The Shhadok Chinar -letter3

This letter responds to the story of the fall of ages old Chinar tree in Shadok, Chitral. It is not simply the age of the Chinar tree that has encouraged considerable discussion about it, but rather Chinar tree has great significance in the social relations of Chitral people. People with houses on raised places under the shade of high Chinar tree, beside many other symbols, are traditionally said to enjoy higher social status. The categories of social status continue to survive sixty years into the history of the collapse of the former system, and so do the symbols of social status. However, with the changed scenario these symbols serve a new purpose depending on how the modern state effectively uses them for nation building.

A conservative understanding of the fall of Shadoko Chinar tree could be the fall of the symbol of former power relations like the fall of Sadam statue in the centre of Baghdad. On the other hand, referring to the unfriendly relations between nature and culture as responsible for the death of Chinar tree, the few letters to Chitralnews attempt to rationalize the fall of the ages old tree in the language of modernist environmental discourse. Most of the modern states of the world capitalize on such local symbols, traditions and monuments in their attempt to create local and national identities. They do so through reinterpreting the symbols in order to change their meaning from religious and ethnic to neutral and scientific tone so that it becomes acceptable to everybody as a citizen of the modern state.

Tourism has been an important element in the creation of national and local identities. Through folklorisation of local events and traditions such as the story of the fall of Shadoko Chinar one can create a distinctive tourist attraction. The fall of the Shadoko Chinar, then could be its rebirth. A preserved gigantic Chinar tree lying on the ground could be telling its own story right from the mythical claim of who planted it at that particular place and with what purpose, and its survival against the tyranny of modernity. If preserved, the Chinar tree could be depicted as the victim of the culture of modernity such as deforestation, exactly in the same way as the British have erected large statues of their national heroes such as those who struggled and lost their lives for the independence of their country during the world wars. The Shadok Chinar tree would then not only symbolize the highness and glory of Chitral, but would also be attracting hordes of tourists from around the world as do the British heroes statues.

The search for authenticity and manufacturing of tradition is an integral part of modern tourism. Like the Chinar tree many other tourist products such as music festivals and local sport events could be folklorised linking them with stories, as they actually are. In Chitral there are various regions known for their distinctive tourist attractions, local crafts and regional traditions such as Kelash Festivals, Shandur Festival and Jeshne Chitral, to name the few, and very little attempts have been made by the tourist organizations of Pakistan and Chitral to promote them as tourist products.

Ali Sher,

Kuragh