heroes born from chaos

PUBLISHED on September 29, 2024

KARACHI:

“With its multi-ethnic urban sprawl and its own cultural dynamics, Karachi is far in the lead as a true metropolis, just like New York, Paris, Dubai and the like….

“Center of the economy, hub of all commerce, a go-to city for those longing for an urban lifestyle and an exotic nightlife, and above all a fusion of cultures not only of those who live there but also of people across the whole world….” Mohammad Ali Samejo describes Karachi in his debut novel, Legends of Karachi.

However, this multicultural economic center and metropolis is not without its fair share of problems that its residents face day in and day out, until they feel they can take it no more.

And what happens when you’ve had enough? Take matters into your hands and sometimes don’t even bother waiting for the law to take its course as it is widely believed that if law enforcement fails, the situation will deteriorate. However, things can get difficult and get you into trouble as you try to make things right.

The characters in Samejo’s book, Legends of Karachido the same. Tired of waiting for the authorities to do something about the various issues that affect their lives, they decide to take matters into their own hands, regardless of the consequences. While the idea of ​​taking matters into one’s own hands and creating a state within a state or imposing one’s own rules on society may sound great, some may argue that it is not entirely unjustified. And this is the dilemma that the author wants to expose in this book. Around us we have seen robbers lynched by the mob upon the demand that the police take bribes and release them.

Muhammad Ali Samejo is a seasoned business professional, as well as a qualified English language instructor and business skills trainer. The son of a television producer and director, Mohammed Bakhsh Samejo, Ali grew up not only with a television set, but with all forms of entertainment, including films, music, literature and audio broadcasts of comedy, drama, adventure and mystery.

When you start reading it seems like the book is a collection of short stories and as the stories end without a happy ending, disappointment starts to set in. However, as you read on, it becomes clear that the case is very different, as the stories and characters reemerge and begin to interact with each other, making you realize that it was actually a novel. Set against a local backdrop, addressing all relevant issues of the city of Karachi, Samejo has intricately woven several stories into one.

At times it became difficult to maintain continuity due to the multiple storylines, but the interest and desire to see what happened next remained. It’s interesting how different stories started and how they all came together to reach a very unpredictable and thought-provoking ending.

The book throws light on various problems faced by the people of Karachi such as water shortage and tanker mafia, power cuts, transport mafia, gang wars, fraud and corruption, street crime, domestic violence and workplace harassment, role of media, police and politicians , and so forth. It seems that all social problems have been addressed.

However, you realize that deep down what matters is how people respond to these problems and what strategies they use to deal with them. They have a choice: they wait for a miraculous entity to emerge and solve their problem, or they become vigilantes themselves and take matters into their own hands.

While introducing a new topic, Samejo often provides insight into the issue that is about to unfold, giving a reader unfamiliar with the city’s problems some knowledge of what life is like in Karachi. For example, Samejo writes about power outages:

“Karachi. The city of light. Until the power goes out, which ironically is about every other minute.

“The famous or rather infamous electricity company regularly engages in load shedding to meet the shortage of electricity in the bustling metropolis, adding to the misery of an already agitated populace who just wants to relax at home after a tiring day at the work.

“Abolishing charges is one thing, but the citywide collapse is a city-wide paralyzing event. Traffic lights, street lights, government hospitals all fall under the mercy of these power cuts that lead to chaos and testify not only to the eternal darkness of the night, but to the darkness that every Karachiite seems to carry within them.

And how can anyone talking about Karachi forget public transport? Although the transport system does not play a major role in the story, we have some insight into the transport mafia that is so much a part of Karachi. “Since there has never been a good public transport system in Karachi since time immemorial, several private companies have ventured into the public transport space, with buses, minibuses, rickshaws and taxis plying around the city on government-approved routes. ” In 2002, Chinese made larger capacity yellow rickshaws that could accommodate about ten passengers at a time, as small-scale shuttle buses. “With the advantage of only costing a third of bus fares, people found it better to travel on it. … Then the bus mafia struck back. … They even managed to go to court to ban these rickshaws from the streets, citing mainly the safety of the public and passengers.”

The characters of Samejo’s book are ordinary, everyday people with different skills, priorities and inclinations, and are part of the stories we read about in the news. They come from different academic backgrounds, motivations and professions, yet they all move towards a conclusion that unites them all, yet is unexpected.

Although all characters have their roles and places in the story, some, as in all books, are more prominent than others. For example, there is Ambreen Sani, the idealistic journalist who works with the Sentinel; she is a person “with a functional moral compass and a healthy sense of truth and justice” as she battles the forces of corruption using the power of the press. She is proud of her mentor “who was tragically murdered for highlighting the ethnic conflicts in different parts of the country” and wants to be just like her. Then there is Dr. Saba Sheikh, a surgeon who grew up in the US but moved to Karachi to help those in need, although she discovers that there is far more human misery than she can handle. But that doesn’t stop her from doing what she thinks is necessary.

Nadir is a middle-class citizen who is tired of the chaos and disorder in the city, such as double parking, cars going the wrong way and other violations of traffic rules, bullying, littering, and so on, and tries to help others, even though they are complete strangers, just because he cannot stand injustice, as he intervenes when he sees some thugs beating a poor old man.

And then there is Ghulam Murtaza Sandh, general manager of his friends, born into the highly influential family of Sindh; his father was the head of his own political party. Yet he is not yet ready to follow his father’s chosen path and wants to create his own niche. ‘Realizing that his heart could never rest in one place, he traveled the world… He gained different insights and experiences from all over the world… he eventually returned home until he got bored and went to Karachi for a lifestyle of such just about everything he could. throw his money at.”

Dude Chacha is a character who initially seems insignificant, just a homeless man, wrapped in an old scarf and torn and patched pants, sitting in an alley near the Sentinel office, whose banter with Ambreen provides some lighthearted moments in the book. Later, he turns out to be an important member of the corps that has taken on the task of saving the city, namely the Pantheon. “His insightful views on life, politics and social trends would mistake him for a college professor, even though he is incredibly eccentric by a vast imagination. And for the idealistic young people living in the SentinelDude Chacha is their one-stop advisor in all matters of life, love, academic choices and surprisingly useful weight management programs for both gain and loss.

As the various characters in the story, or should we call them vigilantes as they are tasked with settling scores, wage their battles, some of them attract the attention of the Pantheon, a group that has been operating under similar principles for years. . Each member of this clandestine group is known by the name of a Roman god: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Neptune, Pluto and Jupiter. Despite their names, they are not gods, they are just as human as you and me. In some places it becomes a bit difficult to keep track of who is who, but that does not detract from the reader’s interest in the story.

Parallel to this, there is another group known as The Watch. The members of this group are very visible; Unlike the Pantheon, they do not hide in the shadows, but move about openly. The group is slowly gaining ground and more and more like-minded citizens are joining. They patrol the streets of this lawless city, too eager to publicly take the law into their hands and dealing with bullies, thugs, spoiled rich teenagers driving around in their fathers’ expensive cars, and other trouble seekers. It seems like they are there to teach others some civic sense and how to respect other people.

In the presence of these groups and vigilantes, whether the city’s problems take a turn for the better, whether those who take the law into their hands and create a state within the state succeed in their efforts, whether their actions are right or wrong Samejo has not made any statement. attempt to convey. He has presented the problems, or rather, a picture of life in Karachi and the different ways in which people deal with them. It is up to the reader to decide which path is best: be a vigilante, be part of Pantheon or the Guard.

Rizwana Naqvi is a freelance journalist and tweets @naqviriz; she can be reached at [email protected]

All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer