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The Magic of Fireflies

Fireflies used to light up the Karachi night sky but now they only exist in poetry, music and folklore

Fireflies lit up the evenings of Kashif Qamar’s childhood in Karachi. With his friends he’d collect β€˜jugnu’ as they are called in Urdu into a large jar which then became a living lamp in the intense darkness. But the fireflies have gone – artificial light means they disappear and Kashif’s young daughters will never see their flickering magic.

So Kashif sets out to make a present for his daughters - a collection of memories from history, poetry and music all of which have the jugnu or firefly at their centre.

(Photo: Fireflies seen at the Santuario de las Luciernagas protected by the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala. Credit: Mario Vazquez de la Torre/AFP/Getty Images)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Thu 7 Jun 2018 01:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 13:32GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 20:06GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 21:06GMT
  • Wed 21 Mar 2018 02:32GMT
  • Sat 24 Mar 2018 18:32GMT
  • Mon 26 Mar 2018 05:06GMT
  • Wed 6 Jun 2018 10:32GMT
  • Wed 6 Jun 2018 21:32GMT
  • Thu 7 Jun 2018 01:32GMT