KARACHI: Working for the ‘spirit and soul’ of the city, I Am Karachi organised the second Karachi Talks at the IBA on Thursday where trailblazers from different walks of life shared their trajectory towards success. All the stories in the different motivational talks had a common theme: all were set against the backdrop of the tumultuous city of Karachi.

I Am Karachi is a citywide campaign that aims to reclaim the city wrestled away by political and sectarian forces, a city which has eventually spiralled into unchecked violence that adversely affected the lives of each and every Karachiite.

Fashion designer Deepak Perwani narrated a tale of political, social class and language division, of how from a city of inclusivity, Karachi adopted a segmentation that divided its population into ‘them and us’.

“I remember a time when everybody got along with everybody. However, over a period of time I graduated and decided to go to college which was a disaster as the moment you walked in, you either had to join one student federation or the other.” Eventually he left, and pursued his further education in New York. “When I came back Karachi had not changed at all. But some things had.”

Shaniera Akram, wife of former cricketer Wasim Akram, was also present and shared her story of coming to the city as an outsider and within a short period of time developing a sense of belonging. “The amount of love I was given when I first moved here was very overwhelming. How could Karachi not become my home?”

She likened living in Karachi to a marriage. “Some days you are blinded by its realities and some days it can sweep you off your feet.”

Actor and director Adnan Malik entertained the audience with tales from his youth when he yearned to become a cricketer. His greatest support was his father who encouraged him at every step of the way.

He encouraged the youth in the audience to find one’s passion. Other skills he insisted were important to succeed were integrity and honesty.

Musician Imran Momina was also one of the speakers and recounted his musical journey.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017