Reclaiming Karachi’s lost arts and identity

Karachi
Following its reopening three months ago, The Second Floor (T2F) hosted the re-launch of its famous ‘Faraar Gallery’ which was coined by the late social activist, Sabeen Mahmud.
Held on a breezy Sunday evening, the gallery and pop up cafe saw quite a number of people coming in as they browsed through various art pieces designed by artists such as Sumaiya Jillani, Marvi Mazhar and others.
While people chatted away, their attention was soon drawn to the talk titled ‘Karachi and its Changing Culture’ which had speakers including Hamida Khuhro, Asif Farrukhi and Akhtar Baloch.
The talk varied over the expansion of the city with relation to its culture and infrastructure. Khuhro spoke about the origins of Karachi, while Baloch spoke at length about how the city had lost its pluralistic culture to extremism.
The seasoned journalist cited the “conversion” of roads as a prime example, stating that their names were forcibly changed to suit interests. To this end, Farrukhi added that despite all efforts, the people still preferred to use the old names so such moves were bound to always be in vain.
Although the discussion got many to laugh at the identity conundrum faced by Karachiites, the sorry state of affairs was lamented by the speakers who agreed on the dire need for us all to own our rich past.
The talk was followed by a concert by the band ‘In Time’ featuring Norman D'Souza, Cliffy Lucas and Gerard Vanderlowen who took the attendees to the roaring 60s and 70s when music and frolic went hand in hand in the bustling metropolis.