IT was a torrid week for Karachiites, climate-wise. Not just because the sun beat down on them with ferociousness, but also because the Met department kept giving them false hope. On May 7, 1968 weather in the city became extremely dry at noon when humidity in the hot desert air slumped to one per cent –– with the sun blazing hot till about 1.30pm, humidity went up to 15 per cent by 5pm.Though the department had predicted a dip in temperature, there was a three degrees rise in day temperature, shooting up to 101 degrees Fahrenheit that day.

On May 8, the weather and the weather forecast remained constant in their conflict. The experts had again predicted a slight fall in day temperature but it remained just as hot and, in fact, more unbearable. The same was the case on May 7 when humidity fell from 10 to 5 per cent. But the weather experts seemed to be tenaciously sticking to their viewpoint: the forecast for May 8 was the same again. On May 9, with high temperature and low humidity on the third consecutive day, the experts did not let go of their ‘hopeful’ forecast, predicting ‘a slight fall in temperature’. And yet, it was sweltering hot and the humidity was 10pc.

A character in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet says: “When sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but in battalions.” To make things worse, on May 9, one person was burnt alive, another died later in a hospital and six others were seriously injured in a fire which broke out in a local rubber factory in the SITE area. The man who died on the spot was Ali Mohammad, 40, and Hashmat Ali (35) was the one who passed away in the hospital. Those injured and struggling for life in the Burns Ward of the Civil Hospital were Sher Zaman (35), Khushi Mohammad (35), Hameed Mohammad (30) and Abdul Ghafoor (35). The fire in the factory was reported at 4.45pm. An eyewitness account suggested it was caused due to a chemical reaction in one of the machines. He said one of the fabric rollers, while revolving, burst into flames. Ali Mohammad, who was working near the roller, didn’t have enough time to move away from the machine and was burnt alive. The other persons who were also in the room could not run out and received injuries. The fire brigade of the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) reached the scene within 45 minutes of the incident. The injured were rushed to the hospital, where their condition was stated to be ‘very serious’. The fire brigade authorities said this was the third such incident reported in the factory during the previous three months. In one of the fires reported earlier two labourers were burnt to death and two others were injured while in another a huge quantity of goods was destroyed.

Now let’s move away from saddening news items and turn to arts and culture, Karachi’s hallmark. On May 11, an impressive collection of badges, flags, postage stamps and printed photographs of handicrafts, paintings, greeting cards and emblems from 27 countries gave an international colour to the Arts and Crafts Exhibition organised by the Pakistan Red Cross Society’s Karachi Branch at the Arts Council to commemorate World Red Cross Day. The 136 exhibits, which were displayed beautifully, underlined the message of brotherhood and understanding. The exhibition drew appreciative crowds of Junior Red Cross members –– boys and girls –– in the hundreds. The four-day show was inaugurated by Commissioner of Karachi Syed Darbar Ali Shah. The largest number of entries was from the USSR which totaled 11 items and included posters, table napkins, decorative pieces, wooden artworks, the national flag, wooden toys, photographs, paintings, badges and albums.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2018