Karachi
Shahrah-e-Faisal, one of the main arteries of the city. Photo by Faras Ghani
Sometimes I feel like I don’t have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angels
Lonely as I am
Together we cry
— City of Angels – Red Hot Chili Peppers
It is not the most beautiful city in the world, it is certainly not the richest nor the most luxurious – despite the pockets of luxury scattered on the fortunate side of the bridge – it is Karachi – the city of lights, blight and everything in between.
It is home to the politicians with big cars and even bigger promises, home to beggars who make more money than a blue-collar employee, home to street children who sell flowers by day and their innocence by night, home to morally suffocated masses who breathe in confusion and breathe out dogma, home to free spirits who cherish their polluted existences, along with all of this…Karachi is home to me…or at least it was.
So what do I write when I bid adieu to my city. As I pen my farewell note to the city which has shown me the good, bad and the ugly life has to offer, I must commit the crime of being clichéd by stating that I do love Karachi, why… I don’t know. Maybe I love the city because it’s been kind enough to house me, or maybe because this is all the world I’ve known so far, whatever the reason be, one thing is undeniable, this city has shown me the ugliest face of humankind, the brutality to which one can stoop to and the callousness we are all capable of possessing. With all of that, Karachi has taught me to stand up to this, to be brave, to face my worst fears…it’s taught me that life goes on, no matter what.
I wanted to leave the city by after feeling the dynamic, chaotic pace of things; after soaking in the serene stretches of the beach; after enjoying the eclectic colours of life that are so beautifully woven in the fabric of Karachi; that is the city I had wanted to say good-bye to. Sadly, the city I bid adieu to was a ravaged skeleton of its former self. As I drove to the airport, I felt drained, tired and sad. What I had expected to be a moment of joy, was eclipsed by an unknown fear and a strong sense of guilt. While waiting for the final call to the greener pastures, I felt I was betraying my city by leaving it at its worst and the weakest moment. Good-byes are never easy, and this particular one was the most difficult of them all.
Leave a Reply