As you approach the KPT underpass in Clifton, you can’t ignore the huge bunches of brightly-coloured balloons bobbing in the air. The cheerful goods are the livelihood of a dozen of balloon sellers who stand with their little carts daily near the Delawala Shopping Centre and have catered to birthdays and special occasions for many years now. Near Valentine’s Day, however, all their balloons become buoyant, red hearts and compete against fragrant red roses.

“For Valentine’s day, people buy red heart-shaped balloons,” says Faisal, a balloon seller who has been managing his balloon cart for more than 25 years. Dozens of glossy, multi-coloured, helium-filled balloons are tugging at the cart behind him. “Ye aap dekh rahi hain na [you are seeing this, right?]?” he says, pointing to the carted spectacle. “As February 14 approaches, you won’t see any of these colours. Blue, green, yellow, all of this will disappear. Only red will stay.”

Imran Ali, another balloon seller in the area, says that sales are quite profitable in mid-February. “More people buy balloons now than flowers for Valentine’s Day,” he remarks, ruffling his coarse, drooping moustache as he speaks. “After all, they’re much more durable than flowers and can be kept for much longer.”

Each balloon costs 50 rupees. “We buy it for 30 rupees from Golden Market,” he says. “During [the upcoming] Valentine’s week, my brother and I should be able to sell around 1,000 to 1,500 red balloons from the two stalls.” he forecasts happily. From his own stall, he estimates he’ll be able sell around 600-700 balloons.

####Balloon vendors expect a booming business this Valentine’s Day in Karachi

Their customers come from all walks of life and come in cars, rickshaws or motorcycles. “They are from different age groups but most of them are around 27-30 years old,” Faisal says. “Some buy one and some will buy a car-load full.” Then he smiles with a twinkle in his eyes and adds, “Girls buy more balloons than boys.”

Mehtab, a newcomer to the balloon-selling industry, says they usually discard most of the red hearts right after 14th February. “We have to prepare for Mother’s Day after that,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the two brothers, Faisal and Imran Ali, begin filling up one or two heart-shaped balloons with helium. “Dekhein aap, is liye log ye lete hain [See, that’s why people pick this over flowers],” he says raising his voice as a noisy rickshaw goes by. “Balloons have ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ and ‘I love you’ written on them, but nothing is written on the flowers.”

The three men chuckled as Mehtab cheekily remarks, “Ye hai na dil ki baat [this is a matter of the heart]!”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine February 12th, 2017