Lakshmi Chowk: Ode to a Changing Lahore - Moiz Abdul Majid - Youlin Magazine (2024)

Written by: Moiz Abdul Majid
Posted on: January 22, 2020 | | 中文

(Left) The Lakshmi Building before 2011 and (Right) The Lakshmi Building after 2011

In 2015, the Lahore Bachao Tehreek was actively working on trying to save Lahore’s monuments from the destructive effects of the Orange Line Metro. Though the movement had started for, and focused on Chauburji, another massively important monument that the activists were trying to protect, was the iconic Lakshmi building.

Located at the intersection of McLeod Road, Nisbat Road, and Abbot Road of Old Lahore, the Lakshmi building has been a part of the Lahori cityscape for a long time. Its old-fashioned, British-era façade is a testament to Indo-British architecture, with high arches and Art Deco style. From the beginnings of the country, the Lakshmi building was known as a hub for cinema and culture within the city. In fact, the famous intersection has been named after the building, as opposed to the other way around.

The monument started out as the mansion of Sir Shadi Lal, the first Indian High Court Judge in India. In 1930, he sold the building to Lala Rajpat Rai’s Lakshmi Insurance Corporation. After that, the building was turned into an office and residential complex, known by its name for two reasons: it was owned by the Lakshmi Corporation, and building’s main façade featured a statue of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and purity (the statue was destroyed after Partition). The building is one of the two Lakshmi buildings owned by the same corporation. The second is in Karachi, and was inaugurated in 1938 by Mrs. Sarojini Naidu.

After Partition, the building in Lahore housed the Muslim League’s office for some time, and served as home for various important personalities. Renowned writer Sadat Hassan Manto used to live in the building, along with his daughter Nighat Patel, and his nephew Hamid Jalal (father of academic Ayesha Jalal). The building also housed a former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Meraj Khalid and Najam Sethi.

Given the special history of the building, it was declared as a building of historical importance by the Government of Punjab under the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance of 1985. There was a huge outcry in 2011, when the building’s iconic monotone façade was painted bright blue, a violation of the structure’s status as a preserved site.

Despite the change in the appearance of the building with its newly acquired blue façade, the area around the building has been an important part of the Lahori experience and imagination for a long time.

The Royal Park Film Market near Lakshmi Chowk was once a center of the film industry in India, and then in Pakistan. Known as one of the world’s largest film markets, it housed several studios and production houses, including Mahboob Pictures, the production house behind the film “Mother India”. Not only that, the area had been frequented by various celebrities such as Om Prakash, Madam Nur Jehan, and Sultan Rahi. It was also the place that launched the careers of those such as Muhammad Rafi and Balraj Sahni.

Today, however, the market is a ruin of its former self because studios and production houses have moved out. What remain are the dilapidated buildings like Rattan Cinema, which are only a phantom of a vibrant and glorious cinematic past.

With the death of the film industry in the area, Lakshmi Chowk then gained popularity as a true food lover’s haven. One thing that all Lahoris associate with Lakshmi Chowk is the famous Butt Karahi, known for its delicious and timeless Chicken curry dishes. Nowadays, the area around the building and chowk have become home to quite a few food outlets, enough for the government to think about creating another food street. However, nothing has been done to follow up on this idea so far.

In 2019, the area made headlines again when the Chowk’s name was changed from Lakshmi Chowk to Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk, named after the anti-colonialist poet and journalist. This led to an outcry on social media, for many believed it was an attempt to erase the non-Muslim history of the Chowk. The name was then changed back to Lakshmi Chowk, and so it will remain in the hearts and minds of the Lahoris. Lakshmi Building and Lakshmi Chowk has seen all the changing faces of the city, but resolutely remains as a time capsule of architectural and historical wonder.