KARACHI MAKES HISTORY!

The 29th and 30th NOVEMBER are invariably among the best days of Karachi-balmy,(nights can be quite chilly though) cloudless weather,ideal for any outdoor exhibition.In this case “Karachi’s gift to the World” a Mega Event jointly put up by Gul Bahao and the Commissioner-ate Karachi at the Karachi Press Club. The “Gift” in this case was the Chandi technology, the latest addition to the world of innovation. Gul Bahao has been presenting its Chandi Technology in different parts of the Country so what was new about this exhibition?. Given the fact that the world is being increasingly filled with all kinds of breathtaking ,exotic, innovations does the Chandi Technology stand a chance?The Chandi Technology has seldom failed to impress the onlookers by its captivating looks but this time the onus of assessing it and publicising it lay squarely on the journalists associated with the Karachi Press Club.The people of Karachi were on the streets campaigning for who would rule them for the next several years. In this scenario Gul Bahao a small NGO was vying for attention for what it claims is a major breakthrough!

The venue was the parking lot of the Karachi Press club which was filled with cars and motorcycles which would only be cleared after midnight to allow the exhibition to be put up. Journalists (although few in number) who had been keeping track of Gul Bahao’s performance for the last several years helped to raise the morale of the workers and the organizers throughout the two days. Some even went to the extent of criticizing fellow journalists and the general public for not paying due attention to this “great venture”. Nargis Latif the organizer of the event related the kindness of a certain journalist working for a well known T.V channel. At the unearthly hour of 3 in the morning when Gul Bahaos workers were shifting 100 kgs weighing columns this journalist offered his services for any kind of help. The workers were longing for a cup of hot tea in the chilly night. Despite the fact that shops were closed at that time the journalist managed to get piping hot tea for the workers.

The exhibition was to start at 10 a.m Sunday morning.A number of stalls sponsored by ABAD, WWF and a few others had to be put up.A hall 15ft x 23ft as well as a water reservoir 15ft x 35ft, a room 10ft x 12ft while the number of workers was only 6! It is true that sets for film shooting are put up in just a matter of minutes.But these exhibits were meant to be real live ones,not make believe! By ten o’clock the exhibition was not ready. Luckily, it was Sunday and Karachites were used to getting up late in the day so that,by the time people started trickling in, the exhibition was on.

The staff of the Commissioner-ate Karachi,the co host of the program had worked hard to bring the people of Karachi to the Press Club.Newspapers and T.V tickers kept exhorting people to come and see”how useful things were being made from garbage. Clearly many who came to the event were those who were motivated about the cause of the environment. One of the visitors was the headmistress of a government school who said she simply had to meet the people “who are struggling for a clean environment.”

The Commissioner Karachi Mr.Shoaib Siddiqui and the Chairman ABAD Mr.Hanif Gohar came in person to lend their support for the cause. A number of TV channels and reporters were interviewing the organizers. Speaking to the media Nargis Latif the CEO of Gul Bahao said that the Gul Bahao movement had clearly entered a new phase that of “innovation,bringing in a whole new technology which will change the world in the same way that the mobile phone has changed the world.” Dilating on the success of the “Chandi Technology”, Nargis Latif revealed that she had never in her “wildest dreams” imagined that her inter convertible modular blocks would cater to so many human needs, from houses to water reservoir to furniture and you name it.

It was past sunset, the closing time for the exhibition. Even the organizers had left except for two workers who were resting in the carpeted room on the comfortable bed that was part of the Chandi Technology. All at once the spot light of the Karachi Press Club was turned on. One could only gasp at the enchanting beauty of the scene. Any journalist belonging to the club who had seen the parking lot cluttered with all kinds of vehicles would have surely wondered at its transformation.It was as though a fairy had waved her wand and hey presto everything had changed!. If any worker of Gul Bahao were to be asked for an explanation of the phenomenon he would have surely replied. “This is the working of the almighty. It is an answer to our prayers.”