Greetings!!
A recently as just a few years ago, I remember seeing the public vehicles' interiors here in Karachi decorated like a bride fresh from the beauty parlor. With numerous handicraft hanging on the windscreen and the sides, it was horrendous to sit on the benches beside the driver's seat; the hangings continuously poked on the head and the eyes. I remember once the hangings were so dense, the interior was actually suffocating to bear through the journey. More often, the hangings hung so low, it would block vision for the innocent first-timers craning their necks to look through the windscreen.
Recently, however, an abrupt change in these "interior-decoration" styles have become evident. Often now, I see the hangings have disappeared or significantly lessened. More of the windscreen is viewable now. The hangings are now restricted to the front with no handicrafts fixed above the benches and their occupants. Thankfully, this recent change has reduced the suffocation - with the sun pouring in through the windscreen during the morning time, it is much more bearable to travel in buses.
I believe much of this change is attributed to the recent increase in buses-related terrorism - almost above 50 buses have been burnt during the tensed times. Although the bus bodies are more or less "recoverable", these decors definitely aren't! These decors have moved into the category of luxury and with the current fluctuating moods of the city, luxury is something one cannot afford. Nevertheless, this current state of the buses is more appreciable since it allows women to sit more peacefully, less bothered by unnecessary things that cannot be moved.
Peace.
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