This is an amazing book which provides an account of the interesting
colonial period in Lahore. It gives the reader an insight to Lahore’s
importance in South Asia.
Various connections/ networks of Lahore with other
important cities of United India have been explored in this book. This connection
includes Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay and Karachi. It does not end there. Areas such
as Afghanistan, Arabia, Europe and North America have also had relations with Lahore.
These linkages had social, cultural and economic characteristics.
The second chapter on the Darvazas and Mohallas reveals
how the life of the city was influenced. The tourists/ travellers who visited
Lahore shaped many elements in the city. All this is explained in great detail.
Some of the poets, wrestlers, cricketers, politicians and academicians are also
discussed.
Furthermore the consumption of foreign goods in colonial Lahore
has been elucidated in a separate chapter. Both the British and those well off
Indians shaped a pattern of consumption in Lahore. The route of pilgrims who
travelled to Hejaz via Lahore has also been highlighted in the book. Others who
visited shrines in Lahore and other places in India have also been mentioned. Migration
in Lahore, Lahore’s importance as a city in the independence movement is also
discussed in great detail. Official statistics have also been quoted from
credible estimates.
Moreover establishment of educational institutions in
Lahore by the British are also cited. Various prominent graduates of Islamia College,
Government College and FC College and Punjab University have been briefly
mentioned in this book. Examples include KK Aziz, Allama Mashraqi and Allama Iqbal’s educational years in Lahore.
Anybody interested in history of subcontinent or history
of Lahore must read this book!
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