We Karachiities are free to paint colour and emblazon the walls with what we have in our minds
KARACHI: From the hustle and bustle of Saddar to the outskirts of Superhighway, the buzzing Tariq Road or in the secluded North Nazimabad, in the posh neighbourhood of Clifton or the suburbs of Gulshan-e-Maymar — wherever you go, wherever you see, there is one thing in Karachi that does not change. Targeted killings? Mobile-snatchings? No, don’t think so far ahead. It’s staring right at you. The walls.
Graffiti on the city’s walls has been the pride of our nation for so long that it does not even feel out of the ordinary now. Karachi in particular, plays host to all sorts of messages, notions and plethora of statements all plastered around the walls for the world to see. From match-making advertisements to tips by quacks, the walls of Karachi speak of our people in a language that is louder than the words etched on them. Perhaps, it is time that we gave our people the right to speak out and come out in the open. Then they perhaps may not need to paint their thoughts and feelings in an anonymous fashion. Till then, we Karachiities are free to paint colour and emblazon the walls with what we have in our minds. And let’s face it, nobody can deny that it can be fun sometimes when you are out on a drive, going through amusing and witty messages on our walls.
Quratul Ain Rizvi
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2014.
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