City Life – Feeding Pigeons and Reminiscing the Mahatma

Breakfast delight for Pigeons, Mynahs and Sparrows. A perennial favorite of a common Karachi walla. The ritual of feeding Pigeons at Sindh High Court walla chowk has been going on for decades. Come here on a lazy Sunday morning when pallid yellow sunlight has not turned into maddening laser beam. Regardless of what time you come, you will be greeted by flocks of Pigeons. They dont even bother when you walk past them. Few will fly away to give you the path. You can feel the air pushed by flapping Pigeon wings. Ornithologist have to compromise with only Pigeons in downtown. Most of the birds have disappeared from Karachi landscape due to the loss of their natural habitat but Pigeons have survived. Cherish their presence. There is no better backdrop to do that. with majestic Sindh High Court building as a center piece. The court is offlimits for you and me. But you can still enjoy the savor of its proximity from the chowk. At this very chowk stood a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi before partition which was removed due to the fear of vandalism. The statue was handed over to Indian Commission in Islamabad and is still there. Such is the situation these days that the Karachi Walla actually felt happy for Mahatma, that he is safe, away from goons who have ravaged a pluralistic society.

Its a family outing. There was a couple who came there on a bike. A Kid along with his father brought two shopping bags full of birdseeds. Few oldies watched from distance. Near by PSO Petrol pump employees were taking benefit of relaxed hours and gossiped. One or two Sindh Secretariat employees looked at the rising sun with empty mind. The luxury is ours on a Sunday morning.