LAHORE A CITY OF GAME PLAYERS
DIFFERENT GAMES DIFFERENT TIMES

Uproar same at all times

British game of cricket probably came to Punjab in the 18th century. Malik Shamas, the great Pakistani Scholar, had seem Buddhist sculptures depicting games of cricket. We came across a Sultanate figurine of Lahore. My father M.A. Rahman Chughtai, and his brothers all were very fond of playing cricket. M.A. Rahman Chughtai the artist was also a very fast bowler, and is reputed to have literally broken wickets in friendly matches. Most of their playing ground was outside the Shahi Masjid Lahore, as well as Minto Park, the present site of Yadgar Pakistan Memorial. A lot of exceptional Parsees used to play cricket in Lahore.

A cricket match occurred between Lahore and Amballa in 1888 and we have a photograph of it. I thought it best to share it with others. After 1888 is a year and a day no one can remember now, either from writings or even from memory of adults. It is there to enjoy. Except for a local person who looks like a caretaker, ost players are Englishmen, accompanied by their wives.

Plenty of trees, but no telltale signs of playing area. Probably Mian Meer Cantonment, which was the place for the farangees. In all cases a very rare image of Lahore.

Actually written records related to cricket in Lahore goes back to 1848. In a Journal published in London in 1849, namely “Leaves from the Journal of a Subaltern during the campaign in the Punjab”, the writer recalls a cricket match played  in Lahore in October, 1848. That means cricket as a game came with the immediate capture of Lahore by the British. For in 1849, ten years after Ranjit Singh, they were the rulers of Lahore. With them came Cricket at it best and it is there to this day, street to street, heart to heart of Lahore today.

OBSESSION WITH END OF TIME
SECRET NOT SHARED BY ALLAH

Baseless speculation to build doomsday scenario

Live life. Let others live too. I remember story told by my father to me once. The day of qiamat is there and the gardener is holding sapling in his hand. Wht should he do? Discard it or plant it. The motto was PLANT IT. It is Allah’s privileage to end the world, it is the duty of the gardener to plant the sapling. That is optimism not generating pessismism in the world with needless speculation.

One has to go to Surah Qiamat (75)6 and (75)7, in the Quran to know the truth when Allah says:

(6) That is why when he is reminded about the day of QIAMA, he immediately starts to question, “When will it be the day of Qiama?”

(7) (As for the occurrence of QIAMA only the Almighty has knowledge about it. But this much can be said with certainty that) When it does happen, the eyes will be dazzled.

So the Quran itself says that only Allah has knowledge about QIAMAT and he shares this knowledge with no one else. The Day of Qiamat would herald the consequences of the actions and life lived by people. The Qanoon Mukufat. Good deeds good consequences, bad deeds bad consequences. Result sheet day indeed! When Allah is so positive that he does not share this information with nobody, then why people are heralding pessimism all the time. Live life! Do not reject it any way. Let Allah do his things, you do yours.

Two kind of Qiamat. Personal when you get results of your actions and for all, the beginning of a new life. The Law of Mukufat, good deeds will be rewarded and bad deeds will be punished. Rejoice in the idea of meeting your dead beloveds of long go, again. Time fo excitement not fear!

LOSING KOHINOOR DIAMOND, SAVINGS ONES LIFE
THE ESCAPE OF SHAH SHUJA FROM LAHORE

A remarkable journey of survival

The cunning Maharajah Ranjit Singh watched the fight of the Durranis between themselves with acute awareness that what it meant for his future. Sensing what he should do, he cleverly invited the family of Shah Shuja to Lahore, and gave them much protocol. Knowing Shah Shuja would not be far behind, he also sucked him inside the city. Once entrenched in Lahore, a double game of acquiescence and threats started with the Afghan Chief. The request made by the Sikh ruler was simple, hand over the Kohinoor diamond to him. Shah Shuja resisted the same to a high degree but ultimately caved in to the flattery shown by the Sikh Chieftain. Once the diamond was gone, the family of Shah Shuja as well as Shah Shuja were virtual prisoners in Lahore, with not even provision of adequate food to them.

But the Afghans were not to give up that easily. Full four times the ladies of the harem disguised themselves as commoners and tried to escape the city. No luck. Then at the fifth time, they managed to escape from Lahore. Ranjit Singh was enraged beyond bounds. Heads rolled in Lahore. The Sikh enraged by luck of Shah Shuja, doubled the guards over the Afghan. Eight armed men were placed at the door of his prison, and at night, four of them stood with lighted torches in their hands. Months passed and there was little hope. Then one day the Shah saw the wooden planks under him give away and managed to prie them loose. Raising the wood boards, he managed to squeeze himself in and dropped done below to a lumber room. There were seven other small rooms attached and one of them had a street gutter in it. Shah Shuja sensed what he could do.

A man was placed on the bed of Shah Shuja as he ought be sleeping. Then Shuja dropped down and evicted from the rooms, till he finally crawled on all fours in the street gutter itself. He finally reached the bank of river Ravi, where boatsmen were already waiting, who took him across the river. The Kohinoor was left behind.

Devising various strategies, he went across various cities. Sialkot he reached first, and then to Jummo, where a dyer gave him safety in his hovel of dyed clothes. From one city to another and finally in November 1815, he reached the British Cantonment at Ludhaina, safely and soundly, reunited with his family, who had already reached the place. It is a remarkable tale of survival. The Kohinoor was lost to another dynasty, but the life of Shah Shuja and his family was saved, and actually they got a chance to rule their country again. Few people are lucky as Shah Shuja and we remember him today for his quest for a remarkable survival.

A DAUGHTER REMEMBERS HER FATHER
HOLDS AMRITA’S MOTHER RESPONSIBLE FOR SLANDER

AGNOSTIC YES BUT A MAN OF PRINCIPLES

We receive mail and comments from all over the world. We like that. Juliet Egan daughter of DR Victor Egan has written to us from Lucknow about her father. She say that he was absolutely innocent of the murder of Amrita Sher Gil, and the mother of Amrita was responsible for this slander. In all fairness, this is too complicated for simple decisions and affirmations. All this happened a long time ago, but the fact is that Amrita did die all of a sudden, after reputed eating of certain things. DR Egan was indeed a very talented chemist and had access to chemicals on his very own. What judg’ment can we pass? It is not for us to blame anyone. We just repeated what was common knowledge then.

A daughter of DR Egan writes:

“Victor, my father, was an extremely strong person both mentally and physically. He did not have any belief in God or religion, and was of the opinion that if there was an Almighty, and He was fair and just, then humanity would be judged on deeds rather than how many times a prayer had been repeated or a holy shrine visited. (Very right indeed)
He was extremely impatient with those who fussed about trivial aches and pains and always made light of his own problems. He was known, trusted and accepted for his gruff bedside manner and no nonsense attitude, because he was an exceptional doctor. “Egan’s don’t cry!” was a phrase I grew up with and often heard when I was blubbering about something inconsequential.”

Indeed a man of character and not only well respected but loved by others. But what happens when your wife traverses a journey to put you to utter shame. Do you break down or do you like to extract revenge? It is indeed strange that Amrita Sher Gil lived in Lahore in a flat very near that of Khushwant Singh and he had stories to relate about her, including her unexpected visit to his bath room, unannounced. This is not read stuff, this is narrated stuff by others. And the most intriguing stuff is her relation with Jawaharlal Nehru. It is reputed that she used to visit him at Falettis Hotel, Lahore. The politician who is reputed to have seduced the wife of the Governor General, could do anything with his prowess’s. Even a rare picture exists of them.

So nothing really can be said. It is said that Umrao Singh wrote a letter to DR Victor Egan, apologizing for the slander being committed by his wife. History judges itself.

THE LIGHTENING OF BURAQ FOR PAKISTAN
CARRYING PAKISTANI IDEOLOGY FOR PROTECTION

No more whimpers being tolerated

The stuff of dreams has happened. The ninth country in the world to develop DRONES on their own. For aggression, no. To defend the geography and integrity of Pakistan at all costs. Once the traditional Buraq carried the revered Prophet (PBUH) to the Heavens. This Buraq will carrying the Ideology of the Prophet into unmanned lands.

Suddenly a number of countries in the world are taking interest in buying our arms and ammunition products. Whatever the Bayghairat media may say, the reality is that Pakistan is considered as a stronghold of Islam as well as that of the Modern World. We are not fallible like other Muslim countries, by infighting here. Our corrupt politicians are trying their best to engender civil war here. Every time it fails, for these people have the capacity to think out the truth.

Whatever others may say, no one really forgets that the Army of Pakistan is an Islamic Army, and eventually we are the Umbrella of the Muslim World. The enemies should never forget that!

NO ONE LIKE OUR MUHAMMED ALI JINNAH
CHARACTER FLAWED PERSONS TRYING TO FIND FLAWS IN HIM

Spit on the Moon and your own face is slighted

The hypocrisy of the British Government in trying to eulogize Mahatma Gandhi just for gaining access to Indian markets and to make money. David Cameron trying to outdo William Churchill himself. Churchill used to ridicule Gandhi, now the ideas of the icon of Britain is being ridiculed by Cameron himself. Remember it as this so called educated Prime Minister who insisted that it was okay to ridicule the feelings of other ways of life by doing whatever one can. Here the preposterous venom of the French Cartoons.

So much hate material on Pakistan,Islam and our culture. No one sees that but only finds fault with our Ideology. Just Google the hate material. Not only trying to undo our Prophet (PBUH) the greatest man produced by mankind, but Jinnah as well. Trying to prove Jinnah was this and Jinnah was that. You stupid imbeciles, just lust for money is making you ridicule our icon. Spit on your face on and on.

‘No one like Jinnah. A man of character, handsome man, who evolved with time. But one thing about him was that he was INCORRUPTIBLE, and that is marked contrast with the abundant of corrupt people today. Most of these so called juvenile misgots, who are trying to undermine Jinnah for personal gains. Shameless behavior. As a famous person calls them BAYGHAIRAT BIRGADE.

With time either a person goes down, or goes up in the esteem of everyone. The stuff of legends, Quaid e Azam Muhammed Ali Jinnah is our saviour forever. All the time character flaws in the life of Mahatma Gandhi comes up in light, and even the international media masks those flaws. The Government of India paid a preposterous sum to buy the personal letters between Gandhi and his so called Jewish lover. Books repeat the so called hidden stories of his preferences. He is accused of incest multiple times. But this the media or the Bayghairats can forgo, and a man of impeccable character, they are trying their level best to bring down. Spit on the Moon. You know the results!

SLAVES, SERVANTS AND PANSIES OF FOREIGN LOBBIES
BOMBARDING THE MEDIA WITH ANTI-PAKISTANI SENTIMENTS

THE PUBLIC IS FAR REMOVED FROM THIS WRITTEN WORDS SHELLING

The Anti-Pakistani foreign lobbies feel very secure in buying out a handful of journalists in an attempt to sway Pakistan from our existence. To kill us by removing the Ideology from our hearts and then tackling our geography in full swing. This very puerile crowd continues to talk about HATE MATERIAL in our culture, and forget the abundance of such material in books being published abroad. Even the Internet is full of repugnant imagery to our Ideology. The greatest man on Earth, Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) is attempted to be riddled out of our hearts. Obviously they feel very successful by offering the slaves, servants and pansies, minor things like Visas, scholarships, and visits. They offer dinners like Pakistan has been hungry all their lives. What foolish behaviour? These are supposed to be educated and civilized people? Merely barbarians wanting to exploit the world, and Islam stands in the way of human exploitation. That is Allah’s way.

The vision of Dr Allama Iqbal swept the Nation. Without Quaid-e-Azam Pakistan would never have been made. And certainly without the Pakistani Army, Pakistan would have been history long ago. A system was created in which each part of the Army was merged into a unit, and the unit consolidated itself with Islamic Ideals. A unit of Geography to try the Islamic system and to show the world what a rejuvenated Islam meant for the world. Three times Army took power in their hands and saved the country. More progress was made in these regimes than the farce of democracy which enriched the most corrupt people in Pakistan. Their total mistake was to rely on the same worn out democratic representative that brought shame to the country more than once. This system is not collapsing, it has collapsed long ago. Quaid e Azam hated the Western Democratic system and signaled his repulsion for same. He was writing a constitution based on the French Presidential system and it was mostly written, when it disappeared from his bed stand. It must be there with Secret Services of some foreign country even today. It can be recovered, but if not, a simple nation loving technocrats be asked to devise a system for Pakistan. Till then task a group to correct the failing of Pakistan’s governance. It can be done. In fact it is being done. We want Pak Army to put its speed in this venture to recover the ISLAMIC STATE OF PAKISTAN, which was exactly the vision of Quaid e Azam. Quaid if alive today would have spitted at the adverse secular concepts to bring down the Ideology of Pakistan. Our family has lived through these times.

My father knew Dr Allama Iqbal personally for twenty years. My father met the Quaid e Azam himself. Field Marshal Ayub Khan has done more for the country than anybody else. One look at his achievements should shame the Morons which make up our democracy today.

GROUPS ACCEPTED AMERICAN JASPER JOHNS
AS FATHER OF ART GIMMICKRY IN PAKISTAN

Ideology gone berserk again and again

The father of Art in Pakistan was M.A. Rahman Chughtai. Hundred Percent. And he remains the father of Art in Pakistan. Not very well understood by the art circles in Pakistan, but excellent understood by the people of Pakistan. The same people who called Dr Allama Iqbal as the Shair Mashriq and Abdur Rahman Chughtai as Mussawar e Mashriq. The matter would have rested fine.

Then a group of people were sent here to ride the Western bandwagon of the times. PABLO PICASSO became the new rage in Art Schools and Art circles. No one even understood Picasso. The only rage was to copy, to imitate, and then to get advantage from vested interests. Pablo Picasso an exceptional draughtsman, termed his own art, as a way of fooling the people of his times. We have his interviews in our archives, in which he make fun of those who took his adventures seriously. Then this Abstract Art withered away.

Post Modernism, Pakistan sought to imitate again and again. Now the real thing is that people of Pakistan merely get bewildered as they see this reclusive Modern Art in Pakistan. NA SIR, NA PAER (no head, no foot), this anarchy in Art created a serious Ideological crisis for Pakistan. Then somebody fed the Pakistan artists to make fun of Islam, Islamic values and Pakistan. An endless parade of disparagement started here.

The two beer can versions of Jasper Johns startled us all the time. And then he told us its reality. He said the cans are there TO MAKE YOU THINK. On beer can is smaller than the other, and one can is open. It seems people here could not even see that and thought that real thought had come to their empty minds. We of course have no issues with that but the public was awed out of love for the Fine Arts. No one remains interested in Arts to the extent that one cannot even find a VIP these days to inaugurate a show. His disgust and total unawareness can be seen from miles. But afraid of being ridiculed for his lack of knowledge, the VIP remains quiet and obedient to the invitees of the show. Clap your heart out, there is nothing there.

Art and Fine Art seeks a reaction from the public. That Art which does not evolve any reaction from us is merely useless endeavour meaning nothing. Dr Allama Iqbal warned us a long time back:

“O Wise ones! It is well to have a thirst for knowledge,
But what is in art that faileth to grasp the reality of things.
The object of all art is to attain the warmth of life immortal.
What availeth a spasm or to that vanish like a spark!
Without a miracle nations cannot rise,
What is art without the striking power of the Moses staff!”

A thing of beauty is indeed a joy forever. Things passed as beauty by berserk critics will only bring sorrow to us. We were a nation of intellectuals, but it looks like we are morons of the world now.

HINDUS HOMAGE TO PROPHET MUHAMMED (PBUH)
EVEN THIS KIND OF STUFF EXISTS IN ARCHIVES

Bridging two nations by Munshi Datasta Pershad

There was a Mushaira in the Wazeer Khan Mosque in Lahore around 1875 and all the poets narrated their love of the Prophet. Interesting there were few Hindus in it, who also narrated Qasidas in love and reverence of our Prophet. One of course was the famous TARA HALWAI of Delhi Darwaza Chowk. We will post those one day in our blog.

In meantime enjoy a Qasida by a Hindu Munshi, published in a local newspaper around 1927. Nothing is known by us about this MUNSHI DATASTA PERSHAD, but he calls himself holding a B A degree. Maybe we can research on him. In the mean time enjoy praise of the Prophet from, no one else than a Hindu himself. Respect for others way of life can really lead to meaningful dialogue. But this kind of feature is very rare indeed.

PANIC IN LAHORE AS SAUDI REGIME IN 1926
STARTED DEMOLISHING ISLAMIC MAUSOLEUMS AND MOSQUES

Posters all over Lahore, and one is attached here

All Muslims literally shudder when the Sawabis are mentioned and all would tread with utmost care even near their graves. It required some sort of foolhardy bravado or as some actually say, shamelessness to attempt to demolish the graves and mosques of the Sawabis. But it was done in 1926. Structures over religious personalities were thrown to the ground.

There was three attempts on the Grave of our Prophet (PBUH), and whole Lahore wept with shame. But nobody listened. The latest attempt was to demolish the structure to build a Parking lot there. All this is documented information and nobody can deny it.

The structures of our religious personalities are in the legacy of all Muslims. Such a decision cannot be made in isolation. A world body should have sat down to make decisions on such a matter. No one has the right to play with history. It is a World heritage site and the holiest place for Islam. No individual person or regime can make this decision on their own.