By GR Junejo
Mithi: The people of Thar Desert are seen happy in the prolonged lockdown, as the wild fruit Peroon has grown in abundance across the district, which abounds with Ja’ar trees producing this fruit.
The nature has blessed Thar Desert with lots of treasures – the natural resources like coal, China Clay, granite etc. and the fauna and flora, which are known worldwide. One of the nature’s gifts to the people of Thar Desert during the scorching summer is Peroon (Capparis Decidua), the wild fruit grown in Ja’ar or Liyar trees when the hot winds start blowing. It is a small much-branched tree or shrub of arid regions. It is a mass of slender, leafless branches, the small leaves being found only on young shoots.
The Peroon are generally of brown and yellowish green colors, very sweet in taste, and favorite of humans and animals alike. When the scorching weather with hot winds begins, the Peroon grow on Ja’ar trees’ branches in abundance across the desert. The picturesque scenes could be witnessed early in the morning when the Thari women leave their homes in groups to collect the Peroon.
The wild fruit is a great source of livelihood for the people of Thar Desert, as they not only consume the fresh fruit but also get it dried and store for their hard days. The Thari people also sell the Peroon in local market of the towns. It’s also presented to the friends and relatives as gift.
Another utility of the wild fruit is that the Thari people produce Gurr (Jaggery) from it, which is generally produced from sugarcane juice in rest of the areas of Sindh.
