I have seen him at several places across the city. I have seen him pushing his push pull merry-go-round around Frere Hall. I have seen him in Lyari. I have seen him on Club road.
This week I find him resting under the shadow of a building on the far end of Zaibunnisa Street. His right foot is plastered and he is sitting on the merry-go-round himself. He is lost in his thoughts with expressions which won’t betray privacy of his mind.
He lives in Lyari but pushes his roundabout everyday all the way from Lyari to Frere Hall. His name is Suleiman.
‘Why Frere Hall?’, I ask him but he has no response. Perhaps there are more kids taking his ride at Frere Hall. Really? Do kids still enjoy riding in a worn out merry-go-round? Suleiman neither confirms nor rejects. He says that he earns 200 to 300 rupees everyday. That’s too less. I think to myself. He doesn’t seem to be complaining. His expressions still don’t reveal what he is thinking. A waiter from nearby restaurant joins us and tell me that he sees him everyday taking this route. He tells me that Suleiman recently injured his foot during his everyday commute but it has not stopped him from his routine. Suleiman has a son and a daughter who go to school. His wife passed away few years ago and he is taking care of his children himself. I try to balance his household budget back of my mind. I fail but will I bee able to balance it even if he starts earning twice of what he does now? Or thrice or ten times of that?
rbt
The Karachi Walla 
On my recent visit to Karachi I happened to see an old man pushing what looked like an old rusted merry-go-round cart near Ferere Hall. I was in a car with a friend going in the opposite direction. We couldn’t stop the car because of the heavy traffic. I thought about that man. Who is he? Where is he going? Where is he coming from? Obviously he is not from this neighborhood. How far is he going to push this rusty cart? What is he going to do with it?
Thank you for answering these questions.
It is so sad that in our society we have people who are suffering so badly. In a city where billionaires live how can we have people who are living a life of misery, starvation, and deprivation.
What can we do to make things a bit easier for this hardworking, honest man who is working so hard to make an honest living.
God bless him.