That day, by good fortune, I found a window seat in a Karachi minibus.

After a long day’s fatigue, even waiting for the bus—and then traveling standing from Saddar to the University of Karachi—felt like a blessing. But sitting had its own comfort. Nearly two hours of travel for less than two rupees. Such journeys were classrooms of their own, full of voices, arguments and fleeting insights.

As usual, I took a book out of my bag. Ashfaq Ahmad’s ”Safar Dar Safar” is one of those works you do not wish to put down. Yet the cool breeze from the window soothed my humidity-weary body and I closed my eyes to enjoy it. Soon, voices reached me. Two men were talking. One appeared to be a young seminary student; the other, a neatly dressed office clerk. I could guess how their conversation had begun. Karachi’s minibuses carry all kinds of people. Daily-wage laborers, exhausted, prefer silence. Office workers are usually reserved, but may speak if they find a courteous companion. The two men behind me had little in common, yet they were engaged. The reason was the missionary zeal one often finds in young men of religious persuasion. The young man advised his fellow passenger to study the Qur’an. The other replied that he wished to, but did not know........

© Pakistan Observer