Remember Bret Easton Ellis’s ‘America Psycho’? A novel written in 1991 and a movie made in 2002 with the same name starring Christian Bale. Patrick Bateman, the protagonist who was actually an antagonist, was into murders and executions – not mergers and acquisitions alone – and talked about killing a colleague but no one believed him.
Everyone was busy. Nobody cared. And city lives on even if some of the residents are missing all of a sudden. Nobody notices.
Two cases in recent times. Both from the media industry in Karachi, and both women.
An elderly woman dies in her apartment. Her body was found only after neighbors complained about the foul odor. Nobody checked on her in over a week. No friend. No relatives. No one panicked for her.
In the second case, a 32-year-old girl dies in her apartment. And she remained there for months. At least 6 months. Nobody checked on her. No one panicked for her. With over 700k followers on Instagram, she was as alone as a lone star in a moonless night with no one looking in the sky.
People have already talked about her cold-hearted family but what about others? Not a single friend? No one? Literally no one missed her. No one noticed that she wasn’t there anymore.
It is as if we are living in a post-apocalyptic era with zombies running around the city in the day. Yes, there is a war of views and likes, reels and images, wealth and material; but ultimately, we are all humans, and we all are vulnerable at least once a day. Yet, no one felt vulnerable for her. No one missed her.
Even if she was murdered or if there was any foul play of some sort – no one actually missed her presence anywhere. Not on social media. Not on some set. Not anywhere.
A friend of mine – an arsehole by definition – was out of contact last year for 24-hours. It was General Elections day in Feb 2024. Networks were off. Internet was not working. But I, with another friend of mine, panicked for that arsehole. We decided to check on to him at 1 am – with all the wild imaginations – only to find him alive.
By the way, how good was the landlord here. Sent multiple notices. Went to the court. Came to the apartment with the bailiff. Didn’t break into the apartment in all these months. Too nice to be…
Ayesha Khan was 77. Humaira Asghar was 32. One had children and one had parents – yet both didn’t matter for them. Both had a life in front of camera and limelight – yet their absence wasn’t noticed.
We all think as Bulleh Shah said, “I won’t die – someone else lies in the grave.”
Yes. For now. We feel sad for the gone ones once they are gone without realizing that they are switched-off, done and dusted from this world. It is us who are left to witness our death. Some of us will die exactly like that. Without making a ripple. And some will die in uglier circumstances. Terminal illness. Stuff like that.
Notice. Has been served.
