4 out of 5 stars

The publisher provided a copy of this, free of charge, in return for an honest review.

Contrary to my initial expectations, Mister Peacock is not a bird. Rather, he is a crocodile. And a big one at that; fifteen feet long and supposedly of a great age. The pool he lives in is by Mangho Pir’s Shrine, a space that was originally shared by both pilgrims and crocodiles, however after a few incidents, a wall was erected so pilgrims could undertake their rituals without being eaten.
It is an auspicious start to Mayne’s explorations of the saints and mystical Sufi shrines of the Indus valley in Pakistan.

Mayne takes the train to Sehwan; he is heading to the house of Pir Gul Muhammad Shah, after a distinguished gentleman promised him an introduction. Alighting from the train, he finds a tonga driver and asks him to take him to the address.

Arriving outside, he is hoping that the introduction letter has arrived prior to him, if not he will be looking for other accommodation. It had and he was welcomed and put up in the Otaq, a guest house that is separate from the main accommodation. He is keen to get on and see the sign, but as an honoured guest, he has to be attended by servants who are there to cater for his every need.

He does eventually make it to the shrine and manages to sit contemplating life the universe and everything, while watching specks of dust floating in the beams of sunlight streaming through. The place is really busy, with lots of people popping in for their own reflective moments. It is so relaxing that he dozes for while, before a cleaner comes and moves him on.

While his appreciates the accommodation, it is not the easiest place to stay. He tries to get out when possible and walks around the town and then out to another tomb that overlooks a dried riverbed. After a short while, he makes the decision to leave and shocks his hosts. They think that he is unwell and call in a masseur to care a treat him. Mayne is slightly intimidated by the size of the guy who turns up, but makes to make his excuses and leaves.

Following a conversation about hermaphrodites with a man called Terence, Mayne goes to the Ghazi Baba Shrine next. He passes and dervish on the way in, and climbs up past a tree that is filled with all manner of objects throughout its branches.

The next shrine is laid out in a style similar to the others that he has seen in the region. The only difference with this shrine is that the wind causes it to vibrate and resonate. He sits with the dervish for a while contemplating life, and then the Pir Sahib arrives. He insists on showing Mayne around.

Mayne’s next shrine is Pagàro. He had visited it first a while ago. He feels it is a dead place; the few people there are reluctant to engage with a stranger like him. The courtyard is empty and he imagines what it would be like if it was full of people noise and smells. The absence of people didn’t stop it having an element of magic of its own.

This time the 7th Pir had sent a jeep to bring him over. The road there is very dusty and on the journey, him and his companions slowly get paler and paler as the dust settles on them. He settles into the modest accommodation provided. He is soon called for to meet his host, but he ends up sitting and waiting two hours, so decides to go for a walk around the village instead.
The 6th Pir Pagàro had immense power and Mayne takes time to in the book to expand on the history of the man, including much about his imprisonment and subsequent release. However, the man still craved ultimate power and that would be his undoing.

Mayne returned from his walk and still ended up waiting for s short while before being informed that the Pir was now ready to see him. He was a large man who had a calm authority about him.
Mayne heads to a train station, but knowing that there isn’t going to be a train for a while, decides to take a walk. He ends up at Massum’s Tower, where he took the opportunity to climb it to see over the city of Sukkur. He goes for a coffee and ends up bumping into Kaka Sahib. They stop for food and have a long discussion about various things.

I thought that this was a fascinating journey into Pakistan in the 1950s. Mayne is an empathic traveller, curious about the people of the region and their ways. He immerses himself in their way of life with the hope of learning much more about them. Being able to speak the language, means that he brings an extra insight to the narrative that we wouldn’t necessarily get with other travellers and authors. I liked this a lot and thing it is well worth reading.

Spread the love