RECENTLY, an incident involving more than 30 men who drowned in the sea in Karachi left the entire country numb with shock. It indicated, yet again, how ill-equipped we are in tackling natural, man-made and unforeseen disasters. It would be interesting to note that those who called the shots in the ‘60s were aware of how risky it was to go near the sea in the high-tide season. So on Sept 7, 1964 (as reported the following day) a meeting called to consider safety measures on beaches decided to install signboards at different points indicating dangerous areas for swimming. Additionally, three watchtowers were to be built at Sandspit, Hawkes Bay and Bulejee.

Speaking of safety, back then it was relatively safe for politicians as well to move around the country or go abroad. On Sept 8, the distinguished Pushtun leader Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan landed in Karachi from Lahore on his way to England. He visited London for medical treatment.

No difficult it was for the commoners to fly out either. On Sept 7, a student by the name of Khursheed N. Bhiladwalla won a free ticket to Rome by winning a 100-word essay competition with her piece ‘Gidget goes to Rome’. The event was sponsored by Rex Cinema and Columbia Films of Pakistan on the occasion of the release of the film ‘Gidget goes to Rome’. Not a bad marketing gimmick, something that our modern-day film distributors and exhibitors can emulate.

Despite the fact that 50 years ago, there were fewer galleries in the city, the art scene in Karachi wasn’t a dormant one. On Sept 9, an exhibition of American art opened at the PACC. Paintings made by the likes of Eleanor Coen, Margo Hoff, John Roy, Maz Khan, George Suyeoka, Harold Altman and Barbara Aubin were put on view and were very well received by art lovers. Apart from that, artworks of 13 artists from Dacca and Lahore were exhibited. Today, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if 21st century artists from Dhaka and Lahore were brought together under one roof.

Interestingly, by that time Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum hadn’t been completed. One of the snags in its construction was the irregular supply of some important materials. On Sept 11 a report in the media claimed that the mausoleum would be ready by next year (1965) as arrangements had been made for a regular supply of white marble from Mardan. And it happened.

By the way, those were the days when picnic spots in Karachi weren’t just confined to areas close to the sea. On Sept 12, the chairman of the National Press Trust, Akhtar Husain, opened a facility called Summer Place near the Malir river. It had many features for picnickers, two of which were a swimming pool and space for indoor games. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

But then you also need to keep in mind that at the time the city had a veritable ‘rural area’. This is the reason that on Sept 13 West Pakistan finance minister Sheikh Masud Sadiq sanctioned Rs2 million for the rural development programme in Karachi division. Little did he know that the word ‘rural’ would soon become foreign to Karachiites!

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2014