Gandhi street offers walk through history

On 74th passing anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, residents vow to protect historical identity of neighborhood

KARACHI:

While there has been a name-changing spree in neighboring India, a street in Pakistan's port city of Karachi is still named after Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, keeping a window open into pre-partition memories.

On the occasion of the 74th death anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known worldwide as Mahatma Gandhi, residents vow to protect the historical identity of their neighborhood.

Located in the Karachi South District, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi street, commonly known as Mohan Road, is a 500-meter thoroughfare currently serving as a bustling market visited by thousands of customers each day. Its eastern entrance, which touches the noisy MA innah Road, is commonly known as Tyre Market because of several small and large tire shops.

Whereas, the western mouth of the street opens towards the the Urdu bazaar or the Book Market. In between lie several colonial-era buildings, with most still named after their original builders, like the Aruan Building, Mukhi Mansion, and Momanath Building. Aluminum-embossed pictures of Gandhi can be spotted even from a distance on the balconies of several buildings, reminding visitors of the neighborhood's historic value.

Most of buildings, nonetheless, currently present a picture of apathy, not only due to the ravages of time, but also neglect of their supposed benefactors. In many cases, neither occupants nor owners worry about the maintenance of these old-styled buildings dating back to the 1930s, due to rental disputes.

No more name-changing In the middle of the road, it is bisected by Temple Road, named for its Hindu temple, along with the Sikh temple Ratan Talao Gurdwara, another pre-partition building that is also in ruins nowadays. Hunched on a plastic chair, Mohammad Feroz, who has been running a tire shop at Gandhi street for over 40 years, wants the government to protect the historical value of the neighborhood.

"You may disagree with his (Gandhi) political philosophy, but he undoubtedly is a historic figure. It's either Quaid-i-Azam (Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan) or Gandhi, they should be treated with respect in both countries," Feroz told Anadolu Agency, referring to some Hindu nationalist groups demanding the removal of Jinnah's statue from Ali Garh Muslim University, India.

A plaque reading "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Street," which only a few years ago had stood at the eastern entrance of the street, is no longer there. Officially, however, it is still named after Ghandi in the city's municipal records.

"We will never want this name to be changed," Rab Nawaz, who runs a small mechanical shop in the area, told Anadolu Agency. "It's Mohan Road and will remain the same for us. We have no issue with that," Nawaz, whose father started the business here in 1955, went on to say. Feroz Ali, another elderly resident, demanded that the plaque be returned, highlighting the street's name on both entrances. "Not only this, but no other names should be changed. If a hospital or educational institution is built by a Hindu or a Sikh, it should remain after his or her name," he told Anadolu Agency. AA