I am very much concerned about the architects of Choras or Chaunras who have strong understanding of their context, supreme ways of expressing emotion and rich aesthetic values. This blog is meant to acknowledge the people—the subaltern—living in the deserts of Pakistan. These (subaltern) are those people who ‘live on the fringes of history’ as Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak said, who have got no place in history.
Next to mosque near Gate 3 of Lok Virsa, there are two structures representing Pakistani culture. When you close to them one is labeled as Chora and other as Otaq. Let’s not mention Otaq—a place for the guests in Sindh, but Chora or Chaunro.
Chaunro is a Sindhi term used for a typical house round in plan with conical thatched roof commonly found in the Desert (Cholistan and Thar) of Pakistan. It is made of mud and straw or reeds. The walls of the rooms and courtyard are plastered with mud and have decorations.
In the whole process of building a Chaunro both men and women play their part. But normally men do the construction work however women make it look beautiful by painting and decorating the walls and designing a place for cooking in the courtyard.
One can notice on the walls of the Chaunro beautiful paintings of animal, birds and tress and variety of geometrical designs. These symbolic representations give insights into the life-ways and history of the inhabitants of desert.
Sirat Gohar
Consultant Cultural Historian
National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage-Lok Virsa.
