Our future generation comprises the children of today. When talking about children, we do not mean only the educated lot. The generation encompasses both literates and illiterates. So it’s a pity to discover that their majority is uneducated. Add to it uncouth and untamed, and you have the true picture of an average child of Karachi who roams the streets.
It’s a pleasant, balmy evening. Dusk is falling and birds are returning to roost. Newlyweds Zahid and Alisha decide to go out for a stroll. What choice do they have save hit the beach — precisely Sea View. Anywhere else would be out of the question.
When you have the breeze, the sea and each other in serene surroundings, what more can a man — or for that matter a woman — want? If the question was put before the couple half-an-hour later, they would most decidedly say privacy and refuge from the onslaught of young vagabonds.
Hardly a few minutes have passed since Zahid and Alisha reached their destination, lost in a dream world of what the future holds for them, when there’s a rude intrusion as someone grabs Alisha by the hand. Startled, she finds a bedraggled kid hardly five years old, grinning and asking for alms. She tries to gather her scattered thoughts as the child starts whining and pestering both her and Zahid. Needless to say, they try to send him away but all in vain. He is there to stay, they realize and move on.
A few minutes at another spot and the episode repeats itself. This time it’s a flower girl who goes on banging on their window screen, as if meaning to break down the barrier between herself and her intended victims. With her gone, a newspaper boy passes them, shouting right into their ears. As if that wasn’t enough, he also stops next to their car and gawks at them. Next comes a group of eunuchs who are adamant in their belief that their kind is not to be sent away empty-handed! Can’t help thinking that if we follow the belief, by the end of the day we’d be left with empty pockets. And then there’s a barrage of your usual young beggars running around cars as if they have found a substitute for a merry-go-round. As if that wasn’t enough, two policemen on a bike — eyes probing — cruise by at a snail’s pace, with lights turned off and apparently in search of prey. God only knows the reason for their rapt interest in couples. How unpleasant for siblings, cousins or even friends who have to endure the accusing eyes of these so-called law enforcers. They feel they have the licence to ogle at anyone and everyone. So much for an idyllic stroll as the magnetic sound of waves weave a spell on you. It’s nothing more than wishful thinking on part of Zahid and Alisha and other couples like them in whose opinion Sea View is the spot to enjoy each other’s company.
Nerves shattered and thoroughly disgusted with the pestering, Zahid and Alisha seek refuge back home and vow never to venture to the beach again which has become more a den for various mafias than a recreational spot.
One wonders what has happened to the DHA community and how can they be so indifferent towards this menace which is on the increase? It’s getting so bad that DHA residents have to compromise on physical fitness since the higher-ups are incapable of keeping a check on the rising number of beggars.
One wonders what steps an average Karachiite can adopt for peace of mind and sanity. Asim and Asia are health-conscious teenage siblings residing in the vicinity of Sea View Township who have always been in the habit of taking a walk in the evening. On one of many similar evenings, they pass by a little boy selling flowers. Suddenly, the latter latches on to Asia’s hand, wooing her to buy flowers from him. She refuses gently, considering he is, after all, a kid. Next, he pulls at Asim’s shirt with a mantra of “phool le lo. He, too, shrugs him off. The kid is vindictive and wild. He kicks Asim on the leg, maintains a safe distance between them, then starts taunting and mocking.
The recent trend seems to be of projecting these kids as the innocent of the country. It’s good to be humane, but we tend to forget that they are not mere kids, rather pawns of a mafia that lurks in the background, taking stock of all these children from time to time. By doing their bidding, we create criminals who go round thinking that the world owes them a living.
How long can we tolerate the degeneration of society thus, when nations are vying with each other to be ranked amongst civilized societies. Will we ever step out of the dark ages?
