Share Our Heritage with the World

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Believe it or not, Karachi was once famous for (among several other heart warming things), its lush green parks. It was not just a random mushrooming of trees and sprinklers. In its early phase of development when British officers and their native colleagues confabbed on how to clothe this sandy, dusty, littoral town in an urban garb keeping its natural identity intact, the development of parks was one of the many devised plans. And the plans worked out well.

The following is a tiny point to weigh up. Some research material available in books and on the Internet indicates that in the early 19th century there was a gentleman by the name of Dr James Burnes who successfully treated Mir Murad Ali Khan Talpur, a chief of this part of the subcontinent. In his heyday Dr Burnes had acquired a fair amount of recognition. As a result of his efforts, a road in Karachi was named after him. Yes, Burnes Road.

One of the readers of this column denies this. He believes no man of repute named James Burnes ever existed. It was Alexander Burnes who explored the river Indus that the road was dedicated to. The debate is open, for a couple of accounts suggest Alexander was James's young brother.

So what is this effusive intro all about? Well, it is about Burnes Garden or the facility that was known as Burnes Garden in the not-so-distant past. Be it James or Alexander Burnes that the park was named after, what cannot be argued is the fact that it was established in the former half of the 19th century. Most probably Dr James Burnes should take credit for it.

[Source: Karachi Legacies of Empires by Peerzada Salman, Coordinates: Khalid Hanif]

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