Arghandab- the Shangrila
From atop my office… and on the northern horizon, I can see some mysterious looking hillocks… separating Kandahar from Arghandab… I keep on repeating the name of Arghandab in my blog… what is Arghandab…
Arghandab has two meanings for me… physical and metaphysical…
The valley of river Arghandab nests within itself one of the most fertile areas in Afghanistan… which produces, perhaps, the best grapes, melons, pomegranates, citruses in the world… they are known to the world as Kandahari- anaar, angoor etc., but are cultivated in the fertile valley of Arghandab…. They were a part of popular culture in India and Pakistan… for example… I am told that till few decades ago ladies in Punjab used to sing a wedding song in which the bride was compared to Kandahari Pomegranate… red (ala virgin) and voluptuous.
There was a point in time… when these orchards were owned by Afghani Hindus and Sikhs… perhaps, not so long ago… and then came the war and religious intolerance… the Hindus and Sikhs migrated- to Europe, to Americas and to India. These orchards were taken over by their local proxies and thereafter usurpers…. Some of these fertile land were used for cultivating opium… which to this day… forms the backbone of indigenous Afghani economy (or at least southern Afghani economy)….
Today… Arghandab is one of the most fertile areas of Afghanistan and produces very good quality fruits. It is one of the few districts, which are partially-controlled by the Afghan Government…. In late 2007, Taliban gained upper hand in the area following the death of charismatic anti-Taliban leader Mullah Naqibullah. Today, I am told there is a stalemate… the entire area is partly controlled by international forces and partly by Taliban… and is controlled by them at different times in the day… day- by international forces and night- by Taliban.
As promised… I would not dwell in the politics of it all… but the fact that it is an area of struggle between the international forces and Taliban… makes it a no-go zone for me… a zone which I can see, but cannot go.
I have heard so much about Arghandab… people used to picnic there… plucking grapes from the orchards… diving in River Arghandab… fishing over there… laying a carpet and hearing music and reading a book beside the burbling brook…. All these description suggest it was some fairytale land… it entices me to go there… to pluck grapes… to dive in river... to fish over there… and just relish the beauties of life.
But alas I cannot… However this inability gives me a lesson in life… a metaphysical lesson…
Aren’t we all living in secured compound… don’t we all see the beautiful hills of Arghandab and wish to go there… and don’t venture fearing the unknown…. Don’t all of us dream of plucking grapes, diving in river and fishing… and fear doing that… wondering what is in store.
I guess we all do…
We all fear the unknown… we all fear leaving the comfort zones behind… we all fear that the world outside the safe zone is filled with “Taliban”… which may be the case or may not be the case… but sitting back in comfort zone we cannot do what we dream of…
Sure, if I want to go there… I can always take a escort… visit the place in a secured car… where the entire experience of Arghandab passes by me… as a movie… passively, inertly… and sure I can ask somebody to pluck some grapes for me… but wouldn’t that be too emotionless. I guess it would be.
At a practical level… it teaches me a lesson in traveling… for the true experience of traveling…. One needs to leave his comfort zone…One needs to get out and feel, touch, smell, taste and breath the real world… and this cannot be done with escorts… it cannot be done by passively listening to a tour guide in a air-conditioned tourist bus… this cannot even be done by seeing the Must-sees… Tajmahal is not India… Eiffel Tower is not France… Pyramid is not Egypt… there is so much more to an India, a France and an Egypt than their totem-poles. When I blink my eyes and think of Syria… I remember meeting Abdu in Hamah and not Ummayad mosque or Palmyra… when I think of Egypt… I dream those aimless walks in Al-Qasr oasis town and not Cairo or Luxor… that is what the true travel experience is… and for it… one needs to pack his backpack and head out towards the unknown… having faith that perhaps… there are no “Taliban”… perhaps beyond the appearances of it all… every human being is the same… and full of human emotion and compassion… that every human has the ability to love his child… to smile while seeing blooming of flowers.
Another realization… one of my friends is on a spiritual journey… I wonder if spiritual accomplishments are like traveling too… which cannot be experienced with the guided-tours and travel-guides… I am of the firm belief that spiritual experience are very personal… one needs to accomplish those experiences all by himself… no teacher, no Guru, no master can teach you the way to accomplish it… and that there is no one way… the only sure shot way is to pack one’s backpack of intent and head for the Arghandab… and experience the truth for himself…
So….
Well in a way… Arghandab, to me, represents Shangri-La…
Arghandab has two meanings for me… physical and metaphysical…
The valley of river Arghandab nests within itself one of the most fertile areas in Afghanistan… which produces, perhaps, the best grapes, melons, pomegranates, citruses in the world… they are known to the world as Kandahari- anaar, angoor etc., but are cultivated in the fertile valley of Arghandab…. They were a part of popular culture in India and Pakistan… for example… I am told that till few decades ago ladies in Punjab used to sing a wedding song in which the bride was compared to Kandahari Pomegranate… red (ala virgin) and voluptuous.
There was a point in time… when these orchards were owned by Afghani Hindus and Sikhs… perhaps, not so long ago… and then came the war and religious intolerance… the Hindus and Sikhs migrated- to Europe, to Americas and to India. These orchards were taken over by their local proxies and thereafter usurpers…. Some of these fertile land were used for cultivating opium… which to this day… forms the backbone of indigenous Afghani economy (or at least southern Afghani economy)….
Today… Arghandab is one of the most fertile areas of Afghanistan and produces very good quality fruits. It is one of the few districts, which are partially-controlled by the Afghan Government…. In late 2007, Taliban gained upper hand in the area following the death of charismatic anti-Taliban leader Mullah Naqibullah. Today, I am told there is a stalemate… the entire area is partly controlled by international forces and partly by Taliban… and is controlled by them at different times in the day… day- by international forces and night- by Taliban.
As promised… I would not dwell in the politics of it all… but the fact that it is an area of struggle between the international forces and Taliban… makes it a no-go zone for me… a zone which I can see, but cannot go.
I have heard so much about Arghandab… people used to picnic there… plucking grapes from the orchards… diving in River Arghandab… fishing over there… laying a carpet and hearing music and reading a book beside the burbling brook…. All these description suggest it was some fairytale land… it entices me to go there… to pluck grapes… to dive in river... to fish over there… and just relish the beauties of life.
But alas I cannot… However this inability gives me a lesson in life… a metaphysical lesson…
Aren’t we all living in secured compound… don’t we all see the beautiful hills of Arghandab and wish to go there… and don’t venture fearing the unknown…. Don’t all of us dream of plucking grapes, diving in river and fishing… and fear doing that… wondering what is in store.
I guess we all do…
We all fear the unknown… we all fear leaving the comfort zones behind… we all fear that the world outside the safe zone is filled with “Taliban”… which may be the case or may not be the case… but sitting back in comfort zone we cannot do what we dream of…
Sure, if I want to go there… I can always take a escort… visit the place in a secured car… where the entire experience of Arghandab passes by me… as a movie… passively, inertly… and sure I can ask somebody to pluck some grapes for me… but wouldn’t that be too emotionless. I guess it would be.
At a practical level… it teaches me a lesson in traveling… for the true experience of traveling…. One needs to leave his comfort zone…One needs to get out and feel, touch, smell, taste and breath the real world… and this cannot be done with escorts… it cannot be done by passively listening to a tour guide in a air-conditioned tourist bus… this cannot even be done by seeing the Must-sees… Tajmahal is not India… Eiffel Tower is not France… Pyramid is not Egypt… there is so much more to an India, a France and an Egypt than their totem-poles. When I blink my eyes and think of Syria… I remember meeting Abdu in Hamah and not Ummayad mosque or Palmyra… when I think of Egypt… I dream those aimless walks in Al-Qasr oasis town and not Cairo or Luxor… that is what the true travel experience is… and for it… one needs to pack his backpack and head out towards the unknown… having faith that perhaps… there are no “Taliban”… perhaps beyond the appearances of it all… every human being is the same… and full of human emotion and compassion… that every human has the ability to love his child… to smile while seeing blooming of flowers.
Another realization… one of my friends is on a spiritual journey… I wonder if spiritual accomplishments are like traveling too… which cannot be experienced with the guided-tours and travel-guides… I am of the firm belief that spiritual experience are very personal… one needs to accomplish those experiences all by himself… no teacher, no Guru, no master can teach you the way to accomplish it… and that there is no one way… the only sure shot way is to pack one’s backpack of intent and head for the Arghandab… and experience the truth for himself…
So….
Well in a way… Arghandab, to me, represents Shangri-La…
3 comments:
I beg to differ.
Spirituality and Travel might be similar, but not the same. Travel transports only your physical body from one destination to the other. Whereas Spirituality in it's various manifestations like Meditation, Kriya yoga, Sahaj yoga, Gyana yoga....... elevates your spiritual body from present level to higher levels of existence and self-realisation. This can only be done with the help of guru or a spiritual guide who helps us overcome the pulls of Maya or the world around us.
But, Yes! Travel could be one of the means to find your own Guru.
Nice thought!
Well said...
Travel is not a mere transport of one's physical body from point A to point B.It has a much deeper realization.While traveling one becomes at peace with inner self, more sync with nature.Man is nothing but an extension of nature.It allows one to connect to nature, which is in a way a spiritual feeling...
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