KARACHI: A look back at trends and, those who tanked despite their best efforts and those who ironically or unexpectedly triumphed whether we liked it or not.
HOT
Rehman Malik: Officially he was the man to cool tempers when thebody count rose in Karachi, but we weren’t impressed by his bluster. That was sooo 2009. Been there done that.
Sharmila Farooqui: Why is it that information advisers have the same makeup palette, eyeliner?
Sindhi Topi and Culture Day: The relatively new Dec 4 festival was surprisingly rocking this year, not because of the planned events but because thousands of men, women and children across Sindh organically emerged to make it a success.
TTs: The weapon of choice, the bane of Karachi, the cheapest 4,000-rupee way to a one-way ticket.
Theatre: Hats off to NAPA and all the other fresh talent that kept running a circuit of plays to entertain us virtually all year round.
Ex-Saddar TPO Javed Akbar: Exeunt Saddar, enter Shah Faisal Town. Welcome back.
Cupcakes: While some of them may be overpriced, cupcakes changed Karachi’s culinary landscape forever even if the kids just wanted to lick off the icing.
Saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi: The saint by the sea is Karachi’s secret protector whether it is Cyclone Phet or suicide bombers.
Target Killings: We all know who does it and we all know how Karachi’s main political parties have, despite being elected representatives, failed to be honest about it.
Helping Hand: Mad props to all the residents of Karachi whohelped the families who got flooded, with cash, blankets, milk powder, or simply their time to pack them up and send them off.
Pillion riding: Millions of people in Karachi can’t afford any other mode of transport and suffered from the ban on double sawari but target killers continued to violate it.
Delivery: From simple but desperately needed cups of coffee to boxes and boxes of khatti daal or khao suey, there was nothing better than having delicious food delivered to your doorstep this year. Thank you, delivery boys. We don’t tip you enough.
Land: The hottest commodity in Karachi but the biggest loser because of city-wide illegal encroachment.
Paying your bills: Yes, the tariff is going up but KESC has startedcutting people off for unpaid bills, some of which run into the millions for some residential complexes. You can run, but you can’t hide.
IDP tents: Thousand of tents sprung up over Sindh, largely donated, further reinforcing Pakistan’s status as the country with the most number of tents in the world.
NOT
Shazia Marri: At least she was sensible enough not to name rape victims.
Zulfiqar Mirza: When he starts mouthing off, the MQM picks up the phone but nothing seemed to deter our boy from Badin when it came to saying it like it was. He may not have been hot, but we found him smokin’.
Hamara Karachi Festival: While this festival has been successfully running for a few years, 2010’s came and went without registering much of a blip and seemed more staged than anything else.
GTs: Only the vastly uncool use this phrase now.
Concerts: While this form of entertainment took a backseat, plenty of fresh new talent should heat up the scene next year.
Irish chocolate: Does it really make sense to import chocolate all the way from Ireland, to be delivered in refrigerated trucks for a café where the experience is erratic at best?
Suicide bombers: These guys just done seem to get it and when they tried to target the shrine they completely lost our vote.
Special Assistant Nazar Muhammad Bozdar: Who, you ask? [He’s in charge of recruitment across Sindh] This VIP tried to have a TPO suspended after cops stopped him from driving past the closed Marriott road barrier at 3am on Nov 23. Tsk, tsk,
Reconciliation policy: This farce is trotted out after the morgue is filled. It basically means no one is going to say anything to anyone because we all want to stay in power.
Foreign hand: We all know who you are, but no one is willing to call it or do something about kicking you out of our city which you’ve turned into a terror R&R spot.
Dining out: Overbooked restaurants and nightmarish parking on Zamzama. Need we say more?
The Home Department: It was on again, off again, and on again and off again but the men who wanted to go around doing the dirty work of killing people went right ahead.
Mafia: Whether the goons were backed by political parties or simply squatters, these guys made a killing this year, and not just financially.
Tent-like kameezes: With the minimum five yards of cloth it takes to make one of these, perhaps Karachi’s women should have made tents instead, or table cloths or dollies given the amount of lace used.
Load shedding: Funny how it’s the same motion: circular debt and rolling blackouts. Thanks for nothing, KESC.
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