Mukhi Saheb Lachmandas Gehi was only 12 years old when he left Karachi, yet his memories of Karachi Pada remain remarkably vivid and detailed. So strong are these recollections that he was able to draw a map of Bhagnari Pada entirely from memory.
One might imagine the pada to have consisted of just a handful of old structures, but quite surprisingly, he identified as many as 48 buildings—some constructed by Bhagnari families themselves and others acquired later.
Another striking aspect of these recollections is that most buildings were remembered by the names of the women of the household. This suggests that the strong presence and influence of women in Bhagnari families is not a recent phenomenon, but one rooted deep in our past.
Many of you may recall the game “Thaley Pe Thalo, Kairo Thalo” that we played when we had just moved into Kataria Colony. The most popular thalo to run to and touch was Bable Ma Jo Thalo. Interestingly, this tradition clearly carried forward into our new Bhagnari Pada as well.
Do take a moment to explore the map and see if you can spot where your ancestors once lived in Karachi Pada.
I enjoyed reading and request our Mukhi Sahib to share us some more such information about Bhagnari’s while in Karachi.