What were we doing 50 years ago, in the third week of December? What were we thinking? Was it diametrically opposed to how we act and think today? The answer is both yes and no. Yes, because on Dec 17, 1963 the day of the week was Tuesday, like today, and some of the names that did the rounds in sociopolitical and cultural circles are to date very much part of our lives. No, because in 2013 Karachi, despite being the cultural hub of the country, has turned into a surrealistic nightmare.

On Dec 16, 1963, former prime minister Z A Bhutto, who was the External Affairs Minister at the time, returned from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where he had accompanied President Ayub Khan on a week-long state visit. Mr Bhutto travelled by president's Viscount which landed at the PAF Drigh Road airport at 4:45pm. Drigh Road is still very much part of Karachi's cityscape, but not its airport.

Karachi University's Vice-Chancellor Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi was an active fellow. The same day (Monday), he attended an installation ceremony of the Urdu Society of the Adamjee Science College and quoted to have said 'only those nations that think and act in their own language remain alive'. Doesn't the argument ring a bell?

The next day, Dec 17, Mr Bhutto, along with the Central Commerce Minister Wahiduzzaman and the Provincial Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo (another familiar name) agreed to become patrons of the All Pakistan Social Services League.

Perhaps the most culturally significant event took place on Dec 19. Reported in Dawn on Dec 20 under the headline 'East Pakistan film star entertained' it informed the readers on a joint reception held by the management of film magazines 'Eastern Films' and 'Nigar' to meet film star Rehman of 'Chanda' and 'Talaash' fame at Hotel Metropole. According to the report, "Rehman had met with a serious accident some time back and had gone to England for treatment. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Saeed A Haroon, Executive Director Eastern Film Studios, Karachi, congratulated Rehman on his recovery and offered him all the facilities of the studios to help him complete his own film, ' Milan ', which Rehman is going to make as his comeback vehicle after the accident." Ah, the gold old days of East-West camaraderie.

In 1963, Roedad Khan was a very busy commissioner of Karachi. If on Dec 19 he'd be visiting the Jacob Lines slum area and lending an ear to its residents, the following day (Dec 20) he could be seen distributing prizes among students of the Karachi Grammar School at the institution's annual event. His official capacity, it seems, knew no social boundaries.

On Dec 21, 1963, the golden jubilee celebrations for the Karachi Port Trust began with a bang, speaking at which the Central Minister for Communications Khan A Sabur suggested that the time had come to launch another major reclamation project similar to West Wharf as 'Karachi Port had reached the limit of expansion within its existing configuration'. It's an interesting 50-year-old development, because 'reclamation' is a word that these days need to be reclaimed by Karachiites.