Lahore say Karachi tak

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There are some rivalries that always keep Pakistanis’ entertained: “Chai ya Coffee”, “Biryani ya Pulao”, “Garmi ya Sardi”, “Ammi ya Abbu”, “FSC ya A-level” and “IBA ya LUMS”. However, things take a more competitive turn when someone asks “ Karachi ya Lahore”. When this very “important” debate is going on: people from other cities either pick a side or grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy as a Lahori and a Karachite try to roast each other. These two cities are more than a thousand kilometers apart. The battle is over who has the best food, culture, people, infrastructure, places, and whatnot. I was caught in the middle of this ongoing battle in my “Lahore say Karachi tak ka safar”. So, sit back as I narrate what I have learned from my time in both cities.

Let me clarify first, what each city means to me. Lahore is where my home is, Karachi is where I reside right now. Before joining IBA, I had lived all my life in Lahore. Coming from the second biggest city in Pakistan, I still got a cultural shock when I came to Karachi. Even though they rank at number one (Karachi) and two in the population (Lahore), their population difference can fit the entire population of the third biggest city, Faisalabad.

Language

When I came to Karachi, I felt really estranged when I did not hear Punjabi for such a long time. The Urdu that I heard everywhere was also different from what I have been exposed to back home. Karachites speak Urdu very fast and sometimes roll words in their mouth, mixing two words together. For example, “oye kiya ker reha hay” as we would say in Lahore, becomes “abay kiya kal-lahy ho” in Karachi. In Lahore, you will never hear words and phrases such as “jabhi to”, “abay”, “array”, “khair ho gai”, and “ajeeb bharam hain”. We call a “thali” a “shaaper” (and no, you do not need to open your mouth wide to imitate this word). We never say “kaam kara” we say “kaam kiya”. When we want to take leftover food home after eating at a restaurant, we ask the waiter “yeh pack ker dain” not “parcel”.

These are the small details that stand out, resulting in making one miss home.

Structure

The cluster blocks of tall residential buildings, found extensively in Karachi, are not found in Lahore. Standing on the ground floor of Aman Tower at the city campus still seems daunting and claustrophobic at times. I used to think Lahore had too many people and that the traffic was bad. However, after coming to Karachi, I have humbled myself about these things. There is no concept of a “mayyat gari” in Lahore and I was mystified when I saw them in Karachi. In Karachi, the walls are decorated with political graffiti: somewhat resembling a stone-age version of Twitter. Every day when I take the shuttle from the hostel to the city campus, I entertain myself by reading how Prakash Bengali, Prem Bengali and Saawitri Mai, are going to solve your problems of unfulfilled love.

Karachi is so incredibly diverse that while walking down a busy thoroughfare you get to hear at least five different languages being spoken in the background. I have also noticed a lot more startups and small-scale businesses in Karachi. Which gives it that big city of opportunity vibe. You can not love the beaches (maybe not Seaview). It is a surreal feeling to stand on the edge of the shore and have the whole bustling city of 16 million citizens sprawling behind you.

Food

Khaousa, Singaporean Rice, and Khatiawari Cholay are the dishes whose existence I only came to know in Karachi. Back home, we also don’t have a thing called “Puri Paratha” or paper-thin “Chapatis”. Our “Rotis” are a bit denser and cooked on a flat tawa or a tandoor. What you call a Naan, is a Khameeri Roti in Lahore. Moreover, I have seen oven-type Tandoors in Karachi to bake what you call a Naan. In Lahore, almost all of the Tandoors are vertical ditch-type. The chef stands on the side and bakes delicious hot Kulchays by sticking them to the walls of the Tandoor. Interestingly, I did not know that “Lahori Kulcha” has a distinction on the menus here.

I have eaten more Biryani and Haleem in Karachi than in my whole life. Furthermore, we do get authentic Biryani (without the aalo) as well as Pulao in Lahore. There is a lot more to say regarding food, but perhaps we’ll save that for another article.

Which is Better?

My friends in both cities ask me questions about the other city. Questions are more like statements. E.g., “yar Karachi main itna kachra kiyon hota hay?” (the city is just a victim of poor management, but there are clean areas too) or “abay Lahore main khota kiyon khatay hain?” (we don’t, just regular old mutton, come visit you’ll love it). The ironic thing is that I have become the butt of the joke on both sides. When a Lahori says, “Lahore Lahore hay”, a Karachite responds, “ aur Karachi is ka shohar hay”. And I am like, What? How does that even make sense? Another example is “Jitna tumhara Lahore hay, us say bara hamara Gulistan e Johar hay”. First of all, that is factually incorrect. Secondly, even if it was true, how exactly is that a good thing considering the present condition of the city?

The answer is simple. There is absolutely no comparison between the two cities, and making one is just plain stupid. Both cities have different histories, demographics, cultures, populations, locations, functions, circumstances, and so on. I love both cities for what they are. “Lahore, Lahore hay, aur Karachi Love hay Jani”.