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The Delhi Walla in the fatherland.
[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]
With its sultry days and breezy evenings, Karachi is cosmopolitan like Bombay, class-driven like Delhi and edgy like Baghdad. It is rich, poor, good, bad, beautiful, ugly, generous, mean.
Karachi is the city of lights. Karachi is the city of load shedding. Karachi is colonial. Karachi is Islamic. Karachi is the site of terror attacks. Karachi is the site of mushaira sessions. Busy and diverse, Karachi is Pakistan at its best. Violent and divided, Karachi is Pakistan at its worst.
Karachi has fiction writers, fashion designers, globetrotting businessmen, TV actors and glamourous socialites. Karachi has Taliban terrorists, underworld dons and gun-wielding thugs. But most people in Karachi are like me and you. They go to offices. They watch films in multiplexes. They download the latest chartbusters on cell phones. They text romance-shayiris to their lovers. They take camel rides on the beach. They go crabbing on the sea. They drink Vodka, snort cocaine and hook up sex dates on the Internet. In daily wear, they wear shalwars as well as shorts.
Like people of other cities, Karachiites buy Robert Fisks as well as John Grishams. However, they are most riotous when it comes to the language. Some speak English with an American accent. Some write in classical Urdu. Some think in Baluchi. Some dream in Sindhi.
Most Karachiites hate Karachi. Most Karachiites love Karachi
Long live Karachi.
Read more in The Delhi Walla's Pakistan Diary
Pakistan Diary - T2F, Karachi's Coolest Café
Pakistan Diary – Reading Chick Lit in Karachi
Pakistan Diary – At Home in Lahore
Pakistan Diary - The Dancing Girl of Lahore
Pakistan Diary – Jinnah's Mausoleum, Karachi
Pakistan Diary – Is Karachi Safe?
Pakistan Diary – The First Karachi Literature Festival
Pakistan Diary – The First Evening in Karachi
City of Lights
Karachi Fried Chicken
Night out on the beach
Music on the street
Just another day
Cool mix
Don't disturb, I'm thinking
Karachi sweets
Midnight bhangra
Family values
Don't tell my dad
I love Karachi
10 comments:
The best read in the Pakistan series!
When are you visiting Lahore? Please do so... I'd so love to see more of Delhi's twin city, especially the monuments!
karachi fried chicken!
hahahahaha subhanaaalaaaaaaah.mast pics nd article
Crazy writing! One must learn from you. Grrrrrr8!
But we all know that Karachi ain't like London or Delhi...Karachi is just like Karachi halwa..too sweet that it tastes bitter. It sticks to your jaws and you hate it and leave it halfaway. And it contains roughly chopped dates....too cheap!
Ha ha ha!
Sumanta
sumanta! i love karachi halwa! :D
hahahaha nd 2day i bought karachi halwa splllyyy.kal daadi maa yaad aa gayi rthi.heheheh yummmmmmmmyyyyyyy yaaaaarrrr:)
Ya, you mean they put on fake American accent, sounds quite pathetic! from people from Pakistan..and you can immediately notice the underlying insecurity they experience while conversing.
Love the pics and captions. Great job at capturing the city!
Visit Lahore too please!
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