KARACHI: Light for Life Trust — Caring Lives in collaboration with Dar-ul-Sukun set up a sabeel offering cool water, juice and sherbet to passers-by at Numaish on Wednesday.

As soon as the sabeel was set up under a tent shade on the footpath of Dar-ul-Sukun with tables, big stainless steel pots, lots and lots of ice and Rooh Afza along with an endless supply of disposable plastic drinking glasses, there were rickshaws stopping for a glass or two, motorbikers getting off for a cool drink and pleasantly surprised pedestrians helping themselves to water, sherbet or juice, it being almost noon and another particularly hot day.

“With Ashura having passed, I was not expecting a sabeel here,” said a young woman in a lab coat, who requested a glass of watermelon juice with extra ice. After drinking two glasses of the much-desired beverage she carefully took out whatever ice was left over in her glass and rubbed it on her forehead and cheeks. “May God bless you all,” she said to the volunteers at the sabeel before turning to leave.

One Bykea rider stopped for a drink as his passenger also helped himself to a glass. “No ice for me, thank you. The sherbet is already very cold,” he smiled as he took a sip.

We are humans serving humanity, says volunteer

Many thirsts were quenched as the pots kept being refilled by the volunteers. “We have a water plant inside Dar-ul-Sukun,” Social activist Brian Everest Benedict of Dar-ul-Sukun told Dawn.

Sister Venus Bachchan, a senior nun at Dar-ul-Sukun, who was busy offering chilled watermelon juice to anyone and everyone who desired it, said that Christianity teaches one to respect all faiths and the battle of Karbala is a heartbreaking reminder of sacrifice.

“Imam Husain fought bravely for his people at Karbala and sacrificed his life for them. We offer water and cool sherbet in remembrance of the sacrifices of Imam Husain and his people,” she said.

Jennifer Kennedy from Light for Life Trust — Caring Lives said that setting up a sabeel for humanity on the footpath of Dar-ul-Sukun has become an annual occurrence with them for some three years now.

“We do it every year for two days in collaboration with Dar-ul-Sukun,” she said.

When asked why not do it on the 9th and 10th of Muharram when the processions are passing through the area, Jennifer explained that normally, they do it before Ashura, on the 6th and 7th of Muharram, “but this year because of the lack of availability of some of our volunteers at that time we are doing it around Soyem”.

Sardar Ajit Singh, joint secretary of the Peace Council International for Interfaith Harmony, said that he is always glad to be invited to come and help with the running of the sabeel there every year. “It is good deeds like these, which bind us human beings together, no matter which religion we may follow ourselves. We are here for humanity,” he said.

Brian Everest Benedict, also said that they are a diverse group of people who gather here to set up the sabeel every year. “You get to see true interfaith harmony as here we are not Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs or Hindus serving the people. We are humans serving humanity,” he said.

“You’ll see youth, middle-aged persons and senior citizens here all doing the same work. Clean water is a basic human right. What we drink ourselves is what we offer to our brothers and sisters,” he said.

The sabeel will also be set up at the same place from 11am to 1pm on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2025