After having dinner at Lahore’s famous Food Street behind Badshahi Mosque last March, we were sitting at a roadside teahouse in the food street, waiting for the tea. The place was very fascinating for the Karachiites as it is designed in such a way that it depicts the history, culture and art of the old city area of Lahore. For most of us, it was really giving a look of Shahi Muhalla as Putli Tamasha (traditional puppet show) was being performed on one side, monkey and goat wala was showing performance of animals on another side and groups of singers were singing at yet another corner.
We saw the singer, who was earlier entertained the guests at the famous Haveli restaurant where we had a sumptuous dinner. My colleague Naghma knew the singer and waved him to join us over a cup of tea. He reluctantly came to sit with us.
She introduced her to the place many years back when she had visited for a research study on the red-light area, which was still not converted into a food street, but was famous for its colourful balconies and dancing girls and was considered one of the top red-light areas in Pakistan. Famous as Shahi Mohallah, or Heera Mandi, the place used to be lit with bounties every night and Haveli-like buildings’ balconies resonated with the loud sounds of music and dance. He nodded his head as he was recalling that research study.
The first question was: “Where have those dancers and musicians in the red light area gone?” With a flabbergasted look on his face, the artist said that they have left the area by selling all their properties, which the billionaire restaurant owners have bought. Most of the dancing girls are now living in the posh localities of the city or have left the country, he said. The musicians and male singers, however, have joined private music bands and groups. Some of the leading restaurants on Food Street have also hired singers to entertain the guests, he added.
“But if we want to see them dancing, then where should we go?”, asked one of our colleagues a direct question. “You can hold a music party at your private place, they will come,” he replied. People invite the dancing girls and musicians to their wedding-like parties, he added.
“Why they were removed from this place as this red light area was a historic place for performing art for centuries?” we volleyed another question.
During the last government of Nawaz Sharif, they were asked to leave as people of the area and religious leaders had pressurized the government to remove them. Moreover, the government had planned to convert this area of Fort Road into a tourist place under the Walled City project. Thus, this place was converted into a Food Street and the dancers and musicians were asked to leave, he replied.
“Are the people now satisfied as the dancers and musicians have left the area,” we put another question to him. “To some extent,” he said adding that people of the area have suffered heavy economic losses as many shopkeepers were selling flowers, garlands, Paan, foods and decoration things during the nighttime.
“Are you earning enough from singing at the restaurants?” we asked. Not that much, but many singers and artists are now jobless. Only a few are engaged by restaurants, he said.
Although we had many other questions, he left us by saying that he had to go to the job.
