Malls overtake

Drive-in Cinema

By Rafay Mahmood

It was not just a cinema; it was not just an outdoor activity and not just a place to be visited at the weekends. The long defunct Drive-in Cinema was once a way of life and a popular picnic spot for all Karachiites. With a parking capacity of more than 500 cars, a standard cinema screen in the centre and manually operated speakers available  around every car, the Drive-in Cinema was a one-of-its-kind entertainment facility.

But today if you try to drive into the same space, you'll find a lot of barriers. First of all, a part of it has been converted into the Millennium Mall on Rashid Minhas Road and the other two major halves are divided into two marriage halls and a petrol pump. Above all, the full-size cemented screen that used to showcase Lollywood and Hollywood films still stands but now it has been painted pink and says 'Mashallah' with a lot of flashing lights attached to it.

Zaheerullah who is now the caretaker of the marriage halls, recalls his memories of the only drive-in people in the city had ever seen ,  " I have not seen so many people congregate at any other place but this cinema. With a minimal ticket price of five rupees per individual and sometimes five or 10 rupees per car, this ground, which is now being set up for a marriage ceremony, used to be flooded with cars," Zaheerullah told Kolachi

He recalls that more than the films, people used to come here to enjoy the overall ambience. Families used to come to the Drive-in space with biryani in huge utensils, and children used to sit on the bonnets of their cars and enjoy the food as well as the film. "Although five or 10 rupees does not seem like very much these days, but students and other individuals who couldn't afford the entry fee, used to stop on the main road on their bicycles and motorbikes and watch the films from there. Although they couldn't hear much, but they still enjoyed the show - and the best part was that no one questioned them."

Mohammad Imtiaz, a banker by profession, remembers the whole process of getting ready for the drive-in experience and believes that it was no less than a visit to a farm house as the preparations used to start well in advance, "Those were the days when Friday and Saturday used to be holidays at school and once a month my whole family used to go there. If we had to go on Friday, the preparations used to start on Thursday," Imtiaz told Kolachi. He further added that his father would go to the market to buy meat and his mother used to make two kabab rolls for each of the family members. "I was eight back then and watching a Lollywood movie was not interesting at all. So I remember carrying my ludo set with me and while my parents watched the movie on the front seats , myself and my sister preferred playing a board game in the light of the screen," Imtiaz said.

Shumail Khan, a frequent visitor to the Drive-in, told Kolachi that all types of people would gather within that space. "There used to be families sitting on car bonnets, children having soft drinks on car roofs, evening shift workers and students who used to come here to have tea at the coffee shops. And last of all, there used to be lovebirds comprising couples sitting in cars at the far end or those sitting on CD 70 motorbikes having ice cream cones."

However, Zaheerullah said that by the time the late 90s arrived, and the days of the Waheed Murad classics faded, the number of people decreased. However, people still showed up for the sake of the sheer novelty of the experience.

Recently, a group of students organised a drive-in cinema for one day near the empty space in front of the National Sailing club  in Clifton and received an audience of around 300 people. The organiser of the drive-in facility, Sohaib Khan,  believes that advancements in technology and the availability of DVDs can be a ray of hope for the revival of drive-in cinemas.  All one requires is a little government support in getting an empty space for the screenings.

"We chose a very commercial film like Andaz Apna Apna and circulated word through Facebook and other media. The overall cost of the event was around Rs 11 lacs, and with a 300-rupee ticket and the same amount of people showing up, we nearly broke even. And then the money from the sponsors came in," Sohaib told Kolachi.

He was of the opinion that going to a drive-in cinema is a rare activity and the present generation is unfortunate not   to have one in the city. But he believes that it is not that difficult to bring back the trend, with two-day drive-in cinemas being erected at the weekend in different parts of the city

 

The death of majestic Frere Hall

 

By Sajid Hussain

There are people who believe that the June 2002 bombing on the US consulate was the most unfortunate incident in Karachi. The historic Frere Hall - a place for literary, cultural and recreational activity - was shut for the public in the aftermath of the attack due to security concerns facing the consulate officials.

"I can't digest it even till today. It changed my lifestyle. That was the only place where we could gather and pass time. Where else would I go," says Mumtaz Mahar, a prominent Sindhi writer who had been a regular visitor of Frere Hall's book baazar on Sundays.

Although Mahar now visits the book bazaar in Regal Chowk, Saddar, to keep himself active on Sundays, he thinks the place is dirty and not suitable for a book hunt.

"I sometimes find very useful books here, but it's really hard to hunt books in the scorching heat. Besides, there is no place to sit and chat. It's a jam-packed street. And the noise!"

He is used to the green lawns of the majestic Frere Hall where, besides buying books, he could sit with friends for hours. It was the place where he found several like-minded friends. Now, he says, the cultural and literary heritage of the city is gone. He has written a short Sindhi poem 'Frere Hall under seige'. "It was the last place left for us."

However, Sunday's book bazaar is not the only thing about Frere Hall that people miss. The city's oldest library, home to around 50,000 books, is also situated there, but is no longer accessible to the public. Despite having a rich collection of rare books, the Liaquat Hall Library, with its magnificent Sadequain murals, has become a haunted place.

Sandwiched between the Abdullah Haroon and Fatima Jinnah roads, the hall was built in honour of Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, who had been the Sindh commissioner and then governor of Bombay.

Constructed in Venetian Gothic style, the 19th-century building was opened to the general public in 1885. Around the Hall are two huge lawns, now collectively known as Bagh-e-Jinnah, where the book bazaar used to take place.

After the 9/11 incident and the eventual US invasion of Afghanistan, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden truck outside the US Consulate in Karachi, just opposite the hall, on June 14, 2002, killing 12 people and injuring 51 others. Frere Hall became off-limits to the public, as the roads leading to it were closed for vehicles to fortify the US consulate.

"We are writers and book-lovers, not terrorists. The book bazaar should be restored. We are even ready to let them frisk us from neck to toe," Mahar says.

 

 

YMCA ground lost to marriage hall

 

By Rabia Ali

Situated in the heart of Saddar near the Governor House, the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA)'s ground was once a hub of sports and cultural activities in the city.

In 1913, the YMCA hostel, school, sports ground and technical institute were established in Karachi. The ground covering a massive area of about 27,724 square yard soon became popular as it provided a venue for various sport events and facilities for the young and old alike.

The facilities available at the ground included a court for basketball and volleyball, a hall for badminton and table tennis, a concrete field for tennis and a separate sports field for hockey, football, cricket and other open games.

However, today, the ground serves as a marriage hall, a restaurant and as a parking lot as land grabbers allegedly moved in.

A representative of the Christian community and former assistant secretary of the sports ground, Michael Javaid spoke to Kolachi about the ground.

"The YMCA sports ground have had the honour of raising a number of renowned sportsmen including hockey players like Sohail Abbas and Salahuddin. Meanwhile, in the field of basketball, players like Khan Muhammad were trained at the ground."

The YMCA ground was home to various games and sports including football, hockey, basketball, badminton, tennis and table tennis, he said.

"The ground was open for people belonging to all faiths, as YMCA membership was open for both Christians and non-Christians. Therefore every religious community was united when it came to sports and other activities happening at the ground."

Javaid added that in the past, the ground used to host national sports tournaments while serving as a launching platform of several sports leagues and teams. The ground was also used as a coaching and training center.

"A large number of people would gather especially on the weekends to watch their stars. It's sad how people have been deprived of recreational activities and entertainment."

With the disappearance of the YMCA ground, sport lovers turned towards another alternative - the Polo Ground - situated along the Ziauddin Road. Here, every evening, youngsters throng the ground and play their favorite sport; cricket and football. A large number of football fans make their way to the ground wearing shirts of their favorite football players.

But unlike the YMCA ground, it does not host national sports tournaments and is rarely used by professional sports men.

 

The lost fun at Jabees Funland

 

By Saher Baloch

Old Clifton Funland was one of the many places in Karachi which instantly reminded one of childhood, excitement and fun. Every kid in the city growing up in the late 80s or early 90s have memories attached with it, either of being too scared of riding in Hulli Gulli, or a huge pirate ship that made one feel, frightfully, on top of the world.

The second you drive up the slope near Kothari Parade one of the huge balloon rides inside was always standing tall, luring the kids and welcoming anyone passing by.

"We used to plan our weekends around it," says Saima, a 25-year-old girl shopping in a nearby mall, "I remember coming with my family and I and my siblings used to dare each other to ride in Hulli Gulli, which used to go round so fast one felt like crawling after getting off it," she said with a laugh.

"In those times coming to Clifton Funland was a big thing, it made one act like a kid, my kids used to wish that it never closes down," said Bushra Iqbal, a 45-year-old-woman standing near Kothari Parade with a friend.

After enjoying a good period, the Clifton Funland gradually lost its charm. Many of the old visitors gave way to new ones but the overall lack of maintenance consequently turned away many visitors. "We thought that it is not going to change ever again. There was no proper area to sit, the food was stale and the rides were either making creaking sounds or were not clean. Now who would want to come to a place like that," said Bushra.

Change and proper planning, ultimately, were the only saving grace for the Clifton Funland, as it went through a huge transformation in recent years. In June 2005, the City District Government made a plan to refurbish the old play land and the Kothari Parade Lawns that comprises of 130 acres of land. The lawns were given a new name Bin Qasim Park and the play land has now been converged with it as well. Jabees Limited is the new owner of the funland.

"The funland has been given a permanent corner in the park and its previous place now comprises of a huge green area meant for recreation and amusement," said Abdul Rashid, deputy director of the Bin Qasim Park.

The Jabees Funland is triple times better than the old one says a kid standing in a queue outside the entrance gate. "I like it better, the old one was scary," he said simply.

Abdul Rashid said that few people were against shifting the play land. "But I hope after looking at the new one they have changed their mind, because putting up with something just for the sake of keeping it is useless. One has to go look for new options and in this case it proved to be for the best."

 

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