As I am working on a theme, "Happiness is a state of mind", I continued going to underprivileged territories to meet those people groups who are far from the extravagances of life and watch that to them what is happiness, As a spectator and street photographer, I was searching for few spots which are dismissed and inhabitants are carrying on with their life beneath the poverty line, and for the most part my companions recommended me to visit Essa Nagri, so on one Sunday I went to Eissa Nagri with I AM KARACHI colleagues to explore.
Eissa Nagri or Isa Nagri is one of the areas of Gulshan Town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Eissa is the Arabic name for Jesus. This is the most populated area where Christians resides in Karachi, but some other communities i.e Muslims are also living residing and doing their businesses.
When I reached at Eissa Nagri, the first thing I saw was that the passage of the region is covered with Auto Rikshaws remaining in a line and on the other side, there were groups of old Rikshaws.
In the wake of watching couple of things, I moved my excursion inside the neglected zone to explore it completely, the more I move forward, The lovely street of Gulshan begin to change into a slum, yet but it was peaceful territory that is the main beauty that resides in slum.
A fear was continuously in my mind that this place is not safe, but everyone was welcoming us with a smile on their faces, with couple of minutes I feel that these people are not stranger to me the way they are behaving, I met one boy sitting at a recycle and scrap shop named David who is unable to study in school due to poverty else he is supporting his whole family by selling and sacrificing his dreams and his childhood.
The whole area was dirty, sewage water was on the streets which created a messy situation even standing there for longer was not possible, but kids were playing in the streets and peasants of all ages were sitting at the street sides busy in discussion.
The thing that I noticed the most was that even kids of small age not more than 13 were also chewing tobacco, and their teeths were the evidence of taking heavy dose. On every shop chewing tobacco (Gutka, Pan) is easily available to enjoy their leisure time. As there is no electricity in the whole town so most of the people were sitting on the roads including both male and female gender, mostly children are involved in doing odd jobs and some are running their small shops, we met a girl named Sally I noticed that these people who are underprivileged and forced to live on the other side of the bridge of Karachi, they collect moments not things, they earn respect not money and enjoy little happiness in life not luxuries, but still they are ignored by the society. This girl was only 9 years old she was a student as well studying in the local school along with that she was running her Grandmom's shop in her spare time, when I was asking questions to that girl who is only 9 years old she was behaving like a mature person who knows that life is not a bed of roses. On asking a question, "You are running your own shop, you are lucky to eat whatever sweet you wish." the answer was quite shocking that, "we are running this shop to meet our expenses not to fulfill my wishes." but she was happy to support her family and also to sit on the street with her friends, so finally we decided to take picture of the young girl with her friends who got quite friendly with me and my friend Zainab Hanif who is supporting me and asking questions as well.
Everyone sitting on the roads had a unique story to share with us, they were also sharing their problems, according to them This town was established in early 1960's when some families migrated from Indian Punjab to Karachi, another guy we meet was a Butcher running his shop he was a muslim, His name was Rizwan, he moved to this area quite a month ago and doing his business peacefully. According to him, "Ek dafa muskura k to dekho, is muskurahat main he chupi hai zindagi" Life is hidden in the smile. He is a living example for those who spend their days without a smile and keeping asking the same question "Zindagi main hasny laiq hai he kia?" What is worth laughing in life?
Walls of the town were dirty and the houses were built below the ground level, mostly complained that during raining seasons their whole day spent in taking water out of their homes, and the streets look like river. These people are neglected with basic necessities of life that is water, education and heath. The water that these people are drinking is mixed with sewage and they are forced to drink it. The unemployment rate is quite high due to lack of opportunities for minorities.
After visiting the area, we got a chance to visit the school "Saint Michael's Grammar Secondary School" it was the only English medium school but when we get inside it was only a below average education institution trying to educate the children of the neglected town. The classes were small and dark, no source of light was found except sunlight due to heavy load shedding in area. According to the teachers they rarely get lucky to feel the air coming from the ceiling fans because there is no fix time of load shedding, most of the day time there is electricity breakdown in the whole town,, but still they are trying to teach students who are willing to make their future bright.
After visiting the whole area, I must request to government and the authorities to please take corrective actions, as they are also the citizens of metropolitan city who don't even who what metropolitan means, I am sure if the authorities take corrective actions these problems will be solved with great extent. With all these problems and hardships these people are still smiling, each morning they wake up with hope and to earn something, not sure to take enough to their home or not, but each morning their smile is defeating the hurdles of their lives. With all those problems and negligence still they crack jokes, share laughter and enjoy the life to full extent, but these people deserve more than that.
Eissa Nagri or Isa Nagri is one of the areas of Gulshan Town, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Eissa is the Arabic name for Jesus. This is the most populated area where Christians resides in Karachi, but some other communities i.e Muslims are also living residing and doing their businesses.
When I reached at Eissa Nagri, the first thing I saw was that the passage of the region is covered with Auto Rikshaws remaining in a line and on the other side, there were groups of old Rikshaws.
In the wake of watching couple of things, I moved my excursion inside the neglected zone to explore it completely, the more I move forward, The lovely street of Gulshan begin to change into a slum, yet but it was peaceful territory that is the main beauty that resides in slum.
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| Rikshaw standing in a row near Essa Nagri |
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| Dog taking a nap in a hot summer noon. |
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| David sitting at his shop selling his dreams to earn money. |
The whole area was dirty, sewage water was on the streets which created a messy situation even standing there for longer was not possible, but kids were playing in the streets and peasants of all ages were sitting at the street sides busy in discussion.
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| Peasants were welcoming us with a smile. |
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| Walls of the house were decorated with Slab sign. |
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| Kids sitting at the stairs chewing tobacco. |
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A small kid playing with a toffee wrapper. |
The thing that I noticed the most was that even kids of small age not more than 13 were also chewing tobacco, and their teeths were the evidence of taking heavy dose. On every shop chewing tobacco (Gutka, Pan) is easily available to enjoy their leisure time. As there is no electricity in the whole town so most of the people were sitting on the roads including both male and female gender, mostly children are involved in doing odd jobs and some are running their small shops, we met a girl named Sally I noticed that these people who are underprivileged and forced to live on the other side of the bridge of Karachi, they collect moments not things, they earn respect not money and enjoy little happiness in life not luxuries, but still they are ignored by the society. This girl was only 9 years old she was a student as well studying in the local school along with that she was running her Grandmom's shop in her spare time, when I was asking questions to that girl who is only 9 years old she was behaving like a mature person who knows that life is not a bed of roses. On asking a question, "You are running your own shop, you are lucky to eat whatever sweet you wish." the answer was quite shocking that, "we are running this shop to meet our expenses not to fulfill my wishes." but she was happy to support her family and also to sit on the street with her friends, so finally we decided to take picture of the young girl with her friends who got quite friendly with me and my friend Zainab Hanif who is supporting me and asking questions as well.
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| Sally sitting at her shop with friends. |
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| Sally is living happily doing her business in a small town. |
Everyone sitting on the roads had a unique story to share with us, they were also sharing their problems, according to them This town was established in early 1960's when some families migrated from Indian Punjab to Karachi, another guy we meet was a Butcher running his shop he was a muslim, His name was Rizwan, he moved to this area quite a month ago and doing his business peacefully. According to him, "Ek dafa muskura k to dekho, is muskurahat main he chupi hai zindagi" Life is hidden in the smile. He is a living example for those who spend their days without a smile and keeping asking the same question "Zindagi main hasny laiq hai he kia?" What is worth laughing in life?
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| Rizwan sitting at his shop. |
As we move forward different faces welcome us, some kids were busy in buying Gola Ganda from the local seller Anar Gul according to him he use to sell his Gola to earn for his family and he don't believe in discrimination and being human he loves humanity and serving people.
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| Anargul selling gola ganda. |
Some old couples were sitting on the road side enjoying air. Some kids were busy in playing video games and snooker, I grouped them all together and requested to take a collective picture, they all happily agreed.
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| The future of Karachi sharing smiles add color in picture.. |
We got a chance to meet the representative of the society named Abbas, shared that Eissa Nagri is the most neglected society of Karachi, as we are far away from the basic necessities of life, we have no water and electricity mostly the load shedding timing exceeds 12 hours a day which makes us sick. Christians living here are considered as garbage and untouchable, even the only job to collect dirt from the society, people don't event offer us water in the same glass, they have made a separate glass for Christians to drink water, this is the level of discrimination we get from our own society.
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| A chowk at the centre of Eissa Nagri displaying political banner. |
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| Abbas, a local representative sharing details with I AM KARACHI team. |
Walls of the town were dirty and the houses were built below the ground level, mostly complained that during raining seasons their whole day spent in taking water out of their homes, and the streets look like river. These people are neglected with basic necessities of life that is water, education and heath. The water that these people are drinking is mixed with sewage and they are forced to drink it. The unemployment rate is quite high due to lack of opportunities for minorities.
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| A local sharing his thoughts. |
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| Small dirty streets of Eissa Nagri. |
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| Stephen used to sell vegetables in past sitting on streets. |
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| Front gate of St. Mary's Primary school |
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| Advertisement on walls. |
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| Small kid with his friends. |
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| Two friends with hope of life and dreams. |
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| Kids playing video games. |
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| James owner of snooker shop. |
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| An art printed on carpet hang on wall of snooker shop. |
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| Small kid giving pose with his cute dog. |
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| A small shop owner sitting at his shop. |
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| An old couple sitting on the road with pillows. |
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| Front entrance of Saint Michael's School. |
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| Small kids were sneaking outside curiously. |
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| Small kid of Nursery class listening to his teacher. |
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| Kids of class 9 sitting in an open class. |
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| Girls of 9 class listening to Zainab Hanif. |
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| Students busy in completing their notes. |
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| Reading books is my hobby said a student of St. Micheal's. |
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| An abandoned classroom acting as a store. |
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| Girl of class 6 with dreams in her eyes. |
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| A small girl copying notes and sharing smile. |
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| The boy who toped in class sitting with his teacher. |
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| Students of Class 5 busy in attending class. |
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| Student who toped in class 6 standing with her class teacher. |
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| A view from school entrance. |
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| KG class students busy in drawings. |
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| Students of class two listening to their teacher. |
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| Walls decorated by teachers to engage students. |
After visiting the whole area, I must request to government and the authorities to please take corrective actions, as they are also the citizens of metropolitan city who don't even who what metropolitan means, I am sure if the authorities take corrective actions these problems will be solved with great extent. With all these problems and hardships these people are still smiling, each morning they wake up with hope and to earn something, not sure to take enough to their home or not, but each morning their smile is defeating the hurdles of their lives. With all those problems and negligence still they crack jokes, share laughter and enjoy the life to full extent, but these people deserve more than that.
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