The Karachi Walla

Nusrah Kanwal has been documenting Karachi floors on instagram. You can follow it here: ‘Karachi Floors‘. The handle does not specify her as the photographer behind it. The Karachi Walla met Nusrah on a Saturday evening at a cafe in Clifton. As the twilight faded into darkness, she emerged out of shadows. I expected a girl […]

It all started with a little bit of misunderstanding. I was walking down Dhol Gali when I saw him pointing in my direction. I wondered if he minded my camera so I smiled sheepishly and put it down. As I approached him he started complaining that I have ruined his business by parking a van […]

A vanishing scene. There are seven to eight shops in Dhol Gali off Napier road. Most of them have been selling tablas and dholaks for decades. The craft has been transferred from father to son and so on so forth. Though tablas and dholak are still very much present on display, other music instruments have […]

There are several things that you can do on a Sunday morning in Karachi. Watching this group of artists painting heritage buildings around Pakistan Chowk is a topmost option. Saddar and rest of the old quarters have seen public spaces diminish over time. Parks have vanished and reading rooms vandalized. Old fashioned cafes have given […]

The Karachi Walla’s happy night out. Karachi’s diversity – well documented and cherished – makes it one hell of a place. If we start celebrating each other’s festival in Karachi, our calendars will be much more happening, much like denizens of happiest places around the globe. I was near Soldier bazaar a week prior to Christmas. A […]