Educational Camp Quetta And Ziyarat – Day 4

Day 4 Wednesday 21st September ((18th Shaban ul Kareem))
Early on the chilly morning of 21st September all of us set out for a Morning walk in this picturesque valley. At a spot near Panther Lodge all students were instructed to sit down silently for five to ten minutes and observe and feel the beautiful nature surrounding them. After a brief discussion on the beauty of Allah’s Khilqat we returned to the rest house to have a hearty breakfast of parathas and omeletts. In Tilawat ud Dua few students presented and shared the interesting information gathered from GSP museum. The Islamic concept regarding Darwin’s theory of evolution was discussed to clarify some concepts. At around 10:00 am we proceeded to our vans to spend the entire day in Churtair Tangi (Gorge) Kurbikash. Gorges are narrow passages in mountains. In local language they are known as Tangis. Ziarat is surrounded by many famous tangis like Sandeman Tangi, Makhmal Tangi, Fern Tangi, Zarindar Tangi and Kawas Tangi. Chilly water from melting snow and rain flows through them. They are the main attractions of Ziarat but due to lack of rains and snowfall in the past few years these Tangis have lost their charm. However, due to record snowfall and rains last year there was a narrow stream flowing through Chutair Tangi. It was a bit cold inside the gorge. We were walking slowly in small groups marveling at the huge wall of mountains on both sides, and observing and discussing the geographical features of the gorge. At one place we saw a huge rock hanging between the two walls of the gorge in a delicate balance. It reminded us of Aqa Moula’s Moojeza in Yemen Zimarmar, when a huge rock falling from the top miraculously stopped and got stuck. While walking through the gorge the adventure seeking students did some climbing also. As we had to spend the whole day in Kurbikash we settled down at a place and prayed Zohr Asr namaz. Doing vuzu from the chilled water of the stream and praying namaz on an uneven ground filled with round pebbles was a unique experience. To add some more thrill and adventure, Tug of War match was announced. There were three different rounds each between boys and then girls between Marjaan, Yaqoot and Aqeeq. Aqeeq boys and girls won in the final. Finally lunch arrived. We had our lunch and set off for Sadaqat Rest House. On our way we visited the Honey Bee Farm and had a first hand experience of seeing the bees in action. The farm had 130 boxes of hives. We were informed that each box contains about 50,000 bees. The Queen bee usually lives for four years. The other bees live for about 45 days. The queen bee lays about 3000 eggs in a day. The bees collect nectar from a small purple flowers which are common in Ziarat. Few brave students dipped their hands in honey so that the honeybee could sit on them. Some were also lucky to hold the hive filled with thousands of bees in their hands. It was a great experience. The farm people had a small shop on the road. The students bought these bottles of pure honey. After Maghrib Isha Namaz at Sadaqat Rest House students completed some activities from the memory book and were informed about the next day’s campfire programme. Each group was given a Hikayat for presentation and a topic for Capture Activity. While dinner was being prepared each group sat with their incharge teachers to plan for the presentations. After dinner and Tilawat ul Qasida we went to sleep.