THE MELANCHOLIC CITY : BOOK REVIEW

 

'' Non-Fiction : A historian looks at Lahore as a case-study to see how his hometown has systematically lost its connection to its many-splendored past and the repercussions of that break on the life of the city. ''

' Disrupted City : Walking the Pathways of Memory and History in Lahore. By Manan Ahmed Asif.

One big theme in Dr. Manan Ahmed Asif's book, '' Disrupted City Walking the Pathways of Memory and History in Lahore ", is about the disruption and [ partial ] break with the past that Lahore has gone through or suffered.

Walk around in Lahore and you see a lot of old buildings, but what was once a city of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims is a city of Muslims only now.

Walked down any prominent street in London, New York, Istanbul or Montreal - talking only of cities I had the opportunity to spend time in - and you see a new thing for sure.

The street will tell a story of the city through the buildings.

A lot of the buildings will be dated. Their architectural style and detailing will tell you of times it has lived through and in some places, you will have boards and plaques telling you about some details of the building, its origin, style of construction, people who might have lived there or businesses that might have been constructed out of those buildings.

Visit shops and many shopfronts will tell you how long a business has been in business and in that place. Many shops will give you the history of the business, some details of the founder and other prominent facts too.

Many public purpose buildings, and there are many of those on almost all prominent streets of these cities, will tell you who all gave money for the building or its eventual upgradation and upkeep.

Hospitals, museums, colleges and universities tend to display names of benefactors quite visibly, while schools are usually named after individuals. Religious places mention their denomination and, usually, not the names of individuals.

Visit and sit in the cafes of the city and you will find people who will tell you about the city : its history, origins, the myth of the city and its stories, what the city has seen and who all have lived through it all.

The people of the city, their walk, talk, mannerisms and pre-occupations will also tell you a lot about the city and its history.

Cities lived through citizens and citizens embody cities in them. Cities have a character that shows in its citizens and citizens, overtime, make the character of the city.

The names of many streets, roads, buildings, gardens and establishments have been changed.

Statues, plaques and other records of history were removed, burned, destroyed or damaged in 1947 and in the years since. The Hindus and Sikhs left in 1947.

The Muslims, mostly from Eastern Punjab, came and settled in Lahore.

The World Students Society thanks Faisal Bari.