Deaf Hair Cutting

Tribute to Mustafa Kamal…

You gotta admit. Karachi has been transformed over the past six years. I remember Karachi in 2001 when I left for my hiatus abroad. It used to be a stinking nightmare. Buses, rickshaws and cars honked with frustration in long queues of traffic jams. Pollution hung like a pall in the sky with barely any vegetation in the city. Roads were broken and potholed in all areas. Curbs and footpaths were non-existent or left in ruins. Sewerage water overflowed in a majority of the neighbourhoods. Water was in short supply and tankers used to ply everywhere. Just thinking of those frustrating times is enough to give one a headache.
Contrast that image to now. Traffic flows freely in most areas thanks to signal-free corridors. A lot of major arteries of the city have been re-carpeted… something that had not been carried out in the city for decades. Most of the roads and streets look defined now, with properly constructed curbsides and footpaths. The sewerage system of the city has been fixed in a majority of areas and you dont find overflowing gutters everywhere anymore. A lot of trees have been planted in the city and amenity plots that used to be garbage dumps have been converted into parks. The credit for this vision and for the transformation of this city from an urban disaster to a strident megapolis can largely go to one man: Mustafa Kamal.

MAZAR-E-QUAID Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Quaid-e-Azam`s Mausoleum is a prominent and impressive landmark of Karachi. Designed by Architect Yahya Merchant, this white marble Mausoleum with its curved arches and copper grills was completed in 1970. Its cool interior reflects the green of a four-tiered crystal chandelier gifted by the peoples Republic of China.There is a large park surrounding the mausoleum. It is a must place to be visiited. The Mazar-e-Quaid was built in honour of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He was an Indian-Muslim politician & the leader of the "All India Muslim League" who went on to found Pakistan & served as its first Governor General. The Pakistani people lovingly refer to him as "Quaid-e-Azam" (Great Leader). In the 1940s Jinnah suffered from tuberculosis and on 11th September 1948 he finally succumbed to the disease & also lunge cancer.This masterpiece of white marble was completed in the 1970s & is located in the centre of the city ontop of a small hill, surrounded by well-pruned & lush gardens. It's a very calm & tranquil place that we indeed didn't expect to find in the middle of such a hectic & noisy city. There were families having picnics & couples going for a walk.Enter the hall that is guarded at all times & feel the understated serenity & quiet admiration of Pakistan's people. The coffin is surrounded by a fence and his actual grave is a few meters below ground. The graves of his sister & also the 1st Prime Minister of Pakistan (Liaqat Ali Khan) are nearby. Unfortunately we missed the ceremonial changing of the guards as we were in a hurry, but if you have some time I definitely recommend spending about an hour here.

Quote:"No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within 4 walls as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition our women have to live in." This sounds like an interesting chap... I would've liked to have a cup of tea with him sometime...