The title speaks for itself regarding the beautiful culture that exists in the Mithi village of Tharparkar district, Sindh. Mithi is quite unique and different in terms of lifestyle. The inhabitants adopt peace and harmony.

This small village provides the actual picture of Pakistan envisioned by Allama Muhammad Iqbal and presented by Quaid I Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. According to these leaders, minorities would be free to continue practicing their religious festivals in accordance with their belief systems. The government and Muslims should not harm religious places.

Nevertheless, Pakistan reports multiple incidents. The local communities portraying terrorism prevalent in our country damage the temples and churches. The article presents an antithesis to all negative propaganda against Pakistan as a terrorist state.

Related: Sadhu Bela Mandir – A must visit temple in Pakistan

Introduction to Mithi Village

Mithi is a small tehsil of district Tharparkar. The village became its headquarters once it got separated from Mirpur Khas. It is one of the small villages in Pakistan where Hindus are in majority compared with their Muslim counterpart. 80% of the land is inhabited by Hindus making Muslims a minority within this taluka.

Nevertheless, Mithi remains a place where there is no concept of conflict between Muslims and Hindus compared with the international tussle between India and Pakistan.

Both the communities respect one another’s norms, customs, traditions, and beliefs and even contribute to the religious practices observed at their particular times. There is no incident of religious intolerance hitherto reported from this region in the local media.

Cultural Diversity at Mithi

With a coexistence of Muslims and Hindus, you can find a great deal of cultural diversity in the village taken as the heart of Tharparkar district. Many people have started migrating from the nearby villages such as Kertee, Amrio, and Faqeer Muqeem Kunbher Nohto for trading their goods and other items. Thus, Mithi Village has become the center of socioeconomic activities.

In addition, 175 billion tonnes of coal reserves lay on an estimated area of ninety-six hundred square kilometers in this region considered as the fifth largest coal reserve. China is facilitating The Coal Mining Authority through its technicians and engineers for the open-pit coal mine under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. 

Furthermore, these coal reserves will also contribute to feeding the thermal power plants to meet the power requirements of Pakistan. 

Related: China to invest $15 Billion in the petrochemical industry in Pakistan

Literacy in Mithi

The village has various institutes for boys and girls alike. The young daughters of the village get education from Government Girls Degree College and Sadiq Faqeer Degree College. Whereas, Amar Jagdesh Kumar Malani Government High School North Colony Mithi and Government High School Mithi are the high schools for boys in the region.

In addition to these, the government has also developed an Elementary College of Education, a College for Technical Education. Furthermore, the NED University campus is also accessible for young enthusiasts seeking higher education. Thus, the village presents a good academic setup.

Religious Harmony in Mithi Village

Multiple ongoing research works have revealed unique findings regarding the social setup of this village with a Hindu majority. The heartwarming behavior of both communities for one another took researchers by surprise.

The results of some major case studies would also surprise you. The results were equivocal for the visitors who went with some supplies of food and water to help the locals during the period of drought. You can never imagine Hindu fasting in the holy month of Ramazan.

Well, if you are residing in Mithi village, you will find all Hindus fasting alongside the Muslim community. They fast to show their unity and respect for their religious beliefs and customs. To your surprise, the Muslim community also pays respect to the Hindu inhabitants. Muslims don’t slaughter cows during the entire year as the Hindus take a cow as a sacred animal.

Mithi Village is not a place for you if you are a lover of hunter beef and beef cheeseburgers. These culinary choices would hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community living in Mithi. Moving onwards, Muslims avoid celebrations in respect of the holy month of Muharram. The Hindu community of Mithi observes the same respect and honor for this month. They don’t arrange any marriage celebrations during this period of the year.

That is not all. The Hindus take one step ahead in preparing food for the Muslims to arrange their Iftaari. Both the communities tend to exchange sweets during their religious festivals such as Eid, Karwa Chauth, and Diwali etc.

Hindu and Muslim Religious Festivals and Celebrations

You never would have thought some Hindu would be the organizer of religious gatherings in the holy month of Muharram. Mithi will perplex your mind again as the Hindus are leading the way. They stand beside the Muslim community helping them out in arranging the processions. The arrangement and organizing gathering is one thing. Leading is another but the Hindus of Mithi are also leading the Ashura processions in the village.

Another Muslim case study from the region reported that the Hindus do not ring the bells in their temples. This happens when the Muslims are offering prayers in the mosque. Likewise, you won’t hear Azaan on loudspeakers when Hindus are worshipping. Everyone celebrates the Holi festival irrespective of their differences. Also, no one eats in public during the holy month of Ramazan.

The aforementioned scenarios provide multiple examples of religious harmony and tolerance among community members despite their differences.

Related: Raj Kumar Gujar – fostering religious harmony in Pakistan

Conclusion

Pakistan has generally been presented as a terrorist state. The idea is that minorities are forcibly converted to accept Islam irrespective of their consent. Muslims are presented as the people destroying temples, gurdwaras, and churches. If Mithi Village sounds like a utopia to you, it is time to fasten your seatbelts. You must pay a visit to this place.