KARACHI: In the West, they are known as human statues or living statues. Like their inanimate counterparts, they don’t move and are very still. But they are very much alive and breathing. They are performers. Their remaining still is also an act.

These days, you also see them on Karachi’s roads. There is the Goldman in his bright golden suit with hat and golden stool can’t be missed on main Khayaban-i-Jami in Clifton. From head to toe, even his face and hair are suffering from the Midas Touch.

The dark glasses he wears help in hiding his eyes, which are the only give away as they blink. And when his limbs grow tired of remaining in one position, he strikes a new pose.

Mohammad Nadeem, or the Goldman, says that he stands there from 3pm to 10pm every day. Speaking to Dawn, he said that he has done all kinds of work to earn a living for his little family. “I have sold small toys, I have sold balloons and flowers at signals. But nothing helped me earn as much as I am making now standing still. Anyone who likes my act, especially here in Clifton, pays me from Rs500 to Rs2,000 even,” he said.

“People are amused to see me. Children point at me, they try to speak to me, they make faces at me in the hope of making me laugh, but I stand still, expressionless. Many people are so impressed with my act that they then leave me tips. I am making enough now to feed my family as well as pay me for my getup,” he shared.

He added that the gold paint was all water colour. “I need it to be water colour so that I can take it off in one wash. I’m not going to coat myself in oil paint and then douse myself in turpentine,” he pointed out. The main drawback of that is that the water colour that he buys is expensive. He pays Rs1,700 for it every three days. But as he says, what he makes covers that expense also.

On the footpath outside the Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum, you also run into Mohammed Imran and his daughter. Both are dressed as Spider-Man for entertainment. “You can either find us here or in Bahadurabad. We come out after Isha prayers and remain out till midnight or even past 1am sometimes,” he said.

He also said that he was a vegetable vendor by day. “I can’t make enough selling just vegetables for my big family. I have a mother, a wife, seven children of my own while also supporting my widowed sister and her children,” he said, adding that the Spider-Man’s act, which he got into some two years ago, has helped supplement his income to some extent where he can feed the entire family two meals a day.

At Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue, or Seaview, one met with another Spider-Man. He was also not alone. He was with Captain America. Hamza, the Seaview Spider-Man and Ismail, Captain America, both hail from Shireen Jinnah Colony. They bought their outfits from Shershah Market for Rs3,000 each. “The outfits were an investment. You should see how happy children are upon seeing us. They think they are meeting the real Marvel characters,” said Hamza.

“With every smile of a child comes Rs50, Rs100 and even Rs200 from their parent’s pockets and purse. It is not bad if it happens every day but sadly, there are also days when we only make nothing,” said Ismail.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2023