Yesterday, our last day in Ayun, while trying to find a way to the Chitral river, we came across a small shop where one of the men - Sher Gulab - volunteered to take us to the river with his 3 year old son. On the way back, Sher Gulab took us to his home. Mun and Amu joined his wife and family inside, while I was in the guest room joined by his elder brother, Khush Nizar. The breakfast - chai, anda and paratha - was considered too simple by Khush Nizar, (he was even upset with Sher Gulab for this) who then served akhroT and khubaani - both from the trees in their courtyard.
Today, we start our journey back to Karachi. The harshness of commerce that is Karachi stands in stark contrast to the softness of humanity and abundance of nature we were witness to in Chitral.
In the afternoon, Izzatullah picked us up from our hotel and took us to his village - Gahirate (with a soft ‘T’) - up on a nearby mountain. Izzatullah’s extended family was there to greet us and feed us a simple yet elaborate feast. We were given a tour of the village vantage points (breathtaking ones I may add) and later served evening chai. The farewell was sincere.
If we strip away the romance the city has with the sentimental village, there are indeed some knots in the real village. Wisdom is not in a hurry to untie these knots knowing that it will be done in time. By the Way.
The sacred in isolation is an idol
Explaining away nature sans the sacred is the established status quo
The Way as lived reality is sacred nature
It is appropriate but not appropriating.