Pakistan Chowk is a chowk and cultural heritage site in Saddar Town, Karachi.[1][2]

History

It was established as an educational center by Dayaram Gidumai Shahani.[3]

In the 1880s, Gidumai purchased the area and developed it as an educational hub.[3] The Sindh College Association operated from this location, and Gidumai founded D. J. Sindh Government Science College, serving as its principal.[3] After his death, his son Kewalram Shahani converted the area into a public square.[3][4]

Pakistan Chowk hosted the Purana Tonga stand, a taxi and Victoria station, as well as well-known cafes such as Café Saadi and Kaisar Restaurant.[3][4] The nearby Bholu Akhada fostered wrestlers such as Bholu Pehelvan and Aslam Pehlevan.[3]

The Shahani family, Hindu-Sindhi educationists and writers, promoted Pakistan Chowk as a center for the printing press.[3] Gidumai translated sacred texts, while Kewalram became a philosopher, writing a Sufi treatise and the first feminist novel in the Sindhi language.[3] The family established art schools, libraries, and translation centers in the area.[3]

Notable buildings included the Sarnagati Building, which housed a library and artist atelier, and a headquarters for the Sindh Sudhar Society.[3] Pakistan Chowk was also home to the hostel culture of NED University of Engineering & Technology, providing accommodations for students and alumni.[3] Hostels such as Sevakunj, Mehtaram, and Meetharam, along with reading rooms, were instrumental in the area's educational history.[3][4]

In 2017, Pakistan Chowk Community Centre was opened at Pakistan Chowk.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Pakistan Chowk: Restoring the glory of a neglected heritage site". The News International. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Pakistan Chowk — a sigh of relief in the concrete jungle". The Express Tribune. 11 December 2016. Archived from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Old Town — Blog". Pakistan Chowk Community Centre. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Shujrah, Mahnaz. "The Changing Faces of Pakistan Chowk". Youlin Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Rafi, Haneen (17 August 2017). "Pakistan Chowk Community Centre inaugurated". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.

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