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Lea Market, Karachi

For those who do not eat fish, the smell can be suffocating. The building in which the fish market is located cannot have an asphyxiating effect though. It has a high sloping ceiling, sufficient space to move around, and arched openings on both sides one leading into the vegetable section of the bazaar in whose centre stands a disused clock tower, the other opens into a street across which there is meat market. It appears to be a regular, everyday sight. Not at all; it can be anything but regular. It is Lea Market, one of Karachi’s most heard about areas.

There is likelihood that, despite knowing about it, you may not have visited Lea Market. In that case, consider yourself unfortunate. It is a place brimming with life. If you are a shopaholic and are particularly keen on getting your weekly (if not daily) groceries yourself, Lea Market will make your day.

Unfortunately, the extremely viewable site, including the milk market building adjacent to it, is not in a condition that its historicity merits. Let’s talk about the beautiful but grossly neglected clock tower first.

The tower is a throwback to yesteryear when time was a valued commodity. In today’s Karachi, time is losing its worth, if it has not already. The clock’s hands are lifeless, not in the romantic sense, but indicating the ill managed state of affairs. The bottom of the tower cannot be seen because of the numerous vegetable vendors skirting it. You can only view it from a distance, and that too only its out of order clock.

This clock tower that you see was functional till seven or eight years back - not anymore. The thing is that educated people go to places like Empress Market. A majority of Lea Market frequenters belong to the uneducated segment of society, so they would not care much about its architecture or historical worth.

[Source: Karachi Legacies of Empires by Peerzada Salman]