WHEN THE ‘WILD’ PROVED MORE EDUCATED

By Majid Sheikh
Dawn, Sunday, 24 January 2010

When the British conquered Lahore in 1849, Lord Dalhousie, the Governor
General, declared that he would educate the “wild illiterate Punjabis” in a
new system of Anglo-Vernacular education. When they started the East India
Company Board was shocked by what already existed.

The board was amazed to find that the literacy rate in Lahore and its
suburbs was over 80 per cent, and this was qualified by the description that
this 80 per cent comprised of people who could write a letter. Today, in
2010, less than nine per cent can do this, while 38 per cent can sign their
name, and, thus, are officially ‘literate’. If you happen to read Arnold
Woolner’s book ‘History of Indigenous Education in the Punjab ’ you will come
across some amazing facts we today just do not know. To understand the
situation it would interest scholars to go through the ‘A.C. Woolner
Collection in the Punjab University Library. My review is a scant one. But
studying other similar pieces provides a picture of the educational system
as it existed in Lahore in 1849 when the British took over.

Top Lahore judge in Soup

Lawmakers in the National Assembly here took strong umbrage to reported remarks by Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Khawaja Sharif alleging Hindu financing of terror attacks in the country.

It was judge’s turn to be judged in the National Assembly. Hindu and other minority parliamentarians cry out an anguished ‘Hi Bhagwan’ and led to what must be the first ever parliamentary boycott against a sitting chief justice of a high court. They were joined by members of the Awami National Party .
The protesters were brought back to hear words of sympathy from several Muslim members for the injured sentiments and some advice for judges to focus on delivering justice rather than publicity. Federal minister and PPP chief whip tried to pacify sentiments by describing the judge’s remarks as slip of tongue. “He apparently meant Hindustan and not Hindu,” minister Khurshid Shah said.
Justice Khawaja Sharif was reported observing during hearing of a case on Thursday about “Hindus” giving money and the Muslim militants using it to carry out terrorist activities.
PPP’s Hindu member Romesh Lal, who raised the issue, said sentiments of an estimated four million Pakistani Hindus had been injured by the LHC chief justice’s remarks, as reported in a section of the press, that while terrorist bomb blasts were being carried out by Muslims, “money used for this came from Hindus”.
The member said if a country was suspected of sponsoring such attacks it should be named, but blame should not be put on just Hindus who, he said, were as good patriots as other Pakistanis.

While drawing attention of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to what he called worry caused to Hindus, he appealed to Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of Justice Sharif’s remarks. As Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Pir Aftab Shah Jilani and some other members of the ruling PPP went out of the chamber to persuade the protesters to return, party chief whip and Labour and Manpower Minister Khurshid Ahmed Shah told the house the judge seemed to be blaming India for financing the Taliban rather Hindus, adding he was sure a clarification would come “by tomorrow”.
Read more: http://www.unp.co.in/f46/anti-hindu-comment-puts-top-lahore-judge-in-soup-72921/#ixzz0iV1eC2qX

Lahore: Rant n Rave Concluded

By: Halima Khan

While there is no dearth of opportunities to kick off your boots and enjoy good food and have good fun, Lahore also offers the best shopping experience. So if you decide to keep your boots on and want to gear up for an unforgettable spree that’s exactly what this city has in store for you. International brands and local chains to retail outlets; Liberty, Anarkali, Shahlmee, there’s everything of every sort! Hafeez Center is the biggest computer market, and the prices you’ll find here can’t get better.

 

Lahore: Rant n Rave Unrelenting

By: Halima Khan

While I rant to prove how passionately Lahori believe in preserving their taste buds it will be unfair of me to neglect the cultural activity and the entertainment this city is bursting with. But then of course no denying that it all does end up on food! The wedding season which seems to be in season all year round but reaches the climax around November and December and lasts till February? Wedding can be considered the most elaborate occasion on the family event calendar with ‘dholkis’ ‘mayo’ ‘mehndi’ etc spanning over months before the eventual day. Fun and frivolities mark the celebration all through. The preparations involve shopping and the dowry for the bride, which is a traditional gift of clothes, furniture etc to the newly weds. The exquisiteness of the lavish food is the real delight of this whole affair.

 

Lahore: Rant n Rave Continued

By: Halima Khan

World’s largest existing historical mosque is also hosted by this city of old tales. Blend of white marble and red stone and beautifully engraved Quranic verses Badshahi Mosque stands tall as a symbol of Mughal religious zeal. The neighboring Lahore Fort was founded way back in the B.C era. However it got its present face by the infamous architects aka Mughals. The Sheesh Mahal (The Palace of Mirrors), Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque), Diwan-e-Aam (Court for the Commons), Hathi Per (Elephant Steps are masterpieces in themselves and best preserved too. The Fort also has a museum covering the Mughal and Sikh periods.

 

Lahore: Rant n Rave

By: Halima Khan

Sights and sounds. Distinctive! Setting one piece of land apart from one another; thus the world has it all a Lahore, a London, an Amsterdam too. What all these cities share is the keen-ness to preserve culture most predictably. But then this is where this masterpiece of a city, Lahore really stands out. Here we emphasize on preserving our taste buds; the real essence of survival. Or so they are considered here. So if live to eat is your business don’t miss out on why ‘Lahore Lahore hai!’ (Lahore is Lahore.)

 

Lahore Second Hand Books

Photos by Amarjit Chandan

Lahore 1946

Indian boys playing atop an old military cannon built in 1761 which stands on the grounds of the Jubilee Museum & Technical Institute, Prince Albert Memorial Museum.
Location:Lahore, IndiaDate taken:1946

Man cooking food over a brazier in the bkgd. as men sit down at counter to partake of dishes covered by cheesecloth at food stall in market.
Location:Lahore, IndiaDate taken:1946

Lahore, Pakistan

By Hummingbird5356

LAHORE 

Lahore

Home of thousands,

teeming bazaars,

shouts of merchants selling their wares,

bustle of people haggling

the age old practise,

no simple exchange of money and goods here.

Visitors from all over the world come

for learning, trade or just to see.

Quiet gardens,

where friends and family go to find peace

amidst the scented flowers.

Elegant houses of the well-to-do,

not so well off,

down to the hovels of the poor in their grinding poverty,

worse of all,

the homeless,

the beggars,

young and old alike,

children and grandparents.

Why is this?

In every land the same.

We come, we see,

a few pennies given to ease a conscience that cannot make much difference in a life.

But does our pain for the misery make a difference?

To us?

To them?

No.

Everyone has one life,

we can only live it the way we see best.

Why are we here?

Why are they there?

Our life is a gift

from God.

We must live our life to the level he has placed us.

HE put us here.

Who are we to question?

Lahore is London, Calcutta, Munich, Paris.

Inside, people are no different,

whatever their origin.

Lahore,

where I, as a

foreigner,

also feel at home.

Bagh-e-Jinnah, formerly Lawrence Garden, Lahore, Pakistan

By Hummingbird5356

My favourite park in Pakistan

Bagh-e-Jinnah is the first park I visited when I went to Pakistan in 2005. I visited also many times when I went for my second visit in 2008.

I will first tell some of the history of the park. From 1864 to 1869 John Lawrence was the Viceroy of India and he built the garden as a botanical garden which was modelled on Kew Gardens in England. It was originally named Lawrence Garden after him and his statue used to stand there but it is now at Foyle and Londonderry College in Northern Ireland where he went to school.

It originally covered 176 acres but some land was given for the Lahore Zoo and some of the roads nearby which are also planted with trees. Nowadays, Bagh-e-Jinnah (Jinnah’s Garden) has a botanical garden, a mosque and a library which is housed in a large Victorian building which used to be for assembly rooms and theatrical performances in former years. It is now the Qaid-e-Azam Library named after Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

The botanical garden has many hundreds of varieties of trees and shrubs, there are also almost all varieties of flowers to be found in Pakistan in the park. Among the trees are 30 kinds of palm trees. Bagh-e-Jinnah was the first place to grow Chrysanthemums and flower shows are held regularly in the park. Unfortunately, there was no flower show at the times that I visited Pakistan. Hopefully, on one of my future visits it will coincide with one of the Chrysanthemum shows.

This park has a playground for the children too and man made hillocks to climb. It is a pleasant and peaceful park, perfect for a stroll or a picnic. It is a popular place with families.

I wrote about Shalimar Garden and how peaceful that is but that was a private park, meant only for the use of the King and his family. Bagh-e-Jinnah was intended as a park for the public and to show off the flora and fauna of the country, and imported plants. For me, this gives it more value and anyone who visits cannot fail to be charmed.