When the ‘city of lights’ turns into the ‘city of survival’

Note: Syndicated piece. Originally published in the following newspaper outlets:

1) Express Tribune, August 18th, 2015 http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/21568/when-the-city-of-lights-turns-into-the-city-of-survival/

2) ARY Blogs, January 26th, 2015 http://blogs.arynews.tv/karachi-will-endure/

3) Samaa TV, April 15th, 2014   http://www.samaa.tv/blogs/2014/04/can-karachi-endure-any-more-differences/

Karachi will endure not just because it has to, but because its inhabitants refuse to call it quits and give in to the face of adversity, for it is the people that define Karachi, and their resilience in essence embodies the spirit of Karachi.

Karachi belongs to all of those who seek refuge beneath its bruised and battered but bountiful shade, irrespective of what walk of life they come from.  Karachi is not just owned by the political parties that represent it in the provincial or federal echelons, rather, it is owned by its people.

There was once a time not so long ago, when  everyone who came to Karachi for a better life was welcomed with open arms regardless of what their political, religious or ethnic orientation was. It was not seen as a line in the sand or a point of contention, but rather as a mixing pot of culture and ideologies, where everyone was tolerant of each other views.

In every sense of the word, Karachi was a loud, boisterous and lively place once that brimmed with life resonating everywhere. The only thing that resonates now is the deafening echo of bomb blasts coupled with sporadic gun fire and the blaring sound of the sirens of ambulances rushing towards the troubled area.

Karachi- Torn Apart

There’s no denying the fact that we as the inhabitants of Karachi stand divided and callous, for a lack of a better word. Divided and segregated in terms of our creed, our language, our ethnicity, our race, our social status and our lifestyle.

Yet it still survives and will continue to do so. It is high time to put our petty and minuscule differences aside and focus on the larger scheme of things, so many precious lives have been lost in our dear city while we sit idly, bicker,  quarrel and oppose each other. We must rise from our differences, our insignificant and petty quarrels that divide us, until we lambs become lions.

Perhaps we should find solace in this particular extract from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley. These words stand as a testament to Karachi’s resolve and perseverance and the people that it harbors. 

“Under the bludgeonings of chance,

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears,

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years,

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid…”