KARACHI: These are difficult times, we all know that. Physical distancing is a phrase that has entered the general lexicon like never before. And we must, no matter where we are, respect that. But spare a thought for Karachi’s pre-independence buildings and those who keep them in great shape which, in their own distinctive ways, have been letting us know about the efficacy of time, literally and metaphorically. Merewether Tower is one of the 19th century works of architecture that immediately springs to mind.

Before we meet Sajan, a young sweeper whose duty it is to keep the structure and its surroundings neat and clean, it’s essential to know about the building’s background. It’s a clock tower, designed by J. Stratchen, constructed in 1884 as a memorial to a commissioner in Sindh, General William Merewether. A lot of people talk about the Star of David, the chief decorative feature of the structure, but its real purpose is, and has always been, to keep citizens aware of ‘time’. The positioning of the building, when it was made and up until today, is significant: it exists in the heart of the economic hub of the city where two of the most important roads of Karachi converge: M.A. Jinnah Road (formerly Bunder Road) and I.I. Chundrigar Road (formerly McLeod Road).

Merewether Tower was opened to the public in 1892. This was the period when Karachi was hit by a lethal bubonic plague. So the importance of this clock tower cannot be stressed more given what we are faced with in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Time, they say, is of the essence.

Prior to the lockdown that the entire Sindh province is now under, a visit to the tower enabled this writer to run into Sajan, a young twenty-something lad, dressed in uniform, cleaning the grassy ground in the middle of which the tower stands. He came across as a taciturn, somewhat shy person to give detailed answers to the questions put to him. He said he was hired by a bank to keep Merewether Tower spick and span. He comes here on a daily basis either in the first or second half of the day with his broomstick and dustpan.

These days, when people are asked to stay in their homes, sweepers and cleaners are some of those essential workers that come out of their houses, putting their lives in danger, to keep the city looking green and clean. Let’s pray for their safety and well-being as well.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2020