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!