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environment city The way we
were karachicharacter environment By Perwez
Abdullah This sprawling city of teeming millions is gradually assuming the shape of a concrete jungle. Every available space in the city is used to build high rises or houses without aesthetic values. But as it is said that there is always a ray of hope in the gloomiest darkness, vision of some dedicated persons in the University of Karachi has created a green oasis on a land that not very long ago was an eyesore.
The University plans to inaugurate its newly built Botanical Garden within a month. The Garden has been carved out of 35 acre of arid and rocky land and boasts 2000 species of plants from tropical, temperate and alpine climates. The lush green revolution has come in only two years and is harbinger of an environmental and educational change in the mega city. "We have put our heart and soul in the development of the Garden on a hard and infertile land," says Dr Muhammad Qaiser, the former Dean of the Faculty of Science, a National Professor in Botany and the current Director of KU Botanic Garden Project while walking around the Garden, his dream that has turned into a reality. Dr Qaiser was beaming with joy while talking about the Botanical Garden and the reasons behind the performance of such a colossal task.
"Botanical Gardens
are institutions holding documented collections of living plants for the
purpose of scientific, research, conservation, display and education,"
Dr Qaiser elaborated the function of a botanic garden and went on to say
that the Garden had many plants that were endangered and will be returned to
their natural habitat after their natural growth in the suitable
environment. Botanical gardens have a global mission to conserve and record
species, living collection management, seed banks and tissue storage. The Garden has seven sections - Aquatic Section that includes Kanwal (Lotus Flower), Water Lilly, etc. Cacti and Succulents section includes Golden Barrel, Opuntia, Yucca, agave, Desert Rose (Adenium). The Halophyte section has Mangrove, Salsola, Atriplex, Temarix, etc. Sahara Sindian Region has Akah, Jund, Pillo, Jangli Ber, etc. Wood Land Section contains Peltophorum, African tulip tree, Gul Mohar, Amaltas, Molsari; Fruit Section included Alo Bukhara, Loguat, and Citrus). Gymnosperm Section has Pine, Arucaria, Kangi Palm, Saro, Zamia Palm, and Juniper. Medicinal Section: Saunf, Jamal Gota, Ajwain, Tulsi, Kor Tumnba and Arind. Palm Section: Khajoor, Narial, Mazri Palm, Red Palm, Bismarkia, Bottle Palm, Kanthia Palm and Areca Palm.
Dr Qaiser informed Kolachi
that there were 2488 Botanic Gardens/Arboreta (Natural Forests) in 153
countries including Pakistan. About 6.18 million plants representing 80,000
species were preserved in these countries but Pakistan had a very small
share of the collection because no care was taken in the past to preserve
our rich plant species. About 100,000 plant species have become endangered
species in the world and efforts are being made worldwide to preserve them.
The University of Karachi has pioneered in building the only botanical
garden in Pakistan. He cited the example of Kew Gardens in the United
Kingdom that had 30,000 plants that were collected and nurtured in 300
years. "Compare that to our 2000 species in just 24 to 27 months we
don't have such a bad record," he laughed. Haider Abbas, who has a Masters degree in Horticulture from Faisalabad Agricultural University, is a trusted lieutenant of Dr. Muhammad Qaiser. He was sent to United Kingdom and Germany to study gardens in those countries and came back with fresh ideas that were implanted in the building process of the KU Botanical Garden. Abbas is concerned with
the increased use of fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
thus hastening the process of global warming. "Plants are very
sensitive living creatures. They bloom and wither depending on the
environment. We are trying to create some ecological balance by creating the
green belts." The A group of 25 students from China, Italy, Japan, Sweden and USA visited the Botanic Garden recently and were surprised to see such a spot in a city that has become infamous for eating up its green belts to create ugly concrete structures. city By Muhammad Shahbaz Zahid and Nabeel Naqvi Horse carts, once a very
popular means of transport in Karachi are now nearly extinct. Among
Karachiites the carriages were popularly known as Victorias - a modern form
of Phaeton -- a whimsical sporty carriage used by King George IV in the 18th
century -- though it was drawn only by a single horse and was Since Pakistan's independence, Karachi, once the capital of the state, has seen many developments and changes. The main medium of transportation during those days were the trams and of course, the horse carriages. But with passage of time, rickshaws have taken over those glorious landaus. Rickshaws being cheaper and faster than the horse carriage have now become a favourite ride for Karachiites and many of the coachmen have forgone the horse carriages in favour of rickshaws. But then there are some who have kept their ancestral tradition alive and they earn their living operating horse carriages.
"It was written in my destiny to work as a coachman. My father used to be in this business and from an early age, I was fond of working as coachman so I decided to follow in my father's footsteps. When my father died, I took the responsibility completely and since then, I have been at the reign," Akhtar explains how he is involved in the profession. Akhtar never went to
school and regrets it, "I desperately wanted to study but it wasn't
possible for me so Like many Karachiites, Akhtar's father moved to the city for better work prospects. Akhtar's business started in his family way back when his father lived in Kashmir. In spite of the fact that horse carriages aren't frequently used anymore, Akhtar still is optimistic about earning more money for his family through his profession. "I know it is pretty difficult to manage life on a horse back now but I have been doing it for the last 25 years and am pretty satisfied with it," he says. Akhtar has four children to look after -- three boys and a girl -- yet in these tough times he is content with what he earns. "Somehow I manage to earn enough to able to provide goodies to my children." Though Akhtar followed his father's footsteps, all of his children have opted to do something different and Akhtar, himself, never has forced his children to cooperate with him. "My eldest son has done his Intermediate. The other one has passed his Matriculation and the third one works as a welder. None of my children work with me - I have never asked them. I want a better future for them, not like mine where I had to give up my studies. Maybe our family profession will end with me," he says wistfully.
These days he is helped by his 4-year-old horse who according to Akhtar is very much a part of his family. "He has been with me for a while now and is a very reliable partner," says Akhtar. Unlike Akhtar Nawaz, Muhammad Anwar is a Matriculate who used to work at the Telegram Office during his youth. When he lost his, his brother arranged for Anwar to become a coachman. "My brother had around five to six horse carriages. When he offered me to join him I couldn't resist working with him and my immediate answer was yes. We had around six horse carriages; we had to work hard to earn our living which we did and made good money for ourselves." Reminiscing about the past, Anwar who has now been in the profession for over 30 years, says, "The traffic conditions were not so chaotic then. Trams were and as there were not many vehicles on the road, the probability of meeting a traffic accident or facing a traffic jam was far less than it is now." Most of the horses used in Karachi are brought from interior Sindh. Such horses are relatively cheaper than the Arabian and Indian breeds and unlike them can carry heavy loads. Anwar bought his 6-year-old horse for 25000 rupees - on installments. "When I bought the horse, I wasn't in a position to pay all the money immediately. I paid 16000 rupees as the down payment and will pay 2000 rupees a month till I completely own this horse". According to him, horses from Saudi Arabia are the most expensive to buy. Akhtar and Anwar had a vague idea about where the name Victoria came from. "There was an angraiz lady whose name was Victoria," Anwar said referring to Queen Victoria. Haji Ramzaan (Seedhiwala) is another person famous in the city for his horse carriages, which are used especially for wedding ceremonies. The decorated Victoria cost around 5000 to 20000 rupees depending on the number of horses attached to the carriage. The decked up carriages may have two, four and even six horses attached to it depending on what the customer wants. Saabir Paanwala is Haji Ramzaan's competitor. Both Saabir and Haji Ramzaan live in Ranchore Lane and are quite famous in the area for their work. Another hot spot for horse carriages is Soldier Bazaar No 3. Besides that, one can easily find Victorias near Trinity School near Zainab Market. According to a coachman who has his spot near Avari Towers, many foreigners used to, and still, enjoy sitting and going places on these carriages when they visit Karachi. According to Guddo, "These horse carriages are now only seen in this part of the world. There has been a tradition here of traveling on a Victoria. Whenever foreigners visit Karachi, they do come to have a ride." The British ruled Karachi
for more than a century and left us a heritage - Karachi will always be
famous for whatever is left of its colonial architecture and of course the
Victorias. –
Photos by Zahid Rahman and
M Farooq Khan The way we
were By Kaleem Omar If the Pakistan cricket team had done what Sir Donald Bradman once said, maybe they would not have been knocked out of the 2007 Cricket World Cup tournament and might even have had a chance of winning it. Asked once how he played the googly, Bradman replied, "I don't. I play every ball on to the bat" - meaning, watch the ball all the way, never assume it is going to do this, that or the other. There can be no better piece of advice for batsmen to follow. At a dinner in Brisbane in November 2000 to mark the 40th anniversary of the famous 1960 tied Test between the West Indies and Australia, West Indian vice-captain Gerry Alexander said, "When we were growing up, Test cricket was still very new in the West Indies, and when we played in the backyard we played as Australia and England. When we played as Australia, we always played as we thought Sir Donald would." Bradman once described Wasim Akram as "perhaps, the greatest left-arm pace bowler in the history of the game" - high praise, indeed, coming as it did from the King of Cricket. The Don's death in 2001, at the age of 93, marked the end of an era. Not only was he the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, he was also one of the greatest gentlemen ever to grace the game, both on and off the field. Modest to a fault, he said in a television interview in 1995 that he saw "many cricketers who had more ability than I had. Why they didn't make more runs than I did, I don't know." In fact, there have been very few batsmen, if any, with his ability, and none that have come even remotely close to matching his Test career average of 99.94 from 52 matches spanning 20 years. It is not a record that is ever likely to be broken. South African batsman Graeme Pollock, who is in second place, had a Test career average of 60.97. To have a career Test average that is 40 runs higher than anybody else's, is not just amazing; it is downright incredible. Bradman also holds the record for the highest aggregate number of runs in a Test series (974 v England in 1930), the most double hundreds in a Test series (three v England in 1930), the fastest double century in a Test match (at Leeds in 1930), the most runs in a single day of a Test match (309) and the most double hundreds during the course of a single day of a Test match (on six occasions). He is also the only batsman to have scored centuries in six consecutive Tests. He scored more runs against England than any batsman in history (5,028). He has the highest career batting average in first class cricket (95.14), also a record that is unlikely ever to be broken. He has the highest debut abroad (236 v Worcestershire in 1930). He is the only batsman to score 1,000 runs in England before June 1 more than once, and the earliest to reach this target (May 27, 1938). He also holds the record for the most double centuries in an English season (six in 1930), as well as the record for the most centuries in an Australian season (eight in 1947-48). He scored 1,000 runs in an Australian season a record 12 times and his 1,690 in 1928-29 is the highest aggregate for a season in Australia. His career average in Sheffield Shield matches (the equivalent of England's county championship) is an astonishing 110.19, with an aggregate of 8,926 runs. He scored more centuries in an English season than any other overseas player (13 in 1938). He scored 1,000 runs in an Australian season more times than any other player (12 times). He also holds the record for the most career double centuries (37), most career triple centuries (six) and most back-to-back double centuries (four). He scored a hundred in three consecutive innings most times (seven) and is the fastest man to reach 100 hundreds. Bradman is also one of only two players in Test history to score two triple centuries; West Indian batsman Brian Lara is the other. Bradman also holds the world record for the most Test double centuries (12). He took only 214 minutes to score a double century at Leeds in 1930, the fastest Test double century ever. His average of 139.14 in the 1930 series against England is the highest average ever in a Test series. He scored an aggregate of 806 against South Africa in the 1931-32 series, 758 against England in the 1934 series, 810 against England in the 1936-37 series, 680 against England in the 1946-47 series and 715 against India in the 1947-48 series. No other batsman in Test history has such a consistent rate of high scoring. Bradman's career record of 29 Test centuries remained unbroken until Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar surpassed it in 1986-87 with a career total of 34 centuries. But Gavaskar got his total in 214 innings (in 125 Tests), whereas Bradman got his total in only 80 innings (in 52 Tests). Bradman captained Australia in 24 Tests. In 1949, a year after retiring from cricket, he was knighted by King George VI for his services to the game, becoming Sir Donald Bradman. To his legion of fans around the world, however, Sir Donald remained, and will always remain, "The Don" - quite simply the greatest run-getting machine in the history of the game. The first time Bradman's name appeared in a newspaper was in 1921 when the following paragraph was published in a New South Wales journal called Smith's Weekly: "Bounding Ball. Saw a curious thing at a junior cricket match at Bowral (New South Wales) recently. Don Bradman (crack 'bat') sent a ball over the boundary fence. It struck half a brick, rebounded on to a fence post, poised there for an appreciable time, and ran along the top of the palings the whole length of a panel of fencing before descending outside the boundary." From the first, Bradman was dubbed the "Boy from Bowral", but his birthplace was at a much more remote country town, Cootamundra, New South Wales, where he was born on August 27, 1908. From the age of 2, his boyhood was spent at Bowral, some 80 miles from Sydney. There he revealed precocious skill in games and athletics and through the elaborate organisation of Australian sport he was filtered into grade and state cricket. His 1st Sheffield Shield match, for New South Wales in 1927, brought him a score of 118. Through the remainder of his first-class career, extending over 21 years, he was to average a hundred for every three innings he played, creating standards of performance beyond earlier contemplation. At the time of his retirement in 1948 he had made 117 centuries. His highest score was 452 not out. Bradman's 1st Test match (against England at Brisbane in 1928) was a chastening experience. He was out lbw for 18 in the 1st innings and caught for one in the 2nd. But 20-year-old Australians of his resolution and ability are only deflected, not deterred, and on restoration to the national team for the 3rd Test of the 1928-29 series he established his position with a century. Australian selectors never doubted him again. His reputation preceded him to England for the 1930 tour, but even his warmest admirers could not have imagined the success he was to achieve. The programme began at Worcester, where Bradman scored 236; by the end of the tour, his aggregate was 2,960 and his average 98.66. In the Headingley Test, batting at No. 3, he was 309 not out at the end of the 1st day and he reached 334 before dismissal on the second morning. In the Lord's Test his score was 254, at the Oval 252. From 1930 to his retirement in 1948, after a 4th tour of England, Bradman dominated the batting of the world. After a 2nd tour of England no less impressive than the first, he became Australia's captain and never lost a rubber. In leadership he displayed the same shrewd judgment, unflagging concentration and flexible resolve that were characteristics of his own batting. A keen eye and exceptional powers of coordination gave him the initial advantage in his command over all types of bowling. But beneath the calculated devastation lay a rich seam of creative batsmanship, vigourous in execution, astonishing in its certainty. The timing of on-drive, cut and hook caught the breath in wonder and the footwork dazzled. Gentleman, cricketing colossus, yet the most unassuming of men, The Don was a class act of the very highest order. We shall not see his like again.
By Javeria Shakil He was surrounded by fish
from all sides. On his left was a blue whale, its mouth wide open, showing a
row of deadly white teeth. On his right was a group of sharks, ready to sink
their sharp, pointed jaws deep into whatever comes their way. In front of
him was another bunch of fierce-looking sharks, eyeing their prey Fifty-year-old Syed Zafar Aftab Zaidi has been running this shop in Gulshan-e-Iqbal for almost two years now. An arts Graduate and father of two school going boys, Zafar Aftab used to work in the hotel management department of PIA. But his interest in marine life led him to resign and start a business which could satiate his yearning and pursue his hobby which has cost him much including a social life and holidays! Zafar is also a proud owner of some 1000 international and locally written books on fish. In whatever spare time he gets, Zafar likes to take photographs of the fish present in his shop. Kolachi, talks to Zafar Aftab... Kolachi: How did you come into this business? Zafar: The history of my interest in marine life goes back to 1976 when I was 19. We had just shifted to Karachi from Lahore. I used to observe fish in others' aquariums as well as those kept in aquarium shops. At first, it was just a hobby, but few years back I realized that I couldn't do an office job forever. I would have to do something once I retire from my job and it was then that I decided to transform my hobby into a business. So, some two years back I resigned from PIA and started this shop.
Zafar: This isn't my own shop – I pay rent of 10,000 rupees per month. I invested 0.5 million rupees in setting up this business that included buying aquariums, furnishing them, buying different types of fish, their food, medicines and some other equipment. Now, my monthly expenditure on this shop is 20-25 thousand rupees, which are spent on rent, utility bills and maintenance. I also pay 7000 rupees to a boy who works on my shop as a helper. Kolachi: Is it profitable? Zafar: It would be thankless of me to say that I can't support my family with the money I earn through my business. However, it is also a fact that this business is not that profitable. At least, not in the area where my shop is located. In this business, the most important factor is display. That is, you have to present your product to the clients in the most alluring manner. Unfortunately, I am not able to display my aquariums, as the road on which my shop is located is in a terrible condition and it has been like for more than two years now. I can't take the risk of exhibiting my aquariums outside the shop because it's very dusty there due to the broken road and the aquariums would soon be filled with dust. Also, people hesitate to bring their cars on this road - this naturally affects my business. Kolachi: How many types of fish do you have in your shop? Zafar: I have 22 varieties of fish in my shop including the excellent species like Arwana and Cichlid. Some of the other types that I have are Flower Horn, Goldfish, Black Molly, Clown Fish, Angel, Black Morr, Oscar etc. The most expensive fish in my shop is Arwana that costs 15000 rupees, though some other species of the same fish cost up to 0.2 million. Except a few, almost all the aquarium fish available in Pakistan are imported from Singapore and Malaysia, where they have special farms for breeding aquarium fish. The fish available in Pakistani seawater aren't used for aquariums because they are not as colourful as the imported fish. Kolachi: Other than fish, what else do you sell? Do you sell any other sea creatures? Zafar: No, I sell fish only. Here, selling turtles is very common, but I would like to inform people that selling turtles is illegal in Pakistan. Most of the turtles kept as pets are Green Turtles and due to their decreasing number, the WWF has put a ban on their trade. Therefore, they are illegally smuggled from Singapore. Other than fish, I sell many things that are used in aquariums like gravels, filters, power-heads that are also a type of filter, fish bowls, fish food that include two types of food; the one which floats on the surface and the other one which sinks in the water and settles on the ground, as some species of fish like Arwana don't eat floating food at all. I also sell plastic models of famous fish movie-characters like Nemo and Dory. Many times, people come into my shop only to buy such models for their kids. Kolachi: What are your working hours like? Zafar: My working hours are from noon to midnight, and I come to work seven days a week. In this business, you can't take off until or unless you have some substitute because just like us, the fish need food twice a day. If I didn't come to work for a day, my fish would have to remain hungry for 24 hours, and many of them could even die. Therefore, I have to open my shop no matter what. Kolachi: Doesn't your family suffer due to your hectic schedule? Zafar: They do, of course. My children are asleep when I reach home and when I wake up in morning they have left for school. I can't spend much time with them on Sundays even. My social life is also suffering immensely due to my business. I used to be the most social person in my family and now I hardly get time to meet anyone. My friends, if they want to meet me, visit me in my shop. But you have to lose some to win some. Thankfully, my wife is a very sensible woman and she manages my busy schedule very efficiently. Partly cut off from his family and friends, Zafar Aftab is paying a high price for what he calls his passion. He works without a break - not just for the business, but also for his fish who are dependent on him for their feed. There are very few people whose business is their hobby and who actually enjoy their work. Though it costs him much, Zafar Aftab is one of those few lucky people and such is Karachi's character. – Photos by Ather Khan |
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They also provide public education and environmental awareness by working
with the local communities.
A
Tropical House has been built in the garden to house Dracaena, Fern,
Orchids, Grass Tree, Hoya, and Croton. Creepers like Alamanda, Sara Bail,
Tcoma and plants like Bootle Brush, Kanair, are housed in the Model Garden.
Botanical
Garden is not for picnics and merry making because mostly people destroy the
plants and their habitat. The Botanical Garden will instead allow 'Eco
Tourism' where people, especially students from schools and colleges will be
invited every week and provided guided tours. "Children from classes
one to five will be our target as they are the ones who could absorb the
information and evince more interest than other age groups," he said.
An open air theatre has also been built inside the Garden for students and
other visitors.
commonly used by the rich lot, especially ladies, in the nineteenth century.
One
such Karachiite, Akhtar Nawaz, a burly 45-year-old man, lives near People's
Football Stadium in Lyari. He does his trade near II Chundrigar Road and
Burns Road area because he says some people living in localities near Saddar
and M A Jinnah Road still prefer to travel on horse carriages instead of
rickshaws or buses.
I had to go against my will. Though I, sometimes, regret my decision but
then I feel it was the right thing to do at that point. I am happy working
in this field."
Akhtar
revealed that he also works on a permanent-basis for a few people as he
picks and drops their children studying in nearby madrassas and schools. He
charges 200 rupees per month from each child, otherwise normal fares that he
charges for an up-and-down trip like from DJ College to Mazar-e-Quaid, are
around150 rupees.
hungrily. While behind him were Nemo, Dory, Marlin and Lola, eagerly waiting
to see the inevitable clash happen, which, to their disappointment, never
occurred, for he was sitting in his aquarium shop amid the plastic models of
these fish.
Kolachi:
Is this your own shop? How much did you invest in your business?