The Magic of Fireflies

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)