Chai and camaraderie at the construction site - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
Re: Nationalism at its best
Please include your personal comments besides the link. Thanks.
Re: Nationalism at its best
Its a beautiful article with awesome photographs. Small things which often go unnnoticed but they matter a lot.
I luv Dawn for covering these up.
Content of the link:
Chai and camaraderie at the construction site[TABLE=“class: media one-whole palm–one-whole, width: 982”]
Mohammad Ali, 60, is from Nowshera. He sells tea to the metro bus labourers. “I have made new friends here by bringing tea to these hard-working men. We find a few minutes to sit down for a chat and laugh a little.” — Photos by the writer
By Sara Farid
The metro bus project, the largest citywide infrastructure project to have been undertaken in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, employs hundreds of workers.
These men have come to Islamabad from all over Pakistan and many have never seen the capital before. Miles from their hometowns, as they toil together through the heat and dust, there is a real sense of community among this rag-tag bunch. They sweat together, eat together, sleep together and share light moments over cups of tea, forming a camaraderie that goes beyond stone and mortar.
[TABLE=“class: media one-whole palm–one-whole, width: 982”]
Mohammad Irfan, 18, is from D.G. Khan. He works as a labourer carrying concrete blocks at the construction site. “My favourite place in Islamabad is Bari Imam. Whenever I get free time, I go there.”
As the project nears completion, their time together is also coming to an end. Many will return to their hometowns, while some say they may stay on and try looking for work in the capital. The motley crew of labourers, technicians and heavy machinery operators working on the Jinnah Avenue section of the metro bus project is but one of many, separate groups that have formed strong bonds.
These faceless workers, on whose toil rests the march of progress will be long gone by the time people start to use the metro bus service. But the fruits of their labour will endure.
[TABLE=“class: media one-whole palm–one-whole, width: 982”]
Mohammad Aziz, 60, belongs to Sadiqabad. He drives his tractor transporting steel bars from the storage yard to the construction site. As the wind blows the flag posted on the roof, he says, “I love our national flag and I fixed it on my tractor on the 14th of August.”
[TABLE=“class: media one-whole palm–one-whole, width: 982”]
Mohammad Ali, 60, is from Nowshera. He sells tea to the metro bus labourers. “I have made new friends here by bringing tea to these hard-working men. We find a few minutes to sit down for a chat and laugh a little.”
[TABLE=“class: media one-whole palm–one-whole, width: 982”]
Electrical team carries out a final check after fixing the lights at one of the underpasses for the metro bus in Islamabad.
[TABLE=“class: media one-whole palm–one-whole, width: 982”]
Mohammad Arshad, 30, has come from Bahawalpur. He has been working here since five months. “I love Faisal mosque in Islamabad and I go there each Friday to pray.”
[TABLE=“class: media one-whole palm–one-whole, width: 982”]
Mansoor Ali, 24, is from Badin, Sindh. He has been working as a welder for the metro bus project for the last three months. “I had never seen mountains before. They are beautiful. I want to visit Murree when this project ends.”
Published in Dawn March 1st , 2015
Re: Nationalism at its best
Good to know that some Sindhis have started moving to other places to for earning their livelihood
Re: Nationalism at its best
Good to know that some Sindhis have started moving to other places to for earning their livelihood
Yes, its a great point. When you live in a dire condition and kinda helpless due to lack of resources and opportunities, move somewhere else and hard work will pay you off. That i'm sure will be the summary of many lives covered in this short but precise article
Re: Nationalism at its best
This is just one infrastructure project, what good the economic corridor, Karachi-Lahore MW and many other projects will do and how the life of millions will improve