Marvel of Surjan Singh

For once, a restored site

Let me take you to a narrow street where your elbows would be touching the side walls and you will be amazed at how people live there! This is our living heritage. It is about less than a meter wide street located next to the Gali of Surjan Singh, which forms a complex inside Delhi Gate, built by Akbar the Great in 1566. Trust me, if you are a little broad then you will have to walk sideways in this narrow street and listen to the news running on TVs inside the houses, parents rebuking their children and the gossip of friends. Well, that’s the beauty of the mighty old walled city. Most of the streets are similar to it. The purpose of these streets is even more fascinating than their look and feel. The Mughals and later the Sikhs developed most of the residential areas of the walled city. They formed it in a tangled style to evade enemies while reaching the target to be attacked. The streets in many parts of the walled city keep changing their tracks and widths in order to dwindle and affect the rapidity of the enemies attack. It is said that when the enemies entered the walled city they would start reducing in number because of the structure of this labyrinth, the maze-like network of narrow widening streets. That proves correct today, as I have experienced it. While taking huge groups with myself into the walled city it is difficult to keep up the pace. The narrow and blind turnings, the streets branching out like a tree almost confuse you and there are a lot of possibilities of losing the track. That is why to experience the walled city one has to have a map or a native along in order to reach the right place and location.

Bur let’s get back to the topic and today I will be writing about this beautiful restored street that has also been recognised by UNESCO as a heritage site. Gali Gubarchian and the Gali of Surjan Singh are interlinked and a part of the complex is also known as Koocha Charakh Garan. These are typical of the remaining historical fabric of the walled city. This street was restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 2011 as a model street where all the dangling wires were taken underground and the storm and sewerage pipes were re-laid in order to provide the residents a healthy living. While talking to one of the residents, she was happy at the exclusion of mice from that area. The resident said that before restoration of that area the stagnant water in the street and the mice running around were a great hazard to their children and family. I was glad that some improvement is provided to the locals of the area.

Gali Surjan Singh, named after Hakim Surjan Singh, the 19th century physician who lived in the street, has its entrance from the main Delhi Gate bazaar. Surjan Singh was a known physician in that era and was respected by the people. He had cured many royals and that is why the street was named after him. As you go down the street you will see different shops and tea stalls as well among the hustle and bustle of the residents. What a colourful sight! The most amazing scene is the tharas (platforms outside houses) where the residents still sit together for chit chat and socialising, mostly during evenings. This thara system was a dense culture in old times and now can only be seen in a few parts of the walled city.

These two streets comprise 23 buildings, 18 of which were constructed in the late 19th or early 20th century and catered to middle income households with limited budgets. These buildings also represent the transformations in technology, architectural expression and typology that affected Lahore during the colonial period. No doubt it is an interesting street to visit. You will see high rise buildings in these streets with pigeons everywhere, cats playing around and friendly with the residents. An interesting thing I noticed in one of the resident’s house was that it was open for public. Anyone could use their drawing room and washroom. I asked Shabbar, the resident, about it and he said that they all were a family and knew each other so they could leave their houses open to all. That’s a contrast with our greater Lahore, where we do not know who our next door neighbour is. This is one reason why the walled city of Lahore is such a secured place to live in.

Down the street also lives Sheikh Muhammad Jahangir, who is living there since his birth. His old four marla house with an exquisite old gate is a welcoming home for any tourist who goes into that street. The house is probably 400 years old and the proud Sheikh Sahib sits in the classical wooden window which you will find opened all the time. He is very happy on the restoration of the area and especially his house. Would you ever sit in an open window of your house and welcome anyone who comes in your street? Not at all!

Another amazing thing I saw was the street performer inside Gali Surjan Singh, a man playing harmonium while rambling around the streets. That was probably his only source of earning. There is a culture inside the walled city and you would love it. These are little things which we miss in greater Lahore. I dream of having the entire walled city like that one day, and maybe in my lifetime. It is a living heritage and a must visit site.