Here we are at Karachi and for one of the first time in this tour, take a deep breath, I sweat. It happened a couple of times in Faisalabad, standing outdoors around mid-day, but there was still a chill breeze that compensated for it, a breeze that would bite more and more as the day wore on. The air in Karachi has a stillness about it, capable of inducing a slight stickiness. The whistles sound shriller. It could easily have been Mumbai.

First impressions? Broad roads, big city. Those who planned this city, a local informs me, allocated a large part of the space for construction of roads. Driving on them, especially in the traffic-less nights, must be enjoyable. It was refreshing zooming through Sea View, with the adjoining beach providing relief. It could easily have been Chowpatti.

In a couple of day’s time, Karachi will host two big events – a Test against India and a Bryan Adams concert. The first hasn’t happened in more than 16 years; the second hasn’t happened. Adams will be the first big western pop star to perform here. Having been brought up in a city where Elton John, Roger Waters and Mick Jagger played within a year, it was slightly strange to notice the anticipation.

Karachi is different from Lahore (and a few locals like telling you that). Just a day old in this city, it’s tough for me to compare the two but Bina Shah, in her short story titled ‘A Love Affair with Lahore’, has an interesting nugget:

Karachiites pride themselves in being sophisticated, modern and forward looking, whereas Lahoris, they believe are content to live on the laurels of the past and spend their days eating copious amounts of food and ogling women … Lahoris, on the other hand, see themselves as the standard bearers of gracious traditions and old-world hospitality, and Karachi people as cold, selfish, stingy and materialistic.

As it always happens, one learns about the best parts about a city when one has left it.