- the current situation of Pakistan?
established power. Inconsistency in Would you ever want to visit my
government threatens overall devel- country?
Gaurav Chavan lives in Mumbai; a copywriter by profession, he
prefers being a thinker. Ramsha Jahangir in Karachi is a Social Science student, a thinker at will, a writer by choice. Read Gauravs response, and a continuation of this discussion, in the next installment of
the Conversations series in Aman ki Asha.

soleum at Otrar, the Dungan Mosque at

Zharkent
The medieval Muslim monuments of
Central Asia with their splendid calligraphic art, amazing inlay work and architecture are a source of great pleasure. I
also happened to see the holy 7th century
AD Othman Koran at the Khast Imam
Square in Old Tashkent, and countless
other Islamic monuments whose spiritual
magnetism is irresistible.
A final word from this intrepid traveler
and scholar: The need of the hour is to
propagate peace and prosperity by preserving our common cultural heritage and
to develop our societies peacefully. This
will go a long way in focusing on education, health and infrastructure development. Today, the Middle Path of Buddhism is even more relevant to avoid the
path of extremism for resolving issues
internal or external.
Agha Iqrar Haroon has been a
journalist and writer for the last 25
years with various print and electronic
media outlets, focusing on travel,
tourism and conflict reporting.
This piece is adapted from the
interview published in Dispatch
News desk www.dnd.com.pk

Reviving religious sites

akistan, home to numerous religious sites of Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs, has taken on the challenge of developing these
assets. Such steps are expected to boost provincial economy
and promote respect and tolerance in the country.
To start with, the Punjab government has directed relevant departments like the Punjab Planning and Development Board, and
departments of Tourism, Archives, Archaeology, and Law and Justice to finalise reports related to Sikh gurdwaras in Punjab.
Sikhisms holiest sites like Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib (Kartarpur) and Gurdwara Dera Sahib (Lahore) lie in
Pakistans Punjab province.

Bohot khoob, Fawad!

romoting his film Khoobsurat with Bollywood

heartthrob
Sonam
Kapoor, Pakistani actor Fawad
Khan has appeared in several
Indian TV shows and programs, most notably Amitabh
Bachchans Kaun Banega
Crore Pati.

When the great Bollywood

actor requested Fawad Khan
obliged by breaking out into an
impromptu Dilbar Mere!
from the Bacchan starrer Satte
pe Satta, with the audience
members clapping enthusiastically to keep time.
Bohot khoob, Fawad!

A peace initiative whose time has come...

Destination Peace: A commitment by the Jang Group, Geo and The Times of India Group to
create an enabling environment that brings the people of Pakistan and India closer together,
contributing to genuine and durable peace with honour between our countries.