July 31, 2004

An interesting controversy broke out some time ago. A private cultural organization is building a monument to Alexander of Macedonia, while Dr Mubarak Ali, the well-known historian, criticized as inexplicable (and intolerable) the practice of referring to the Greek conqueror as “the Great,” especially on the part of those whose ancestors he defeated and destroyed. For the first time someone from the area over-run by Alexander had thought of putting up a memorial to him, and it was also the first time that a historian balked at the habit of eulogizing him for his so-called greatness.

Some people believe that the spirits of the dead never rest and keep hovering up in the heavens in some sort of space reserved for them. From there they keep a watch on us mortals. To what purpose? I cannot say. They never seem to succeed in stopping their dear and near ones on earth from making fools of themselves and greedily collecting wealth which they leave behind when they fly heavenwards. No baggage is allowed on this flight.

If what they say about spirits is true, the spirit of Alexander must be mighty pleased these days to see a monument to him coming up in the hills at the eastern-most end of his empire which falls in this part of the world. Yes, this is what the Alexander Monument & Research Centre being built at Jalalpur Sharif in district Jhelum is all about — to perpetuate the memory of the historic visit.

The project is being implemented by the Cultural Heritage & Afforestation Preservation Society (Chaaps), an NGO started by a gentleman called Syed Arshad Sadiq, a retired commodore of the Pakistan Navy who belongs to the area and is also an avid collector and connoisseur of antiques. He is so impressed by Alexander’s personality that, with advice tendered by Professor A.H. Dani, he initiated work on the building and got the Greek ambassador in Pakistan to lay its foundation stone.

It all began in September 1996 when the annual cultural caravan of the Archaeological & Historical Association of Islamabad (the now famous brainchild of Ghazanfar Mehdi) led by Dr Dani visited the site of Alexander’s camp in village Jalalpur Sharif, and Arshad Sadiq played host to the participants. The caravan also comprised a fair number from the diplomatic community in Islamabad, including the Greek envoy. The host talked about his ambition to build the monument and research centre and was enthusiastically encouraged by Dr Dani and the ambassador.

Arshad Sadiq’s contention was that while everyone in the subcontinent knew about Alexander’s conquering march and his battle with Porus, the brave local raja, hardly any information was available about his social and cultural contact between the East and West, about the Greeks who stayed on in what was to become Pakistan after more than 2,000 years, and about how the educated among them continued to exchange ideas with their hosts for a long time to come.

One idea of the cultural influence can be had from the fact that occasionally the Gandhara statuary portraying the Buddha has a decided similarity with the form taken by faces and hair styles in Greek statues. This could only have come about if there had been descendants of the Greeks among the sculptors in the monasteries and courts of the Gandhara kings. It is to explore these exchanges that Arshad Sadiq wants international scholars to come to the research centre where living accommodation will be provided. You can take it from me that Prof Mubarak Ali will never go there.

While it may take many years for the research centre to become functional and establish its scholarly utility, it is through Chaaps that the ex-naval officer is bent upon a face-lift for his native place located on River Jhelum. A computer centre, as part of the face-lift, has already started work for the young men of the area. Apart from much-needed afforestation, the objectives before his NGO are to identify neglected archaeological sites and ancient habitations, encourage and assist the owners of adjoining lands to maintain the approaches to these sites, and to identify spots of historical interest like battlefields, camp sites, river crossings, etc.

The fact is that once upon a time this part of the Salt Range was a flourishing area, but owing to lack of local work opportunities it gradually got drained of valuable human material and now consists of small scattered villages. Bad roads and shortage of water have added to its desolation. Were it not for the presence of the mausoleum of Syed Ghulam Haider Ali Shah, a highly venerated pir who died in 1908, which is visited by hundreds of thousands of his devotees, the place would have been written off. The last resting place of the pir sahib is a magnificent structure, 150 feet tall, and imparts a kind of spiritual aura to the locality and its permanent population.

The hillock on which the mazar is situated is believed to be the place where Alexander buried his favourite mount Bucephalus. (This distinction is also claimed for a number of other points in Gandhara region falling in Punjab, i.e. east of the Indus.) Incidentally, sporadic private excavations in the area have yielded many ancient artefacts, including a beautiful terra cotta statuette dated to 1200 BC. Alexander’s invasion took place in 320 BC.

No official aid is available for the construction of the monument and all the money is coming from private contributions. The land has been donated by Commodore Arshad Sadiq himself, and he has put up a special wall that will carry plaques bearing the names of donors. Before his downfall, Dr Qadeer Khan was an enthusiastic votary of the project and gave a handsome amount for it, so did the Greek embassy. Incongruously Dr A.Q. Khan had also got installed a full-scale model of a Ghauri missile on the site. Or perhaps appropriately, as a “tribute” to the ancient warrior prince of Greece.

Is Arshad Sadiq adding to the heritage in Pakistan in a roundabout manner? Anyway, the Alexander Monument & Research Centre should be a living expression of the initiative and enterprise of a citizen who combines in himself a love of culture and the desire to do good things for his community. It is an accepted fact that really significant developments in the field of culture come only from concerned individuals or private organizations. The culture ministry, with its purely bureaucratic approach, is unable even to establish a rapport with artistic talent in the country. However, after a long time, the current federal secretary, Abbas Jilani, is said to have a tremendous feeling for things cultural and much is expected of him.

You can’t blame the minister or the secretary or any of the top officers for the stilted and routine attitude of the ministry. They don’t appoint themselves. Naturally you can’t have painters or actors or musicians in these positions, but if, as the executive government, you have any sense, you can take care to post politicians and officers who take personal interest in one or more manifestations of culture. The National Assembly and the bureaucracy are not lacking in such people. Unless that is done the ministry will never be able even to exercise passable supervision over the various arts bodies under it.