Photo: https://www.instagram.com/hiramaniofficial/
KARACHI: As August 2021 went by, Karachiites waited for rain that never came. While the weather became beautifully windy for a few days, it wasn’t until September that weather forecast predicted rain for Karachi. As the city experienced showers for most part of the day on Friday, here are a few things we witnessed Karachiites doing.
Put up an Instagram story
Karachiites act when they witness rain the same way people from Islamabad react to the sea. With wonder, fascination and an experience of a lifetime. We don’t get a lot of rain in our city but when we do, we tend to forget about windows. It’s raining and we must let the rest of the city know through our Instagram stories and posts. Rain in Karachi is an occassion to celebrate and we must capture it all. And this isn’t just a thing lay people do, even celebrities post videos and pictures of the rain, and for some reason, even themselves.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Iron clothes for the next day
Don’t even ask us why. Ironing clothes for the next day, charging our electronic gadgets, and basically any other task that may require electricity must be done with as soon as it starts raining. We all know that if there is one organization that likes to be careful in Karachi, it is K-electric. They will shut down power as a precaution before the first drop of rain even hits the ground. And if they don’t, something will go wrong on its own and result in a power failure. So we must be prepared for the worst.
Make chai and pakoray
We live on chai anyway but when it’s drizzling and the wind is in our favour and the air smells of rain, the occasion calls for pakoray. Very few things make Karachiites truly happy but this food combination is definitely on our list of choti choti khushiyan.
Ditch work
This is an audience’s favourite. K-electric isn’t the only team that likes to shut things off. A rainy day almost always translates into an off from work. Even with everything working perfectly, we’ll use our internet or electricity or the water and traffic on the roads to take an off from work. And if the next day is a weekday as well, consider us off then too!
Hate on K-electric
Once we’re done romanticizing the rain and finished our snacks and danced on our terraces, we begin to hate on K-electric. So what if it rained for two minutes, or two hours? So what if the whole city is flooded? The war against K-electric is never going to stop.
Pray for it to stop
Karachiites recall the flood in 2020 all too well and live with its trauma every day. While we rejoice at the thought of rain and wish to make the most of the monsoon season, we are also aware of our city’s shortcomings. Karachi is not built for rain, our city has terrible infrastructure and our roads crumble under water. People have lost their lives and property in the past. So before it rains too much in Karachi, we pray for it to stop.
