Book Review of Sair Registan - By Rebecca Ursani

Book Review of Sair Registan

Reviewed by Rebecca Ursani

This book Sair Registan written by renown writer and educationist Mohammad Ismail Ursani in 1976 is all about clearing the misconceptions people usually have regarding Thar and desert.  Upon hearing the word desert, our mind draws an image of a place that has nothing more than just the sand all over. No magnificence at all, having only salty water, drought and faded trees and plants. To clear this doubt is the aim of the writer of this book. Ursani has given much importance on considering all the blessings God has blessed us in our surroundings. His creations are so vast that it is almost impossible for mankind to sum it up or to describe it in words.
The writer has mentioned all the details and uniqueness of all those things from Thar that we cannot even imagine. He has highlighted all the aspects of Thar, of which most of the population is unaware.

Thar, people of Thar, lifestyle and a lot more is written in such a way that the reader can actually picturize the text. Mohammad Ismail Ursani spent seventeen years of his life in Thar which made him write all about Thar and its beauty. According to the writer, during rainfall, Thar is known as the Kashmir of Sindh province.

The book begins with the meaning of the word Thar which is different in different languages. In one language Thar means the Malai of milk when heated up and there are more meanings in more languages. The second thing talked about in this book is the area of Thar district. Previously there used to be three divisions of Thar, Deplo, Mitihi and NangarParkar out of which Nangarparkar is known as the biggest division area wise. After the area, the mounds of sand have been highlighted. What actually are mounds of sand, what type are they, what is their usage and how were they made at first place. The mounds of sand are huge and dangerous that one is on pins and needles while climbing it along with the camel. When climbing the mound, the height goes unnoticed but after we look back then we realize how far and high we have climbed. The description of trees and plants of Thar in this book is so fascinating that the reader will not ever think of those plants as ordinary ones.

While writing about the trees, the writer thinks that those who have not visited Thar in their life, they will think the land of Thar is same as that of Sindh which actually is way alluvial and way heavenly which grows different sort of plants and colorful trees of which we cannot imagine.Basically there are four very well-known trees in Thar i.e. Kando (thorn). Kanbhat, Wango (cucumber) and Jyar.

Together with trees, the writer has put forward the information of small plants as well which are Akk, Thohar, Phog, Morari, Baeri, Beryun and many others.Every tree and plant has its own usage and importance and their availability in different areas is also described in this book along with lots of pros and cons of every single plant. Furthermore, the hospitality that people of Thar give is incredible. They forget about their hunger and put everything available in home before their guests. They don’t let their guests go empty handed.
In the end the writer claims that if the people of Thar like and enjoy this book then the photographs of some unique places of Thar will be posted in the block in future.

Rebecca Ursani, BS-III, Department of Media & Communication Studies, University of Sindh Jamshoro.
Roll number: 2K14/MC/81

Writing Skill practical work, carried under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi