Dinshaw Avari- Trying my Hand at Blogging!

February 14, 2020 I surprised my future wife with a romantic(?) Valentine’s dinner the year we were dating; and then for the next few years after our marriage... …and just as suddenly those romantic dinners stopped J , not for want of trying   … I just “forgot”! There is no religious significance of Valentines Day to the general public in Pakistan.   However, we all like to celebrate it as a means of entertainment. Valentine’s occasion brings activity to Pakistan’s society in general.   It’s a means of entertainment- besides eating and drinking, there’s not much more one can do in a large city like Karachi. I’ve found that occasions like Valentine’s increases market activity; there’s a positive vibe in the City; employment and commerce is generated by eating places.   Besides this, roadside sellers of flowers have a boon.   Patisserie orders increase (…so does your waist line!). Pakistanis are not celebrating any religious ang...

October 15, 2019 (In Gujrati, “Naatak” = “play”)   “ Mix Breed ”, based on a Parsi family who have to face “intermarriage” issues, is a light portrayal of the real-world issues our Community is facing.    With double meanings and inflections, the cast (90% of whom learnt Gujrati “ on the job ”!) entertained the Gujrati speaking communities of Karachi. The Script was written by Mrs Huzan Wadia, who has successfully acted & directed it in Mumbai; and selflessly extended the script on a gratis basis to Natalia Karanjia in Karachi, this play being the latter’s directorial debut.   Yay to Natalia! This is what Karachi, and Pakistan, lacks- ENTERTAINMENT.   We have food & drink and ………… hmmmmm.   Play and theatre is picking up in Pakistan but to a very restricted market.   The mainstream citizens do not get to enjoy theatre on a regular basis- whether drama, comedy, musical.   Our cast explained to me the ‘power’ of theatre – they...

August 30, 2019 (Photo credit- https://colnect.com/en/stamps/stamp/480344-Birth_Centenary_1986_of_Jamshed_Nusserwanjee_Mehta-Pakistan )  I’m visiting “The Big Apple” … and it’s clean! Jamshed Nusserwanji Mehta was the 1 st Mayor of Karachi in 1933.   “…Karachi became the cleanest city in the East. Its broad streets, lights, sanitation and water system, … [ ] … spoke of the city’s progress” ( https://www.dawn.com/news/649943/in-memoriam-jamshed-nusserwanji-the-builder-of-modern-karachi ).   My grandfather told us how the Mayor ensured the streets were washed twice a day, which he personally supervised periodically. Look at where we are now … ☹☹☹ .   We can have all the latest, mechanized tools but there’s no “system” or “will”, so we might as well [continue] to live in the dark ages. There is no reason Karachi cannot reclaim this glory.   I AM KARACHI ( http://iamkarachi.org/ ) , the social NGO, has proven that keeping city walls clean...

August 21, 2019   We live in a City but hardly go to visit the sites therein…and Karachi has plenty to see! So, off we went some years back to see Manora’s Lighthouse and St. Paul’s Church, both located in the Karachi Harbour and both which we pass regularly when sailing.  This is not only the second oldest lighthouse (1889) of the British Raj but, we were told, ONLY one of two lighthouses in the WORLD which are still cranked by hand (and not battery operated).  The other lighthouse is apparently in Chennai, India. There is still a lighthouse keeper … and every 50-odd minutes, he has to physically crank the lever that rotates the light, dusk to dawn! Hats off to the Karachi Port Trust in maintaining this iconic structure and the traditional art of operating the lighthouse successfully for the last 130 years. The still-active 1865 Church, St. Paul’s, stands adj...

August 8, 2019 (Photo credit- https://www.instructables.com/id/20-Rainwater-Catchment-System-No-Gutters-Required/ ) Ironically, in March, I had blogged https://dinshawavari.com/2019/03/25/water-water-everywhere-but-not-a-drop-to-drink/ . … and now the rains are upon us and we don’t have any catchment system. Karachi is facing proper monsoon rains for the first time in decades.   It’s a good thing too – it cleans up the city; there is more greenery; the temperature drops; and life is so much more pleasant; and the three major reservoirs supplying water to our City get filled. What is lacking are individual CATCHMENT systems.   Each building can easily have their own rainwater harvesting systems – it doesn’t have to be expensive.   After the last set of “rains” a few weeks back ( though our rains are nothing compared to what India and Bangladesh have to go through during their monsoons and cyclone seasons ☹ ) I started reading up on rainwater har...

(Image source- https://www.wired.com/story/giving-open-source-projects-life-after-a-developers-death/ ) June 6, 2019 People say there are only two finite things in this World- however, I believe there’s only one … DEATH.   Many of you may not agree but I do believe DEATH is the only certainty in the whole world.   Everything else is your destiny … and what you make of your life. William Somerset Maugham’s last play, “Sheppey”, tells the story of Sheppey, an hairdresser, who believes he is a lucky man.   Maugham ends the play with an old Arabic Fable, where “DEATH” visits Sheppey; and in reply to Sheppey, tells the story of a merchant in Baghdad trying to escape death   ( source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheppey_(play) ) .   Jeffrey Archer’s very first chapter, titled “Death Speaks” in his book “To Cut a Long Story Short”, requotes this very Fable. Whatever our life and however good or evil we’ve lived it, in the end we just cannot esc...

(Photo credit- https://www.labmanager.com/leadership-and-staffing/2015/10/time-management-101#.XOZlwogzZnK ) May 30, 2019 In the 1980s, my two friends – #Shahrukh & #Shahveer – and I decided we’ll be on time for every party.  Guess what happened … we were the only three there at the appointed time!  What a riot … even the hosts weren’t around. On average, we only have 657,000 hours in our lifetime – so why WHY NOT MANAGE TIME BETTER !? Amongst my many idiosyncrasies, I hate being late and I hate waiting for latecomers - I get irritated; it vexes me ( I love that term 😊 ); and it truly gets under my skin. A close relative has an uncanny ability of turning up at a party just when the food is coming out or a minute earlier.  There has NEVER been a time when he has to wait for the food 😊 . Another close relative just cannot be at an appointment on time – even for his departing flight!  The one time I decided to trick him into going earli...

April 17, 2019 Karachiites have a fantastic appetite for philanthropy; and many times, it’s not advertised – these are the true “unsung heroes” of the day! HARMONY IN HELPING HANDS is an informal music group started by Rashna Gazder and which includes her piano pupils and guest performers.  Having a large group of budding & talented pianists, she realised she could use their talent alongwith her own in encouraging genuine causes in Pakistan. As a group, they not only raise funds with concerts but also visit institutions regularly during and after the fundraiser.  As a teacher, she was keen to instill the desire of “giving back” - to give love and care to the less fortunate - in her students.  Rashna’s husband Percy and two sons – Dr. Darayus & Dr. Noshirwan - work very hard behind the scenes in supporting her rehearsals and donation drives, in spite of their own busy work & college schedules.  In all these recitals, Darayus co...

March 24, 2019 Recently there has been a lot of news about South Africa (Cape Town actually) running out of water soon. I believe Pakistan – and Karachi especially - is almost in the same boat- international organizations have repeatedly been warning us about the impending water shortage, as soon as the coming decade. There are many many articles on water saving but the government cannot do this on its own- we as citizens have to help out too. Some basic water saving techniques which can PRACTICALLY be instituted are – Like Hawaii, the government should create water catchment areas for rain water – especially in Punjab and KP provinces; Water faucets can and should be changed to modern fittings/devices which save water.   I saw a very very interesting concept at https://www.alteredcompany.com/ .   Their water aerators/nozzles give a mist – they claim 98% water saving - giving you the same cleaning effects but at a fraction of the water wastage. ...