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The Documentary: The Magic of Fireflies

Fireflies

20/03/2018 GMT

The Magic of Fireflies

BBC World Service - The Documentary, The Magic of Fireflies

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

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 ‘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)

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