LHORE 100 YEARS BACK IN 1913
This piece is about a book, a travelogue by a Punjabi Khatri written in 1913 and published in 1915 by "Nammi Press" Kanpur under the title " Sair e Punjab". The book shows a record of Punjabi cities especially Lhore and its surroundings. Kishan Parshad was a Punjabi Khatri yet his ancestor "Chando Lal Lhori" had shifted some 200 years back ( now 300 years as the book was written in 1913) from Chueaan (now called Chunia ) near Lhore to Hyderabad Dakkan. In Dakkan that Punjabi family of Khatries adopted the title "Asif-Jahi". It was love of the land which compelled Kishan to visit the Punjab. He was proud on his lhori decent especially Todar Mal who had advised Punjabi Khatries to learn Persian during Akbar period. Before his visit of Lhore he also visited AmbarSar and Derra Dun. In Derra Dun he visited a Gurdawara " Jhanda Sahib" which was built by Aurangzeb in comparison of Tomb of Jhangieer. When he came to Lhore Railway Station in July 1913, Khatri association elders were there yet his friend Allama Iqbal was also among them just to welcome him. As there was no cold war between Congress & Muslim League so the book have numerous "unusual" events. Maharaja Sir Kishan Parshad Asif-Jahi said " our family is serving Muslim rulers from centuries" kishan had great respect for Sufies and love for humanity so he neither use political Hindoism nor political Islam but appreciated qualities of society in general. He recorded a gathering at Lhore's Theater Hall in which Allama Iqbal, Pandat Deen Dayal Sharma & Belli Ram were among the speakers. He also wrote about Mall road, Anarkali, Walled City etc. Such books needs a good preface & little editting before reprinting yet by publishing these books we can make realize new generations what were we, what was at ground, we have common relations and numerous shades in life. Life was not as fixed as we are reading through court historians of India & Pakistan.
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