An Indian
American's Tribute to Lively Mini-Pakistan
By Anuj Kumar Nadadur
Princeton University
My
visit to Pakistan and six weeks of stay in Karachi
was my first, and unintended, personal experience
of the gap between the media myths and ground
reality of the day-to-day world. When I first
decided to go to Karachi, my friends in America
and back in India thought I had gone crazy. They
anxiously asked me if I knew what I was getting
into or if I had been watching the news recently.
They warned me that in Karachi, as an Indian-American,
I would not be welcomed and most certainly be
ostracized and harassed. That did not deter me
but added to my apprehensions of the unseen. In
retrospect, I feel my friends were honest in their
views and right to the extent they were judging
Pakistan through the prism of the CNN, BBC and
other powerful Western media outlets.
For them and for millions of others the only image
of Pakistan is limited to media reports that portray
it as an unstable and dangerous place, especially
for the foreigners. Sadly, the Karachi that my
friends at home know is a city associated with
car bombs, al-Qaeda, Taliban, and sectarian, ethnic
violence. However, during my stay there, I saw
another side of Karachi and experienced the city
in a way that is impossible unless one stays there
for some time. The Karachi I have seen is not
filled with perils (perils are there but are grossly
exaggerated in the media) but is instead a bustling
and lively metropolis, a city that rarely sleeps.
I can think of no other place in the world in
which there is the same number of people on the
streets at 2 am in the morning as at 2 pm in the
afternoon. In fact, the city comes alive at night
and parts of Karachi that appear tranquil during
the day are filled with lights and activity. One
may not recommend Karachi as a prime tourist destination
in Asia, yet there is such a lot to see and do
in the city.
Like many other port cities, the Karachi culture
is steeped in business and commerce. Brisk business
activity, construction and improvement of infra
structure, pursuit of academic excellence, ever
growing modern business centers, and palatial
houses along with vast swathes of slums, make
Karachi a typical Third World metropolis now in
the throes of globalization and population explosion.
Among the tourist sites aside from Mohammed Ali
Jinnah's imposing mausoleum and the museum located
at the monument, I found the Mohatta Palace an
equally interesting and beautiful place. The architecture
of the palace is stunning and the current art
exhibition of Jamil Naqsh is just striking.
I am not a student of fine arts but the sheer
beauty, intricacy, and color combinations of the
exhibits were a treat to my aesthetics. Karachi
has long beautiful beaches and a variety of water
sports. My experience at the boat basin was both
pleasant and relaxing. The hub of the city is
Saddar (we may call it downtown). That's where
the mighty and the lowly rub shoulders with each
other. The Mercedes and the donkey cart move side
by side in an amazing demonstration of harmony
as if the two have been choreographed carefully
over a long period of time. The old buildings
remind you of the British Raj, and the new high-rise
cubes and cones reflect contemporary influence
of global commerce.
There is, simply put, always something happening
in the city. People are lively and energetic and
the streets are never dull but are instead always
filled with activity. Finally, I find the atmosphere
in Karachi invigorating, even when I am not being
a tourist and doing any sightseeing per se. Karachi
is a truly mini-Pakistan. I had first-hand experience
with the cultural and ethnic richness of the country.
In the West, Muslims are treated largely monolithically
and common people see little difference between
separate peoples throughout the Muslim world.
Though I had prior knowledge of Pakistan's culture
and history and was free from the ignorance most
Westerners suffer from, still the experience in
the diversity of Pakistan was fascinating. In
fact, my first introduction to this diversity
came at the Mohatta Palace, where on the top floor
they have an exhibit that shows the different
peoples of Pakistan and explains their customs,
what regions they are from, and their different
manners of dress.
While I was there I met Pushtuns, Baluchs, Sindhis,
Punjabis, and Mohajirs each with their own unique
roots, culture, language and customs. Even more
amazing was how all these people have come together
in this city and have come to identify themselves
as Karachiites. From what I have seen here, news
reports highlighting sectarian and ethnic violence
dividing the city are clearly the exception, not
the rule. It is, in fact, truly beautiful to see
the rich cultural diversity coexisting and blending
together in a single city.
As an Indian-American I was very welcome everywhere.
There was not a single incident where I would
feel uncomfortable, or make others uneasy; no
eyebrows were raised, no whispers heard. People
were relaxed, frank, and open in speaking out
their minds. Apart from ubiquitous Bollywood films
there was desire for peace and friendship between
Pakistan and India. The new business class wants
benefits of bilateral and regional trade. Artists
feel they would do better if there was a long
period of peace and stability. The youth of course
is inquisitive and wants to see and know more.
I had a chance to see unhappy, unfortunate and
unhelpful side of the city, too. Immense poverty
among filthy riches, subtle media control, mostly
through 'voluntary media censorship', and a democratic
dispensation wherein elected leadership plays
a secondary role to the un-elected establishment,
were some of the more obvious problems. It's true
that there are large poverty-stricken areas in
major cities in developing countries. The visibility
of poverty in the form of huge number of beggars
was something unusual for me. I was deeply disturbed
when I saw a family of five begging outside an
extravagant mansion that seemed to stretch on
for two to three blocks.
I have seen gap between the rich and the poor
in countries, like India and Mexico, but nowhere
was the gap so stark and obvious. It is depressing
to see that a city with the life, vitality and
magnificence of Karachi is plagued by such abject
poverty. Though I know little about the administrative
aspects of the city, from what I saw there, I
believe that combating poverty and begging should
be the top priority of the relevant city bosses.
However, on the whole, I have found that my stay
in Karachi has been extremely rewarding and fascinating.
I learned a lot about not just Karachi but Pakistan
as a whole. I can say without hesitation that
I have fallen in love with the city and have grown
to enjoy the people, the sites and the general
ambiance that characterize the place.
I plan to go back home and discredit some of the
notions that my friends have about Karachi and
Pakistan and try to expose them to the reality.
It truly is a bustling city that is blessed with
a constant sense of vitality, a colorful diversity,
and a rich history. I hope to go back there once
again. (Anuj Nadadur is an undergraduate student
at Princeton University. Recently he was in Pakistan
for an internship with the English daily The News.
He wrote this article for Pakistan Link. He is
available at rnadadur@Princeton.edu)
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