Mohajirs are people too - almost as smart or as paindoo as others

Atif,
Now that the Punju/Mojo wars have subsided, except for Chacha's lingering but definitely more positive jihad, let me share some secrets regarding Karachi. Our beloved city is a composite of both India and Pakistan and is the world's largest Urdu speaking city and the most lucrative market for Bollywood movies. Sindhis, Punjabis, Baluchis, Pathans, Makranis, Kashmiris, and yes, descendants of refugees from India make this a fabulously cosmopolitan city.

Not all the refined, urbane, Urdu-speaking charmers are Mohajirs. In fact, a good number are native Karachiites of Punjabi persuasion who would easily make any Dilliwaala look like a Paindoo. There are numerous Sindhis who speak Urdu like nawabs and one wouldn't know the difference if their names weren't Soomro or Baloch. There are so many Pathans in our family that a relative recently lamented that he was not able to narrate some of his favorite jokes.

The mastery of Urdu by Mohajirs is another myth. You should hear the real lovers of Urdu complain about the Dilliwaalas, Bumbaiwaalas, and Hyderabadis (Deccan, that is). After all is said and done, one yearns for the smooth Punjoo accent after hearing "Aarya, Jaarya, and bol ke bolay kiya bolay Hazraat, ek chai maarna" all day long.

The only culturally imposing figures among the Mohajirs are the remnants of the Lucknavi nobility. When these masters of the Urdu tongue show up, the Biharis swallow their paan ki peek, the Dilliwaalas forget whether they were aarya or jaarya, and even the Pride of this Rajput goes Injun.

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