A Love Affair with Lahore

Bina Shah,
It feels that you are describing Amritsar, except that Amritsar does not have too many historical buildngs.

I hope not mentioning Data Sahib was unintentional. Kim’s Gun is referred to as “BhangiyaN wali Toup” by Lahoris. Colonial Lahore of Victorian architecture is only 1/4th of Lahore, the other parts are Moghal, Sufi, and Hindu Lahore. Lahore is changing like the rest of Pakistan, and I agree with Bina, for the worse. In the process it is losing its character. Lahore of my parents was walking down Mall road from Anarkali to Lawrence gardens and only encountering three cars on the road; Lahore of my generation was picking up a Paowa (a quart of Whiskey) from Tolinton Market and be done with it before reaching Regal Chowk to see a movie in “Eastman Technicolor” followed by some top class Bhori (Charas from Mardan) smoked with friends sitting on the stoops of Laxmi Building; the Lahore of my kids’ generation is a messed up Lahore that looks more like mini Bangkok.

The beauty of Lahore was that one always thought that it belonged to him/her.

lahore is ``the stuff of dreams`` ... as samina qureshi put it

there`s something truly metaphysical about the city...something all pervading, almost electrical in the air, the layers of history, the all lingering influence of hindu, islamic and western culture, interwoven like a rich tapestry ...it touches u when u`re there, and u long for it when u`re not

Kim`s gun is also called ``Bhangiyan di Top``....... Bhangi Sardars snatched it from Abdali.....They were called Bhangis for their penchant for Bhang.

Amritsar had historical architecture. E Pb. did have a lot of history. The bewakoofs either did not preserve it or destroyed it. Palaces and structures are used as garbage dumps. Even gurudwaras were pulled down and replaced with ugly buildings...

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It is no coincidence that Lahore was founded, according to the Deshwa Bhaga, by a man called “Luv”, the son of Raja Ram Chandar, sometimes in the second century AD.

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I always thought Lahore was named after Luv, the son of Rama, the mythical incarnation of Vishnu...

Can someone throw light on this assertion by the author?

Thanks,
Avkrishna

Bina
Such a wonderful article. You reminded my lovely days, when i used to play cricket with barefeet in my high school ground, which was across Queen Noor Jehan`s tomb. We used to meet many foreigners, who visited Noor Jehan`s tomb. And Jehangir`s tomb was almost 15 minutes of walk from my home. I had to pass through Anarkali everyday to go to Puinjab University. It was very lively and colorful.

Bibi aap ney mera dil khush kar dia hai. Allah aap ka bhalla karey.

Regards.

A pretty well worded article in praise of a city which never lives beyond the rememberance of a Motel for Kings. I have no hatred for Lahore,but the only thing I disagree that lahoris
over explain their city and to prove their point they have killed the biggest city of Pakistan i.e.Karachi They are proud of Lahore, good, but they got their wealth, looks and infra structure from karachi`s flesh and blood and honey, even in these modern times the ignorance and arrogance has gone so far that half nude ladies roam the streets, which however is not a proud thing to do or to boast about. It is such a hypocrite City where truth has to cover its face and lies dance naked and praised. In this mayhem of choosing words, I think Its about time to Pay due homange to KARACHI, the city which has been breast feeding the BATS from the beginning of time i.e. 1947

Great Article,

Being a Lahori, i couldnt agree more with Bina on Lahore being the city of luv, having lived in other parts of the world i can still say that Lahore Lahore ai!!!!

The smells and sounds of this city remain with you even when you are away...the food, the relatives, the friends, and all kinds of people!!!

And you can do a lot in this city if you want to! music concerts, dramas, parks, basant, etc. its a never ending list!

Yes Karachi is a great city but we dont ever want to be like Karachi..every city has its own flavor and Lahore`s is the best!

Bina, this was great. I can see the love you have for Lahore coming through so clearly.

Bina, this was great. I can see the love you have for Lahore coming through so clearly.

Kim`s Gun was last known as ``Bhangiya De Tope``, bhangi Sardar of Gujrawala(named bhangi because one of them was an addict to Bhang).
Why is it called Kim`s Gun now? Just because a Gora Sahib lived for sometime in Lahore and wrote about it??????

Anyway, as per many daftaris of the time, this Gun was made for Ahmed Shah Durrani. As the story goes, every single house between Peshawar and Delhi had to give up their utencils(bhanday) for this Gun to be made.
Including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others. Abdali did not spare any Punjabi from stealing their possesions when it came to blood sucking.

This Gun represents the blood of all Punjabis from mid eighteenth century period.

Re: # 5
It is a well known fact that Lahore was named after Luv. Many historians also believe that Kasur was built by Kush.

Modern day fanatical hindus do not agree to this.

as a pucca karachiite, the one thing i really like about lhr is that the rythm of life is so much slower than in karachi. lhr is a great place to get away to if you feel like a break. also people are more easy going and have less hang-ups compared to karachiites. lahore also seems different because of its connection to the past - very unique feeling for karachiites who grow up without a sense of history and hence generally dont feel much connection with their own city although lately i have been noticing a bit of a change. karachi also does have some very nice beaches which makes up for the lack of history.

the other thing noticeable about lahoris as the lack of diversity in terms of ethnic make up when compared to karachi. seems a bit jarring. and also the name of lhr cricket stadium is bloody embarrassment and needs to be changed asap.

also following is an impression of english tourist in lhr:

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/pakveng/content/story/226757.html

``...On we continued, a sharp right taking us past the Badshahi mosque, its minarets glowing dimly against the night sky, and its sheer vastness contrasting exquisitely with the low winding labyrinths of the old city above which it towered. The pots and stoves and roof-terrace pulleys of Kookoo`s Den, the most famous restaurant in the land, were a foretaste of the sensory riot that awaited in Heera Mandi, Lahore`s red-light district and beating heart.

..Here was a district where rickshaws and fruit stalls hugged the cobbles and where improbably grand buildings - such as the pink-bricked Missionary School and the great mosaic-walled Wazir Khan mosque - burst out of the backdrop like figures in a pop-up book. Lights and noise and impossibly narrow lanes, where money-changers crouched over pocket-sized display cabinets, and shadowy figures whispered from unseen doorways. ``

also sadly for karachiites, karachi women are into boring stuff like careers while lahori women are into partying.

All my Lhauri mami`s are fat except for the couple that are actually from Lhaur, the others too were slim before their marraige, after coming to Lhaur even the one from Karachi has now taken on majj like proportions...

Gol gappey kha kha, aap gol gappey bann giya!

Even tho Lhaur Lhaur ay!

Reminds me of my own trip to Lahore. I don`t think there is any comparison between Amritsar and Lahore. The latter has a far more pervasive sense of history and culture. In Amritsar, outside of Golden Temple, there really isn`t much. Durgiana temple and Jallianwala Bagh at best.

I think that the modern aspects of Lahore do not take away from what is traditional. I agree with Kulharee about the importance of Data Sahib. The triangulation of Data Sahib, Badshahi Masjid and the fort seems to be the cultural centre of old Lahore, with Gurudwara Dera Sahib being a symbol of the city`s intercommunity past and Minar e Pakistan a symbol of the future. One can soak this in and then head over to the opulence of Pearl Continental for a different mindset. One thing I did appreciate is the conitnuity of new Lahore and Old Lahore, and I think restaurants like Cuckoo`s Grill, places that attract the well off to the old parts of town, are integral to that approach. Lahore is above all the quintessential Punjabi city.

Great city, look forward to going again...BTW, is Shanzeh Haque related to another Lahori Haque who has been a long time interactor of Chowk in times past?