jadugar
Karachi beach theater – Teeth Maestro has more info. and pictures…
the skit was about a Jadugar (magician) who lodges himself indefinitely in the house of a poor family, promising to bring khushali (well being) and health, prosperity and jobs. But these promises are hollow and he becomes a burden to the family, by using their space, and eating most of their food . When asked about his promises, he demands that the family keeps dogs and build higher walls to secure the riches that are to miraculously fall upon them in the future.
After months of enduring his ?dictatorship?, the family decide to evict the jadugar. Not much has changed for them – the young son is still unemployed, and his grandmother has passed away. The skit ends with the actors engaging in the audience in a discussion about what is to be done with the jadugar. Most keenly responded that he must be thrown out with force. The skit was an allegorical reference to Musharaff?s dictatorship and his usurpation of resources and wealth that has contributed to poverty and class disparity in Pakistan.
(comment: Busharraf is, of-course, not the only character responsible for the usurpation of wealth and resources of Pakistan, that all existed b/4 he came along – he is just the latest mask. This time the mask is of “secularism” “modernity” “enlightened moderation” etc., another time it was the mask of darbari “islam” – royalty “islam”. Inshallah, time will come when all of these masks will be pulled off once and for all. )
gentrification of a school (karachi)
The only obstacle to this road to riches lay in the six hundred odd students who wouldn’t give up their school. A vicious campaign was started to remove the obstacle.
Children of any parent who objected to the high handed transaction were forced out on one pretext or another. Parents who could afford other schools started leaving one by one, until only about three hundred and fifty remained. These hardy students wouldn’t leave the school. Their parents couldn’t afford the fees of the rich chain that was to replace their cherished school.
One fine morning, the remaining three hundred and fifty students were given a parting gift and asked to leave the school and return no more.
Some of the students were courageous enough to ask the woman handing out the gifts if there was any way they could be allowed to carry on their education in the new school that was to replace their humble Sir Adamjee School. The reported answer, learned through interviews with the former students depicts the whole sordid affair with more clarity than all the articles, appeals, petitions and court cases put together. The lady said:
“You can’t continue here. The children coming here will be of a different class and you will be embarrassed sitting next to them! [Mercifully, she managed to confuse who feels embarrassed to sit with whom.]
the early hours
And Allah, Most High, has blessed this Ummah in the early hours; and give away alms in the early hour; because adversities do not follow the alms (Sadaqah). (Imam Jafer Sadiq (AS))
sea turtle
No creature is there crawling on the earth, nor a being flying with its wings, but they are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then to their Lord they shall be gathered. (Qur’an 6:38)
There are 11 beaches in different parts of the world where sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Two of these are near Karachi: Sandspit, and Hawkesbay. Both these beaches are very popular with Karachites who go there to escape the city, and enjoy the ocean. Like so much of our ecology, the sea turtles are also becoming rare:
“…stray dogs eat many eggs, some get disturbed due to the movement of humans and fail to mature, whereas hundreds of hatchlings die every year after being crushed under the wheels of moving vehicles, since it is their natural instinct to move towards light, and in natural conditions, the sea is the brightest object at night. Other than those mentioned above, many threats exist in the region including: beach development, fishing activities, noise from neighbouring villages, pollution from a nearby harbour and exploitation of turtle products.”
white house
Huh? A White House in Karachi?!! Well, about six or seven years back the “top” 1% of the population got in this mad race amongst themselves about who could build the biggest best White House … While a huge majority of the country live in, often, sub-standard apartments, or otherwise improvished (kutchi) housing of various sorts… The 1 or 2% of the country, who own the vast majority of Pakistan’s wealth, got it into their head that they were going to build a whole bunch of White Houses in Karachi.
Last I heard they had moved on to some other fad, the original Karachi White House is now an exclusive high school (British System of “A” and “O” Levels) and claims to be “preparing the leaders of tomorrow…” hmmmm…..
