Daily Times

The dwarf palm is a kind of plant which is present in the mountains of Balochistan and it is being used for several purposes.

As a majority of the population of Balochistan is dwelling in villages or rural areas and who are mostly dependent on this plant namely feature or dwarf palm. We Baloch of rural areas cut dwarf palm in mountains and put them in a open ground to make them dry, and later bring these with the aid of camels at villages, where we use them to build huts, kitchens, a kind of hut built in courtyard for shadow that’s all sides are open, and etc. The process of building of kitchens, huts, and kapur is namely called ‘kumbband’ in Balochi language. When the dwarf palms are cut and dried in a open area are called ‘kumb’ and these are use for kumbbund only not the undried ones.

In addition, from this very plant, a number of things are being manufactured or made for our daily usage. Some of the things in pure Balochi language are cheluk, kacho, saptuk, teech, lauch, shahem, sawas, tagerd, mosulla, kuula, and multiple other things are being produced by this dwarf palm.

Cheluk is a kind of rope which is prepared from fresh dwarf palm or pesh in local Balochi language. It’s used in making beds, huts, kitchens and many other things. The traditional Balochi shoes, sawas are also being made by its aid. Prayer mats and regular mats are also made by this. Kuula are the hats which we wear in sunny days and shaeem, which villagers use for weighing things are also produced by a dwarf palm

Cheluk is a kind of rope which is prepared from fresh dwarf palm or pesh in local Balochi language. It’s used in making beds, huts, kitchens and many other things. The traditional Balochi shoes, sawas are also being made by its aid. Prayer mats and regular mats are also made by this. Kuula are the hats which we wear in sunny days and shaeem, which villagers use for weighing things are also produced by a dwarf palm.

Besides, the brooms are used for cleaning homes and the luuchs are use for bringing crops or other plants from gardens for goats, cows, camels and other animals feeding are the products of dwarf palm.

And, many more things we Baloch make from this plant aid us in Hamen, too means the season of dates. Such as gorpat which we put the dates to make them dry, sundh is use to cover the hosh of dates from falling down, toree as well a kind of hard and thick rope which assist us to climb into big date-palms.

Moreover, the hand pan is also made by this feature for fanning ourselves. And, other two more things such heshkerani and tagar are made to throw stones on the birds which eat the wheat and oats.

The girls and women put their clothes which they are sewing in a product of dwarf palm namely katore.

Pesh or dwarf palm is really a blessing plant which is helpfulness for us in many ways of life.

What people don’t know is that a large number of people are able to eat everyday because of a dwarf palm. They go to mountains with camels, cut the dwarf palms and sell it to the people of villages to run their houses and even to educate their children about it.

The writer is a student and can be reached at waheedwahid774@gmail.com