Dam: The Picnic Spot for Hazaras ONLY

Today I visited Dam with my in laws. Dam is a water reservoir build by Pak Army in cantt area Quetta. It is not a park or amusement place "officially" but the Hazara people made it one. Due to continuous deadly attacks on hazaras they left going to famous picnic spots in Baluchistan. In good times in Quetta city Hazaras used to go to Hannah lake and village. They used to visit ziarat and Bolan picnic spots. These places had guest houses where big families used to reside for few days. These were the golden days for Hazara people. We were children when I experienced those peaceful days as a "fearless" and secure Hazara. I remember the apple orchards of Hannah Udak, the stone paved ways of mountainous area, the flowing streams of clear water, the deep and cool shades of huge trees and the visitors from all over the Pakistan. I remember the Hannah lake. It's wideness and secret tales of death always frightened me. The mystery about this lake had attracted many. I can still recall that lake side cafe where our whole family enjoyed the evening tea. We cousins were naughty and teasing each other. The traces of those golden days of fearlessness are so hard to remove from my mind. 

Today we celebrated 13 badar. It's sort of event when people of Hazara nation cook some good food and take it out to eat. It's sort of picnic event, an official one. My family cooked "Bolani". It's a traditional hazaragi sandwich made with flour dose and spinach.

The weather was clear today and when we arrived at dam we saw huge number of people there. They were happy, they were having their meals. The children were playing badminton, Cricket and riding bicycles. That was the same nation which was seated in cold January with dead bodies of their loved ones. The same children who took the portraits of their dead family members. 

I was tired, tied in to worldly affairs and almost disconnected from my inner world and myself. I saw the people and focused on my thoughts then I realised that I belong to that generation who is witnessing the change in history and behaviour of my people. 

I was admitting and admiring that we as a nation is still alive and united. We are still willing to smile and live. We are restricted to specific area in this big province of Baluchistan but we are hopeful that a day will come when Hazaras will be able to visit the apple orchards of Hannah Village once again, to meet the villagers and to explore the mysteries of Hannah lake and cool ziarat insha Allah.