A Brush with History

Stone facades crying out loud, 
Hidden tales laced with tears,
Muffled echoes tug at my heart,
Grief prevails, the city fears.

A battle between hope and loss,
What if we break the ties?
Would we hold onto our past?
Or shall parts of us just drift by?

I hear the city. I hear the melancholic song it sings. I hear echoes of the past and I hear the silent cries begging compassion. I hear it and I want others to hear it too. The city that once boasted of beautiful architecture, is now saddened by negligence and oblivion. 

It is true that most of our architectural heritage is from the colonial times which some may argue was not exactly the era one would want to remember. A reminder of the invasion and takeover, most of these buildings represent the Venetian, Italianate, Gothic or Gothic Revival style of architecture. Very little of Islamic architectural features are present in what we call our heritage. But it is still part of our city, part of us. Many monuments that were built during the British Raj were removed; for instance, Queen Victoria's statue in front of Frere Hall. But we must understand that anything beautiful, with a certain character, that was part of our history, must be saved and restored. 

Many smaller clusters in the old neighbourhoods are suffocating with the emergence of modern architecture that has appeared with no regard for the historic fabric of these quarters or the scale that must be kept in mind while building anything new in these areas.

I urge my fellow Karachiites to look around them and see the stone assets that the city is dotted with. They are still attractive, and they are ours. The first step would not be to just go ahead and try to save them. The first step would be to take time out to venture into the historic districts of the city and admire these beauties. Unless we feel a sense of belonging and responsibility towards our city, we will not be motivated to move forward with vigour and  determination. Please introduce the local architecture to your children and try to get acquainted with it yourself too. This is what is left of our past and breaking ties with our past weakens our present and leads to a hollow future that lacks identity and individuality. Feel for Karachi and work for it, together!

Bridge the Gap! Start from Burns Road!

Burns Road! The informal food street of Karachi! One that has the potential of turning into a more customer/pedestrian friendly, organized and attractive spot for people to come and enjoy the delicacies of the local cuisine, from all parts of town. Most of my friends from a certain part of town wrinkle up their noses at the mere mention of Burns Road. It is not because they think any less of the food there but more because of a mindset - the other side of the bridge. Often it is the haphazard layout of the food stalls and badly managed traffic that keeps them from going there. But my dear friends! You have absolutely no idea what you are missing! Karachi Haleem, an ultimate favourite has never disappointed me. The sectioned plate of garnish that is served with it adds to the flavour. Then the carefully individually packed shahi tukras! The rabri to appease my crazy sweet tooth, the fried fish fingers and the bun kababs, the best there are! To be blessed with such scrumptiousness and not avail it is being unfair to our own selves. The delectable flavours are not the only attractive feature of the place. Burns Road is nothing but colorful though smog-smeared clusters of commercial cum residential buildings. Many of them exude warmth, friendliness and a strange appeal to the passersby. The secret of enjoying this is to stop for a moment and listen to their unsung songs of desolation. They are trying to reach out to us in hope of being saved. They are urging us to listen to what secrets they hold. They are hoping to entice us with aromas and flavours. They are hanging on to a tiny shred of hope that we can see through the stone facades and unite to retain their character. 

As for the excuse that it's noisy and congested and just so full of smoke, I must draw attention to the fact that all parts of Karachi cannot be the same. That is the beauty of it. The plethora of sounds and colours, the interesting wares, the different styles of architecture in individual buildings as well as smaller tightly packed clusters, all add to the character of this city. The haphazardness is the beauty of this place. I for one do not want to be living in a place that has identical apartment buildings lying parallel to each other with no old world charm, no history. A lot can be done to improve the general condition of Karachi; traffic, cleanliness as the prior issues to be dealt with and conservation and restoration after that. We just need to get together, understand our responsibility as a citizen and work for the betterment and improvement of this city. After all, aren't we the same people who abide by the traffic rules and do not throw trash on the roadside when we visit other countries? We do it out of fear of being fined, why can't we do it out of love for our hometown and a general civic sense? 

Dig deep in your hearts and you will discover great love for the city you call home.

The intricate architectural details add to the charm 

Such charming clusters should be preserved and looked after

The interesting grillework on each of the balconies is different from the usual that we see 

Sajji!!!

The tall Corinthian columns give a distinctive character to an otherwise unkempt structure

I can well imagine what a beautiful balcony this must be once! Can you?

Diagonally opposite NED City Campus, this is a semi gutted building with a unique dome that makes it stands apart from the rest of the buildings on the road

Echoes of the past

The Ruins that should have been preserved a long time back

Not many know what delicious Gulab Jamuns Bhasani is known for, with khoya on top

Early Morning Karachi...

A walk in the old neighbourhoods of Karachi might not be for the faint-hearted, but it's a joy nevertheless. The best time to explore these areas is early morning since the town starts awakening much after the sun rises. One of the biggest perks of being part of Reimagining Karachi is the fact that I get to see the real Karachi, walking around the old neighbourhoods that form an important part of history. I trail my hand on the yellow brick walls, trying to listen to the gentle murmurs, the soft whispers that are embedded in these walls. I fearlessly walk through the dense, tightly packed commercial areas in these quarters that are considered 'unsafe' by most people around me and try to merge myself in the noise, the vibe of the place. I travel through time once there, imagining myself as part of the smallish crowd that once walked down the Victoria Road, McLeod Road and Elphinstone Street. I embrace the vibrant aura that surrounds the busy bazaars and streets of my beautiful city.
Last Tuesday was another such trip that I took very early morning to avoid the morning rush and to be able to explore the city on foot. A government official from the Antiquity Department, truly sympathetic to the cause, joined me. Jehangir Kothari Building was the first on our list and what a wise choice! The landmark building still has the potential to attract a lot of attention if restored. An interesting encounter with a Parsi gentleman there revealed that the late Sir Jehangir Kothari used to sit in the offices right underneath the tower of the building. An old chowkidar who had been guarding the building for the last 37 years, in succession to his father; had more stories to tell. The once beautiful courtyard is now used to house thaylas of old clothes and other wares for safekeeping, yet it exudes a certain majestic air. The tower as the most interesting feature of the building still stands tall and the offices are now occupied by lawyers.
Our next stop was Elphinstone Street. Not much needs to be said about this once fashionable district of the city as the architecture speaks volumes itself. Old Ilaco House, Mohammad Ali Building, Nusserwanjee Building, not to forget the smaller equally interesting buildings on the same stretch. The clusters on Elphinstone street are a delight to see early morning when one can just walk down the road, enjoying the peace that there is just before the mad traffic takes over and the air fills with smoke.
As always, my early morning adventure deepened the sense of belonging to this city. I have been and always will be a true Karachiite, and I so wish for the people around me to realize the beauty it is endowed with.

Old Ilaco House

Mohammad Ali Building