FOR the individuals who have contributed to Karachi Megacity of our times the citizens of this city are 'capable of dealing with their problems' because 'for all of them the city is the gateway to life in the globalised world of the 21st century.' For them, Karachi is 'raw, new, turbulent, post-modern...'

An idealised utopianisation, I would say, but who am I to argue with the impressive gamut of writers who have contributed to this book? Together, they highlight the various characteristics of Karachi that have contributed to its metamorphosis from a pretty little fishing village in the early 1800s, to the bustling, cumbersome, yet dynamic city of today.

The book has been republished after a passage of 10 years. While some chapters have been updated, others quite obviously haven't and seem rather dated. Another aspect of the book that could perhaps be improved in a future edition is the quality and placement of the photographs and lithographs that have been used — they seem to be placed without any thought given to where they would be relevant.

The first four chapters by Hamida Khuhro dwell on Karachi's history and are perhaps the most informative and well-researched. Alas, Khuhro firmly lays to rest any romantic notions we may have had about Alexander the Great passing through the city, although she does concede that his admiral, Nearchus, did once anchor near

Marorontobara (today's Manora), and called it the 'the ladies' pool', since 'a lady was the first sovereign of this district.'

The writer charts the metamorphosis of this city from its beginning as a small fishing hamlet, through the years of the rule of the Talpur Mirs, to the British Raj. It was during this time that Karachi could boast of an impressive infrastructure, replete with imposing buildings built in the gothic style, with Tin Lizzies roaming its streets with the same ease as Victoria carriages on which the memsahibs would go on many a shopping expedition.

And it was this very city that became the capital of the newly born state of Pakistan and was the place of birth of its founder, and where he was finally laid to rest. But Mr Jinnah is not the only man who deserves to be mentioned in relation to Karachi, asserts Muneeza Shamsie in the chapter entitled 'The Founding Fathers of Karachi'.

There were many others, including Sir Charles Napier, Hormusjee Jamsetjee Rustomjee, Seth Naomul Hotchand, Sir Bartle Frere, Edulji Dinshaw and Abdullah Haroon, to name but a few.

Shamsie asserts that it was these men, who came from diverse backgrounds and followed several religions who can claim to be Karachi's true founding fathers. They were men with vision, men with a love for the city, and perhaps the kind of men we lack today which is what has prevented Karachi from developing into the city they had envisioned.

Other than the founding fathers, Karachi was also home to several prominent writers and artists. The writers who wrote in the English language included the likes of Linda and Khalid Shah, who wrote Refugee in 1974; Mirza Raqiuib Beg, Adam Zameenzad, while the Urdu writers included Qurratulain Hyder, whose magnum opus Aag Ka Darya (River of Fire) continues to be lauded by critics worldwide. Other Urdu writers of prominence included Aziz Ahmed and Shauqat Siddiqui, as well as poets Parveen Shakir and Rais Amrohvi.

There has also been a definitive art movement in Karachi ever since Partition, claims Marjorie Hussain in the chapter entitled 'An ever expanding canvas'. She writes 'As the capital city of the time, Karachi attracted young painters from many parts of the subcontinent. Eager for fresh stimuli they explored the exciting modern movements of pre-war Europe. More than a decade was to pass before artists began to re-examine their own cultural traditions, and to assimilate art forms of the past in contemporary forms.'

Among them was Fyzee Rahamin, who, along with his wife Atiya Begum, came to Karachi 'at the behest of Mr Jinnah... Laila Shahzada exhibited her work for the first time at their residence.'

And then came Sadequain, Guljee, Shakir Ali in the 1950s, followed by a 'new generation of artists' in the '60s including Bashir Mirza and Masood Kohari 'who made their presence felt in Karachi.' While the chapter brings to life the years gone by, and chronicles the art movement in a manner that is both engaging and informative, the chapters on the 'literary scene' lack depth and so seem more like a glorified roster of writers rather than an examination of the city's literary scene.

Worse still is the fact that although the two chapters on the literary scene have been written by two different writers, some passages have been replicated word for word in both chapters.

The chapters that really stand out in this book are by Anwer Mooraj, who writes with passion about 'Karachi before Prohibition' and of 'Being young in the '50s'. He relives memories of a Karachi that 'was so safe and peaceful... ethnic violence was unheard of...' and 'Elphinstone Street was the centre of the universe... Ghulam Mohammad & Sons was the closest thing Karachi had to a department store and if one wanted cold cuts or Swiss liqueur chocolates, the English Cold Storage was the place to visit. This store also sold smelly Danish and Dutch cheeses that often made an uninitiated customer sniff his armpits. And if one wanted a Chinese meal, there was no place like the ABC Restaurant, named after America, Britain and China.'

It is these chapters that make the book worth reading; because they bring to light the city which Sir Charles Napier once promised would be the glory of the East. And it is these chapters that bring some hope that perhaps Napier was not quite off the ball.

Karachi Megacity of our times
(developing landscapes)
Edited by Hamida Khuhro and Anwer Mooraj
The Oxford University Press, Karachi
ISBN 978-0-19-547519-7
390pp. Rs1,950