Artisans digitizing memories and dreams from VCR cassettes

Located in Sadar, the business hub of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, Rainbow Center has been a well-known market for video cassettes since the 1980s, but now digitization of these video cassettes is also being done here.

After digitizing the large volume cassettes played in the VCR, you can relive the memories of the past by sending these videos to your loved ones and relatives through mobile phones.

Two or three decades ago, it was a common thing for the citizens of Karachi to bring cassettes and VCRs from the Rainbow Center on Sundays and watch movies on a holiday.

In Pakistan since the 1980s, it was common to bring in the popular VCR movies the night before a holiday and stay up all night to watch four to five movies. Not only was it common to watch movies on a VCR player at that time, but it was also common to record videos from video home system (VHS) tapes played in this player. People used to record WH videos at weddings, birthdays, special sporting events, fairs and personal events.

But with the passing of time, the ways of playing and recording video have also evolved and now the market for digital recordings is first compact disc and then DVD and now USB flash drive, memory card and SSD drive. have come

With the advent of so many sources of video recording, the popularity and use of VCRs have declined and now VCRs have become quite difficult to find in the market.

But the memories of the people in the cassettes recorded during this era are such that converting them into digital has become a wish of everyone.

People transfer these memories digitally and share them not only on WhatsApp groups and Facebook, but also on YouTube and other social networking websites.

This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).

The market at Rainbow Center, near Empress Market, was once a hub for VCRs, cassettes, recording and dubbing, but now there are only a handful of shops where old cassettes are converted to digital.

Muhammad Zahid, the owner of one such shop, while talking to Independent Urdu, said that he gets a large number of people who want to convert these old cassettes into digital ones.

According to Mohammad Zahid, ‘These cassettes are very old so when a cassette comes. So it is very dirty, full of mud. It has to be cleaned thoroughly.’

After that the cassette has to be played for the duration of the cassette. After that the screen grab of this movie is taken. This is followed by a DVD and later a USB version. It is very hard work. This work is done in a few shops.’

Nowshahroo Feroze resident Mohammad Sachal Pahoor has come to Mohammad Zahid’s shop to digitize the VHS tape of his elder brother’s wedding ceremony in 1993.

Speaking to Independent Urdu, Muhammad Sachal Paiwar said that this memorable wedding ceremony took place in the village of Nihal Khan Paiwar in Tehsil Bharia of Nowshahrofiroz district. In which Ustad Waheed Ali Khan sang great words. The people of the village still remember that ceremony. There are dreams in this cassette. There are memories.’

According to him, many people of our family and village residents sitting in this cassette have died now. I wanted to show my new generation and children to my elders but now no one has a VCR so I came to digitize this cassette.’

According to Sachal Panhoor, ‘Now that the cassette has been digitized, I will post it on the family’s WhatsApp group and Facebook so that the people of the village can enjoy this wonderful event.’