Larkana to Lahore

 

Ever since I retired from the govt. job and settled down in Lahore on 31 August 2020 our acquaintances and office colleagues asked us curiously as to why we decided to settle down in Lahore instead of going back to our roots, the place where we belong to, where our family, rather extended family and relatives lived. Accordingly, some of them also advised us that we should go back to Sindh. Our response to these questions and observations has been apparently indigestible and unconvincing so far. Such questions, nevertheless, prompted me to trace back my entire life in order to search for the real reasons of attachment with Lahore, and also to find the pulling force, the reason of romance with this historical city. It could be that I just followed the usual concept about Lahore that once in Lahore the city keeps you chained here or it simply throws you out or the facilities offered by Lahore overshadowed rest of Pakistan. One thing is for sure, however, that I have been shackled here.

I opened my eyes in a village in district Larkana but father moved us to Ratodero, a tehsil town for schooling. I was five years old in 1965 when father grabbed my arm and enrolled me in a primary school (Sindhi medium) located in the vicinity of our rented house. It was a time just after the war with India. I faintly remember that we used to turn off lights in the night to observe blackout so that Indian planes could not drop bombs on our houses. During the morning school assembly all students would sing, in chorus, national songs about bravery of our armed forces. The one such song that we recited loudly and repeatedly everyday was: Khitta e Lahore Tere Jan-NisaroN Ko Salam….. (we salute Lahore for sacrificing its lives….). This song would send chills through my body and as such this was my first introduction to Lahore.

Further, my father was fond of listening to Urdu and Indian filmi songs on Radio Pakistan and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Radio. For listening to news he would switch to BBC, in particular during and after war times. Besides, Newspaper boy would drop “Daily Jung Urdu, Karachi” at our doorstep. My attraction in the newspaper would be: Tarzan, the animated/cartoon (with pictures, of course) series whose episode appeared daily in the newspaper, weekly children page that would print short stories, poems and jokes, and most of all, advertisements of Urdu, Punjabi movies. Dad and our elder brother would often discuss movies that were doing well at the box office after their simultaneous release in the cinemas of Lahore and Karachi. They would wait for hit movies for release in any of the three cinemas of Larkana to go watching them. Once released, Dad would take us to Larkana in a hired Willys Jeep for watching it. I happened to hear often from Dad and elder brother that films were produced in Lahore where large film studios were located. Still under ten I longed for meeting film actors by visiting Lahore film studios.

Since my immediate elder brother had just completed class five (I did class four) in early 1970 our father moved his family to Larkana so that his children could pursue their education, now in English, from class six onwards. By then our oldest brother had joined West Pakistan Railways as Booking Clerk. He travelled frequently to Lahore for trainings and other job-related assignments. He would be all praise of Lahore city regarding greenery, historical buildings, mosques, gardens, colourful kites and of course, plenty of cinemas and film studios. After his every visit to Lahore I would ask him innocently about the new films he watched there and had he been able to visit any of the film studios or met any of the film stars! I would always beg him to take me along in his next visit to Lahore.

The opportunity to visit Lahore knocked on in the mid 1973 when oldest brother’s colleague and intimate friend in Pakistan Railways took me along with him to Lahore for a three-days trip. We stayed in a hotel at the tail end of Anarkali bazar and visited all major monuments of Lahore, besides, visiting shrine of Data Darbar and watching a movie in Ratan Cinema at famous Laxmi Chowk, Lahore. In 1975 our secondary school sent us on an industrial tour of Pakistan wherein we toured Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Murree.  While in Lahore I persuaded a few like-minded classmates to undertake a visit to film studios. We took a taxi that dropped us on the main gate of Evernew Studios on Multan Road. We tried to enter but the security guard didn’t let us go. We waited restlessly at the gate to catch a glimpse of any film star while entering or exiting the studios. Suddenly and much to our delight we saw film star Nadeem driving his car and approaching the studios. As he slowed down at the gate we waved at him and he acknowledged smilingly. We had made our day.

Trips to Lahore continued from then onwards. In 1981 we visited it under all Pakistan industrial tour organized by our university. Later, after having completed my engineering studies in August 1983 I travelled to Lahore for appearing in a job interview at WAPDA Headquarters, WAPDA House in October 1983. Again in January 1983 I went there to join WAPDA. Working with WAPDA meant travelling to Lahore frequently for official tasks. Although I kept visiting Lahore and enjoying my trips I was still looking for an opportunity to serve WAPDA at Lahore so that I could move my family here but this was not forthcoming in near future. I have had to wait till 1998.

After having received the transfer orders to Lahore we, all family members, took the flight from Hyderabad and landed in Lahore. After staying two weeks in the guest house we shifted to a rented portion of 10-Marla house in Ravi Block, Allama Iqbal Town. Old friends and new office colleagues helped us in settling down especially enrolling 3 children in different classes and different schools. Within six months we were allotted an official residence at WAPDA Shadman Flats and we moved there immediately. Shadman is a centrally located area within Lahore with all old and new shopping areas, main offices, theatres, etc., are within reach and especially famous gardens like Racecourse Ground Park and Lawrence Garden are within walking distance. It was a long awaited dream coming true.

The spring of 1999 is unforgettable; flowers and kites everywhere around the city. Both big gardens near our residence blossomed with beautiful flowers. Sky remained colourful right from sun rise to twilight of the day with kites of various colours and sizes. Not to forget the Basant festival that was celebrated in the first week of February. Luckily we were invited to old city on Basant day where we spent full day at the rooftop flying kites and enjoying Lahori food amid slogans of “Bo Kata” echoing on the rooftops of varying heights of Lahore. In the evening we visited Racecourse Ground Park where Food Festival and Flowers Show were going on amid beautiful lights and water fountains. It was nonstop fun, flavour, joy and excitement.

We moved to Hyderabad in the mid of 2007 due to family reasons but it was hard adjusting there for long and hence decided to return back to Lahore. Accordingly, we were back in June 2011 and since then we have been living here.

Now I return to the questions mentioned in the first paragraph that why we chose to live in Lahore. The main reason being safety of our lives followed by peace of mind. Children’s education and their bright future is second in line and lastly, ease of daily life is other major reason. Ease of daily life simply means one can have water, gas, electricity available round the clock, cleanliness in your street and area, and ease of moving in different parts of the city at any hour. Lately gas and electricity are hard to find all the time, especially gas in winter and electricity in summer but still Lahore has comparatively less shortages. Lahore possessed all ingredients of being a big city offering safe and better life. It’s green, peaceful, better schooling, plenty of public and private universities with good standard of education, peaceful to hangout late in nights, less crimes i.e. almost free of ethnic hatred, kidnapping for ransom, street crime, car thefts, etc.

Before the end of my career with WAPDA, Allah (SWT) bestowed me with the resources to build my own house in the suburbs of Lahore. We moved there immediately and are living in absolute tranquility. The journey of my life began in Larkana but I wouldn’t know when and where it ends but at least I can make a wish that the burial may materialize at a peaceful place and in clean environment.