'THAR DESERT ON THE OTHER SIDE'

Thar Desert is not only a desert. It is a world in itself. It is the ninth largest desert in the world and the most densely populated desert in the world. It encompasses 77,000 square miles of rolling sand-dunes from Eastern Pakistan, South-Eastern Pakistan to North-Western India and Western India. The geographical isolation from mountain and plains has chiefly shaped its weather patterns that has given it distinctive sand-dunes, hot and dry environment.

Almost 85% area of Thar Desert lies in India, especially Rajasthan, but it is also relevant to touch the aspect of Thar on the other side. It spreads an extensive area over Tharparkar(Thar-Desert; Parkar-Other side), Mirpur Khas, Sanghar, Sukkar, Ghotki. The Cholistan desert adjoins Thar Desert on the other side, and spreads into Punjab. Karun Jhar is the only hill located on the other side of Thar, which is located on the extreme corner of Nagar Parkar Taluka. Umerkot(birthplace of Mughal emperor, Akbar) and Mithi are big towns on the other side of Thar. The women wear long, full, red or orange skirts and cover their heads with embroidered or tie-dyed shawls. People live in round mud-walled huts, thatched with grass and thick-thorn hedges. Indian foxes, Red foxes, Jackals, Mongoose, Gerbils and Squirrels are common to observe there.

Thar Desert on the other side also has a rich multifaceted culture, heritage, traditions, folk tales, dances and music as that of Indian Thar. The Thar on other side also has deposits of coal, which remain untapped. The crime rate there is very low, as people there are very simple with very basic needs for survival. Thari people(people of Thar) live their cattle free in the wild.Due to religious beliefs, Thari people consume vegetables and avoid meat, etc. Peacocks and exotic birds roam freely there. Water scarcity poses a threat for its residents and problems evolve for livestock. Literacy rate of other side of Thar is only 17 percent.

Majority of the residents of the other Thar are cattle-herders, and most of them are Hindus. They are mostly Rajputs, Thakurs, Meghawars, Kohlis and Bheels.There are many shrines and temples. The Manganiyaar community travel from villages to towns to sing and earn their living. Tharparkar district on the other side of Thar is one of the most backward districts of Pakistan. There are a lot of menaces in the Thar Region, ranging from poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, water-scarcity, child-mortality, unemployment. But, the region has a great potential for tourism, as the region can provide a sense of calmness, uniqueness, great hospitality, colourful backdrop in a turbulent country, otherwise. The region also has an oasis of cultural harmony, which is not evident in rest of Pakistan.