Reimagining Karachi Goes Junkin'

Yesterday might have been one of the hottest days of the month but it was still not enough to keep some over ambitious ones indoors. So Reimagining Karachi set out for Jet Lines when the sun was at its peak. When we said Reimagining Karachi is a promise, it wasn't merely a claim. It is the promise of a better, more habitable, rejuvenated city, yet one must not overlook the baby steps or the stepping stones as a dear friend calls them. Exploration of the city, sharing trips and experiences and creating awareness are all part of it. Reimagining Karachi is also about experiencing, enjoying and sharing the simple joys that the city offers. And we believe that it is important to enable everyone to revert to supposedly ordinary things extraordinaire.

So off I went junkin'. Now it might be because of a certain project for which we are hunting for recycled furniture that I was so excited about my finds, or it could be because of a personal motto "Recycle, Reuse, Reduce" which has now turned into "Recycle, Reuse, Reimagine", thanks to a dear friend and colleague Talha.

My first stop was Punjab Chowrangi which has now become a hub of vintage furniture, and what treasures one finds there. Old mirror frames propped casually on the floor, lovely jharokas, pure Burma Teak wood consoles, beautifully carved vanities, tiny peerhis (low stools to sit on or perch artifacts), the list is endless. My special interest was in a pair of woven high-backed low chairs with an ethnic tile embedded in the back. Unfortunately, since it was ogled for personal use, the meagre amount left in my purse was not enough to acquire the gorgeous set. Off to another shop or rather the workshop where all the restoring and refinishing of vintage pieces takes place. Of all the pieces that I could have gone for, the one piece I insisted on buying was not for sale and was being used to prop pieces to polish. The blunt 'ye baichnay kay liye nahi hai' was not enough to dampen my spirits. The stubborn streak that I have in me, I kept insisting for a price which ofcourse turned out to be very steep. I wrinkled up my nose at the price, pretended there was no love lost and turned away, secretly trying to push back the one tear that threatened to roll down at the thought of the loss of a Burma Teak table. A long stretch of more shops with haphazard displays of carved treasures provided another delightful hour. 

My next destination was Jet Lines area. Despite its notoriety, it has its own appeal. The entire roadside is laden with wooden goodies. The pavements are chock full of vintage furniture quite in need of restoration yet oozing old world charm. A low wooden bench caught my eye, its most interesting feature being chunky metal rings on the sides. For a mere 1500 rupees it was quite a steal. But the lifelong habit of not buying anything on impulse compelled me to go back home and rethink it. A coffee table, all rickety, seemed very interesting. A potential piece of furniture, perfect for the lounging area was a great bargain. With just the base, all it required was a wooden top which could be done in plywood to cut down cost. Well, at least the base was teak. A perfect sized table that could be used as a conference table was rejected because I realized after careful examination that it was chipwood. No wonder it was for 4000 rupees and with constant haggling could have been brought down to even less. But chipwood! Not even for such a bargain would I go for chipwood. You wouldn't want the chunky table crumbling to pieces within months. 

A few more shops across the road and I was done, the rays of the sun now becoming unbearable but the trip quite fruitful.

Junking is not very common among the privileged. It is however an interesting option which leads to recycling wooden furniture. Not only is it beneficial environmentally but also shows a different side of Karachi. Jet Lines, Liaquat Market, Qayoomabad Main Market, Aram Bagh, Punjab Chowrangi and some parts of Nursery Market are just a few of the many one can explore. The intention might not be to buy vintage furniture but it sure encourages us to venture into discovering parts of the city we are not familiar with. 

I consider Karachi the land of wonders. People from rural areas come to earn a living, local tourists are attracted to the beach, it has the hustle and bustle that is common of a commercial hub, skyscrapers, malls, diverse ethnicities, tastebuds enticing cuisines, all contribute to its character. And that is not all, it also has quaint old neighbourhoods that one fails to notice in the fast-paced life that one leads today. Reimagining Karachi focuses on architectural heritage but at the same time has taken up the responsibility of taking everyone on a journey of exploration and discovery, re-introducing the flavour of Karachi. More on junking later!

The Burma Teak table that was not for sale

Many hidden treasures can be found in this disarray

The rickety table that I will restore to its former glory. Will post the pictures of the restored soon

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

This is Karachi!

I refuse to stop 'reimagining' Karachi, and I refuse to stop trying to make others do the same. We are going through difficult times, agreed! But do we continue to live in oblivion because of that? Do we continue to sit in the comfort of our homes and not work for our city and our people? 

We are living in an age where we bear more responsibility than our ancestors. But are we fulfilling that responsibility? As citizens of this multicultural, cosmopolitan city, and as adults, it is our duty to pull ourselves together during catastrophic times, console and bring our people together, create awareness in our youth about what we own and strive to save our legacy and our heritage. 

Most of us never explore the architecturally and historically important, dense areas of the city's old neighbourhoods. We claim that it is not safe to go there. Pray may I ask, have we stopped going to one of the biggest malls in the city after a recent incident? We say that traffic congestion is a nightmare in these areas which keeps us from going there. May I remind my readers of the road under the Gizri Bridge which has poor traffic management and cars don't drive through but crawl at a snail's speed there. 

Karachi is not just a business hub and a port city; it is a delightful combination of countless different cultures and ethnicities. Along with that, it also boasts of innumerable architectural jewels scattered around the various historical quarters. It is a visual treat to visit most of these areas and in case one wants to avoid the traffic and congestion, then Sunday mornings are the perfect time to visit them. It gives you a chance to admire the intricacies of the craftsmanship that these old structures bear. 

Karachi is not hip restaurants and busy cafes only, it is quaint shops tightly packed together in busy bazaars also. It is not just a city of high-rise buildings, but also one with grand though derelict old mansions. This place is not all about cheese-dripping pizzas and pretentious portions of continental platters, but also early morning halwa puri, paye, nihari and bun kababs. Karachi is vibrant, vivacious, though quiet and sad at times. It is busy, dense, noisy, full of smoke that is emitted from the ever-increasing vehicles; but it is ours! Ours to build, ours to save, ours to care for and ours to be proud of! Let's not give up on it!

This is Karachi!

Bunder Road

Frere Hall

Mohatta Palace

Burns Road

Khori Garden

S.M. Government Science College, Burns Road

Burns Road

Empress Market

Max Denso Hall & Library

Merewether Tower, I I Chundrigar Road

The Captivating World of Botal Gali

Shelves upon shelves of old dusty bottles of every shape, size and colour; innumerable tiny glass forms heaped in sacks and crates outside the shops; coloured glass glistening in the sun, forming swirling rainbows all around - yes, that's Botal Gali. Mystical, magical; whispering untold stories to those who would listen.

My first visit to Botal Gali years ago was not what I had expected. It wasn't even intentional. It was one of my usual visits to Paper Market when I decided to explore the entwined lanes and ended up gasping at the sight of countless bottles and jars from places unknown. It was then that I discovered what was soon going to be one of my favourite haunts for many years to come.
The exploration unearthed a plethora of interesting shops, all laden with everything from apothecary bottles and jars to old empty medicine bottles, and from canisters to empty liquor bottles. The intriguing shapes and sizes stood out from the regular lot, the perfect prop for these. The old brick buildings which housed the shops on the ground floor and mostly residences on the upper floors just added to the old world charm. The more I visited Botal Gali, the more stories I weaved around it and the goods it carried, in my imagination. A multitude of dusty apothecary jars on the top shelves made me wonder what potions they once held, what journey they experienced till they ended up in these shops, what secrets they hold.
With time my visits became less frequent but the fascination with the magical gali remains. Now, as part of Reimagining Karachi, I urge all those who haven't been there yet, to take some time out of the busy hectic schedules and explore the dense area of Paper Market and Botal Gali and experience the world that most of us are unaware exists in this town.

A gem slightly off Botal Gali

The Magical City of Lights!

The long disappearing act on our part was for no other reason than the fact that our days were spent developing plans and strategies to take Reimagining Karachi forward as a one-of-a-kind heritage preservation initiative and our nights were spent dreaming of restoring Karachi's glorious historic architecture.
It's strange how a soft corner for this beautiful city is turning into a full-fledged movement to bring everyone together to change the perspective that people generally have of Karachi.
Friends, colleagues, supporters, well-wishers keep emailing me beautiful snapshots of Karachi on and off; saying it reminded them of me and the initiative that we have taken or that they knew it would bring a smile to my face; and it does.
Karachi mornings have a somewhat interesting effect on me. Quite early in the morning, it is a picture of serenity with the usual hustle and bustle missing on the just awakening roads. The atmosphere somewhat hazy, the trees swaying gently embracing the soft breeze, the busy workers at the 'dhabas' making aromatic parathas and steaming tea for those who prefer the desi breakfast, hoards of school children off to the beginning of another day; all moving to just one rhythm - that of the songs of the city of lights.
The city of lights! What all it brings with it! Sorrows and joys, tears and laughter, magical moments and tragic incidents; so many experiences, so much life, yet intertwined with death. What does one do to soften the image that this city has unfortunately developed? Here's a suggestion. We dream, we work towards turning that dream into a reality; we believe and have faith in ourselves, in our younger generations, in our resilience as a nation. We explore, we build, we work with full conviction and bring about a real change and encourage everyone to recognise and enjoy the true colours of Karachi. There is a lot of beauty hidden beneath decades old thick layers of smog and smoke. Unearth it and be prepared to be mesmerised by what this magical city has to offer. What good is this life if it is not spent doing our bit for our city, our country and our people?