Once again, I feel compelled to write about a big fire in a big city. It is not the Gul Plaza fire and the city I am referring to is not Karachi.
Although it is the Gul Plaza fire that has led me to remember another event that I believe is relevant in relation to what has happened in Karachi after a terrifying tragedy.
Also, the story I want to talk about this week is not about the Baldia factory fire in Karachi in 2012, which was more gruesome than the Gul Plaza fire. More than 250 workers were burned to death in the great fire that was actually an arson act, and the date they chose was sinister: September 11 to 9/11, as they call it in the United States.
So what big fire in what big city?
Well, the fire became known as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and the incident occurred in March 1911, more than a century ago, in New York City. As many as 146 garment workers, most of them migrant women, died when the factory, located on the eighth floor of a building, caught fire. Many of those who lost their lives had jumped from that height.
Naturally, the entire city was shocked by an unbearably heartbreaking event. My intention here is to offer some glimpses of how the city and its people responded to its deadliest industrial disaster. Many thousands of people had seen the bodies lying on the road in pools of blood. It was something that the city cannot forget and commemorative events are still held today.
Let me quote a few words from a Google account about the funeral procession: “In a profound show of solidarity, an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 people participated in a funeral march in the pouring rain in memory of the unidentified victims.”
Just try to make a mental image of what that scene would be like.
A commission was created and more than 30 new labor laws were enacted. But the real answer was evident in the realm of art and culture. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire inspired documentary films, television productions, music, dance and literature. Even until a few years ago it has appeared in feature films and novels. That tragedy still touches hearts and stirs minds.
As I said at the beginning, previously in this space I had invoked the disaster of the New York fire of 1911. I then compared it with the Baldia fire to underline the differences that the two tragedies had evoked in their respective cities. In some ways, the Baldia fire had raised more complex questions about the governance and power structure of the State. Consequently, it demanded drastic changes and readjustments at many different levels.
But what happened after the Baldia fire? Apparently, a human tragedy of such magnitude (the miserable death of more than 250 workers) was quickly forgotten. The affected families and a number of unions and social activists certainly took up the cause of the innocent victims and the issue was raised intermittently in the media. Even so, the conscience of the city, in a collective sense, did not awaken.
The question now is: what will be the consequences of the Gul Plaza disaster? In the immediate context, the media has widely covered the event and its gory details that have continued to unfold. Reports indicate widespread outrage in different sectors of society. There is constant attention on the failures by provincial and local agencies that have led to such terrible loss of life and property.
At the same time, it is believed that such a calamity is always on the verge of occurring due to the poor state of the entire infrastructure and the flagrant violations of relevant legal obligations in all spheres of public life. The traces of corruption are evident on all roads.
As things stand, Karachi has long been teetering on a breaking point. It is generally recognized as the engine of growth for the entire country. But it cannot remain that way for long if its public services are not repaired and improved. The city’s public institutions are visibly in a state of decay.
While the catastrophic fire at Gul Plaza leaves lessons that concerned city administrators must seriously address, it has also provided new scope for divisive politics. There are attempts to revive old animosities and exploit popular anger for partisan purposes.
All of this would suggest that the Gul Plaza fire is unlikely to become a catalyst for change in the context of how Karachi is governed. Apparently, everything will continue as usual. But when I decided to cite the example of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York, I also had in mind the behavior of the general public and the intelligentsia.
Where are the concerned citizens of Karachi and what kind of sense of belonging do they have towards this city? What was their involvement in the Baldia fire in 2012 and how do they now relate to the mass mourning caused by the Gul Plaza fire? Are the citizens of Karachi, in moral and psychological terms, less of a community than, say, New Yorkers?
I don’t know what to do with these and other questions. It is arguably meaningless to compare, for example, New York and Karachi in terms of how they have responded to particular events. It is possible to argue that we live in separate worlds.
Therefore, let us be content with the life we lead in Karachi. We have seen the Gul Plaza fire dominate the media this week and what is being revealed is very disturbing. At the same time, we are also exceptionally busy with our social activities, this being the season of festivals and festivities.
The writer is an experienced journalist. He can be contacted at: [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of PakGazette.tv.
Originally published in The News
