OF BHAIS AND SHISTERS

By Sidrah Gufran Roghay

Initially, the enormity of the Karachi University campus used to scare me. Many a times I would get late for classes, as I got lost in the similar looking alleys of the Arts lobby. It was one such day, early in the morning, when I decided to wait for my friend who would guide me to class. The lobby was deserted, only the Rangers accompanied me.

Not knowing what to do, I seated myself on a raised platform with a wall to lean on, and took out a magazine that I kept handy for times like these. Fifteen minutes passed and a tall wiry dude joined me on the bench. He was being extremely finicky, and I realized, it was probably my presence that made him twitch, toss and turn so much.

I refused to budge from my place. “I came here first” was my argument. Minutes passed and two more guys joined him. They seemed to be engrossed deep in conversation. I stayed put.

Finally, one of them mustered enough guts to come up to me and say, “Shister, yahan say uth jain. We will get in trouble with our seniors.”

I innocently replied “Why?”.

He uncomfortably shrugged.

I was still discovering the weirdness around this place called KU, so I moved.

Later on I came to know about the famous seat at the even more famous (read notorious) Arts lobby. Rumours are, that the seat belonged to a certain ‘Bhai” and only his followers have the right to sit there.

I remember my surprise at the discovery and I find myself smiling again as I write this post.

The next couple of days I would make it a point to sit on the same bench every day, and enjoy “Bhai log” getting uncomfortable. On being asked to move I would take advantage of being the fairer sex and innocently ask “why?”. We laughed our heads off later.

I stopped because I got bored, but I still wonder what happens at the bench!