Three or four years ago, with Hasan Iqbal, I was moving to Lahore. I said that the teacher (Hasan Iqbal) you should show the royal palace with your presence today. He replied, "Have some fear of God." I am not such a cheap person. So which of my city has "Wanted" ads? I'm not like that either, but today I have to see the royal neighborhood. Let us also see which "empire" is settled there. At my insistence, he complied and we left the royal palace. Upon arrival, we parked our car on the side of the road and then walked to a "room". From this place, there was a magnificent view of the royal mosque, the royal fort, and the city. From a few distances, an old musical sound was coming. While I was enjoying the music, I got lost in the scenery and the teacher started ordering food. Yes! Dining at the brothel? Yes! the meal. Let's go! Let's get a little polite so that there is a little talk on the roof and until the food arrives, there is a little talk about the place where we arrived.
The Shahi Mohalla is located on either side of the Badshahi Masjid and the Royal Fort Lahore and is adjacent to the Diamond Market, also known as the Bazaar of Beauty. Much has been written about this neighborhood and especially the bazaar from different angles and many documentaries have been made. So I won't go into much detail yet. Summary: It is said that during the Mughal period, this neighborhood was famous for its music and dance. The prostitutes here were experts not only in dance but also in music, poetry, and literature. At one time, the area was a hub for dancers, musicians, and artists. But with the changing environment, everyone coached. What is it that the real fleet of the environment of this place was done by drowned white skin? In the British Raj, prostitution was started for the British soldiers around the royal palace. Gradually, this fog became the identity of this neighborhood. On the contrary, it became more and more organized over time, and with a slight change in its nature, it spread from the diamond market to many other areas.
The waiter brought food and we chatted and ate. When the Lahore pavilions were over, the teacher pointed his finger and said, "That is the royal mosque, and there is the royal fort and you are sitting on a room in the royal palace at the moment." If sir has seen everything, then let's go now? I replied that teacher! You really showed the teacher and put us in the middle of the "swordsmen". Of course, even for a moment but there would have been a show 😉 , by the way, the joke was in its place, but where did the show come from? On the one hand, we are noble and shy 😛 and from above, where is the beauty bazaar in the bazaar now, but like other bazaars, it is now just a bazaar. There are many musical instrument stores but the music is extinct. Once upon a time, rooms where music and dance parties were held, now owls talk or Ikaduka brothels stink. And sometimes some old prostitutes are spending the last days of their lives. However, one of the streets of the royal neighborhood has become a food street and now the "nobles" can be opened instead of hiding their faces and we were also present on the roof of a hotel in the same street. The food street is mostly old buildings and waiters are running around in their rooms instead of prostitutes dancing. Now the street is buzzing with the sound of pots and pans instead of music and rumblings. Flower garlands are a thing of the past. Now there is the smoke of kebabs and the smell of foods.
Well, the teacher showed more teachers and said, "Come on, well done! In fact, a little "long exposure" was needed, and such photography, if done with the camera in hand, blurs the image with the slightest movement and many times such presence of lights that ...Yup ...So the tripod was necessary so that the camera would not move at all. I was about to put on a tripod when a waiter came running and said, "It's not allowed to take pictures with a stand-up camera." I: "So is it permissible without a stand?" Beira: "Yes, there is nothing wrong with that." I: "What's the logic?" In fact, there is a dinner and a "cultural show" in honor of some foreign guests. Because the ministers are there with their delegates and foreign guests. Therefore, for security reasons, it is forbidden to install camera stands on all high-rise buildings, and they should look at the attic to see if the officers are watching. If you set up a stand, they will immediately threaten you. I may not tell you anything but our hardship will come ...The teacher was surprised to hear all this and he was about to say something.
We were going down the stairs and I was saying that in fact our administration is still run by the old and rotten rules of the "Stone Age". One is the strange situation in the country and the fear of the politicians from above to such an extent that even if a bird kills them, their ... ah ... Regarding the stand (tripod), he thinks that it can be fitted with a sniper rifle, etc. That is to say, this modest tripod of the camera, which barely carries the weight of the camera and lens, is considered a weapon, considering it a sniper stand. In fact, it has happened to many photographers that they were going somewhere and were stopped at a police checkpoint just because they had a tripod. Now do the talking...
As we talked, we reached the end of Food Street (Fort Road) in front of the ink gate of the city of Lahore, which opens towards the Hazari Bagh. The law was guarding the outside of the closed door, and on the other side of the door, outside the boundaries of the bazaar, the nobles had arranged a concert of music and dance. I asked one such policeman if there was a lot of music going on inside, okay? The policeman was probably already furious, angry but sarcastically speaking."Inside, such XYZ minister is showing his culture to the foreigners by the dance of girls."
