The Karachi Walla

Serendipity is The Karachi Walla’s greatest ally. Finding Haji Malang Hotel was such a pleasant surprise. Tucked between insipid concrete structure, it was an instant favorite. Original and unassuming. It looked like a desi pub where sailors meet before or after the expeditions far far away. Its not very far. Its right there in the […]

Karachi Walla’s happy night out. After an uneventful day at work, I went home to pick up my camera and told my mother who was offering maghrib prayers on her jai namaz that I am off to Shri Swami Narayan Mandir to celebrate Diwali. A moment of silence followed. Then she broke the silence and […]

The van stopped near a residential block to pick up the pamphlets. Zainab grew restless. The van has brought her and others to Karachi from their village in interior Sindh and now they had to wait till they reach their destination. She looked out of the window. She saw a family stepping out of their car. A […]

Abandoned. Abandoned by the Railways but still playing a role in people’s lives. As a socializing space. As a parking space for vehicles. As a storage for tree logs. As a cricket ground for children. The Karachi Walla expected the station named after the birthplace of Jinnah to be somewhere in Kharadar but it was […]

“I have found a tower from where they used to blow the siren in case of an air attack”, a friend called me on the phone “That must be something”, I said, not knowing what awaited me there. I drove there on a Sunday. I picked up my friend near Dow Hospital and he showed […]