Mahatma Gandhi makes the shopkeepers of Bahadur Shah Market in the port city of Karachi smile even today. It is their private little joke that unbeknownst to the thousands of people.
Azeem Mahal, a two-storey building built in 1933 in the port city, has images of Gandhi
ISLAMABAD: Mahatma Gandhi makes the shopkeepers of Bahadur Shah Market in the port city of Karachi smile even today. It is their private little joke that unbeknownst to the thousands of people who pass by each day, the Indian icon smiles down on them.
This surprising wrought-iron reminder of the past can be found in the balconies of the two-storey Azeem Mahal built in 1933, when no Karachi resident would have imagined the city will be a part of Pakistan one day.
“We are lucky to have historical buildings with images of personalities such as Gandhiji,” shopkeeper Abdul Subhan said.
“I think the government should hold an international exhibition and invite Indians to see the building.”
In fact, Azeem Mahal is located off Mohan Road, named after Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the man himself. Mohan Road branches from MA Jinnah Road (Bunder Road), crosses the famous Urdu Bazaar book market and goes up to the Sindh assembly building. It was not unusual before Partition in 1947 for buildings in Karachi to be embellished with such artwork.
DJ Science College and St Joseph’s Convent high school have tiles from Belgium, Michelangelo’s cherubs flit in the masonry high above the traffic-crazed streets of Saddar and alternating Roman and lancet arches line Bunder Road at Lakshmi Das and Saleh Mohammed Streets circa 1920.
Thirty-six-year-old Mahfoozur Rehman, who runs the Japan Tyre shop in Azeem Mahal, remembers foreign tourists from his childhood days in the neighbourhood. They would pass by in horse-drawn carriages or Victorias. Sometimes, they would visit his grandfather’s shop.
“My grandfather was fluent in English and the tourists were eager to learn about the history of the building and Gandhi’s images,” Rehman said.
Today, Shafiqur Rehman notices, children on their way to buy textbooks at Urdu Bazaar are stopped by their parents for a few seconds to admire the historic building. Aside from the balconies, the building, which has about 10 occupied flats, is quite rundown. People living on the second floor didn’t even know their balconies had Gandhi’s image on them.
“Perhaps, there is enmity between the governments of Pakistan and India, but as people we don’t really have a problem,” Muhammad Arif said. And 61 years later, perhaps there should not be.
amir.mir1969@gmail.com
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