Lahore; once a city of Sufis, gardens and stunning architecture

Architect Nayyar Ali Dada speaks dissects architecture during LLF session

LAHORE:  

Renowned Architect Nayyar Ali Dada dissected the architecture of British era buildings during a session titled “Oral History, My Lahore, A journey through the past and present of the cultural capital of Pakistan” at the second day of the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) on Saturday.

The session was moderated by Parveen Kennedy. The session was divided into two distinct parts; sureela Lahore and bay sureela Lahore.

Dada stated that initially the aim of British era architecture was to inspire awe of the empire. He backed his analysis up by showing pictures of the Quaid-e-Azam Library.

He also spoke about Rudyard Kipling’s writings where he had stated that the buildings were awe inspiring but did not belong in the setting. Kipling had visited the oriental college and had encountered many intellectual folks. Kipling was of the opinion that there was a need for more native and indigenous architecture.

From there on, Dada explained, the architecture was a mix of colonial and native which is evident from the structures that were built later on. He maintained that Expo Centre located in Johar Town was also built on the same philosophy, which is to make modern buildings while keeping our values intact.

“Lahore was once a city of Sufis, gardens and beautiful architecture. Now, has become the city of billboards,” he lamented while transitioning into the second half of the discussion. Someone once said that architecture is music frozen in time. In bay sureela Lahore, the music was gone, leaving behind only the frozen.

Parveen Kennedy stated that when she first saw Lahore, it was the Paris of the East. The hustling bustling mornings, the evenings full of music and the rock and roll nights are forever imprinted in her memory.

In the past, the landscape was an important component of the architecture, said Dada. There were no boundary walls, he added. Now, landscapes have been preluded by boundary walls and barbed wire, he concluded.