Written By: Syed Arshad Ali
Karachi ka Keamari | TDF Ghar
Karachi – the city by the sea – has seen extraordinary changes over the years. From a village-city to Pakistan’s financial capital and one of the biggest metropolises in the world, the city has massively transformed. Part of it is how its connection to the sea has developed.
With this transformation, communities adapted consequently. But many, like the fishermen community of the seaport, continue to hang on to the traditional ways of life. This amalgamation and diversity of modern and traditional gives a beautiful look at how the different parts of the city have emerged.
TDF Ghar is giving one such opportunity to experience this with an exhibition that explores Manora Island and the Karachi seaport.
Kaemari seaport, also known as “the gateway to Pakistan”, transformed from a small fishing village into a thriving megalopolis, becoming Pakistan’s largest and busiest seaport. As we can infer, seaports are an immense asset, and a backbone of the economy especially for developing countries. Today, ports have become even more important, as they play a significant role for an economy in transition, such as that of Pakistan. However, equally as important is to know how this facility has influenced the social status of the city and that of the directly related coastal communities.
So what is the port’s history? Explore and discover the age-old practices of the fisherfolks. This installation, “Karachi ka Keamari”, which has been on display since August 25th, will immerse the visitors in life upon Manora Island. Visit with your friends and family, sit on this boat and get to know about the first hand experiences of the locals! The center is open from 10 am to 10 pm daily and the entry ticket is 100 rupees.
About TDF Ghar
Situated opposite to the Quaid’s mausoleum, the TDF ghar is a generous gift to the city by the Dawood Foundation. This community center, designed to “relive the old spirit of Karachi” is a renovated ghar from the 1930s. TDF Ghar is open to public with an aim to promote informal learning spaces in Karachi. It is a platform where people from all ethnicities can come together to share their culture and indulge in discussions about science and arts. The home retains its heritage features, but has been transformed into a public space, to re-live the true spirit of residents of this old cosmopolitan city. The space has a ‘Living room’, a mini-museum installed with original fixtures, a training room, for conducting meetings, interviews and workshops, 3 multi-purpose halls, a café and a roof-top set up that allows a spectacular of the Mazar e Qaid.
So, come by, visit this beautiful space, read books, play chess and look through the installations. The exhibition will continue to be on display till the end of this month. See in the image below, illustrative expression of a visitor who took time out to experience this exhibition:
For more details on the event, please follow this link to their official Facebook events page.
