Cricket Party In Karachi Despite HeartBreak

KARACHI: Closed shops, thin traffic on the roads and negligible attendance in offices — these things are all usually associated with strikes, riots and other occasions of manifest nastiness in Karachi.

But it was a relief that this time such a situation was created as a result of the public’s considerable interest in the Pakistan-India cricket World Cup semi-final clash in Mohali on Wednesday.

To be fair this writer — and many others — were expecting all life as we know it to come to a complete halt in the subcontinent at 2pm Pakistan Standard Time, the match’s start time. Yet this was not exactly the case, for at least during the run-up to match time and soon after life in the city seemed to be proceeding, though at a much slower pace. The same was true for the evening, when Pakistan’s turn to bat came.

The litmus test to see how normal life in Karachi is, is to take a drive down Sharea Faisal or M.A. Jinnah Road, the metropolis’s main arteries. That’s exactly what this writer did and the scene was not too different from what the pace of life is like on a leisurely Sunday. Albeit the one major difference was that throughout the city, cricket fever was clearly in evidence.

Tents had been pegged in neighbourhoods where giant screens and speakers had been set up, while many buildings, cars, motorbikes and rickshaws proudly displayed the parcham-i-sitara-o-hilal, a welcome change from the usual trend of waving party flags. Faces were also painted in the national colours, which made it appear to be a tribal affair. Many, especially in the younger age bracket, were proudly wearing the green Team Pakistan jersey. In fact one of the few areas that were seen doing brisk business on the day were sports equipment shops near Karimabad as well as clothes shops in and around Zainab Market, where shopkeepers prominently displayed the Pakistan jersey.

 

Though traders had said they would down shutters, many shops in different markets did remain open. These were mostly bakeries and eateries, but various establishments selling a variety of wares also remained open in Saddar, the commercial heart of Karachi. For example, while fabric shops in the Cooperative Market all seemed to be closed, many shops selling clocks and watches remained open, perhaps to facilitate cricket fans who wanted to keep track of time while Pakistan and India battled it out in Mohali. As for the sweetmeat sellers, one is sure they said extra prayers for Pakistan’s victory for in that case, the wild celebrations would definitely call for tons of mitthai.

Shortly before the match was to begin, it seemed that most motorists were in a mad rush to get home just in time to see the first ball being bowled. It was not unlike the scene a few moments before Iftar during Ramazan, when even seemingly normal people turn into crazed speed demons, trying to reach home before the muezzin’s call.

Match or no match, eagle-eyed traffic cops were seen — challan-books in hand — in search of prey on all key arteries, while Rangers’ personnel also stood guard to ensure nothing ugly happened while the match was in progress.

During India’s innings at the crease, the fall of nearly every wicket was accompanied by celebratory gunfire. When Sachin Tendulkar’s key wicket fell, the crackle of gunfire was relentless. While one prayed for a Pakistan victory, one was wary of the major firepower that would have been unleashed if the country had made it through to the final for the showdown with Sri Lanka. We are a very depressed nation and good news is few and far between. 

But perhaps we should choose more civilised ways to express our joy or anger.

In any case, win or lose Wednesday turned out to be a giant cricket party in Karachi, in which everyone, regardless of race, colour or any other affiliation, was invited, and even those seasonal enthusiasts — like this writer — who can’t tell a googly from a yorker got into the spirit of things. Now that’s cricket.