The Importance of Voting and Wearing a 'Banyan'

February 2008 saw two important things come to an end in Karachi. One has been the end of a lot of tension and quandary surrounding the 'down-went' Elections 2008 (mostly because the elections have now ended amidst minimal incidences of violence and a countenance of fairness), and the other has been the end of an unexpected wave of prolonged winter.

The elections are finally over and everyone has relieved a sigh that we had all breathed in after December 27, 2007. The last couple of weeks were the worse with bombs going off in many parts of the country and an expectation that something horrible was brewing to go off in Karachi at any time. There were rumors of every thing going wrong on and before election day with people at home watching the renewed Geo News for some sensationalized excitement (or an excitable sensation depending upon which way you swing) or Dawn News for those wanting to see the English language screaming 'naheen! naheen!' running with arms stretched, 'dupatta'* fluttering in the air behind her as heavily accented male anchors on female horses run in full pursuit (thank you, Khaver, for the imagery); people at work checking and rechecking geo.tv or dawn.com every 15 minutes so that they can run home at the slightest inclination of any thing gone wrong; people on the streets anticipating this car, that motorcycle, this bicycle, that rickshaw, this bus, that truck, this tanker, that van, this eighteen-wheeler, that twenty-two-wheeler, this donkey cart, that cow, or those pedestrians to blow up; people who reached home after work and being on the street watching Geo News or Dawn News, etc, etc; you get the point. But nothing happened in Karachi (and thank god for that) and the elections got over as peacefully as unexpected.

Another thing that is over is the unexpectedly long wave of cold weather that hit Karachi this winter. This is perhaps the first time in my life that I felt so cold in Karachi. Karachi is in the temperate zone and we usually don't get sweater-or-jacket-worthy winters and people are usually fine just wearing a 'banyan'** but this year was an exception. Many people were seen wearing sweaters, coats, jackets, overcoats, gloves, scarves (the ones that go one your neck not on women's heads), and of course 'banyans' underneath their shirts. Many people were also seen sweaters, coats, jackets, overcoats, gloves, and scarves without the 'banyans' and we all know that that is not going to do anything, for the 'banyan' is a very important article of clothing in winters and it is absolutely necessary to wear under your shirt if you are to trap the heat in and keep yourself warm. Anyhow, summer is at our doorstep and winter is out the door, leaving behind the house with no electricity, UPSs whose batteries are dead, and generators with cables that are without plugs and tanks that are without fuel. Yes, people of Karachi, you have all witnessed excessive loadshedding even through the coldest of times this year and truth be told it gives me the most inconvenient of heebie jeebies just thinking of what will happen in summer-time. If Al Gore is right (and it's most inconveniently likely that he be telling the truth), it's going to be very hot in the summers simply because it was very cold in the winters. I am guessing that we will be getting the privilege of receiving electricity for not more than a few minutes every twenty-four hours, and it's going to be time soon to get rid of the 'banyans' and to bring out the 'chaddees.'***


*a 'dupatta' is a long, flowing, and usually a colorful piece of cloth used by the women of Pakistan to cover their bosoms and heads. This is not to be confused with the 'abaya' or the 'hijab,' which are headscarves, nor with the 'burqa,' which is a full-bodied ninja suit.

** a 'banyan' is a white cotton vest worn beneath shirts and usually made by Mercury, a Pakistani brand that specializes in male undergarments.

*** a 'chaddee' can be many things (including a long drive in someone else's car), but it mostly refers to a variety of shorts, knickers, briefs, Bermudas, or Spandex, all depending upon which way you swing.