KARACHI CHRONICLE: Moenjodaro ruins in ruins

At the national conference on Moenjodaro, organised by UNESCO and Sindh culture department in Karachi last Saturday, all participants expressed concern at the continual deterioration of the most famous site of the 5,000-year-old Indus Valley Civilisation. The public however, was not concerned; their interest was fixed on the Karachi University honorary doctorate conferred on Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
This contrast goes to show just what has happened to the national psyche. Moenjodaro may be a world heritage and our proudest heritage, but who cares? Current affairs, even as superficial as Rehman Malik's honorary doctorate commands total interest, dictates our feeling, reactions and behaviour.
Speakers at the Moenjodaro conference mentioned several reasons for the dilapidation of the archeological site, yet none noted the key reason for the ruin of the ruins which is the lack of a sense of ownership of the site by the nation. All over the world archeological sites are vulnerable to erosion, corrosion and political and other kinds of vandalism. But when there is public concern those sites are preserved. A case in point are the Iranian sites datting to the Zoroastrian period which were threatened with demolition by the government in the early days of the Khomeini revolution. But the public would not allow it.
The neglect of Moenjodaro is largely due to our maind set. Pakistan history does not date back to the non-Muslim era to Budhist Brahmin or Greek or even older times. History begins with the conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim. What is done even by the keepers of antiquities and Sindh culture to create public interest in Moenjodaro? Nothing. Stone hinge in UK is archeologically nothing by comparison yet not a year goes by when newspapers, journals children's storybooks and other forms of communication do not project Stone hinge. Every kid knows it and is interested in it. How many Pakistani kids know anything about Moenjodaro? May be two out of two thousand.
Should the Sehwan or Bhitshah shrines begin to crumble, there will be a great hue and cry because the public cares. They visit the shrines regularly and not just during the annual urs of Shahbaz Qalandar and Shah Latif. Whatever is owned by the public survives even if it is attacked by fanatics. Karachi witnessed the dastardly attack on the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. What happened afterwards? People who did not normally visit shrines queued in mile-long double lines when the shrine was reopened. The shrine would have been allowed to remain shut after the bombing for a long time but public demand forced the caretakers to hurry up with the repair.
Nevertheless, these are sites of Muslim interest and date well within the so-called historic origin of Pakistan beginning with Muhammad bin Qasim. There is no emotional attachment for Moenjodaro. It can go to rack and ruin and not a tear will be shed for it.
May be it was from a feeling of utter frustration that former Sindh antiquities secretary Kaleem Lashari made the shocking suggestion that a small portion of the site should be preserved for educational and tourism purposes and the rest buried to be re-excavated by future generations. Why not bury the entire site, it is after all, metaphorically buried in public memory anyway.
That such a suggestion should have come from Kaleem Lashari speaks volumes of the lack of public as well as government interest. He is deeply and passionately interested in archeology. His research articles have been acclaimed at home and a abroad. Moreover, and more to the point, he is a man who has done much to generate public interest through his Sindh Exploration and Adventure Society through which he organised enthralling projects like "Expedition Indus 1989-90", "In Quest of Debal", "Survey of Ranikot". He is not your typical civil servant holding pompous opinions but never moving from his air-conditioned office. If he could make such a suggestion that part of Moenjodaro should be reburied it is a sign that all efforts to generate interest in our heritage have failed. You should be hearing the death knell of Moenjodaro in his suggestion.
Since the 1970s I have been to Moenjodaro several times. Each time it looks worse than the last time I was there. Each time there are fewer tourists. Never have I seen any children on a fieldtrip to the site. The museum guides are there just to make sure you do not steal the artifacts. Ask them the purpose of those graded clay balls and they look blank. Every visit I ask this question just to test the guide's knowledge. I have never received a knowledgeable answer. One bright fellow told me the clay balls were toys. With such disinterest from the archeology staff, why bother to preserve even a part of Moenjodaro for tourism and education. Bury the whole shebang.