Marriages in Karachi

It is said that marriages are made in heaven and celebrated on the earth, Normally a person marry once in a life time and it is yet the best part of his/her life. Different peoples exhibit different values that they narrate from their culture that they use to follow in their cultures. 

Marriages is Karachi are celebrated by everyone, even the couple itself are not enjoying that much as compared to the other family members, but some people are meant to disturb the overall event by showing their anger and digging the old sad stories, so we have to manage them with us to make the event successful. Aunts (phuppies) play a vital role in almost every families to exploit the event, even in every family may be I am wrong here but it happens a lot that if you look closely at behind the scenes of the marriages there are some Phuppies involved who are forcefully invited to maintain the decorum of the family.

Rishte wali Aunties play a vital role in every society to bring the couple closer, they have all the variety of girls and boys with them to present in front of the parents and they charge their commission accordingly, believe it or not but it becomes a great business in our society as there are lot of girls who are unable to get married due to lot of demands from the families of boys and also some girls are not attractive or belong from poor families, that becomes the saddest part of our society, Being living in a well organized society we claim to be literate and ethical people but when the time of marriage come we all behave like we dont have daughters in front of us, we use to reject girls like they dont have heart or soul or we have the authority to say Whatever we have in our mind about a girl.

How we get married?

Every one in our society claims to be a Molvi or an adviser when we start talking with them, they always give lectures of simplicity and other things, but when the time comes for their own children marriages, they use to waist money on so many useless things that have no value in the upcoming life. People use to spent millions on a single marriage and give lectures of simplicity. How come it will happen if we all dont think in the same way. There is a pressure on both the families that they have to meet the standard that is being set by the so called society otherwise they will not be accepted or treated well in future. If the girls family dont give proper furniture to her daughter, all the other family members looses their mind and start criticizing. So How come it will be possible for a middle class person to marry their children.

Even the marriage for a boy becomes so much harded day by day that it becomes common that the average male age for marriage becomes 30 Years, because after completing his study he has to struggle for more than five years to save a handsome amount of money to bear all the expenses for his marriage. Due to that he prefer to pass his time by making girlfriends or dating because it is a human nature that we all are attracted to the opposite genders, we ourself are promoting vulgarity in our society by making marriages difficult.

Do you have your own house?

This is the most stupid question ever asked by a boy for his marriage, lets take an example a newly passout boy from university that luckily get a good job and he is average 25 years old, how come its possible to have his own house?? Why always families weigh the new relation on these materialistic things. Even if he has a house it must be be belong to his family. Its a common question that every girl parents use to ask before making a new relation.

Sunsets Are Beautifuls In KARACHI

Sunsets are the every day vanishing of the Sun underneath the western skyline as a consequence of Earth's revolution.

The season of dusk is characterized in stargazing as the minute when the trailing edge of the Sun's plate vanishes underneath the skyline. The beam way of light from the setting Sun is exceptionally mutilated close to the skyline in view of climatic refraction, making the nightfall seem to happen when the Sun's circle is as of now around one measurement underneath the skyline. Nightfall is particular from sunset, which is the time at which the sky gets to be totally dull, which happens when the Sun is give or take eighteen degrees beneath the skyline. The period in the middle of dusk and sunset is called nightfall.

Areas north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle encounter no dusk or dawn no less than one day of the year, when the polar day or the polar night perseveres persistently for 24 hours.

Dusk makes extraordinary environmental conditions, for example, the frequently extreme orange and red shades of the Sun and the encompassing sky.

Karachi is famous as the city of lights, people of city use to enjoy their life to the fullest potential, evening time is much appealing and energetic for the citizens, they use to drink tea, Samose, Pakoray, Shami Kabab and other desi items to enjoy their evening, Some use to enjoy with flying piegens and kites. Boys use to play cricket and other games on the roads till the sunset time.

But one thing that Karachians use to miss that is the best part of the day in City life is enjoying sunset, very few people manage to spare time and see the sun setting properly that is the best part of
the day it looks so calm and appealing the whole cloud becomes red and the sun looks so beautiful that you can associate any thing with it.

This picture is taken at Shah Faisal Colony by HAMMAD SHAKIL, if you can feel this picture this looks so beautiful birds are going back to their nests, boys are getting their kites down as it is beginning of darkness, this is the time of ending of a day.

From Islamic timing, after the sunset and Magrib time the next day starts as per Islamic date and if you feel it in a way it is really amazing when you will be sitting and experiencing the sun setting in front of you, you will eventually feel sad that the day is ending, the light is going and yet another good day come to an end. The below picture is taken at Sea View Karachi, a Camel man is taking his camel back as it is becoming dark and in the back the sun is setting, Pic is taken by AHMED RAZA.

Its a common perception in the minds of everyone that if one wants to enjoy sunset you have to be near beach to enjoy it in a proper manner, but In my opinion it is totally wrong the sun is the same and you can enjoy it any where even standing on the road if the sight of the sun is clear and you can see it properly. Even some people use to enjoy it from their roof tops. This picture is taken from the roof of my friends house photographer name is HAMMAD SHAKIL. Is is great to see the sun setting and the moon at the same time, yet this is one of my favorite picture that I have captured, it looks so beautiful and pleasant and I always manage time to experience these moments. :)

II Chundrigar Road One of the Oldest Road

Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road otherwise known as I. I. Chundrigar Road is the monetary area of Karachi, Pakistan that is the focal point of Karachi's keeping money and budgetary establishments. It is the biggest budgetary region in the nation and regularly termed as the "Divider Street of Pakistan".[1] Situated in the heart of Karachi, Sindh, it was known as McLeod Road amid the Colonial control however was later renamed after the previous Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar. The street begins from the Merewether Memorial Tower close Former Lloyds bank building (Now Saudi-Pak bank) up to Shaheen complex. An expected Fifteen percent of all Karachi autos go from this street. 

A large portion of the base camp of Pakistan's money related organizations are situated on the I. I. Chundrigar Road, including the State Bank of Pakistan which is Pakistan's national bank, real Banks like Habib Bank Plaza, MCB Tower, National Bank of Pakistan, Bank Al-Falah, Standard Chartered Bank, CitiBank, and so forth. The new base camp of United Bank Limited is likewise under development on this street. 

Pakistan's most coursed daily papers including Jang Newspaper, Daily Times, TV Channels including Geo TV, CNBC Pakistan, Hum TV, AAG TV and Dhoom are additionally in view of I.I. Chundrigar Road. Departments of Tunisia, Sweden, Sierra Leone, Norway, Guinea, Gambia and Finland are likewise situated here. 

Two of Karachi's biggest PC markets Uni Plaza and Techno city; Police Headquarters and close-by Rangers Headquarters are additionally situated on this street. 

In 2007 Sharjah-based Enshaa Holdings in a joint endeavor with NLC dispatched Karachi International Financial fixate on II Chundrigar street which would include an inn, office towers, overhauled condo and a rail route station. The Karachi Financial Towers would incorporate two indistinguishable 37-story towers joined by a three-story glass skybridge. Starting 2012, development has been surrendered in light of money related misappropriation and conceivable embezzlement.

I. I. Chundrigar Road has dependably been the budgetary focal point of Karachi's economy. Most greatest organizations and budgetary foundations in the city have workplaces here including the Karachi Stock Exchange, Karachi Cotton Exchange, Mutual Funds, Money Exchangers, Auditing organizations, Insurance organizations and Shipping organizations. Karachi's biggest GPO and Telegraph office is additionally situated here. English period construction modeling on this road ranges from the Former Lloyds Bank building to the City Railway Station structures and authoritative workplaces. This street likewise saves a portion of the finest private structural engineering from Karachi's initial period. World acclaimed "Mashhood Chouk" is additionally situated at the intersection of Shara-e-Faisal and Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Road. It is celebrated for a statue of a stallion, connected with a chronicled man named Mashhood.

Below is the picture of Jang Group.

The Main Hurdle that the employess on this street face is the massive traffic jam due to overcrowded staff in the hub of the city. As City station is also situated on the same streets that goes to Neti Jeti Bridge and Kimari onwards.

An Average time spent to cross road from II Changrigar road to Shaheen Complex is 15 minutes that is the main problem for the employees and employers both

Another Main Issue for the employees working near II Chandrigar road is to find a proper parking for their vehicle either it is Motor Bike or car. Those who are lucky enough to get their offices early will be able to find the desired and safe parking rest of the people will be placing their vehicles where ever they find a place, even in some streets of II Chandrigar road bikes are every where and there is hardly a way to walk. Below is a picture taken in the The News building street where bikes are parked on the both sides of the street.

Karachi Old Bazaars

Old City Bazaar

The old part of Karachi contains at least a dozen major bazaars. Apart from the big ones, there are smaller clusters of shops lining the streets in between the bazaars. Such is the profusion and confusion of shops in this part of the city, and such is the proximity of most of these bazaars to each other, that it is impossible to determine where one bazaar ends, and the other begins. Therefore, do not be surprised to find yourself in the midst of shops and stalls in a narrow street, with our list of bazaars in your hands, wondering which part you are in at that moment. Perhaps even we will find it difficult to tell you for sure! Instead of driving yourself the best thing would be to hire a taxi, since the taxi driver is more likely to be well-acquainted with the various bazaars.

Botal Gali

Botal Gali (Bottle Lane), should be relatively easy to find. It is just another name given to Hasan Ali Lane, a narrow lane, across M.A. Jinnah Road (Bunder Road) from K.M.C. Office building. The ideal time to visit this particular bazaar, is between 12 noon and 6 pm. Here you will find shops that sell recycled bottles, bottle caps, oils, and perfumes. If you are lucky you can find the occasional rare and beautiful bottle.

There are a host of shops which sell not only the traditional itr (perfume), but also cheap non-alcoholic modern perfumes resembling famous designer fragrances such as, Chanel No. 5, Cool Water, Escape etc. The prices of bottles vary: 25 ml bottles are sold in the range of 80-100 rupees, decanters cost 250 rupees, and so on.

Light House Bazaar

Adjacent to the K.M.C. Head Office Building, off M.A. Jinnah Road (Bunder Road) is the Light House Bazaar district. This district is famous for shops selling old rugs, bicycles, recycled paper, picture frames, fabric lengths, shoes and medicine. Particularly good bargains are second-hand hardly-worn woolen apparel, coats and jackets for winter months. To describe the area seen from an expatriate's eye, we can do no better than to quote from Welcome to Karachi, a Guide by The American Women's Club and The British Women's Association: "Prepare to have an experience of a life time. One will definitely get dirty, but you will have fun finding ball gowns, ski outfits, boots, sweaters, clothes for Halloween costumes, blankets for your chaowkidars, jackets and much more. Think of it as being on a treasure hunt. If you have ever sent anything to good will or charity shops look hard, and you might find it. Prices are cheap, be ready to bargain. Take a friend."

Khori Garden

The market around Khori Garden is dedicated to cheap, second hand magazines and old books in good condition. A variety of magazines outnumber books available here. You can also find, at amazingly low prices, new books published abroad, but without their cover, which for some reason were rejected for sale.


Khajoor Bazaar / Sarrafa Bazaar etc.

There are several bazaars, that twist and wind through each other. In Sarrafa (Silversmith's) Bazaar you can find old silver jewellery being sold by weight, and in Bartan Gali small shops are stacked up high with pots and pans selling every conceivable traditional kitchenware. Around Khajoor Bazaar shops sell a variety of merchandise, for example, colorful Muslim prayer mats, fabric lengths, clothes for toddlers, brightly colored sarees, imitation jewelry, hair accessories, lace, thread reels, toys, tea, buttons and bags. Hawkers sell anything from embroidered Sindhi hats to colored pyjama cords and strips of walnut bark traditionally used for cleaning your teeth, and said to keep them extraordinarily white. In the Kapra Market (Cloth Bazaar), you will find a most colorful array of all kinds of fabrics. In addition to the usual lengths you will be able to get a wide variety of traditional hand printed Ajrak, colorful, hand-woven Sussi and the Bandini (tie-and-die) cloth in a variety of color combinations.

Karachi’s Many specialities

Karachi is famous for many DESI delicacies that are always... ahheemm.. "enhanced" by the flies, and so on.. Yet every desi who lived abroad craves them and often dont care if they get sick..

This picture is dedicated to making desi's abroad drool.

The sights and sounds of Karachi may have changed, people might seem strange or even dangerous at times but the resounding chow culture of the metropolis remains unchanged.

The crowds around the food establishments, be they swank restaurants or dirty dhabas, endorse that people living here find a great solace and joy in eating out. It is one of the few recreation options that is still legal, affordable, and has a ten out of ten feel good factor.

Outlets serving local, foreign and fusion options mushroom all the time but the next time you go round, they may have been replaced by a mobile phone shop or a boutique. But a few places in Karachi have survived over decades, where the quality, quantity, taste and service remain unchanged. Going there is like meeting a friend after a long time — someone you have shared many good times with.

Tucked away in Gali number 2, off Burns Road, Waheed Kabab House offers fried dhagay wallay kebab and nihari. Apart from changing to a sponsored signboard, the place has barely altered its signature Irani restaurant style interior over the decades, with tables and chairs cramped together on the ground floor below the modest and fairly filthy mezzanine for ‘family’ seating. Tables are occupied as soon as they are vacated.

Whether it’s the bearable December temperatures or the humid heat of mid-year, people want their nihari and fry kebabs, come what may. The gravy is perfectly spiced, the meat succulent and the naan hot and fluffy. The service is quick, straight up, no fuss and no frills and in about 30 minutes max, you’re done, satiated with nihari or kebab that has remained ditto over more than 30 years.

The same goes for Café Lazeez which is just across the road but is open only for dinner. You may have to sit for quite some time in your car as humongous buses go past, but their speciality, maghaz masala and chaanp, is worth the wait. The buttery maghaz is sautéed to perfection while the mutton chops are tender, spicy and spiked with fresh ginger and garlic to go with the soft rumali roti, raita and sliced onion with lemon and pepper.

Not too far away in Saddar, on Dr Daudpota Road, opposite Tit Bits Bookstall and the Parsi Temple is the Sailani Bhelpuri and Chaat Shop which has been around for 54 years or so. Abdur Rehman proudly creates his magic mix of crunchy, tangy bhelpuri day in and day out with the same flawless perfection. The flavours are always balanced, the finely chopped onions always fresh, the bhel crunchy, the sweet and sour sauces teasing your palate with tangy tamarind, green chilli, sonth and the rich sweetness of dates.

For those who are forever on mission-club-sandwich — as even this seemingly simple treat is so easily messed with — there is the Beach Luxury Hotel. Their spacious, open air lounge, with its low-hung fans whirring over your head and a delightful old-world ambience has, for the past 40 years or so, been serving up the most sumptuous and authentic club sandwich among other delicious snacks. Nowhere else would you get roast chicken and roast beef in your sandwich that tastes this good, with the bread slightly toasted and buttered and clubbed with fresh crunchy vegetables.

On the sweeter side, there is Peshawari Ice-cream on Preedy Street in Saddar; monstrous traffic to deal with during the day but at night, it is quite a delight. Selling bucket-ice-cream since 1948, they are the pioneers of Peshawari ice-cream in Karachi. Starting off with just a couple of flavours, they now offer a long list to choose from. The little joint is ensconced between a Chinese dentist and the Edulji Dinshaw Dispensary (1882), so while the mouthful of chaunsa mango ice-cream, a seasonal speciality at Peshawari Ice-cream melts in your mouth, a little corner of old Karachi looks back at you.

For those who like it sweet and sinful, there is a very desi and comforting treat of doodh jalebi at a tea dhaba cum milk shop called Super United right next to United Bakery on Daudpota Road in Saddar. While United Bakery still does perhaps the best chicken sandwich in town (real shredded chicken, salt, pepper and butter in soft, fresh bread), Super United next door does these warm china bowls of doodh jalebi, with a modest sprinkling of dry fruit including chhuaray. Comfort food after a tiring day.

A hard-core Karachiite is like iron at a blacksmith — forged, drawn, shrunk, bent, punched, welded and made ever stronger; but as long as one can revisit the flavours of the Karachi that was, the city will be loved for all that it has to offer. Cafés may come and go, this manna remains unaltered.

Director T2F Sabeen Mahmud shot dead in Karachi.. A big loss for the Metropolitan City

KARACHI: The director of The Second Floor (T2F), Sabeen Mahmud, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Karachi on Friday.

Sabeen, accompanied by her mother, left T2F after 9pm on Friday evening and was on her way home when she was shot by unidentified gunmen in Defence Phase-II, sources confirmed. She died on her way to the hospital. Doctors said they retrieved five bullets from her body, which has now been shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Her mother also sustained bullet wounds and is currently being treated at a hospital; she is said to be in critical condition.

T2F had on Friday organised a talk on Balochistan: 'Unsilencing Balochistan Take 2: In Conversation with Mama Qadeer, Farzana Baloch & Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur.'

Sabeen had left T2F after attending the session, when she was targeted.

T2F, described as a community space for open dialogue, was Sabeen's brainchild. In an interview with Aurora, she referred to it as “an inclusive space where different kinds of people can be comfortable.”

Conceived as a bookstore and café patterned after the old coffeehouse culture of Lahore and Karachi, The Second Floor — or T2F, as everyone calls it — says on its website that it was born out of a desire to enact transformational change in urban Pakistani society.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Nasreen Jalil, condemned Sabeen Mahmud's killing and demanded the government to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, taking notice of the incident, has asked the Additional Inspector-General Karachi Police to submit a report on the brutal murder.

Peace activist and founder of T2F Sabeen Mahmud, who died from gunshot wounds on Friday, was a woman of many talents that mostly revolved around creating digital platforms for arts and culture.

An only child of an educationist mother and advertising professional father, Ms Mahmud was born in Karachi and received her early education from Karachi Grammar School. After completing her O levels, she went to Lahore to get a Bachelor’s degree from the well-known Kinnaird College. After returning to Karachi, she joined a technology company Solutions Unlimited, headed by Zaheer Kidvai, who went on to become her life-long mentor and a close friend.

When KARACHI was KOLACHI

 Karachi in good old days.

Bolton Market Karachi, 1920

Frere Strett, Saddar Bazar, Karachi, 1900

Inter Continental Hotel, Karachi

Kanda Wala Building, Karachi

Karachi 1930

Victoria Road, Karachi 1900

Empress Market 1930

Karachi Municipal Hall 1954

City View, Karachi 1900

Eduljee Dinshaw Charity Hospital, Karachi 1913

Sabzi Mandi, Karachi 1954

Karachi Street barbers

Napier Mole Bridge, to Keemari, Karachi 1900

Minora, Karachi

10 things that will happen when you move to Karachi

Karachi – messy, slightly dangerous and hot as hell – it’s a place that will infuriate you and seduce you.

This is as cosmopolitan as Pakistan gets. – you’ll meet all sorts in Karachi.

Karachi-ites have a high opinion of themselves.

Fast-paced and just a bit insane, it’s a city that will get under your skin.

1. You will become blasé about security.

Sure, armed guards are the norm and you instinctively avoid no-go areas but, in general, life goes on. When strikes, muggings and the like are so common it’s difficult to maintain a heightened level of worry.Yes, you will become a total dheet when it comes to Karachi’s halaat.

Concerned relatives from out of town will phone you after a scary news report but you’re likely to be at a restaurant or GT when they call. No changing plans unless bullets are actually flying - and if they are, you'll be so practiced that you can have the shutters down and the drawbridge up in under 10 minutes.

Danger? What danger?

2. You will become lazy and totally dependent on your maid

When your maid doesn't come back from her day off.

Home help is a luxury that you will rapidly get used to.

You may have cleaned your whole house, done the laundry, shopped for groceries AND cooked when you were abroad but now you’ll resent having to go down to the kitchen yourself to get a cup of tea.

3. You will get robbed

Consider it a rite of passage and pray that you get off lightly.

Hopefully the worst that will happen is that someone will steal your wallet or phone at gunpoint. Some traffic signals are notorious for this and I have an uncle who faced a gun at two consecutive traffic signals. Hopefully you won’t be kidnapped or have your home invaded by robbers but in a city like Karachi there are no guarantees.

You will definitely know someone who’s gone through this horrible ordeal.

4. Your wardrobe will gradually turn beige and white

Desinger Shamaeel Ansari | Nida Azwer's Arabesque collection.

It may be our tropical climate or our love of subtle chic, but Karachi-ites wear a LOT of white, off-white, ecru and beige. Live here for any length of time and your wardrobe will start to reflect this.

5. Your driving will deteriorate

Karachi's pick and mix attitude to traffic laws will get to you sooner or later.

Most drivers ignore traffic rules completely and operate on the principal of “might is right”. The horn is king and giving way is unheard of.

You can try to stick to sensible driving practices but it’s likely that one day you will decide, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”.

6. You will realise that electricity and running water are luxuries

When the water tanker doesn't turn up and you want to shower.

Karachi is definitely better off than many rural areas of Pakistan but the sort of uninterrupted services you get abroad are a dream for Karachi-ites.

You will come to rely heavily on your electricity generator and your water tanker wallah.

7. You'll become surgically attached to your sunnies

Essential for posing but even more essential for hiding from the blazing sun.

The sun shines here almost 365 days a year. As glorious as that sounds to those who live in more gloomy climates, the constant bright sunshine can get to you. If you couldn’t retreat behind your sunnies, you’d go mad.

8. You will lose weight

Karachi subscribes wholeheartedly to the adage that “you can never be too rich or too thin”.

The average socialite in Karachi is significantly lighter than her counterparts in other parts of Pakistan. You'll find yourself joining the gym or an exercise class or downloading diet plans.

If you're coming from abroad, you’ll drop a few pounds from the repeated stomach infections that you'll get as your body develops immunity to our local bugs.

9. You will realise that 'chai pani' is necessary to get anything done

You thought you could get it done without paying a bribe?

'Chai pani' has nothing to do with chai (tea) or pani (water) and everything to do with greasing palms. It’s not a coincidence that Pakistan ranks among the most corrupt countries in the world.

10. Your friends will become your extended family

You'll make great friends.

Even though living in Karachi can be a challenge, it holds some of the most generous, warm-hearted people in the world.

You will make very dear friends who will be like family.