city calling
Playinng games in the graveyard
 In Karachi one often comes across truths that are stranger than fiction. Meet two young children of this city who tend to graves for a living. 
By Bilal Tanweer
Karachi, they say, mothers the poor. On the surface the city lacks every major facility  be it recreation or jobs. But like all major metropolitan centres, it has its own ways to provide for the multitudes who come to it searching for a living and other things that pertain to living life. In the paradoxical space that is Karachi, some children have managed to find a vocation that doubles as a vacations. After all they need to make a living and also have fun.   So they live life to the fullest in  a graveyard.

hyderabad blues
How the Indus turned toxic
Two years ago many people in Hyderabad lost their lives to contaminated water when toxic water from Manchar Lake was released into the Indus. This year, once again the authorities have sanctioned the release. Kolachi reports...
By Adeel Pathan
Asia's biggest natural water lake, the famous Manchar Lake is making headlines once again, but for all the wrong reasons. This famed picnic spot is now the source of toxic water. If you remember, Manchar Lake supplied toxic water to Hyderabad that claimed more than 50 lives in 2004. 

shopreview
Sweet beauty
As Karachi hurtles towards being a consumer driven society, speciality shops are opening up. Lals is in the business of chocolate and flowers.
By Maria Shirazi
Karachi has always been the city of lights or the city of beaches. However, it seems that soon this city will have one more credit to its name as the first flowers and chocolate boutique has opened in Karachi. The launching ceremony of Lals was held recently and attracted chocolate-lovers from all over the city. 

rachicharacter
Driving through Karachi 
By Maheen Sabeeh
Sixty year old Khadim Hussain has been living in Karachi for almost 30 years. A driver by profession, he has seen Karachi through its various phases. Living with his wife and six children, Khadim struggles to make ends meet. But despite all his problems, Khadim is a happy man. With amazing social skills, Khadim finds it easy to make friends. It is this connection with people of the same background that makes Karachi a place to call home.

city calling
Playinng games in the graveyard

 In Karachi one often comes across truths that are stranger than fiction. Meet two young children of this city who tend to graves for a living. 

By Bilal Tanweer

Karachi, they say, mothers the poor. On the surface the city lacks every major facility  be it recreation or jobs. But like all major metropolitan centres, it has its own ways to provide for the multitudes who come to it searching for a living and other things that pertain to living life. In the paradoxical space that is Karachi, some children have managed to find a vocation that doubles as a vacations. After all they need to make a living and also have fun.   So they live life to the fullest in  a graveyard.

Meet Hasan, Habib, Abdul Qadeer, Hanif, Junaid and friends. They are close to thirty in number and their job is to water the graves at the Munno Goth graveyard. Most of them, who do not go to schools or madaris, come to the graveyard at 10 am and stay there until 8 pm. On 'special' days like Shab-e-Baraat or in Ramazan, they stay at the graveyard till much later. "There are lights everywhere here and this whole place glimmers. There is a rush of so many people; it is like a mela - a festival! There are even people who come here and sing qawwalis," says eight-year-old Abdul Qadeer, eyes brimming with enthusiasm.

Munno Goth graveyard is a unique patch in Karachi's din and confusion: a few acres laden with trees of shade and colour, it remains unperturbed by the prices of real estate, or the bulls and bears of the stock market. Here, children remain naively oblivious of the dug-up roads, the traffic or other matters that occupy the average dweller of this metropolis. Those who do business in the graveyard have done so in more or less the same manner for the past four decades. Think about it, entering a graveyard is like insulating yourself from the humdrum of the city and stepping into a hushed up world quietly tucked in between Karachi's busy streets.

Munno Goth graveyard dates back to the 19th century, and houses thousands of graves. It is located a few kilometres from Hasan Square towards Nazimabad. Although a signboard at the gate says that it is closed for further burials, the steady businesses of the grave maker and the stocked marble of the tombstone maker indicate otherwise. And this is not peculiar to this graveyard alone. A visitor to Munno Goth, who recently buried a relative here, had this to say on the matter: "All graveyards in Karachi are full since the past 20 years, and such signboards are placed outside all of them. But as you know, this is Pakistan, and we are Pakistanis..."

Munno Goth is a typically Pakistani graveyard. In our part of the world people continue their relationship with loved ones long after they have passed away. Such traditional ties are the reasons for many businesses existing on the fringes of graveyards. Even in these times of uncertainty, such businesses continue to provide secure and steady economic returns to their owners.

At Munno Goth two businesses that owe their existence to such traditions are flower shops and water sellers. The flower shops have been  established businesses here for around four decades now. The water selling business, however, gives low returns and therefore is the domain of the young and naive.

Little Abdul Qadeer goes to a madressah in the morning before coming to the graveyard around 3-4 pm. He used to go to a government school before  but now his parents prefer to send him to the madressah. He does not know why. He and his elder brother look after fifty graves, earning around a hundred rupees per grave. "Even that is not assured. Sometimes, people don't come to visit the graves for even two months, and when they come, they only give a hundred rupees, no more."

Previously, his father used to look after the graves himself, but now he works as a construction worker. Abdul Qadeer's family lives some distance from the graveyard in a katchi abadi near Ghareebabad.

Qadeer's good friend, Hasan is 10 years and used to live across the street. His family was evicted a couple of years ago and now they live in the New Mandi. He comes to the graveyard everyday with his younger brother in the 'lambi bus' - the government run buses. He does not go to a school or a madressah. His father is a porter at New Mandi, earning by carrying crates for buyers at the Mandi. Hasan brings his younger brother with him to assist in his work. On average, they earn around fifty rupees everyday, but some days he goes home with just ten rupees.

Hanif, on the other hand, lives in Lyari and comes to the graveyard with his grandmother in the morning. His grandmother's occupation seemed to be disputed though: Hanif said that she also watered the graves, while other children claimed that she begged outside the gates of the graveyard, and made a lot of money. Hanif has five brothers, and one of his elder brothers drives a rickshaw. "My father does not do anything. My mother works in people's houses. My brother drives a rickshaw and he comes home very late," Hanif elaborates on his family.

It sounds like an oxymoron, but these children are the soul of the graveyard. They identify with this graveyard as their home, playground and as a means of livelihood. The work is not too much, all it takes is keeping an eye out for potential customers. It is a tricky choice between work and play. Though it can be said that unlike other children involved in other industries, here the toil is a bit more bearable. The vocation and vacation is in the same setting.

Visitors frequent the graveyards most often on weekends and their numbers usually remain thin on the weekdays, especially in the afternoons. "There are a number of people," says Junaid, the youngest of the lot, "who visit the graves everyday after they return from work." 

Junaid then shows those places where he plays with his friends. "We mostly play chhupan chhuppai (hide and seek)  because there are so many places to hide, especially in the trees. We hide in the big trees with big leaves and branches," and then, breaking into a fit of laughter, "you know, the other day, you know how I caught Habib when he was hiding in the tree? I threw my slipper at him and he started to shout from the tree. And then I caught him!"

"We also play other games," added Hasan, "like cricket, but those we play outside the graveyard gate."

Although while playing it is difficult to distinguish these children (except for their heights maybe), they have a surprisingly strong sense of their ethnicity. When involved in strife, the first thing they seem to fall on is their ethnic identity. Baloch children are in the majority and when one of the members is attacked by others, it does not take long for them to get into a group. Other noticeable ethnicities include the Pathans and Sindhis.

On being questioned whether their parents beat them, they replied in a unanimous giggle, and pointing towards each other they retold stories of who was beaten when. "Yesterday my father gave my brother a hard thrashing, with a stick which was was this thick," Abdul Qadeer said raising his finger towards a branch, "because he was not looking after his graves and he was asking me to do all the work. My brother slapped me many times for not doing his work so I complained to my father."

The earnings of these children are submitted to their parents or their elder brothers. "Sometimes when I gather more money, then my father gives me ten or fifteen rupees," said Habib.

However, it is not just boys who are working at the graveyard; a sizeable proportion of the children are girls as well, and though they refused to be interviewed (and hurled abuses at the interviewer and the photographer), they do their jobs with as much efficiency as their male counterparts.

One way of looking at these children is that they are much luckier than other children working in brick kilns or carpet weaving factories, but their life can be looked at in a more cynical way. To see these very young children eke out their living by watering the graves of the dead seems more like a sight from some morbid fiction writer's imagination than actual reality.

It is truly a multi layered city we inhabit. There is a story to be found in every part of Karachi, including its graveyards

– Photos by Athar Khan

hyderabad blues
How the Indus turned toxic

Two years ago many people in Hyderabad lost their lives to contaminated water when toxic water from Manchar Lake was released into the Indus. This year, once again the authorities have sanctioned the release. Kolachi reports...

 By Adeel Pathan

Asia's biggest natural water lake, the famous Manchar Lake is making headlines once again, but for all the wrong reasons. This famed picnic spot is now the source of toxic water. If you remember, Manchar Lake supplied toxic water to Hyderabad that claimed more than 50 lives in 2004. The majority of those who died were children, women and old men. Hospitals received thousands of patients suffering from water borne diseases when water from the lake was released towards the Indus to save its embankments. Now, the contaminated water is again mixing with Indus River water for its onward supply to the citizens of Hyderabad.

Situated in Sehwan, Manchar Lake provided the local fishermen with a decent livelihood until diminishing floods in the Indus and the storm run off from Kirthar Range resulted in drought conditions and cut off the fresh water supplies. Soon saline drainage water from the agricultural fields of Larkana, Shikarpur and other surrounding areas started flowing into the lake, making the water in the lake unfit for consumption. This not only deprived the locals of safe drinking water but also encouraged migration amongst local fishermen. Soon, the water supplied to other parts of the province including Hyderabad was not only unfit for consumption but toxic.

Last year, the episode was repeated but the situation was not as bad as it was in 2004. Official negligence and the slow process of law are mainly responsible for a recurrence of this contamination. Instead of taking strong action against those who are guilty of this mismanagement of drinking water, the authorities mostly remain passive. The officers who were charged with negligence remain unpunished - some of them continue to serve on the same posts.

Instead of learning from past mistakes, authorities have once again decided to release Manchar Lake water into the Indus to save its embankments. Though they made tall claims that things will be more controlled and closely monitored this time, the important thing would have been to warn the citizens about the hazards of drinking this toxic water. On the contrary, citizens were kept in the dark for three days, after which they were told that a high level committee decision allowed the irrigation authorities to release the lethal water in the first week of August.

The meeting of the Manchar Lake Water Release Committee, formed by the provincial government in 2004 in the aftermath of the toxic water, was chaired by District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jameel. Heavy rains and inflow of water from mountain areas were creating pressure in the lake, which made it necessary to release water from the contaminated Manchar Lake into the River Indus, was their justification.

The committee also decided that in order to ensure that safe water was being provided to people after being released from Manchar Lake, there will be quality checks after four hour intervals at several places. The high level meeting also resolved that if the quality of water was found substandard, the quantity of water released from Manchar Lake will either be reduced or stopped totally.

District Hyderabad Nazim claimed that the situation is not as grave as it was in 2004, when the water released from the Manchar Lake had proved extremely detrimental and added that prevention was better than cure. He said that this decision has been taken in view of the reports submitted by a team of experts, dispatched by the Hyderabad district government to Manchar Lake.

According to Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage, right bank, Atta Mohammad Soomro, the Nai Gaj water level was increasing by three feet daily as a result of which the water level at Manchar had increased to 110 feet. This is only two feet less than the dangerous point of 112 feet. "Under the circumstances, it had become inevitable to release water from Manchar Lake into the River Indus to protect the lake," he explained. According to him, the water level on the right bank of Manchar Lake is increasing due to continuous rains and the discharge was essential to avoid breaches in embankments.

While briefing newsmen at Kotri Barrage the Chief Engineer assured them that the irrigation department would release water from Manchar Lake only after the high committee gives its approval. He claimed that 300 cusecs water was released in Indus River on the directives of the committee but was later stopped.

However, a water technologist appointed by the district government Hyderabad, Dr Ahsan Siddiqui said that according to the analysis, the quality of Manchar Lake water today is far more inferior that it was in 2004. Therefore, he said, the discharge of only 1.5 per cent was considered safe. However, irrigation authorities have begun releasing the toxic Manchar lake water into the River Indus and water varying from 1500 to 2000 cusecs is being released regularly in the Indus.

As the discharge of Manchar Lake's toxic water into the Indus continues, a spokesman for District Government Hyderabad has been declaring on a regular basis that the water being supplied to citizens is fit for human consumption as per World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

According to citizens, the district government is now more cautious to avoid the 2004 incident but at the same time they feel that the provincial government should make a permanent arrangement to avoid the release of toxic water into the Indus River as it is always harmful to use the water even after filtration. They fear that any negligence from the official side would be disastrous and also question why those officials responsible for the 2004 disaster still remain unpunished.

Is the government really sincere in resolving the problems of citizens this time around or do we need another suo moto notice from the chief justice of the apex court? It is indeed pitiful how often the courts have to intervene to ensure that those on the official payroll actually do their jobs.

– Photos by Mohammed Rehan

shopreview
Sweet beauty

As Karachi hurtles towards being a consumer driven society, speciality shops are opening up. Lals is in the business of chocolate and flowers 

By Maria Shirazi

Karachi has always been the city of lights or the city of beaches. However, it seems that soon this city will have one more credit to its name as the first flowers and chocolate boutique has opened in Karachi. The launching ceremony of Lals was held recently and attracted chocolate-lovers from all over the city. Sardar Nadir Akmal Khan Leghari, Minister of Irrigation and Power, was the chief guest while various consulate generals also visited the boutique. If chocolates and flowers are signs of civilisation, Karachi is on the right track.

The recently launched Lals is all set to give a new kind of experience to Karachiites. With its outlet at Zamzama, Lals has been inspired by Lal Majid, the well-known internationally-certified floral designer whose "Floral Design" is famous for its flower arrangements, gift wrappings and dinner decorations.

Be it Eid, wedding, a birthday, someone passing their exams, getting a job or any other joyous occasion, meethai and cakes are the traditional items one would always find on these occasions. Flowers are used on some occasions by few people, while the rest are satisfied with giving the usual gifts. As such, the city is filled with colourful shops of meethai and with shops of flowers but the concept of mixing flowers and chocolates is a new one as far as Karachi is concerned. According to Mrs. Lal Majid, the mastermind of Lals, the trend of giving chocolates and flowers is gradually increasing in the city as people have begun to realise that these two things are not just limited to Valentine's Day.

No doubt, it is an untapped market and has a lot of scope, as is proven by the fact that even before the launch of the boutique, orders started coming in and all the stuff that was initially set for sampling, had to be used to complete those orders. It seems that the combo of chocolates with flowers has been a great success with the people of this city. Hopefully, with the launch of Lals, there would be other openings as well of chocolate and flower boutiques.

To give a truly unique experience, Lals imports Belgian chocolate that is manufactured in Lebanon. At the moment, only 12 flavours are available including pure chocolate, almond, hazelnut, coconut, peanut, biscuit and wafer. There are plans to expand the range of chocolates later on. As far as its flowers are concerned, besides using those that are available locally, most are imported from Thailand. In fact, some kinds of flowers are available only at Lals. At least now Karachiites have a place where they can get a variety of fresh flowers instead of just the usual roses or tulips.

However, what makes Lals a truly unique experience is that it is a place where you can decide what kind of and how you want your chocolate and flowers. All the available flavours of chocolates and flowers are on display in the small yet artfully decorated shop. From the selection of the chocolate to choosing the way you want it packaged, the customer decides everything. You can get the chocolate packed in boxes of various sizes that are made especially for Lals or in a platter that can either be provided by you or Lals can arrange one according to your liking. Thus, from the initial stage till the packaging, everything is done according to the customer's tastes and desires. Similarly, flowers are also picked by the customers and wrapped according to their demands. The prices vary as they depend upon the weight of the chocolate.

Lals is soon going to introduce a chocolate delivery system that will further make things easier for the customers. In addition to this, work is being done on online orders as well.

With the launch of our city's first chocolate boutique, no longer do people have to carry heavy bags of chocolate goodies from their visits abroad.

– Photos by Zahid Rahman

arachicharacter
Driving through Karachi 

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