THIS is with reference to the report ‘Monsoon haunts damaged Mohenjo Daro again’ (June 27). It was actually the photo-graph accompanying the said report that caught my eye. We love to mention Mohenjo Daro with great pride to stress our civil-isational roots dating back 5,000 years. The photo prompted me to reflect on the function and utility of civilisation.

Recently, after the rains, much of Sindh once again faced the same perennial problems — inundated roads and prolonged power outages. In Phase V of Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area, the residents were without electricity throughout the night and into the morning hours until 10am due to unexplained technical fault that K-Electric (KE) could not rectify overnight.

Watching the said photograph, I really wondered if we are truly the heirs to a 5,000-year-old civilisation that introduced the world’s first sewerage system. We take pride in our heritage; we wear ajrak, and celebrate the Sindhi Culture Day. But why does this ancient civilisation seem to have no influence on present-day Sindh at either individual or societal level?

Beyond crumbling infrastructure, our education, healthcare and general living standards fail to reflect that we are de-scendants of a once-thriving and advanced civilisation.

What is the function and relevance of a civilisation if it does not at all shape our behaviour, values and systems today?

Asghar Soomro
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2025