Here is a beautiful article by a columnist for Dawn, news paper from Karachi, Pakistan. But the subject of the blog is ugly, Karachi. No it was not that way when Kufrs were in charge or when their presence was tolerated.
It became an existential Hades depicted in Jean Paul Satre's book 'No Exit' relatively recently. In the days of yore when Raja Dahir was ruling Sind, the place was a great pilgrimage center with a magnificent temple that attracted travelers from all over, the temple town was called Devala, literally abode of Gods. Even though descent to netherworld began with arrival of 'first Pakistani' Mohd Bin Qasim , still for a long time with significant Hindu presence, with their temples, Maths intact civilization was still present. Head of Ramakrishna Mission was generous to Mohajirs. Mohajirs were the Moslem fighters demanding partition in India and then migrated to the state they brought forth. They were in forefront of violent agitation for Pakistan, and they are also first to get disillusioned when their dream materialized only as a night mare. Some of these displaced lived in the Ramakrishna Mission in Karachi , whose doors were opened by the head of mission, Swami Ranganadananda showing generous hospitality even in those tense days . In return, soon the very stay for the monk became too dangerous, so he migrated to India side of Radcliff line and became head of R K Mission of India.He was a great scholar and speaker and like Dalai Lama to day never uttered a harsh word against Pakistan.
And then in same Karachi,in many towns of Sind where still there was Hindu presence, ladies in early morning hours used to around in streets, singing bhajans to Krishna and Rama. During Deepavali mosques used to decorate their places with lamps like any Hindu household.
As they say all those things were during Jahilia . Sure enough with spreading fires of Islamic fanaticism stoked by Khilafat agitation, followed subsequently by partition, with the place becoming Darul Islam, music,meditation came to be replaced with machine gun fire heard all hours of the day not just early morning hours. And in a matter of short time Karachi became a place of no exit as in Hades of Satre's work, recalled here in the blog by Dawn columnist.
G V Chelvapilla
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