Revisiting Karachi’s Interesting Places

By Shanaz Ramzi

The class of ’75 from St Joseph’s Convent High School, held its 50th reunion recently. Our group of friends since school days were also present. While some of us live in Pakistan, many live abroad. Hence, planning the four-day reunion in Karachi was as much fun as the reunion itself, for the challenge was to pack the four days with sights and activities that even the Karachiites hadn’t seen or done in a long time.

We began day one, a Friday, with a coaster trip to our alma mater. We had coordinated with the school headmistress, Sister Margarette, who happened to have taught us too. Without anyone knowing, we had also invited our few favourite teachers to join us. Our group was as thrilled to see them as they were to see us. We took a tour of the magnificent institution, which thankfully looked largely the same as when we were in school, As it is a heritage building, with a few additions of new blocks on the premises.

After leaving the school we made our way to LuckyOne Mall, to show off the largest mall in South Asia to our visitors. We were received by their marketing department and given a guided tour of the whole mall. After partaking of lunch at the Food Court we were taken to Onederland, their amusement centre where we were treated to complimentary rides of our choice. If visiting the school hadn’t transported us to our childhood, whizzing down slides, bumping dodgem cars, and shrieking on roller coaster rides surely did!

Our next stop was Bahria Town, where we cruised through the immaculately laid out roads, and made strategic ‘international’ stops in front of the Eiffel Tower, and the Crookedest Street in the World, for photographs. After tea and ice cream at Murree Hills, we left to freshen up and then partake of an early dinner at the popular Kolachi, Do Darya, restaurant.

The next morning we started early to have brunch at the new Café Imran on the national highway. It must be said here that the long drives we had undertaken from day one turned out to be as much fun as the destinations themselves, for we transformed into giggly teenagers who burst into laughter at the smallest pretext. Laughter is indeed the best medicine, and we all felt rejuvenated despite our action-packed trips.

After brunch we set off for the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 17th century Shah Jahan Mosque, in Thatta. It was a blazingly hot day but once you stood within its corridors, the ventilation, brick structure, and amazing architecture of the mosque kept us cool and comfortable. Our next stop was Koonj Farm at Gharo, where we stopped for tea.

The third morning we set off for our city tour. Starting with Mohatta Palace, which surprisingly many were visiting for the first time, we followed it up with the well-maintained Flagstaff House, now known as Quaid e Azam House, where a knowledgeable guide informed the visitors about the history of the artifacts and the rooms on display.

Frere Hall was next, but unfortunately, was closed, being a Sunday. Considering that Sundays are more feasible for families to visit such historical sites, one hopes that the management will re-think their weekly holidays and keep the venue open over the weekend, like the other heritage sites. In fact, at Flagstaff House we were happy to note that there were other visitors also, especially foreigners, and I am sure they must have also wanted to visit Frere Hall.

We then made our way to the heart of the city, beginning with the iconic Empress Market, notoriously used for executions in the days of the British Raj, which became one of the most popular shopping sites for groceries over the years. Our next stop was Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the erstwhile Karachi Municipal Corporation, which is also closed on Sundays, but thanks to connections, we had managed to get not only an entry into the historic building, but also a guided tour, right up to the rooftop.

Our next destination was a short distance away – the Denso Hall Rahguzar, a landscaped Walking Street, created by Heritage Foundation in 2021. In the middle of what was once a busy, dirty, over-crowded, land-grabbed lane, with shops spilling over with their wares, and motorcyclists and pushcarts jostling for space amidst pedestrians this oasis became a model street designed to mitigate the negative impact of densification and environmental degradation in Karachi’s historic core. A living testament to the adage ‘If there is a will there is a way,’ this street, paved with terracotta tiles hand-made by women who used to beg for a living, has four Miyawaki forests in the centre of the street, offering a cool respite to passersby and shoppers.

Our last stop for our city tour was TDF Ghar, a Dawood Foundation project that has converted what was initially an old residence of a Hindu family into a museum-cum-café, retaining many of the antique artifacts that belonged to the family, and adding interesting elements for the benefit of the visitors. We had brunch there and then left for Sandspit to enjoy the cool, nay cold, sea breeze blowing over the Arabian Sea, as we devoured a live scrumptious barbecue dinner, and shared stories from our past that can only be shared among old friends, no matter after how long you may be meeting them.

Our last day had been left for shopping as no girls’ trip or outing can be complete without splurging on at least some souvenirs and gifts. So, after breakfast at Khudee, which supports Down’s syndrome children by providing them internships, the morning was spent going around Bohri Bazaar and Zainab Market, and the afternoon at Dolmen Mall, Clifton. Dinner was at Creek Walk in Phase VIII where everyone had a great time trying out different gastronomical delights of their choice.

The last item on this hectic four-day itinerary was watching a movie, bringing back childhood memories of sleepovers, and culminating the reunion on a high, nostalgic and sad note that the four days had whizzed by so quickly. But it left us all determined to reschedule a reunion, in five years this time – as we can’t afford to wait another 50 anymore!