Once again, I feel compelled to write about a big fire in a big city. This is not the Gul Plaza fire, and the city I am referring to is not Karachi.
But it was the Gul Plaza fire that made me think of another event that I think is relevant to what happened in Karachi following a terrifying tragedy.
Also, the story I want to talk about to start this week is not about the Baldia factory fire in Karachi in 2012, which was more horrific than the Gul Plaza fire. More than 250 workers were burned alive in this large fire that was actually arson, and the date they chose was disturbing: September 11th to September 11th, as they say 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, over a century ago, in New York City. No fewer than 146 textile workers, most of them immigrants, died when the factory, located on the eighth floor of a building, caught fire. Many of those who lost their lives had jumped from this height.
Naturally, the entire city was shocked by an unbearably heartbreaking event. My intention here is to provide insight into how the city and its residents responded to their deadliest industrial disaster. Thousands of people watched the bodies lying on the road in pools of blood. It is something the city cannot forget and commemorative events are still held today.
Let me quote a few words from a Google account of the funeral procession: “In a profound show of solidarity, approximately 350,000 to 400,000 people took part in a funeral march in the pouring rain for the unidentified victims.”
Just try to form a mental picture of what this scene would look like.
A commission was created and more than 30 new labor laws were promulgated. But the real answer was evident in the field of art and culture. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire has inspired documentary films and television productions, as well as music, dance and literature. Until recent years, he appeared in feature films and novels. This tragedy still touches hearts and agitates minds.
As I said at the beginning, I had discussed earlier in this space the catastrophic fire of New York in 1911. Then I compared it to the Baldia fire to highlight the differences that the two tragedies had evoked in their respective cities. In some ways, the Baldia fire raised more complex questions regarding governance and the power structure of the state. Therefore, this required drastic changes and readjustments at many different levels.
But what happened after the Baldia fire? A human tragedy of such magnitude – the miserable deaths of more than 250 workers – has, it seems, been quickly forgotten. The affected families as well as a number of trade unions and social activists have certainly taken up the cause of the innocent victims and the issue has been mentioned intermittently in the media. However, the conscience of the city, in the collective sense, has not awakened.
The question now is: what will be the consequences of the Gul Plaza disaster? In the immediate context, the event and its bloody details that continued to unfold were widely covered by the media. Reports indicate widespread outrage across different sections of society. There is continued focus on the failures of provincial and local agencies that have led to such terrible loss of life and property.
At the same time, it is believed that a catastrophe of this kind is always expected due to the poor condition of the entire infrastructure and the blatant violations of relevant legal obligations in all areas of public life. The footprints of corruption are evident on every path.
As things stand, Karachi has long been at a breaking point. It is generally recognized as the engine of growth of the entire country. But it cannot stay that way for long if its public services are not repaired and improved. The city’s public institutions are visibly in disrepair.
While the catastrophic Gul Plaza fire holds lessons that concerned city administrators must take into serious consideration, it has also opened a new avenue for divisive politics. Attempts are being made to revive old animosities and exploit popular anger for partisan purposes.
All this suggests that the Gul Plaza fire is unlikely to become a catalyst for change in the context of Karachi’s governance. Apparently things will be business as usual. But when I chose 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 for this city? What was their involvement in the Baldia fire in 2012 and what is their connection today with the massive mourning caused by the Gul Plaza fire? Are the citizens of Karachi, in moral and psychological terms, a less important community than, say, New Yorkers?
I don’t know what to make of these and other questions. Arguably, it is pointless to compare, for example, New York and Karachi in terms of how they reacted to particular events. It is possible to say that we live in separate worlds.
So let’s be content with the life we live in Karachi. We have seen that the Gul Plaza fire has dominated the media this week and what is being revealed is very worrying. At the same time, we are also exceptionally busy with our social activities, it is the season of festivals and festivities.
The writer is a seasoned journalist. He can be reached at: [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of PK Press Club.tv.
Originally published in The News
