KARACHI: The City of Lights — a description that has been associated many a times with the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi. As if the massive area of the metropolis and its colossal population of over 20 million people are secondary and tertiary mentionable facts of the capital city of Sindh.
Despite the extortion fears, hartal calls, incidents of ethnic violence and the other ups and downs, the city seems to attract people in large numbers from every nook and corner of the country. Its magnetism is parallel to none. Countless aspirants for betterment come here with seemingly one motive: ‘Karachi or bust’.
The megacity has housed a countless number of people, and continues to do so. Even those, who are down and out, hope for that one swing of the magic wand. The city has turned many from rags to riches. The number of its beneficiaries is huge. Its warmth is felt by all and sundry. The tally of interprovincial migrants from the other three provinces of the country keeps growing in leaps and bounds. Be it from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwestern region of Pakistan, Balochistan in the country’s southwestern part or the largest province of the country, Punjab, that lies in the northeastern part of the Islamic Republic.
And also, the sizable number of job seekers from the interior of Sindh adds on to the tally of the city’s lovers. The Karachi charisma has seduced all and sundry into coming here in search of nirvana, and eventually into settling here for good.
The port city has also charmed the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. They too constitute a number of breadwinners in the country’s business hub.
‘Dubai of Pakistan’
Generally, a place is known for its traditions, geography, weather conditions and eateries, but Karachi is known primarily for being a potpourri of caste, colour and creed — a reason why the exhilarating place is also called the Dubai of Pakistan.
There are many examples of mosaic cities in the world, for instance New York City in the United States of America which is also popularly known as the Big Apple. Others include Tokyo, the bustling capital city of Japan; Singapore, the sovereign island city-state in Southeast Asia and last but not the least London, the capital city of the United Kingdom.
All the aforementioned cities have one aspect in common, and that is they are hi-tech places of the world where life is far more convenient than Karachi. Citizens of the ultra-modern setups are probably not even acquainted with the term ‘electricity loadshedding’, or may not have even dreamed of queuing up to fill buckets of water for daily usage. In Karachi, the power outages and the availability of clean water are problems that many citizens are up against round the year, but despite the non-availability of some of the basic necessities of life, the city remains the darling of many.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange also thrives here at the revenue-generation hub of the country. The stock brokers, the builders and the investors in general, all make hay here at the ever-booming seashore. The metropolis is ‘the’ pulse of the system and its rhythmical throbbing of the arteries (other cities of the country) is as essential as the function of a pulse in the human body that propels blood in the entire structure.
The moment Karachi’s hustle and bustle comes to a halt, the entire country consequently starts feeling the impact. Literally a guardian’s role; no wonder the city has embraced all. The City of Lights is the city of lives. The tomb of the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah is at the heart of the urban giant. The city provides the invaluable motherly touch; justifying its old name Kolachi that was kept after a fisherwoman who centuries back settled near the delta of the Indus River to start a community. The brave woman set a precedent when she alone, despite her villagers’ warning of facing the music, went on looking for her husband who got lost in a storm, as the legend goes. Kolachi succeeded in finding her life partner besides a newly found identity for herself. The city, now Karachi from Kolachi, has lived up to its ‘caress’ that blossoms with every passing day.
The Mai Kolachi Road — named after Mai (respected woman) Kolachi — in the city of Karachi keeps reminding us of the place’s historic past in general and this heartwarming tale in particular.
