Even After Five Thousand Years… The Flowing Waters of the Indus

Shariq Ali
Valueversity

A part of my childhood was spent in Hyderabad, Sindh. Crossing the Indus River was a routine part of life. We often went for picnics to places like Al-Manzar or Al-Jazeera, where the view of the river was deeply moving. Our uncle lived in Jamshoro. Whether we were visiting him or heading to Karachi, we would cross the bridges at Jamshoro or Kotri.

Whether in its turbulent, flood-like state or its calm serenity during dry seasons, the river always left an impression.

Perhaps that’s why the Indus Valley Civilization has always been close to my heart. It’s a civilization that, thousands of years before Rome and Athens, had already adopted principles of urban planning, sanitation, agriculture, and trade—principles that still astonish modern societies today.

One fascinating fact is that even today, the flat-bottomed boats used near Mohenjo-daro to ferry people across the river are exactly like the ones carved on Indus seals. A molded tablet shows a boat with a thatched hut, a reed roof, two birds, and twin oars at the back—precisely the design still in use today. This is no coincidence. It is called cultural continuity—breathing life of a civilization that still flows alongside the river.

The people of the Indus followed complex practices such as standardized measurement tools, covered drainage systems, and dual-crop farming. Their agricultural strategies, flood management systems, and metallurgical expertise were so advanced that even today’s researchers view them with awe.

My friend, the Indus River, is not merely a stream of water. It is a flowing page of history. For millions like me, it is a personal memory—a childhood companion who remains just as he always was.