Lighting for the ‘City of Lights’
KARACHI: “Dekh shehr ki battian! [See the city lights]” used to be the oft-repeated comment by the people who arrived in Karachi from small towns or villages for the very first time. It was fascinating for them to see the lights installed here for illuminating the roads, streets, lanes, parks, buildings, etc.
Of course those days are long gone when they had gas lamps for street lights and a person with a long torch would be going around lighting those lamps as dusk fell. There have been stories associated with the gas lamps of pre-Partition days when a studious child would study under a street lamp till late night or couples in love trying to avoid them to keep their rendezvous secret. Also moths being drawn to the lights towards the end of their lives.