A published article of September 2016 by Asif Noorani on Irani cafes of Karachi was recently shared with me on my Whatsapp by one of my childhood friends, Mohammad Ali. Not only was it absorbing, it also rekindled the embers of my fading memory. The three Irani restaurants that most of us frequented, probably in the sixties onwards, were Cafe Jamshed at Nursery and Cafe Liberty and Cafe Olympia on Tariq Road.
In fact, I used to have a khata at Cafe Jamshed that was settled whenever my perennial financial constraints were overcome by hook or crook. Much like Pakistan existing on loans and aid after the Ayub Khan’s era. This ignominious facility extended to me was then considered a great honour by me. Quite shameful to be gentle with myself.
The owner of Cafe Jamshed had no proper acquaintance with me except knowing that I was a habitual customer. I used to feel pompous when on getting up I would tell him: likh laina. He would quickly open the assigned page of his register (khata) and make the entry for the tea and maska bun and rarely for a plate of fried chanpay (chops).
Customarily, one of the friends would accompany and of course the payment of tea and other eatables was reciprocated between the friends on a turn-to-turn basis. The icing on the cake is that the owner of Cafe Jamshed did not know me by name. I
used to marvel at how come he could act so quickly to pen down the amount of the bill on an assigned page of his khata. One day I made deliberate efforts to peep into his register to see what he had written on the page dedicated to my account. I was quite embarrassed to discover that the blighter had written Daraaz which in Persian means Lamba as I was quite tall. Even a lot of my very close friends used to address me as oai Lambay. Let me wind up by quoting an instantly conceived sher reflecting my truest sentiments.
Kamal-e-shauq to dekho hamari qismat ka,
Daraz ho ke bhi hum pastiyon sai guzrai hain
Haroon Rashid Siddiqi
Karachi
