Stroll through time on Eduljee Dinshaw Road

Road outside heritage sites transformed into walking space

KARACHI: If you happened to drive by Customs House anytime last year, you would have surely seen the poor condition of the side road, with sewers overflowing and cars parked haphazardly. Stroll through the area now and you will hardly recognise the street.

Eduljee Dinshaw Road, the thoroughfare stretching from the Karachi Port Trust building to Customs House, was named to pay homage to the services of one of the city's most influential men, Eduljee Dinshaw. Over the years, the road began to reflect the same neglect as other contributions of the Parsi community that have faded into the city's increasing chaos.



Recently, Pakistan Customs and a group of citizens — which includes architect Shahid Abdulla, Karachi commisioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui and former Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief Jameel Yousuf — put together the Eduljee Dinshaw Road Trust to transform the road and the facade of the building. The road turns into a pedestrians-only zone after 6:30pm. The project, which cost Rs65 million, was inaugurated on Sunday evening.

Customs collector Tariq Huda, who had the vision for this project, said that it was a well-thought-out and planned project and had witnessed several sacrifices during the course of completion. The tea sellers who had encroached part of the road and the parking mafia operating in the area were sent packing when the project kicked off, he shared.

Architect Shahid Abdulla recalled how it all came together. About a year ago, Abdulla was called to Customs House and was asked how he liked the building? "It's obvious that I replied that it's beautiful," he told the audience. When asked about the road in front of the building, he was surprised. "'What about it?' I asked because there wasn't anything to say about that road," he said.



Eventually when they decided to revamp the road and came up with the idea of taking the 100,000 square feet of the road back to the era when the Customs House building was constructed. Abdulla admitted that his understanding of the designs of that era were limited so he sought the help of the chief architect of the project, Danish Zubi, who has great understanding of the British Raj and its décor.

Buildings, such as Customs House, are meant to stay for 1,000 years, said Abdulla. "These are jewels, we can't throw them away," he said, adding that this sentiment made them turn the road in front of the jewel into a historical walking space.

According to CPLC's Yousuf, the project will continue in the next phase in which the road from Charya Chowk to the Kharadar Jamaatkhana will be renovated. It will cost an additional Rs100 million, he told The Express Tribune, adding that the Eduljee Dinshaw family has donated funds for this project.



Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad also shared with the audience how the area has been beautified. "When the idea of renovating this space was brought to me, the Karachi operation was in full swing," he recalled, referring to the Rangers targeted operation against criminals and political mafias in the city. "Every corner of the street used to echo with firing," he said, happy that the area has become stable over the time it took to complete the project.

Renovating the temple

A 300-year-old temple besides Customs House has also been renovated. The pandit of Daryalal Mandir, Goswami Vijay Maharaj told The Express Tribune that the temple has also been restored by the Eduljee Dinshaw Trust to its original shape.

The façade of the temple, according to Zubi, has been taken from India and the construction proportions have not been changed. "The temple is 40 feet wide, 40 feet long and 40 feet high," he explained, adding that the blue snakes painted on top of the temple were also 40 in number.

"We have tried to maintain its music," he said adding that the old style of the temple has been replicated.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2015.