Daily Times

When I was a child, my father used to take me by foot to Anarkali Bazaar from Shah Alami Gate where we used to live.

Once he promised to buy me a most expensive shoe if I stood first in my class. He bought me a shoe costing 32 rupees and 8 annas; the most expensive shoe at Chief Boot House. The glory of Anarkali Bazar still resounds my mind with a Bakery at the corner of Dhani Ram Road where we used to purchase bread and double roti for Nashta. The clothes at Bano Bazar were a treat for ladies whom I used to accompany. This bazaar culminated on the Mall with Ideal Book House. A little beyond on the opposite side was Tolinton Market with a beautiful structure. Then the Bazaar called Purani Anarkali starts with Commercial Building on the left side on the Mall, till a crossing where Falooda Shops are now located.

The most attractive phenomenon of the buildings in Purani Anarkali is the beautiful architecture of these buildings, mostly which are dilapidated now. The wooden windows with beautiful carvings take the breath away of the onlookers.

In Old Anarkali, there are a variety of food items and in New Anarkali, there are different traditional handicrafts, clothes and gift shops.

On the Mall side a garden of triangular shape namely Artisan Park was created for students and artists of National College of Arts, GCU and the University of the Punjab. A dais existed for LIVE instrumental performances. Everything exists there except that a juice shop fleeces the students and artists with cheap quality juices at very high prices. The instrumentalists are replaced by drug addicts.

On February 04, 2002, Old Anarkali Bazaar was inaugurated by Mian Amir Mahmud, District Nazim and Kamran Lashari, Provincial Secretary Information and DG Parks and Horticulture Department as second food street after the success of Gowalmandi Food Street a couple of years ago. The building’s facades were white washed and windows painted in multi colours with lights brightening the atmosphere. This place was visited by locals and tourists for some time making this venture a success. With the passage of time, the lack of public interest and that of government slackened the pace of this area. The food shops now offer below standard food and one way street no longer exists. It is back to the old way of running the business. The rooms in the buildings are mostly on rent to the students. The lustre and the affiliated spirit are gone.

In Old Anarkali, there are a variety of food items and in New Anarkali, there are different traditional handicrafts, clothes and gift shops

Traditionally Anarkali Bazaar is named after the courtesan Anarkali in Mughal Emperor Akbar’s court with whom Prince Salim, Akbar’s son fell in love. The myth is that she was buried alive in a wall where presently her tomb exists inside Punjab Secretariat where some government offices are located.

Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj wrote a play on this theme and many successful films were made in the subcontinent. K. Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam and Madam Nurjehan’s film ‘Anarkali’ were commercial successes on both sides of the border. So the history of Anarkali is a couple of hundred years old. Visitors from abroad especially the Sikhs from the adjoining East Punjab especially visit this areas for shopping. Sultan Qutubuddin Aibek the famous polo playing emperor is also buried on Aibek Road adjoining New Anarkali bazar. The presence of pedestrian book stalls, Lahore Museum and King Edward Medical College University on a walking distance further elates the importance of this bazaar.

With all the adjoining historical institutions and commercial centres, it’s a pity that these sites of cultural value are no longer there or some are so poor in condition that we can’t show these around to our current lot. These buildings deserve decent treatment. Before we introduce them to expensive shopping malls, they need to know of these historical sites. It should be a wakeup call for the concerned departments of the provincial government.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com