غریب کا بار

Editor’s note: Laila Dodhy has been following Babar Mangi’s work for a while. With his recent debut on Coke Studio, there is no better time to dig a bit deeper into his older music.

Can’t get a loan? Bury your school degrees.

Can’t afford petrol? Buy a bicycle.

Can’t get a job that will pay you in dollars? Rob someone.

Have a pet goat? She (Shagufta) is probably sick with worry about the economy too.

Babar Mangi proposes solutions as absurd as the problems themselves in Gareeb Ka Bar, which is the most Karachi-esque response to a collapsing economy. In Karachi, we always use humor to talk about difficult situations because they would become unspeakable otherwise. If you’re looking for comedians, we have them in hoards.

Karachi is also infamous for its high crime rate. For as long as I can remember, a recurring “joke” is that any resident, whether temporary or permanent, may have their phone snatched at gunpoint. We even have threads of “funny Karachi gunpoint” stories. But it really isn’t funny, especially when young boys, who should be in school or hanging out with their friends, are robbing people to meet basic necessities. It becomes even more tragic when people are injured or killed, as this is always a likely possibility when weapons are used for intimidation. Karachi is a place where reliable sources of gas, electricity, water, or the consumption of any meat are considered a luxury.

I will leave you with this question, “Why is there so much crime poverty in Karachi?”