Thar is the only fertile desert in the world so recent rains in the area, after a continuous low spell of rainfall since 2011, are a momentous occasion. Many farmers are busy growing crops in the desert, herders have returned to Thar and the transformation of the desert from its arid landscape to lush greenness is a sight to behold.

Tourists, too, have begun to throng to the area. After the desert turned green, thousands of visitors have travelled to Thar. There is a lot to see besides the beautifully transformed desert. Nagarparkar, a town in the Tharparkar district, is not only an ancient Hindu and Jain pilgrimage site; it is well known for its Karonjhar hills, temples, landscapes and its proximity to the Indo-Pak border.

There are many religio-historical sites to see such as Gori Mandir, a more than 600-year-old Jain temple near Nagarparkar and the Jain temple and mosque in Bhodesar. These and other sites are neglected by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, but the visitors still appreciate these neglected jewels of heritage in the middle of a now-green desert.

In June, after six years, Thar received enough rain for crop cultivation. According to the Tharparkar Weather Portal, Nagarparkar has received the highest rainfall of 435mm in last two months, while Diplo received 370mm, Islamkot 325, Mithi 221, Chacharo 213, while Kaloi with rain shower of 135mm remains the lowest.

The first proper rains in six years have transformed Thar

Locals have been busy since then sowing seeds but I saw many people cultivating the land even now and people are expected to be sowing seeds up to August. Farmers are excited at the potential large harvest but, according to experts, two more spells of rain with an interval of 20 days between each — one around mid-August and another in early September — are needed for there to be a successful harvest.

Khoonbho Meghwar, a resident of Nenisar near Mithi, who was ploughing his land along with family members, told me that his family has cultivated 10 acres of land where he sowed guar, dal moth and bajra. “Last year, we just reaped 1,200kg of harvest which is worth 30,000 rupees only. Since 2011, we haven’t had enough rainfall, but this year we may cover all the losses we’ve faced for the past couple of years,” says Meghwar.

Everyone in the family is made to take part in cultivation — even the children, who can be seen helping their parents sow the seeds and plough the land. When I visited them, Meghwar was ploughing land and dropping seeds into the desert, his daughter Jaivanti was pulling the donkey and other family members were cutting grass.

In the village Nenisar in Mithi tehsil, another family was cultivating land using camels. “We always use camels or donkeys to plough,” said Punhoon Hajam. “We don’t prefer tractors which pluck all the small plants growing in the land. Although the use of animals is time consuming, I don’t want to see plants cut down from my land.”

Ali Mohammad, a student of class three, was helping his father and brother plough the land. These two young boys are the only ones available to help in sowing. The women are busy with other work: they clean the land, pluck out unnecessary grass and make tea.

Like Meghwar, Hajam, too, is hoping for a surplus harvest this year. “We earned almost 100,000 rupees from the harvest in 2011; we’re hoping to make a similar amount this year.”

With the rains, many herders have also returned to the area. Life in Thar is mainly pastoral. A small amount of rain is required to maintain patches of pasture in the desert. But when there is no rainfall, grazing lands are affected and the fodder dries up, compelling people to migrate with their animals to canal-fed areas of Sindh.

Most of the people came back in July but there are more people on their way. En route to Islamkot, Thar, I found a couple of families travelling back to Nagarparkar with around 20 cows. A young boy caring a solar panel was leading the group. They were coming from Tando Allahyar around 300km away from their native village in Nagarparkar. “We have been travelling for five days and it will take two days more to reach our destination,” said Kanji Kolhi.

Kolhi didn’t seem to mind the long trek. After all if one can wait six years for rain and a lush-green desert, what’s another two days?

The writer is a freelance photojournalist and tweets @genanimanoj

Text and photos by Manoj Genani

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 6th, 2017