Lahore: R-Z
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Lahore: Ramazan
A Buttery Knife Through The Heart
Halima Mansoor explores how Ramazan in Lahore is a feast for the soul as well as the stomach.
The way to Pakistan’s heart is through its stomach. Who can debate that, in more ways than one, the heart of Pakistan is Punjab and undoubtedly Lahore is its big bottomless stomach? While the various ways to interpret that would cause me much entertainment and Lahoris much ire, the most obvious is the link through the gastrointestinal tract!
In Ramazan, this love for food is nurtured with such intricate planning and with such voluminous folds of fat that it almost seems like Ramazan is the month of indulgence rather than abstinence.
A week in advance, special hoardings revisit the streets of Lahore: in an attempt to make them look new and different from last years’, the eateries change the fares, trying to match the recent petrol price hike. Got to keep up with the Joneses, yes they do! If you like burning holes in your pocket, please direct yourself towards these aesthetically misguided cafes, that change names more frequently than their napkins, for a “Ramazan Special with free Iftari and dinner buffet for only Rs799” or similar three digit numbers that actually become four digits, once you do the math with the taxes and soft drinks. Of course, no one would think of including water in the Rs799: who needs water after a day of fasting; fizzy drinks are far more refreshing.
So what makes Lahore so special in Ramazan? If you turn away from the aforementioned billboards and restaurants, you will be lured by the rest of the city, carefully wafting a delicious blend of smells towards you.
All markets are dotted with stalls of freshly fried pakoras of various kinds: stuffed green chillies, potatoes, onions, aubergine, everything mixed, and occasionally spinach. While you can certainly spend the month trying a new stall for each Iftar, the pakoras found in Mazang are undoubtedly the best. Well spiced, with fresh ingredients and an addictive aftertaste begging for more. Consume them on a daily basis and come Eid you will look like a pakora in your Eid attire. A very fancy pakora, but a pakora nonetheless.
Mazang also offers up a plate of fresh, glutinous nihari, a la Lahore. Those originating from Karachi should not look upon it disdainfully, and must try it right after breaking the fast. Thick, sticky and utterly satisfying. While most people have plain nan, try the nihari with their in-house speciality, taftan; a subtly sweeter version of nan. The spicy gravy is not muted with the sweet bread, on the contrary the entire ensemble does justice to your palate!
The view from the Mazang’s rooftop is part of the charm: two floors higher than the rest of the city, it gives you a perfect perspective on the great run for food that occurs in the last three minutes before the sirens blare. Who needs patience and who needs to feel the pain of the poor: just run over anyone who comes in between a fasting man and his food!
If sitting in the comforts of your own home is your Ramazan reprieve, then allow me to introduce you to chaat and dahi bara heaven. There is a shop, at the corner of Wahdat Road and Ferozepur Road that almost beats the Karachi Burns Road Fresco. Pick some up before your Iftar and ask them for extra sachets of the spices and chuntey. Add some Feekay ki lassi from Gowalmandi (Feeka being the name of the gentleman who creates the concoction!), some freshly made jalebi, a banana walnut cake from Pioneer Store and turn on the boobtube for an evening of thoroughly enjoyable lazing. Another speciality straight from Lahore!
For all the complaining about extravagant Ramazan fares, a five-star’s Sehri is by far the most fun. Indulge in it, perhaps once: wake up, put on the Lahori face and waltz into the freezing hotel for a continental Sehri. Their eggs are a personal favourite and the fact that they actually serve Cocoa Crispies is almost cute as it is supposedly a five star- hotel.
Take away the passion for food and Ramazan in Lahore will become unutterably frustrating. The dull haze of the day is emphatically pronounced with its snail’s pace work habits and only broken on the road with angry drivers, who consider the next car as nothing better than road kill. To make Ramazan work in Lahore, embrace the Lahori in you. Feed the stomach. The soul is always redeemable next year!
Lahore: Shalimar Gardens
Splendour Of Mughal Architecture
By Sehar Sheikh
Greenery, enormous gardens, lofty trees and dancing water in fountains entice all and sundry. Beauty of nature appeals everyone and this natural beauty along with the splendour of Mughal architecture is at full play at Shalimar Gardens, situated in the east of Lahore.
Gardens have been an integral part of Mughal architecture ever since Babar who laid down gardens on the bank of River Jamuna. Shalimar Gardens were constructed by Shah Jehan, the great grandson of Babar in 1642 AD. Spread on 80 acres, these gardens were used as Royal pleasure gardens during Mughal period. Basically they were laid down on the plan of a garden in Srinagar (Kashmir) and were built to provide recreation to the royal family whenever the Emperor was on a tour in Lahore. In 1818, the gardens were destructed by the Sikh ruler, Ranjit Singh, and were converted into a stable. The marble that decorated the pavilions of the gardens was taken away to decorate Ram Bagh and the Golden Temple at Amritsar.
During English period, Shalimar Gardens were again opened to the public; however, they had lost a big part of their beauty by then. When Pakistan came into being in 1947, the gardens were restored by the Pakistan government and are open to public since then.
Shalimar Gardens consist of three descending terraces which are elevated above one another. The upper terrace is known as Farah Bakhsh meaning ‘bestower of pleasure’. This terrace was originally reserved for royal family and was planted with fruit bearing trees. The present day entrance to the upper terrace was the resting chamber of Shah Jehan while on the west of the same terrace was situated the residence of the Empress. The middle terrace is known as Faiz Bahksh meaning ‘bestower of goodness’ and the lower terrace is named as Hayat Bakhsh meaning ‘bestower of life’.
Readers would be surprised to know that there were originally about 410 fountains in the gardens. These magnificent fountains discharged into wide marble pools. The water of these mountains cools down the surrounding area and provides relief to the visitors especially during scorching summers in Lahore.
These enormous waterfalls are the result of adept engineering skills of Ali Mardan Khan who proposed to the Emperor that the waters of the Ravi be brought to Lahore to operate the fountains of Shalimar Gardens. His proposal was approved and within two years a 100 miles long canal known as Shah Nehar was completed. The water supply system of the gardens was such an astounding one that even the modern day engineers are unable to understand how the fountains were operated originally. Nevertheless, today the fountains are operated by electricity.
Every year during March, Mela Chiraghan is held outside the walls of Shalimar Gardens. The shimmering lights and beautiful water cascades and fountains present a beautiful sight. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens were declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Lahore Fort.
The vastness of the Shalimar Gardens, the several species of trees planted here, the enormous mountains and its association with the Mughal rulers make Shalimar Gardens a place worth visiting. So next time you are in Lahore, don’t forget to visit Shalimar Gardens.
Lahore: Sir Ganga Ram and Dyal Singh Trusts’ buildings
Two heritage buildings gasping for life
By Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui
LAHORE, April 7: No professional inspection of the two heritage buildings along The Mall has so far been carried out to assess the damage caused by the March 11 blast at the FIA headquarters on Temple Road.
The Sir Ganga Ram and Dyal Singh Trusts’ buildings have an aerial distance of 100 meters or so from the FIA offices and tenants say the impact of the blast worsened the (already deteriorating) condition of the pre-partition structures, raised by two philanthropists to whom the city owes a lot. A civil engineer and leading philanthropist of his times, Sir Ganga Ram designed and built the General Post Office, the Lahore Museum, the Aitchison College, the Mayo School of Arts (now the NCA), the Ganga Ram Hospital, the Lady Mclagan Girls High School, the chemistry department of the Government College Lahore (now GC University), the Albert Victor wing of Mayo Hospital, the Hailey College of Commerce, the Ravi Road House for the Disabled, the Ganga Ram Trust Building on The Mall and the Lady Maynard Industrial School.
He also constructed Model Town, once the best locality of Lahore, the powerhouse at Renala Khurd as well as the railway track between Pathankot and Amritsar.
A great philanthropist who supported all good causes, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia was among the first 10 members of the Punjab Public Library. He still lives on through his generous legacy, which enabled the establishment of the Sardar Dyal Singh Trust Library and the Dyal Singh College in Lahore besides the Majithia Hall on Empress Road that now houses the Haji Camp.
The Tajdeed-i-Lahore Committee, constituted in 2000 to take up restoration of some of the old buildings on The Mall and the adjoining streets to their original architectural splendour, merely carried out repairs of the front portions of the two buildings and that, too, at the expense of the tenants but ignored the rear parts.
A number of tenants living in the rear of the two buildings claimed that the two structures had never been repaired. “Several government departments’ officials arrive whenever anyone of us starts renovation or repair of any part of the buildings on our own. Even we are issued eviction notices, though we are regularly paying the rent on time,” a tenant, Shahid Chaudhry advocate, told this reporter.
Governor Khalid Maqbool took personal interest for the restoration of the tenancy of Shezan restaurant at Dyal Singh Mansion that was burnt by rioters some years ago, he added. “The governor should now intervene and prevent the situation from worsening,” the lawyer demanded.
