Renala Khurd

Renala Khurd (Punjabi,Urdu: رِينالہ خُورد), is a growing city of Okara District in the north east of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is the headquarters of Renala Khurd Tehsil - an administrative subdivision of the district. Its approximate height above sea level is about 570 feet (170 m). It is located at 30°53'N 73°36'E and is about 116 kilometres (72 mi) away from Lahore and 18 kilometres (11 mi) away from the district capital Okara city towards south-west of Lahore on national highway (GT Road) and on Lahore Karachi main railway line. Eastern time zone of Renala Khurd is UTC+5+6DT.

History

Renala Khurd city was established in 1914. Before that time, Mughal king Akbar along with his son Saleem and the royal entourage stayed in Dipalpur and passed through this region to pay homage to saint Hazrat Farid Ganj Shakar in 1578. Akbar named the corridor as 'Bari Doab' by combining the syllables of the names of two rivers, Beas and Ravi, that bounded the belt.

Previously in this region there were acres of barren and unirrigated land with trees of malah, and it was formerly known as Malah Walah. A part of Renala Khurd is naturally deprived of the underground sweet water. People in this region rely on canals as the main source of irrigation, as tube-wells, unlike other parts of the district, only pour out salty water which spoils the land. Traces are also found of a long range of ruins, called dhaya in local language, which, according to popular myth, are the remains of some unknown ancient city which may have been engulfed by the river Biyas. These ruins give a mysterious look – something like a blend of desert and tiny hills, and also serve as the hideout for thieves and robbers.

In 1849, the British occupied this area. The British Indian army built Canal Loar-Bari-Doo-Aab and colonies with the help of imported migrant labour employed to clear and develop the forest and scrub land. In the era of the British Raj, brilliant irrigation network of canals were established all over the Punjab and extending into Sindh.

After the 1947 partition, the Pakistan Army took control of the major portion of irrigated land left by the army of the British Raj on which it established its own farms and maintaining the tenants. One of the largest of these farms is that in Okara, spread over 17,000 acres (69 km²) of prime land.

The peasant migrants were promised ownership once it was rendered arable, but as it turned out to be the most fertile and rich of the provinces; the army reconsidered, retained ownership of the land and settled the migrants as tenants. In 1913, Renala Khurd Stud State Farm leased out 5,000 acres (20 km²) of land to the Punjab government to cater to the needs of the army for horses, fodder and dairy products, and the tenancy agreements continued. Renala Khurd is famous for its horses, and horses from Renala Khurd Stud State Farm have won international derby races many times.

Agriculture

Renala Khurd is home to the food processing company "Mitchell's Fruit Farms Limited". It has orchards of guava & citrus running b/w the lower bari doab canal and the Multan Road, for about 8 miles all the way up to Okara bypass. This region is also well known as a major producer of sugarcane & rice. These crops can be cultivated due to abundance of water supplied by the lower bari doab canal & smaller water channels.

In winter many small farmers set up traditional ways of processing sugar cane. They extract its juice and add soda to produce molasses.

Climate

Most areas in Renala Khurd experience fairly cool winters, often accompanied by rain. By mid-February the temperature begins to rise; springtime weather continues until mid-April, when the summer heat sets in.

The onset of the southwest monsoon is anticipated to reach Renala Khurd by May, but since the early 1970s the weather pattern has been irregular. The spring monsoon has either skipped over the area or has caused it to rain so hard that floods have resulted. June and July are oppressively hot. Although official estimates rarely place the temperature above 46 °C, newspaper sources claim that it reaches 51 °C and regularly carry reports about people who have succumbed to the heat. In August the oppressive heat is punctuated by the rainy season, referred to as barsat, which brings relief in its wake. The hardest part of the summer is then over, but cooler weather does not come until late October.

Demographics

Renala Khurd, encompassing a radius of 7 km, is home to 72,724 people. The population of Renala Khurd is over 99% Muslim with a Sunni majority and Shia minority; there are also small non-Muslims groups of Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. Because of its strategic location in the Indian sub-continent, wave after wave of migrants poured into the area and settled on its fertile lands and today, although originally belonging to the Aryan stock, the people of Renala Khurd are descendants of the Iranians, Turks, Afghans and Arabs who came individually or in groups.

The major language spoken in the Renala Khurd is Punjabi (which is written in Perso-Arabic script, known as Shahmukhi in Pakistan) and Punjabis make up the largest ethnic group (overlap into neighbouring India). Punjabis themselves are a heterogeneous group comprising different tribes and communities, although caste in Renala Khurd has more to do with traditional occupations such as blacksmiths or artisans as opposed to rigid social stratifications.

The most important tribes within Renala Khurd include Rajpoots, Syeds, Jats, Arain, Gujjars and Gakhars. Smaller tribes include the Awans, Rawns, Kamiyanas,Kambohs and Maliks. In addition, there is a significant shift towards the usage of Urdu by the educated classes of the province.

The Punjabi dialects spoken in this region of the land have a common vocabulary and a shared heritage. The shared heritage also extends to a common faith, Islam. The people of Renala Khurd have also a shared spiritual experience, which has been disseminated by Tassawwaf and can be witnessed on the occasion of the Urs (remembrance ceremonies in October) held for the Sufi Saints Hazrat Khawaja Abdus Samad at Basiti Hazoor Sahib, Renala Khurd, Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al-Hajweri (also known as Data Ganj Bukhsh) at Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir at Lahore, Shaikh Farid Shakar Ganj at Pakpattan, Hazrat Bahaudin Zakria at Multan, Sakhi Sarwar Sultan at Dera Ghazi Khan, Shah Hussain at Lahore, Hazrat Bulleh Shah at Kasur and Hazrat Imam Bari (Bari Shah Latif) at Rawalpindi-Islamabad.

Amenities

Renala Khurd is accessible through the historic LAHORE-KARACHI ROAD (N-5) and Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of transportation for commuters in Renala Khurd. The railway connects the farthest corners of the country and brings them closer to Renala Khurd for business, sight seeing and education. The Renala Khurd Railway Station is located in the east side of the city, which was built during the British Colonial era. There are three railway gates in Renala Khurd. The city also contains a post office and two police stations (City Police Station and Sadar Police Station).TMA tehsil municipality and one historical grid station station (sir ganga ram hydel power satation) two higher secondary schools for both boys and girls,two degree colleges for men and women and many other educational institutions of national and international standards.Muhammad Ashraf Bhatti was the first student from higher secondary school, who became civil engineer in 1966 from UET lahore.Except him many doctors,engineers and civil servants are belonging to this city,which are serving to the Nation.

Ghalla Mandi (Grain Market)

Ghalla Mandi (Grain Market) Renala Khurd was established in 1914. Renala Khurd is important Tehsil of Okara. It has a popular Ghalla Mandi (Grain Market) of Punajab which is Akhtarabad Ghalla Mandi (Grain Market). One of the first Physicians to start practicing in Renala Khurd, Dr Zaka Ullah, had his office in the Ghalla Mandi. Dr. Muhammad Afzal Bhatti is most qualified and specialist doctor from this town specialized in gastroenterology and hepatology.

Renala State Military Farm

The Renala State Military Farm was formerly known as Glaxo. A quarter of a century ago, Glaxo was a small British firm with its origins in the dried-milk, cream and butter business and most of its sales in antibiotics, respiratory drugs and nutritional supplements, which is now called Military Farms. It supplies milk packs for the entire Pakistan Army. Renala State Military Farms milk factory is located in Sathghara.

Renala Hydral Power Station

Renala Hydral Power Station is one of most popular hydral stations of Pakistan and it is situated on Canal Loar-Bari-Doo-Aab. Sir Ganga Ram (1851–1927), a civil engineer and leading philanthropist of his time, established Renala Hydral Power Station in 1925. In 1873, after a brief Service in Punjab P.W.D, he devoted himself to practical farming. He obtained on lease from the government 50,000 acres (200 km²) of barren, unirrigated land in Montgomery District, and within three years converted that vast desert into smiling fields, irrigated by water lifted by a hydroelectric plant and running through a thousand miles of irrigation channels, all constructed at his own cost. This was the biggest private enterprise of the kind, unknown and unthought of in the country before. Sir Ganga Ram earned millions, most of which he gave to charity. In the words of Sir Malcolm Hailey, the Governor of Punjab at the time, "he won like a hero and gave like a Saint, Rao Muhammad Irfan Falak Muslim Town ".

A students' union, student government, free student union, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges, and universities and many high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizational activities, representation and academic support of the membership.

Religious places

• jamea msjid Amar Bin Yasir Tblighi
• Jamea masjidأبی هريرة Abi Hurairah Islamia
• Jamea masjid Al Noor Alrizvia Muslim Town
• Jamea masjid Um ul Qura Housing Scheme
• Jamea Um ul Qura is Masjid of Housing Scheme C Block
• Jamea masjid Usman A-Block
• Jamea masjid Ahsan B-block
• Jamea Aisha Islamia
• Masjid Sultan Ahmed (Gujjar Market Shouqat abad)
• Jamea Masjid Samdia Salamea Basti Hazoor Sahib
• Jamea masjid ghosea rizwea sadar bazar
• Jamea masjid umm-ul-qura housing scheme
• Gol masjid ghalla mandi
• Jamea Mehmodea G T road
• masjid-e-jameel
• Imam bargha bait ul hussain near TMA office
• Jamea fatmea (Shia girls institute)
• Catholic Church of Lady of Fatima
• Chak No. 2/1-L: The most beautiful of world 6 km from Renals Khurd

The Catholic Church (Lady of Fatima Parish) is situated at the Mitchell's fruit farms. There is a nun's convent within the church compound. A boys school, a girls school and a hostel for boys is inside the compound.

This church made international news, when Reverend Father George Ibrahim (aged 38) was killed; he was a serving parish priest. On the early hours of 5 July 2003, at about 2:00 a.m., the parish priest of the Catholic Church at the Mitchell’s Fruit Farms, and his cook Pervaiz Maish were lying in the patio after returning from the DHQ (District Head Quarters) Hospital in Okara around midnight. He had visited the hospital to inquire about Father Isaac’s health. Half a dozen assailants entered his house and killed him on resisting.