KARACHI AND DUBLIN

After the partition of the Subcontinent into India and Pakistan, I left my school Auckland House in Simla, stayed in Karasch with my parents, and attended the Karachi Grammar School.   There I made many new friends, Pakistani, Europeans and a few Americans.  We called ourselves the "United Nations", which had recently come into existence, precisely two years before.  We had excellent teachers, we worked very hard but also enjoyed ourselves. We went dancing at the School Hall, every second Saturday evening, and the whole class went en masse to the "pictures".

Like most teenagers of our time who had lived through horror and bloodshed, we were very concerned and anxious about the future of the world.  We were for human and animal rights and the abolition of capital punishment, against nuclear power, and especially against war.  "They will be no wars in our time," we said. How little did we know, how naive could we be?

In September 1949, I went to Dublin to attend Alexandra College.   The flight from Karachi to London was an exciting experience.  In a bumpy BOAC aircraft (was it a Lockheed Constellation?)  We flew from Karachi to Cairo where the plane had to be grounded, overnight, due to "engine problems", as we were told.  We stayed in a luxury hotel in Heliopolis and had the unexpected chance of visiting the Pyramids and the Cairo museum.  The flight towards Rome was quite turbulent, while from Rome to London it was beautifully smooth.  We flew over the snowcapped Alps, green forests, pastures dotted with hamlets and towns,  We crossed over the Channel and 000there was London.   Postwar London was bustling, busy and beautiful but also so devastatingly destroyed by the blitz.

Alexandra College Dublin

Next day, an Air Lingus flight took me to my destination, Dublin.   I was met by Miss Holland, who was in charge of the boarding school and we drove to Earlsfort Terrace where the school was located.  About ten years after I left, the school moved to Miltown, on the outskirts of Dublin.  The old building was demolished and later, the Conrad Hotel was erected on the site.  Across the road were the premises of University College Dublin.  It was also razed to the ground, the same time with Alexandra, and now the National Concert Hall stands in its place.  A very sad story indeed.  Why should beautiful pieces of architecture be destroyed in order to accommodate newer perhaps equally elegant constructions? There should be enough space for all.

Dublin

Dublin, built on the shores of the river Liffey, was a beautiful, rather small city in the early1950s.   It had many parks, lovely buildings, numerous statues, the landmark Nelson's Pillar that was destroyed by the IRA freedom fighters and many schools, colleges and universities,   I fell in love with Dublin and felt utterly at home there.

At the school, we had dedicated professors and we worked very hard to obtain our goals.  The boarding school was leisurely, we had large, comfortable common rooms and studies, a well-stocked library and good food.  And something that will seem unbelievable to students today. the classroom and common rooms were heated but our bedrooms were not.   In winter, we only went to our bedrooms to have a scalding bath and go straight to bed.  

Most weekends and holidays, I stayed at Mrs Violet Watson, who had a house in Dun Laoghaire (Dun Leary), a seaside suburb of Dublin.  I shall never forget her kindness and generosity.  Also Cynthia Lynch, an Irish friend born in Jamaica, a beautiful girl, with a terrific sense of humour.   I wish to thank  Mrs Watson and Cynthia and many other friends who made my stay in Dublin unforgettable.