Clifton Block Three is a sleepy neighborhood. On a regular morning you may find few cars leaving apartments every now and then but it otherwise is largely quiet. Therefore it was quite an unexpected sight to see a dozen buses parked along the boundary wall of Ibn-Qasim park. Men and women – dressed in traditional elaborate nomad wear – walking down the street or having a conversation. There was a purpose in their stride. It was that time of the year, when all roads lead to Hinglaj Yatra for Hindus at least. A lot of them come here from Mithi and other districts in Thar, making a mandatory stop at Mahadev temple in Clifton. Their sun burnt faces confirm their everyday toil. A lot of them take this pilgrimage on foot as well. If you drive from Mithi to Karachi around first week of April, you may find several of them on the road. The journey by bus is not luxurious either. The buses are packed to the brim with people and equipment including stoves, pots, generators, charpais etc.
While crossing the street I saw several of them sipping morning tea. Few women were looking perhaps for a rest room in neighborhood apartments. A kid was charging his mobile phone using a solar panel. A group of men surrounding an ice-cream seller’s cart. The ice-cream seller was shouting a 20 rupees price point. Drivers parked in front started their engines, people rushed to the buses and the whole party disappeared in an instant, leaving Clifton Block Three as it was before.
The Karachi Walla 
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