From Cairo to Capri: Egyptian architect Tarek Shamma’s journey to preserve his heritage 

From Cairo to Capri: Egyptian architect Tarek Shamma’s journey to preserve his heritage 

In Pakistan’s Karachi, South Indian immigrants keep the taste of Tamil food alive over decades

KARACHI: Looking for better prospects of life, Ravi Shankar Swami’s grandfather migrated to the port city of Karachi from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the 1930s. The Swami family was among a few hundred others that brought the rich taste of the Tamil cuisine with them, which has transitioned over the decades and adopted some ingredients common in the present-day Pakistan. 

The southern Pakistani province of Sindh is home to a small community of Tamils, a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group, who migrated from southern India in the 1930s. There are around 5,000 Tamils currently living in Pakistan, who include Muslims, Hindus and Christians, according to the Swamis, according to the community members. Some of these families have been settled in the Pakistani culinary and commercial hub of Karachi since the pre-partition British Colonial era.  

The small community speaks Tamil, which is the official language of India’s Tamil Nadu state, while some of its prominent dishes include dosa (a thin pancake made from a fermented batter of ground black lentils and rice), idli (savoury rice cake usually served in breakfast), upma (a thick savory porridge made