The dreamy willow – I haven’t seen it myself. But it is said that a long time ago in Gwadar, there was a willow near a huge shrine. The shrine still exists but we can’t find the willow anywhere. When I asked about the willow, I got three different answers about it. Some said there was a river near this willow where women used to come to get water for their homes. The loony men who accompanied the women would doze off while waiting for their female family members to come back. Others told a rather different story. Whenever the passers-by stopped here for resting, they tied their camels and slept under the willow. That’s why it is called the dreamy willow.
But most of the people were favouring another story associated with the willow. When the male members of a family went for journeys, they often used to go missing. Then a baby girl was brought and made to sleep under this willow in hopes that she would get a dream about the whereabouts of the men. Whatever that small baby girl had seen was accurate. That’s why it is called the dreamy willow.
A research of Balochi literature written by AR Dad is translated into English by Ali Jan Maqsood. The writer is a teacher at DELTA Academy Turbat and a regular student at Atta Shad Degree College Turbat.
Published in Daily Times, February 16th 2018.