WOODEN HOUSES OF LAHORE
A LOST TRADITION

Remnants remain here and there

The tradition of wooden houses was everywhere in Indian region and craftsmen excelled in designs and wood use both in front facades as well as inside the rooms. That is why extensive houses existed all over the region. Even today when another old house falls, inside reveals wooden structures. Brackets with wide range of animals, including lions, horses, ducks and even mermaids existed here. Arches and sitting spaces for viewing of lanes.

In the Mohalla Khawajan in Bhera, there existed many houses like this made in the British period but even those were subject to decay, fall, as well as sale to unsuspected buyers thinking of them as from ancient times.

Our research spree started n the 1977s era. But there were people before us. Lockwood Forest, an artist from New York came here and met Lockwood Kipling and together they surveyed the houses of Lahore and held an exhibition in the Lahore Museum in 1885. The love for local craftsmanship was so much, that Lockwood Forest took many local craftsmen to New York in 1885 and built a house for himself there, looking exactly like a house of Lahore. Even all the inside was wooden. Lockwood Forest offered these services to others and this antique house existed in New York for a long period of time. We do not know exactly what happened in the end but fashion magazines reported their existence for a long time.

A prestigious book DOMESTIC INDIAN ARCHITECTURE along with a lot of advertisements was published by Lockwood Forest and it itself is an antique item in the world of art. John Lockwood Kipling took many of these wooden structures, and after a flooding in Lahore, deposited some of them in the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum as well as in Lahore Museum. The doors in Lahore Museum were removed by him. Percy Brown included an image in his phenomenal book on Indian Architecture. Certainly an extensive documentation exist for some of these houses to this day in the world of Art and Architecture. Well done everybody!

AMANAT KHAN SHIRAZI
CALLIGRAPHER OF TAJ MAHAL

Not much known or remains

When partition happened the lines were drawn regardless of the position of places. The BRB canal took the Eidgah and Sarai of Abdur Raheem Khan Khanan to our side, and the Serai of Amanat Khan Shirazi to the other side. I was standing and photographing the Serai of Abdur Raheem Khan Khanan, when an ex-ranger offered that he could take me on the other side. The Serai was something we were eager to see. But rational sense always prevails. I would never break any international laws for my enjoyment of a Mughal monument. As a little boy, I had stood on the second storey of the mausoleum of Ittemad ud daula in Agra, and recited the English poem of ‘Bundle of Firewood’ loud and clear, for my mother and father on the down floor.

My father used to repent that nobody paid attention to the life of artists and architects and we know hardly anything of those people. So little is known about these important people. Amanat Khan Sherazi has left his writ for us rarely. The inscriptions on the Taj Mahal are there, as well as writings on the tomb of Akbar himself. An inscription in Aurangabad on a mosque. A beautiful manuscript. A Quran written in his own hands in 1050 AH. And multiple books with his SEAL on it, as librarian of the Mughal’s kitab-khana.

Amanat Khan Sherazi lies buried in a small mausoleum near the Serai which he made in the memory of his brother. He loved his brother so much, that after his death, this calligrapher retired from life in total, and spent the rest of his life in prayers. Love and dedication surrounded his life. It seems working on a monument of love for the Emperor Shah Jahan, he worked on a monument of love all his own. Sincerity and passion was part of their lives. After the death of his brother, he chose to retire to Lahore. Just outside Lahore he built a Serai in the name of his brother and it is known as the Serai Amanat Khan. Unfortunately the canal has separated us from the Serai and mausoleum of one of the greatest calligraphers of all times. Certainly his decision to retire to Lahore was due to the presence of his friend, Ustad Ahmad Lahori in Lahore, the architect of the Taj Mahal. Lahore is the greatest city of art and culture of the entire region.

THE DILEMMA OF LAHORE CITY
SEARCHING FOR LAHORIS IN LAHORE

Paindoos invasion of the city

Our copies used to be perfect. So nicely printed by Alpha Mian and Sons on Nicholson road, Lahore. And there used to be a verse on each copy and we were all familiar with these poems. One thing which was repeated again and again was that:

“God made the country, and Man made the town.”

Obviously William Cowper had an environment in mind, and he believed that rural villagers were innocent and nearer to God and there were only shrewd people in the city. But in our view this is totally wrong. God did not send us here to be ignorant fools but to move ahead in time, in research, knowledge, seeking of welfare of humanity and progress in general. Obviously the rural person may be very hard working, but certainly a donkey cannot be be better than a thoroughbred horse. Yes, the roles are totally different in character.

This is the dilemma of Lahore city. A place where education was hundred percent once upon a time and illiteracy was generated here by the definition of the British that one who did not knew English would be treated as illiterate in their views. All education in Arabic, Persian or Urdu was not considered enough for civilization. The result people resented this and with time really became ignorant in modern terms. It was people like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who came to Lahore (Yes Lahore at least three times and it is on record) again and again, to receive the most grand reception at the Railway Station and was brought in a procession to the city. Leading to receive him were people like Muharam Ali Chisti of Kocha Chabuk Sawaran, who fecilitated the great man. Ghulam Sarwar Lahore was also there, as well as Raheem Baksh Mimar and Elahi Baksh Mimar. A list of Lahore’s best there for moving forward in time.

The Lahori was not only well educated, he was a man ahead of his times. His urban character was amazing for the rest of the region. Always willing to accept the new ideas, that is why they heard the Ahmadiyah chief well (before rejecting him) as well as the Kashmeeri Dr Allama Iqbal, who was taken seriously here. It was Lahore who rejected the Mullah all the time, and made fun of him. It was Lahore where the zest to return to original Quranic thought became a reality. Mosques produced scholars not rattoo totas (repetitive parrots). The Quranic thought sprung into view which culminated after partition in people like Ghulam Ahmad Pervaiz.

Go out and search for a Lahori these days. You will find one with great difficulty. At any festival holidays, see and you will find Lahore empty of people. Because Paindoos live in Lahore these days and they have destroyed the culture of Lahore. (Paindoos is Punjabi for villagers and rustic personality)

“HOW MUCH A DUNCE THAT HAS BEEN SENT TO ROAM, EXCELS A DUNCE THAT HAS BEEN KEPT AT HOME.”
WILLIAM COWPER

ON HER MAJESTYS ASSASSINATION SERVICE
ANNEXATION OF PUNJAB 1849

The overturning of Sikh rule in the Punjab

The British were not ready yet for takeover of all the Indian region. It was good luck for the Sikhs. The citizens of Lahore tired of dacoits after dacoits in the city, decided to invite one bigger dacoit by opening the Gates of Lahore. Ranjit Singh camping in the baradari of Wazeer Khan entered and took the city with the blessings of the citizens of Lahore. The list of citizens along with the Kotwal is well known. However much the tale may be twisted by historians, the facts stand stark for every body to read in the books. Ranjit Singh was further lucky by signing treaty of 1809 with the British by agreeing to respect the river boundary as the boundary of conquests of both. All Sikh luck came to an end with the so-called death of Ranjit Singh. It was even rumoured that he had been poisoned to death by people like Dr Murray and others who surrounded him at that time. In any case Ranjit Singh was himself so paranoid of being poisoned by them, that he never took any medicine or drinks offered by them anytime. Journals are full of his refusal to eat anything from their hands.

What followed after 1839 is a trail of deaths and assassinations. Let us list them first:
MAHARJAH KHARRACK SINGH, son of Ranjit Singh, was set aside by his own son Nau Nehal Singh, with help of Raja Dhian Singh, (after killing CHET SINGH on 8th October 1839) and slowly put to death by poison and opium. He died on 5th November, 1840.
NAU NEHAL SINGH, son of Kharrack Singh, died the same day on 5th November, 1840, when some bricks fell on his head, in attendance of cremation of his father.
SHER SINGH gained power and had MAI CHAND KAUR, wife of Kharrack Singh murdered by her slave girls, while combing her hair. Sher Singh was murdered on 15th September, 1843.
RAJA DHIAN SINGH murdered on 15th September, 1843, with an hour of the death of Sher Singh.
DALLIP SINGH put on the throne on 18th September, 1843, and acceded to the British on 2nd Febraury, 1844.
HIRA SINGH AND PANDIT JALLA murdered by the Sikh Army on 21st December, 1844.
PESHORA SINGH put to death on 30th August, 1845.
JAWAHAR SINGH put to death on 21st September, 1845.

The Sikh wars started and the first Sikh Army was won by Lord Hardinge for the British Monarchy. What more do we need to write?

Look behind the facts and figures. All these murders and assassinations clearly show MASTER HAND behind all this? Reading one journal after another, the same thing becomes pristine clear for all. Some were openly advocating the take over, some secretly. Perhaps few were even against it, But the material wealth of the Punjab with crores in the exchequer of Ranjit singh, brought water to the eyes of the greedy Britishers. It is a sad tale for anyone. In 1849 the British officially took over Punjab and there is stone commemorating this seizure at the Sheesh Mahal in Lahore Fort. 007s had done their work with their license to kill on Her Majesty’s assassination Service.

CHARADE OF TEXTBOOKS REVISION
NO HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE CAN BE OBJECTIVE

Confusing coming generations of past glories

Childhood memories are always there. Our textbook in school clearly spoke of Tipu Sultan in very bad words. My cousin at my house was telling me different. I had to listen to both versions, but I was not confused at all. It was a textbook made by British subjects for a Missionary School. The analysis was well understood. I read a History of India published in the lifetime of Tipu Sultan, and it said simply, that Tipu Sultan was the main hurdle to the annexation of India. Who to believe? Well understood.

All history books are full of versions. Versions from the civilization that wrote them. Read about Red Indians and read about Native Americans. Time changes approach. The disguise and prejudice remains. Information is never free from Ideology. Should it be! Never, never ever.

Take the case of Emperor Jahangeer and Guru Arjan Singh. Jahangeer mentions the incident in his own memoirs and states his perception in clear terms. We have his memoirs for the real version. And you see the Sikh versions on internet or in books and that version is totally different. And also different versions of the same version. The best scholarly way is to state both versions and let the reader arrive at the truth himself. But here in Pakistan, boot polishers would like other versions to be written in our textbooks, without any reference to our own version. That is unfair in all terms of reference.

The Sikh sites are full of venom against Jahangeer for this incident against their Guru. But look at it objectively. The Guru coming with Prince Khusraw and instigating him with spirit of rebellion against his own father. There is no religion here, mere politics. A man fomented political unrest against the Emperor and all the men who sided with him were punished. Ruthlessly exterminated. That was the best formula of those times. And look at it from even another direction. A knowledgeable man like Jahangeer, who was a bibliophile himself, considers Guru Arjan as a Hindu, and does not recognize Arjan and his Sikh religion. This is not due to lack of knowledge, it is the perception of that time.

Now a Mughal textbook will write Jahangeer’s view. A Sikh textbook will write the Sikh view. Scholars will write their own views. No view will be absolutely objective. Bias will be seen in all versions. To reach the truth, one will have to break the shackles of belief in ones faith.

Did these things stop in history? Obviously not. Obviously they will never stop. Guantanomo bay is outside the law of every country, including that of the people who started this detention center. And yet no one can speak. How will you write objective history books?

The charade of REVISION OF TEXTBOOKS is merely to deprive Muslim generations of pride in their ancestral doings. To derogate everything done before. To demean Muslims in the eyes of Muslims themselves.

These things backfire. Christian and Jewish civilizations have REVISED THEIR HOLY BOOKS a number of times. The old Books only partially represent Divine message. The HOLY QURAN remain unrevised to these days. Many attempts in Western and Indian world have been made to revise the Quran itself. Is that possible? Obviously, never. So what’s the solution?

People should learn to respect other civilizations and their point of view and co-exist with each other in peace, without sacrificing their own Identity. BUT CERTAIN THINGS WILL PREVAIL, CERTAIN THINGS WILL VANISH. THAT IS HISTORY. THE LESSON OF HISTORY IS THAT THE MORE YOU TRY TO CHANGE IT, THE MORE AGGRESSIVE IT BECOMES IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION. Live in peace. Accept each other. Let freedom govern ones own home and territory. That is the motto of live and let live.

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES AND LIVE TELECASTS
HOMO CRANIUMLESS DISCOVERED IN PAKISTAN

Missing link between Zombies and humans not fossilized but with living DNA

Today headlines were made when a Professor of a world famous University announced his latest discovery. In search of fossils in Chakwal area, an old man there revealed a truth to him. Channels like National Geographic, Discovery, Planet Earth are all eager to telecast live coverage. Instead of decayed bones, living specimens were discovered in major cities of Pakistan, as well as British period demarcated feudal areas. Apparently the specimens are alive and well, but it is said, that dissections have revealed that the craniums are empty of grey matter and full of mere sawdust.

A pathologist reveals that it could be a result of congenital disease. Perhaps ages ago some sort of grey matter existed in zombies form, but with time, the disease spread and cannot be controlled anymore. An American based pathologist Dr Imran suggested that perhaps drops like Polio ones can be diagnosed in laboratory and given to these people for return to humanity in perhaps a thousand years. A lobby in Pakistan suggested forceful extermination of the species before the disease becomes epidemic an there is no chance of recovery.

Most people believe that we can issue Export license and export these many homo craniumless species to outside world, or they can be used as testing robots for mission to Mars, and elsewhere. Whatever their use, they are certainly not required in Pakistan, and especially in role of national leadership.

HEAVEN AND HELL
TWO FACES OF KASHMEER

Making Paradise doomsday scenario

Is the world blind? Deaf and dumb? Ostriches with head in the sand. The most beautiful place in the world, with the most beautiful people , with background supposing to include even the Lost tribe of Israel. People claim that Jesus Christ died in Kashmeer, while others claim that even Moses was there. Some factual evidence has also emerged in this historical context. Singing, dancing, people, with flowers and peace for the world. Just due to financial gains from business discourse, turn a blind eye to all the wrong being done in Kashmeer.

The first shame is not on India but the actual shame is on Pakistani leadership. They have forgotten all rules of fair play. Greed has blinded their eyes to the wails and cries of our usurped Kashmeer. The ruse is very simple. Make it unprofitable for people to seek justice by buying out their so called leaders. Gutless and spineless leadership will eventually rot in hell, we all know that, as a matter of our eternal faith. Nations rise on their level of justice.

The war on Kashmeer is obviously ideological but it is also a war of Water and water is considered the most precious asset of the future. Rivers originate in Kashmeer and who controls Kashmeer, controls the rivers flow of India and Pakistan. Kashmeer is power in the hands of any one. An eventual revolution is over due. It will come. But how many more lives it will take? That is on our leadership. Plebiscite is just a way of gaining time and time was gained by India. Now it is time to wrest control of Kashmeer from the clutches of shame and death.

Kashmeer touches all of us in one way or the other. Really free from prejudices, Kashmeeri men and women married into different ethnic families of Pakistan, and most of us have Kashmeer in our blood. But there is even more. The man who gave us the very idea of Pakistan orginated in Kashmeer. That is our esteemed Dr Allama Muhammed Iqbal. It is no small thing that our ideology is based on Kashmeeri sources. We all must love and honour Kashmeer and be prepared to give our sacrifices for its embracing its family that is Pakistan.

SHER ALI AFRIDI 11TH MARCH 1872
THE HANGING AND AFTERWARDS

A ruthless revenge with his body

A journalist travelled to visit the execution of the Assassin of Lord Mayo and reported in the press the following, which is worthy of note, as an act of utter and disdainful revenge:

“I had a long interview with the prisoner the evening previous to his execution. He talked quite freely, and appeared to think he had done a fine thing. He had been told about an hour before I saw him that he was to be hanged next morning. We got up steam early next morning and went to Chatham, passing him with his police guard in a boat on the way. As soon as we were moored we got over to Viper Island, where the gaol is. There was no unusual preparation for the affair, and the convicts were at work as usual. Indeed, it was not generally known that it was to be. There were from 30 to 40 Europeans present, no natives except the police and sepoys, and no European soldiers. About a quarter to 8 the fellow was led out. He was smiling and quite collected. The police officer who came down to investigate the affair, as he ascended the steps leading up to the scaffold, asked him a question. He shook his head with a smile, as he said nahin sahib. As soon as he got up he asked the hangman to turn his face towards Mecca, and then began to pray very loudly and quickly. He said two prayers, and kept on repeating the Mussulman’s creed. The drop fell at seven minutes to 8 o’clock exactly. The knot slipped round to the back of his neck, and although he had nearly seven feet of a drop, his neck was not broken, so he died very hard. He was hanging about ten minutes before he ceased to struggle. As he was scantily clothed, and his legs and most of his body naked, his struggles were distinctly visible. We were quite close to the scaffold. After he was dead we adjourned, and returned to see him cut down at 9. His face was not distorted in the least, but wore an expression of pain. We afterwards went to see the post mortem examination. There were only eight persons present. The prisoner’s lungs, liver, heart, &c., were taken out and weighed. The top of his head was cut off, and his brain taken out: the latter weighed 47 ounces.”

People today talk of the mantra of British justice. Does this looks like justice to anyone? It paints the assassin in a better way than those who executed him and even defiled his body as an act of utter revenge.

HOW DID DARA SHIKOH ACTUALLY DIE?
A STATE COMMISSION DELIVERED VERDICT

Speculative stories with out substance

Shah Jahan the father, and Arjumand Bano (Mumtaz Mahall) the mother, and of all the children, two brothers resenting each other from day one. The personalities of both were different, but the resentment was in more emotional terms. The father, Shah Jahan loved his eldest son Dara Shikoh so much, that he was not willing to see anyone else, not even his other children. Whereas Dara Shikoh was not coming up to any standards, Aurangzeb excelled in everything. Dara Shikoh was arrogant and rude with people. Aurangzeb was so polite, that even the father forbade him to carry such a character. On a military mission Dara Shikoh (to Qandahar) failed, and started using the help of magicians (homosexual pervert) to win wars. Aurangzeb was battle hardened and with enormous guts by any standards. A famous incident occurred when an elephant lost his cool and ran towards the brothers. Dara Shikoh scampered away scared for his life while Aurangzeb stood his ground as a mere teenager. His bravery won him the heart of courtiers. Scared of the popularity of Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan kept Dara Shikoh near him and sent Aurangzeb far away.

Fearing Aurangzeb Alamgeer’s credentials to be a King, the father planned his very end. Yes this was not enough, Shah Jahan planned the assassination of his own son. Aurangzeb was invited to court and plans were laid to kill him. The sister Roshan Ara discovered the plan and warned Aurangzeb not to come to court, and his life was saved, much to the resentment of both Shah Jahan and Dara Shikoh. Now was this known by people who without knowing anything, resort to fantasy versions put in books as well as the internet. A detailed discussion can be found in my book AINAH KHANAH LAHORE OF PRINCE DARA SHIKOH, published in January, 2014.

The official history ‘Maaseray-Alamgeeri’ tells us:
“At this time Bahadur Khan brought Dara Shikoh to the exalted court, he was kept in the palace of Khizirabad. As it was necessary for various reasons to remove the dust of his life, from the plain of the world of the living, on the night of tuesday, the 30th August, the lamp of his light was quenched, and he was buried in Humayoun’s tomb.”
Today there are two graves in the mausoleum of Humayoun pointed out as the possible grave of Dara Shikoh. But both have very respectable sarcophagus on them, and it is considered, that Dara Shikoh was given a dignified burial, details of death obviously are unknown.

DEATH OF PRINCE DARA SHIKOH

When two parties fight and the fight reaches a zenith, it is inevitable that one party will lose, and the other will win. If Aurangzeb Alamgeer would have lost, surely Dara Shikoh would not have forgiven him but meted out a horrible end to him. As to what the end would be is hypothetical, given that Dara Shikoh lost. Foreign travelers are fond of spreading canards, and claim to be where they were not. Obviously Dara Shikoh was brought to Delhi humbled in all ways on an elephant and later put to death. But the death was not whimsical. A regular committee of various people (including Islamic scholars) sat and deliberated on the fate of Dara Shikoh. There is plenty of evidence to this day that his statements literally amounted to heresy (he held that the Quran cannot be understood without reading the Gitas), but even then his life was considered to be spared. Votes were cast, for and against, and he lost. A group of Ulema (not Mullahs) of the times judged him to be a heretic. But the decision for his death was political. Sparing him would have resulted in endless strife for the newly oriented kingdom.

The foreigners Francois Catrou, Niccolao Manucci and Francois Bernier had all tried to paint a pathetic picture of his end, as they may have been a witness to the end of Dara Shikoh. Whatever happened and Nazer is considered by them to be the person who beheaded Dara Shikoh, cannot be known. But there is a marked paradox attached to the story of the death of Dara Shikoh! If Dara Shikoh was really beheaded, then how come his body was put on an elephant again and paraded in Delhi? How could a headless body be paraded in Delhi? It is literally not possible for anyone to do, otherwise it would have invited endless wrath of people. But the real joke goes further. If these foreigners had pinpointed that Dara Shikoh had died a Hindu, it was obviously believable. But their statement borders on ridicule of the highest order. That Dara Shikoh died a Christian.

The words used are:

“The Christian sentiments with which the missionaries had endeavoured to inspire him, were revived in the closing hour of his life. He requested to be allowed a conversation with Father Busee, a Flemish Jesuit, who had formerly instructed him in our sacred Mysteries. All communication with the Europeans was denied to him. In this universal desolation, the Prince sought for consolation in God. He was heard to say more than once: Mahomet has destroyed me, Jesus Christ the son of the Eternal will save me.”

In Persian the words used are:

“Mahammad ma-ra mikushad, ibn Allah Maryam mibashaid.”

These pesky travelers are saying that all communication with the Europeans was denied to the Prince, and yet they seem to be in communication with him all the time. Even the most obvious things reveal glaring lies, and yet people are reluctant to see them in perspective.

These travelers state that when the head of Dara Shikoh was brought to Aurangzeb Alamgeer, he wept and blurted out his sentiments by calling Dara Shikoh as ‘Kam-bakht’. Why was there even a need to see the head? These are stories made by the priests merely to defame Aurangzeb Alamgeer, who they rightly feared, for his faith in Islam. The ‘Fatwa Alamgeeri’ is a magnum opus of those days. Indeed Dara Shikoh had everything and a thinking mind too, and it was his bad luck to find wrong companionship and to be swept away from the annals of truth. The most destructive company was that of Sarmad, the Armenian Jew, who was a professed homosexual and roamed around totally naked on the streets of Delhi (naturally not befitting the heir to the throne to be seen with such bohemians). It is indeed a tragedy to have everything and to lose it. Dara Shikoh had everything, but lost the confidence of the people. Even if a referendum had been held, the people would have voted against him. Allah tests us all the time!

LORD MAYO, MAYO SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SHER ALI
THE STRANGEST INCIDENT OF AN ISLAMIC FANATIC

Assassination in the Adaman Islands 1872

After the famous Punjab Industrial Exhibition, there was felt a need to make an Industrial College in Lahore. It was made next to the Lahore Museum and John Lockwood Kipling became its first Principal. It was named after Lord Mayo. Lord Mayo was of course the Viceroy and Governor General of India.

On a visit to the Adaman Islands, a convict there named Sher Ali, was convinced that he was ordained by Allah to get rid of this rascal who was usurping their country. With least expectation, he got hold of a dagger and stabbed Lord Mayo to death. The murder happened on 8th February, 1872. Lord Mayo struggled for survival in his cart as the blood started to flow in streams. His last words were LIFT UP MY HEAD. And then he died.

It was an ominous beginning for an art institution and this label is there on the background of a college with its founder dying an awry death. And the assassin seems to be like ones we hear nowadays. Sher Ali was 30 years of age and from clan of Kokee Kheyal from Khyber. Before his execution, he termed himself as a ‘Shaheed’. Today the story seems strange in perspective, when the same thing is literally happening every day. It is like the world never changes; everything remains the same.