Like any cosmopolitan city, Karachi has enveloped within its borders a host of contrasts and similarities
IRRESPECTIVE of the frequency, nature or extent of my trips to Lahore, nothing can quell the thrill and sense of pride I feel upon returning to my hometown, Karachi. Each time I walk out of the airport, I am struck with the stark contrast between the two cities. I embrace the all too familiar sights and sounds of Karachi with affection, parallel to that of being rejoined with a loved one.
Like any cosmopolitan city, Karachi has enveloped within its (seemingly ever-expanding) borders a host of contrasts and similarities. Throughout the years, it has welcomed immigrants from all over the country and beyond, giving them a chance to improve their living standards. While the city has enhanced the lives of many immigrants either materialistically, academically or in any other way, these very people have unconsciously returned the favour by enriching its demographical landscape and adding spice and flavour to the city’s character. One cannot help but admire Karachi’s and its people’s ability to bounce back and carry on with life, even at its darkest hour — and just when you feel the city has outdone itself, you’re yet again presented with another fascinating discovery about its people or the metropolis itself.
On the other hand, Lahore projects ethnic uniformity, alien to a cosmopolitan city dweller like me. You rarely hear any other language than Punjabi or Urdu in Lahore for everybody simply assumes that everyone else understands Punjabi. The same rule applies to the city inhabitants. While the majority of the Lahore inhabitants hail from the city itself, or from neighbouring villages and towns, they are supposed to blend in with the natives and merge with the city’s cultural fabric. They are expected to adopt city ways, instead of the other way round (as in case of Karachi).
Lahore exudes an aura of leisure and indulgence. Women rarely venture out for groceries attired in casual or domestic clothes. Similarly, it is unthinkable for men to don an unstarched kurta/shalwar. It is of little wonder that Basant, the ancient kite flying/spring festival which may be considered a frivolous and extravagant event in certain social setups, has not only withstood the test of time but is celebrated with unparalleled fervour, irrespective of ones social standing in this very city each year.
Throughout history, Lahore has had its fare share of invasions and regimes. These historical processes, instead of producing diversity in the metropolitan fabric, have left it steadfastly confluent. Undoubtedly, all these factors and more have had their fare share in moulding the city’s character and making a powerful contribution in the phrase “Lahore, Lahore aay” that has become the tagline for this historical city.
However, I find the diversity among the inhabitants of Karachi to be one of the most fascinating aspects of Karachi. Upon my arrival from the Walled City, as I made my way out of Karachi’s Quaid-i-Azam International Airport, I became acutely aware of a new kind of semi-visible demarcation among the people who call Karachi their home. There were those who were riding the new wave of Islamization which has silently yet forcefully swept the masses (pronounced by the average woman’s desire to enshroud herself in Islamic garb and men to sport beards) and those who still preferred to be dressed in non-religious or semi-purdah attire.
While this scribe is neither critical nor desirous of donning such garbs, sporting an uncovered, cropped hairdo in such a setting was an open invitation to plenty of disapproving stares from all round. Perhaps this new change was more pronounced after travelling from a city such as Lahore whose inhabitants are known to live life to the hilt, and where a woman, irrespective of whether she is a begum or an average middle-class working girl, feels no qualms or social disapproval about displaying her fair, bare arms in sleeveless tops. While Karachiites maybe giving into conservative trends, one thing remains unchanged — no matter how great or small the distance may be, there is transport available at all hours, in all shapes and sizes. Karachi offers independence and freedom to anyone who has the courage. Given the circumstances of my sudden trip, there was no red-carpet welcome awaiting me. However, there was plenty of choice in the mode of transport and travelling light gave me the opportunity to sidestep the tiresome haggling with the slimy taxi drivers outside the airport. An hour, a shuttle van, a public bus and Rs20 later, I was at my abode trying to placate my feline friends’ petulant cries.
