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ARTSPEAK: DREAMING KARACHI – Newspaper

Published

6 days ago

December 7, 2025

Last Sunday, a day-long festival was held at the recently renovated Khaliqdina Hall in the heart of the old city of Karachi.

While Karachi’s public spaces are coming back to life — as seen with the attendances at the Arts Council’s World Culture Festival, the performances at the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) and the All Pakistan Music Conference, and new fringe cultural spaces such as Nani Ghar, Mehr Ghar and Kitab Ghar — seeing an abandoned heritage building once again milling with people of all ages from across Karachi, was a moving experience. The handsome portals of the Palladium building, for many years dark and silent, were filled with light and life, as in the past.

Architect and urban planner Arif Hasan, in his article ‘The Changing Face of Karachi’, explains in great detail the circumstances that ‘orphaned’ the inner city. Karachi has awakened after three decades of fear. Much has changed in these decades. The culture of cinema, which started with Star Cinema on Bunder Road in 1917, has vanished as, one by one, the 136 cinema houses in Karachi have been converted to shopping malls or offices, and the once-bustling Irani tea shops have now dwindled to a mere handful.

The Municipal Commissioner, Afzal Zaidi, a historian of Karachi, suggested while speaking on a panel at Khaliqdina Hall that, when there is a surge of interest by citizens, change becomes possible. Is it so unthinkable that Karachi could once again bring cultural life back to its inner city?

From Sir Charles Napier’s vision for Karachi to modern efforts to reclaim public spaces in the city’s older quarters, evidence exists that the metropolis can still change its trajectory

After the Warsaw uprising against German occupation in 1944, 85 percent of the city was strategically destroyed. The brainchild of architect Professor Jan Zachwatowicz, an office for the reconstruction of the city was established from 1945-1951. The sole source of financing was the donations made by the people. Citizens stepped up with funds, labour and passion. The city’s Old Town was reconstructed from data provided by old documents, memories and paintings, earning it a place on the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list.

Like so many heritage cities, Warsaw also faced resistance. To the communist regime, the old architecture represented bourgeois values. Modernist architects felt the need for modern infrastructure and, of course, developers only saw land value. This is true of many heritage cities, including Karachi.

Can developers be convinced of the economic and cultural value of historic buildings? Would planners engage with local communities to understand the economic and cultural dynamics of city precincts? In many cities, tax incentives encourage developers to restore older buildings rather than tear them down and build anew. Can the municipality spearhead this change?

The first person to dream of what Karachi could be was Sir Charles Napier, whom history remembers as the conqueror of Sindh. Despite finding “miserable mud villages with a population of robbers, all filth and poverty and misery”, he visualised Karachi as the Star of the East.

On the advice of the British explorer and writer Richard Burton, Napier moved the capital of Sindh from Hyderabad to Karachi, becoming its first city planner. He wanted to “show government how very important a place it may become and how to make it so.” Interestingly, all this was against the wishes of his employers, the East India Company (EIC). His sole supporter, Lord Ellensborough, advised him to work on his plans without alerting anyone in the cantonment.

Eventually, Karachi did become a gracious, clean, lively city, attracting people and businesses from across the world. Napier’s successors, both British and native, implemented his vision. At the time of his departure in 1847, his love for Karachi was evident: “Thou shall be the glory of the East, would that I could come again in seeing you, Kurrachee, in your grandeur.”

One hundred and eighty-two years later, Karachi is once again grappling with the indifference of government that Napier faced and common citizens are once more surrounded with “all filth and poverty and misery” — his dream all but undone. However, Karachi has a spirit that is difficult to subdue.

Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta, Karachi’s first elected mayor, suggested a daily oath for citizens in 1942: “Each morning, every person should take an oath with himself that this is his city and, even if 50 people could honestly keep this oath, then everything would become all right.”

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 7th, 2025

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Story time : What steals our joy

Published

4 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

hussainbinnoman3@gmail.com

It was Friday when the teacher announced a test that would be held on Monday. Bisma made sure she studied and learnt everything for it.

On Monday, the teacher handed out the test sheets. Bisma, along with the rest of the class, completed the test. Most students felt optimistic about their results. However, Bisma was a bit overconfident.

The next day, when the marked test papers came back, Bisma was happy to see she had scored 17 out of 20, until she heard that one of her classmates had scored 19.

This made Bisma feel a bit uneasy. She had thought she was the topper, but hearing someone else had scored higher took away her joy. She began to doubt herself and her abilities, thinking she hadn’t worked hard enough or wasn’t good enough.

Days passed, but the thought continued to bother her. A few days later, the school announced a speech competition. Despite her insecurities, Bisma prepared for it. On the day of the competition, when her name was called, she went on stage and delivered her speech. But as she came down, she didn’t feel satisfied. Her unease grew as she listened to other students’ speeches. She began finding non-existent flaws in her own performance, thinking her accent wasn’t perfect and her pronunciation wasn’t good enough.

After the competition, there was a snack break. Bisma took her lunch, sat down, and started eating half-heartedly.

Zehra, her friend, noticed the sad look on her face, walked up to her, and asked with concern, “Hey Bisma, what’s up? You look sad. Is everything okay?”

Bisma snapped out of her thoughts and tried to smile bravely. “Yeah, everything’s okay.”

“Are you sure? You know you can share anything with me,” Zehra said gently.

Bisma sighed. “I feel like a failure.”

“What!? Why?” Zehra asked, surprised.

“Because every time I do something, I never seem to get it right. I don’t know why. I try so hard, but still, I always mess something up while others do so much better. Like that test — I studied so hard for it, but I only got 17 marks while others got 19. And that speech today? It was a complete disaster! Others were far better than me,” Bisma bemoaned.

Zehra patiently listened and then said, “Bisma, I think you did a great job in that speech. And about that test, you worked so hard and got good marks. Don’t you remember that all our other classmates, including me, got marks below 15? What you’re doing right now is comparing yourself to others. Haven’t you heard that famous quote, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’?”

Bisma frowned a little. “Umm… no, I don’t think so.”

Zehra smiled. “It means that when you compare yourself to others, it ruins your happiness and makes you doubt your own hard work. The only person you should compare yourself with is your past self. Tell me, did you deliver this speech better than your last one?”

Bisma thought for a moment and said, “Yes.”

“Exactly,” said Zehra. “You shouldn’t compare yourself to others but to yourself. If you did better, be proud of yourself. And if you didn’t, don’t be too hard on yourself — just try to do better next time.”

Bisma listened to her friend and understood her mistake. Gradually, she started feeling proud of her small achievements, and that helped her become genuinely happy for others.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025

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Cook-it-yourself : Mug chocolate dream cake

Published

16 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

hussainbinnoman3@gmail.com

Chocolate is amongst the richest and most decadent ingredients around. It can be found in all sorts of baked goods, and ranges from smooth, creamy milk chocolate to bittersweet dark chocolate.

But what if you don’t have the time to concoct a complex dessert? Luckily for you, this recipe requires only a microwave and a few pantry staples to be served.

With the dream cake trend, you might have wondered if there was an easier way to enjoy it, in the comfort of your home. Well, find out with this easy-to-follow recipe, which takes minutes.

This single-serve treat will meet all your chocolate cravings, combining a soft, fluffy sponge layer with a hard chocolate top to give the perfect balance of textures.

Ingredients

For the cake:

8 chocolate biscuits

50ml warm milk

1/4 tsp baking soda

For the ganache:

50g chocolate

50ml warm milk

Method

In a greased, microwave-safe ramekin, crush biscuits. Add milk and baking soda and stir.

Microwave on low for 90-120 seconds or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. In another bowl, melt the chocolate using the microwave.

Add milk and stir continuously until your desired consistency is reached.

Pour the chocolate ganache over the cooled cake.

Drizzle melted chocolate on top and freeze for 2-3 minutes or until the chocolate is set.

Finally, crack the top and enjoy! n

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025

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