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revisiting MOOD
STREET
Town Talk art By Altaf Hussain Asad Syed Ghulam Ali alias Hero breathed his last in 2007 but his name will be remembered fondly by all those who love books. In 1954, he started setting up a stall of books, near Paan Mandi, opposite the church at the start of the Anarkali bazaar in Lahore. He hailed from Saharanpur and love for art and literature was in his blood. Later, he moved to where now stands the Bible Society in the Anarkali bazaar. He named his shop Hero Books. TOP10
revisiting The good Ranjit Singh did Sikh history has largely been associated with loot and plunder but many fail to notice Ranjit Singh's contributions to Lahore in terms of architecture and history By Noveen Abid Ranjit Singh is notorious for stripping Lahore's
glorious monuments of almost all the gilded ornaments and jewels and
having them transferred to Amritsar. It is said that the most affected
monument was Sheesh Mahal -- its mirrors were removed and later used to
decorate the Golden Temple. Hence, Sikh history with regard to Lahore has
largely been associated with loot and plunder. Many fail to notice Ranjit
Singh's contributions to Lahore in terms of architecture and history. Lahore, being the most sought after city at the time, was coveted by Ranjit Singh not only for its political importance but also because it was the birthplace of the fourth Guru Ram Das. After realising that he could not get the city in return for the favour to Zaman Shah, he proceeded to capture Lahore by force. Apart from destroying a large part of the historical buildings that the Mughals left behind, Ranjit Singh has also built many structures around the city that are worth mentioning. Few people know that the white marble baradari standing in Hazoori Bagh in the passage between Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort was part of Jehangir's Tomb. After constructing a garden in 1813 to celebrate his capture of the famous Kohinoor Diamond, Ranjit Singh realised that some form of edifice was needed to complete it. According to Iqbal Qaiser, a known expert on Sikh architecture, "Ranjit Singh wanted it to be made on the lines of Mughal architecture so it would not seem out of place. As it was relatively impossible to do this, Ranjit Singh ordered the top floor of Jehangir's tomb to be demolished and brought down after numbering each marble brick by hand. The structure was then re-constructed by fitting the original pieces like a puzzle. One can see the numbers on the bricks up to this day. This structure is now referred to as the Hazoori Bagh Baradari." Iqbal Qaiser also pointed out that "not only did
Ranjit Singh build his own Samadhi, he also built a Gurdwara honouring
Guru Arjun Singh which is located opposite the Lahore Fort as well as a
mandir near Shama Cinema on the request of his wife. Interestingly, Ranjit
Singh had Gul Begum Mosque and garden (located in Samanabad) constructed
in honour of his deceased wife – Gul Begum – who was a Muslim. The
first Quran Gallery was also made in this time period. Ranjit Singh's
Muslim daughter-in-law aided in the collection and display of the holy
texts – the Quran Gallery was opened for the public near Data Darbar." Iqbal Qaiser details that another structure was also built inside Shalimar Gardens and a Sikh Art Gallery was opened in Lahore Fort at the time. Even the building in front of the Sheesh Mahal is said to have been built by Ranjit Singh. It is true that Ranjit Singh was responsible for looting the city's valued historical buildings but it seems that he was bent on leaving his mark on Lahore by adding and beautifying some of the existing ones. Fakir Aijazuddin mentions that as a region, "the level of security in the areas surrounding Lahore improved, particularly during the reign of the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh who ruled from 1799 to 1839." This signifies that Ranjit Singh can be held responsible for strengthening the city politically. It is indeed a shame to see these monuments, marking the period of Sikh rule in Lahore decaying with time, taking with them an important part of Lahore's history. Yasmin Cheema adds that "people have usually thought of Ranjit Singh as a "destroyer of Lahore." In retrospect, the British have also played a large part in destroying Mughal architecture through loot and plunder. Structures added to Lahore Fort in both eras signify continuation." She pointed out that Punjab was actually developed in Sikh rule – Lahore was changed from being the provincial capital to the capital of the Sikh kingdom. "Now, even though the Punjab Government has the necessary funds, they have failed to conserve the Sikh buildings. It is ironic that Ranjit Singh destroyed parts of Lahore but Muslims are destroying Sikh architecture even now. Mosques have been re-built but Gurdwaras haven't been conserved." Yasmeen Cheema also notes that "It is Muslims who have been appointed to take care of the functioning Sikh Gurdwaras and not only do these people eat up funds, they fail to conserve the existing structures."
The internal maps of the terrorised By Saeed Ur Rehman The explosion felt like a wave: the blast wave, the shock
wave and the vacuum all mixed together. Our house, at the junction of Queens
and Jail Roads, was 1.2 km away from the office of Rescue 15. The neighbours
thought a gas cylinder had exploded nearby so they were asking if anybody
needed help. Then the mushroom cloud became visible on the blue sky beyond
the Salvation Army. So everybody went home and turned on the TV. The anchorperson was talking about a major explosion but did not know much yet. Then it all trickled in. Two major security-related buildings had been attacked. The radius of broken windows was 4 kilometres. Carnage. Mayhem. And the usual display of post-factum expertise. All live and all banal. When those institutions which are supposed to save the citizens feel vulnerable, the society has succumbed to what it was trying to avoid: violence without any procedure or due process. Therefore, I needed to remap the familiar city in my mind to create a semblance of security where none existed. I left the house two hours after the attack and went to the latest ground zero. All the buildings around Rescue 15 had their glass broken. The shutters were forced out of their grooves like broken bones jutting out of torn muscles. The cars in showrooms were covered in dust and plaster that had come off the walls. All the injured had been moved to nearby hospitals but there were four or five ambulances on standby while the debris was being searched for more survivors. A throng of photographers, journalists, TV correspondents and cameramen were playing hide and seek with the police which was trying to cordon off the area where the forensic evidence might have been. Both the informers and the informed upon were persistent like a stubborn nightmare, difficult to shake off even after you are awake. The crater at the latest ground zero was filled with muddy water seeping from the broken WASA pipes and people were busy developing conspiracy theories. I looked at the damaged police buildings and started thinking. It is not safe to be near the police for different reasons now. Before the so-called war on terror began, it was for the fear of the police that ordinary people avoided them. The police was so corrupt that it was acting like the robbers it was supposed to protect us from. Now the police and the robbers were all at risk because a more sinister player had arrived on the scene. So I created a map in my head thinking about the places that the terrorists would want to attack that fell on the way from my home to my office. It went something like this: avoid the Temple Road police station, avoid the Mozang police station, the GOR I and II (how many are there?), avoid the traffic wardens like you always do, avoid government buildings, avoid the Governor House, avoid the Race Course police station, avoid any buildings with fortified walls and barriers and barbed wire, avoid the British Council, avoid the former American Centre now a British visa collection centre, avoid any buildings which function as secret investigation centres, avoid purity, avoid tobacco, avoid immorality, avoid moonshine, avoid coffeehouses, avoid the so-called Westernised elites, avoid the Westerners. Basically avoid life for the fear of dying. In other words, with this map in my head I was supposed to live but die of cognitive torpor. Is this why all of us got together in 1947 and demanded the birth of a nation where we were all supposed to be free to go to our temples, to our mosques or to any other place of worship. Did we not start with this fundamental principle that we were "all citizens and equal citizens of one State." Email: urrehman@gmail.com
- Summer display at Vogue Art Gallery from June 15-30.
Featuring artists: Rashid Arshad, Asghar Ali, Akram Dost, Nusra Latif, Babar
Mughal, Raja Changez Sultan and many more. The gallery remains opens from
11am to 8:30pm. Ph: 5785321
- Creative Arts and Crafts course for girls starting from 1st July at 142-F, Model Town. Call 0300-8403568, 042-5850969
- Exhibition of paintings titled 'Taaluq' by Australian artist Michael Glikson at Rohtas 2 Art Gallery till June 25 June.
- Music: Lahore Arts Forum in collaboration with Lahore Arts Council has organized a musical evening with Ustaad Badruzzaman, Ustaad Qamaruzzaman and Nadeem Riaz Malik at Alhamra Cultural Complex (off Ferozpur Road), Hall 2 on 23rd June at 5:45pm. Other artists performing at the event: Jimmy Khan, Muhammad Aslam and Zuhaib Hasan.
- Ghazal Night at Peerus Café on Friday at 9pm.
- Talk on Fish and Fisheries of Pakistan at Government College University Lahore on Monday, June 22. Muhammad Ramzan Mirza is the key speaker.
- Lecture on Cancer Prevention among women by Dr. Noreen Zafar at Sukh Chan Wellness Club on Saturday, June 27 at 6pm.
- LEAF Literature Club brings Muhabbat Ki Kitaab: A new Visual Contemporary Verse-Drama at Model Town Library Auditorium on Thursday, June 25 at 5:45pm. Keynote speaker: Ayub Khawar.
- Weekend Cycle Ride to start at 5:45pm today from Zakir Tikka intersection. Host: Critical Mass Lahore.
- Puppet Show at Alhamra, The Mall every Sunday at 11am.
He works for God alone Bin Qullander's calligraphic works have not deviated from the classical principles while being innovative By Saadia Salahuddin "Landscapes emerge out of the words Bin Qullander
writes," says Khursheed Alam Gohar Qalam, who teaches calligraphy at
National College of Arts (NCA). Such artists deserve to be congratulated. He has introduced a new style in calligraphy, says his ustad. "Like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who kept the basic classical music intact while introducing new techniques, Bin Qullander has also not deviated from the classical principles while being innovative," says Gohar Qalam who describes calligraphy as "creating music with the hands". Bin Qullander, who has recently held an exhibition of calligraphy but is a miniaturist by training, says, "My work is spontaneous because I hardly ever follow a plan. My brush is driven by my subconscious and I have to work with music in the background, mostly Qawwali." He mentions that he dances to the rhythm of qawwali and while "I do so, my fingers paint words one after the other. That is when my creativity comes into play." At times he gets stuck. "I stop then and complete it later." He uses deep red colour in his works, which is known as the Qalandari colour and works in shikasta and diwani styles of calligraphy. He particularly highlights the names of God; Allah, Qayyum, Muzammil to name a few, wherever they appear in the text. "There is a decorum in every discipline and I
consider it important to follow that. God's name has to stand out here. When
I am writing without wazu I feel I am being disrespectful towards my God
whose work I write and paint," says Bin Qullander. "When you get
stuck in a composition it is hard to come out of it. That happens only with
the help of God. Breaking that barrier is a great moment in itself." Tahir Bin Qullander goes to his Murshid Tahir Hasnain, who is the son of Syed Ali Husaini for guidance. "I go there in search of Allah and find great peace of mind there." Tahir Mughal, son of Ghulam Rasool Qalandar, prefers to be called Bin Qullander. His father has sworn allegiance on Qalandari silsila and wears ghungru and malas. "Once my father said to me he would be very happy if I could put his name as well on my artworks, so I started signing my works by this name, 'Bin Qullander' and I feel this has brought me much luck, love and fame," says Tahir Bin Qullander. Tahir Mughal alias Bin Qalandar left his studies after Matriculation. He worked in a factory for two years where aluminium windows were made, left it because of monotony, started composing at an office where a colleague told him he should do designing instead. "I went to Royal Park to learn designing. My ustad there had put some works of calligraphy on display at his office. He had learnt calligraphy from Alhamra. In my spare time at the office I would try my hand at writing Quranic verses. Seeing my interest in this art my ustad showed me the way to Alhamra from where I did my two year diploma in calligraphy in 1999 while I kept working alongside." "In 2001, I put my calligraphic work on display in the verandah of my home on 12th Rabiul Awwal. The second time I had to hold exhibition on the same date, I needed Rs 2000 to get my works laminated but I had no money. A person was kind enough to give me that money, enabling me to hold another exhibition. There were times when I did not have money to buy colours while people would say, "you have used interesting mediums". "My work can be found on many calendars and diaries. After three years gap of first formal training from Alhamra, I joined the Punjab University to further learning in the same discipline. I continued work with my studies all the while. For four years I kept applying in National College of Arts (NCA) and it was the fourth time that I got admission there." Bin Qullander has just completed his four years degree in Fine Arts at NCA, specialising in miniature. "This art has found acknowledgment and appreciation in countries like Iran, Turkey and Egypt where calligraphy is treated as a fine art. Pakistan has just taken initial steps. Muslims have contributed much in the development of this art form but China and Japan have it too. There is thuluth, naskh, diwani, kufic styles of calligraphy, a beautiful world there in this art form," says Gohar Qalam. There are works where you can read through the text till the end but they are few. Qalam explains, "Even Sadequain's works are not all readable, though most of them are. In an art piece, the main thing is to bring out beauty." There should be an explanation of the work put on display in galleries on an eight or six inch piece of paper placed next to it for the benefit of the people as is the practice in galleries abroad. The write-up helps the viewers understand the work, he suggests. Bin Qullander's work comes across as a conversation with God. He claims to have found the secret of success: "It is to lose yourself in your work and never run after money or fame. The day I stopped seeking money and fame, they started running after me." He reads Iqbal and all sufi poets and loves to listen to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. "I work for God and God alone," he says. Exhibition of Bin Qullander's calligraphic works was held at Hamail Art Galleries from June 10-20, 2009.
The oldest bookshop, set up in 1954, still caters to the needs of book lovers
By Altaf Hussain Asad Syed Ghulam Ali alias Hero breathed his last in 2007 but
his name will be remembered fondly by all those who love books. In 1954, he
started setting up a stall of books, near Paan Mandi, opposite the church at
the start of the Anarkali bazaar in Lahore. He hailed from Saharanpur and
love for art and literature was in his blood. Later, he moved to where now
stands the Bible Society in the Anarkali bazaar. He named his shop Hero
Books. Ghulam Ali dealt with old and rare books which he sold at cheap rates to cater to the needs of book lovers. A well-read man with 'Diwan-e-Ghalib' at his fingertips, he knew well about his stock, the author or the subject of the books he sold. Presently, his shop is located on Partap Street in Anarakali. The shop is crammed with books on all subjects under the sun. 35-year-old son Shahzad Ali, the eldest son of Syed Ghulam Ali, runs the shop established by his father. Shahzad Ali recalls, "I was only 13 when I started assisting my father. I learnt a lot from him. I too had a passion for this profession. I wanted to continue with his business, which he ran like a mission. I have spent 22 years in this shop. I will continue to serve the people of Lahore despite several odds." His younger brother Syed Moazzam Ali helps him at the shop. Syed Ghulam Ali was equally passionate about films. And so, he earned the title of 'Hero'. "He used to frequent the film studios with his friends. Acting in films was his other passion. Sultan Rahi, Qavi Khan, Rangila and few others were his colleagues in those days. He invested in films in order to get a chance. He managed to act in only one film, 'Maut Meri Zindagi'. We belong to a Gilani, Syed family. Other family members objected to my father's forays into the film world so he said goodbye to films in early 1970s," says Syed Moazzam Ali. Over the years, 'Hero Books' has been a favourite spot of luminaries of the subcontinent. For literati, this shop was a heaven where they could get old and rare books at cheap rates. This shop has attracted many literary figures like, Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Faiz, Nasir Kazmi, Habib Jalib, Hafeez Jallundhri, Shorish Kashmiri, Intizar Husain, and countless others. Recently, a BBC correspondent visiting 'Hero Books' told them he used to visit the bookshop in the days of their father. He said it was amazing to note that Ghulam Ali Hero arranged all the books section-wise in his shop. One can find the book of his choice easily because they are displayed properly. However, Shahzad is not very optimistic about the future of books in Lahore as slowly the number of book lovers is decreasing. The new generation, in his opinion, is happy frequenting eateries instead of reading books. He has a rich treasure trove of books on History, Philosophy, Art, Architecture, Literature, Sociology and many other subjects. Due to shortage of space in his shop, he is unable to exhibit all his stock. He has allocated a portion of his rented home for books which he can't display at his shop. Shahzad's eldest son is in junior school. "I want to educate him first. I won't force him to assist me in the shop. The decision will be entirely his own. I would be happy if my son decides to run the shop," Shahzad Ali elaborates. Syed Shahzad Ali is of the view 'Hero Books' is a spot which caters to the needs of all classes of the society. Since the shop is located in the vicinity of the Punjab University and Government College University, majority of his customers are students. 'Hero Books' has played a pivotal role in furthering book culture. For almost 55 years, this committed family is appeasing to the needs of book lovers. People from all the corners of Pakistan visit the shop. Let's hope this one of the oldest bookshops of old books continues to serve the people of Lahore.
RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTION Reasons why Pakistan should win T20 finals 1. The country needs something to cheer about. 2. So that international cricket returns to Pakistan. 3. Law of averages. We lost last time. 4. We deserve it. 5. To silence its cynics. 6. Winning is always fun. 7. Because we have the leading wicket takers (Afridi and Gul). 8. We want Younis Khan to remain captain. 9. We have the most good-looking team. 10. We can beat any team in the world. To enlist by popular vote for next week, send in your emails on top ten "Top Ten quiet corners of the city" Please email at shehrtns@gmail.com
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