Pak Tea House is an intellectual

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

–

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non ...

located in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

known for its association with progressive academics and left-leaning South Asian intelligentsia. Traditionally frequented by country's notably artistic, cultural and literary personalities, it was founded by a Sikh family in 1940 and quickly acquired its current name after it was leased to one of the locals in Lahore after the partition of India in 1947. Intervention of

Lahore High Court The Lahore High Court () is based in Lahore, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over Punjab (Pakistan). The High Court's principal seat is in Lahore, but there are benches in th ...

had led to the re-opening of the Tea House in 2013. Noted for being the birthplace of influential literary movement, the

Progressive Writers' Association The Progressive Writers' Association or the Progressive Writers' Movement of India or ''Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind'' (( ur, ) or ''Akhil Bhartiya Pragatishil Lekhak Sangh'' (Hindi: अखिल भारतीय प्रगति� ...

, the place is described as a hub of Lahore's intellectual life for many years.

History

The café was set up in 1940 as the "India Tea House" by Boota Singh, a Sikh family in Lahore. In 1944, it was taken over by two Sikh brothers Surtej Singh Bhalla and Kaiser Singh Bhalla. It remained closed during the 1947 partition riots, and in 1948, it was allotted to Sirajuddin Ahmed. Ahmed who renamed it as "Pak Tea House" in 1950 and ran this restaurant successfully from 1948 to 1978. After his death, his son Zahid Hasan managed the cafe and restaurant, but due to reduction in customers, it was closed in 2000. During this period, its ownership was taken over by the Young Men's Christian. After the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1947, a local food supplier named Sirajuddin Ahmad rented the house from the YMCA administration and renamed it as "Pak Tea House" in 1947. This historic tea house was known as a meeting place and was traditionally frequented by the city's artistic, cultural and literary personalities especially until the 1990s. Attendees included were:

Faiz Ahmed Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Out ...

Agha Shorish Kashmiri Agha Shorish Kashmiri (1917–1975; ) was a Pakistani scholar, writer, debater, and a leader of the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam party. He was a figure of the freedom movement in the British Raj, as well as the chief editor of the weekly ''Chattan'' m ...

Ibn-e-Insha Sher Muhammad Khan ( ur, ), ( Punjabi, ), better known by his pen name Ibn-e-Insha, ( ur, ), ( Punjabi, ) (15 June 1927 – 11 January 1978)Ahmed Faraz Syed Ahmad Shah (), better known by his pen name Ahmed Faraz, ( 12 January 1931 – 25 August 2008) was a Pakistani Urdu poet, scriptwriter and became the founding Director General (later Chairman) of Pakistan Academy of Letters. He wrote ...

Saadat Hasan Manto Saadat Hasan Manto (; Punjabi, ur, , ; 11 May 1912 – 18 January 1955) was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, who was active in British India and later, after the 1947 partition of India, in Pakistan. Writing mai ...

Josh Malihabadi Josh Malihabadi (born Shabbir Hasan Khan; 5 December 1898 – 22 February 1982) popularly known as Shayar-e-Inqalab (poet of revolution) was a Pakistani poet and is regarded as one of the finest Urdu poets of the era of British India. Kno ...

Sahir Ludhianvi Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980), popularly known by his pen name (takhallus) Sahir Ludhianvi, was an Indian poet and film song lyricist who wrote primarily in Urdu in addition to Hindi. His work influenced Indian cinema, i ...

Amrita Pritam Amrita Pritam (; 31 August 1919 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian novelist, essayist and poet, who wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. A prominent figure in Punjabi literature, she is the recipient of the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award. Her body of w ...

Munshi Premchand Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known by his pen name Premchand (), was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. Premchand was a pioneer of Hindi and Urdu social fiction. He was one of ...

Majrooh Sultanpuri Asrar ul Hassan Khan (1 October 1919 − 24 May 2000), better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri, was an Indian Urdu poet and lyricist in India's Hindi language film industry. He wrote Hindustani lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks. He was ...

, M. D. Taseer,

Krishan Chander Krishan Chander (23 November 1914 – 8 March 1977) was an Indian Urdu and Hindi writer of short stories and novels. Some of his works have also been translated in English. He was a prolific writer, penning over 20 novels, 30 collections o ...

Ismat Chughtai Ismat Chughtai (21 August 1915 – 24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-class ...

, Ahmad Rahi,

Muneer Niazi Munir Ahmed Niazi, ( pa, ) (9 April 1923– 26 December 2006) was an Punjabi and Urdu poet from Pakistan. He also wrote for newspapers, magazines and radio. In 1960, he established a publication institute, ''Al-Misal''. He was later asso ...

Meeraji Mohammad Sanaullah Dar (25 May 1912 – 3 November 1949), better known as Meeraji was an Indian Urdu poet. He lived the life of a bohemian, working only intermittently. Early life Born into a Kashmiri family of Gujranwala and named Moham ...

Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi ( ur, ) born Ahmad Shah Awan ( ur, ) (20 November 1916 - 10 July 2006) was an Urdu language Pakistani poet, journalist, literary critic, dramatist and short story author. He wrote 50 books on topics such as poetry, fiction ...

Ahmed Faraz Syed Ahmad Shah (), better known by his pen name Ahmed Faraz, ( 12 January 1931 – 25 August 2008) was a Pakistani Urdu poet, scriptwriter and became the founding Director General (later Chairman) of Pakistan Academy of Letters. He wrote ...

Habib Jalib Habib Jalib (24 March 1928 - 12 March 1993; Urdu, Punjabi: ) was a Pakistani revolutionary poet, left-wing activist who opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression. Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz said that he was the poet of t ...

Kaifi Azmi Kaifi Azmi (born Athar Husain Rizvi; 14 January 1919 – 10 May 2002) was an Indian Urdu poet. He is remembered as the one who brought Urdu literature to Indian motion pictures. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jaun Elia and others he participate ...

Kamal Ahmed Rizvi Syed Kamal Ahmed Rizvi (1 May 1930 – 17 December 2015) was a Pakistani television actor and playwright. He was born in Bihar, British India and died in Karachi, Pakistan. Rizvi wrote and starred in the comedy series ''Alif Noon'' (1981-82 TV ...

Nasir Kazmi Nasir Raza Kazmi ( ur, was an Urdu poet from Pakistan. Kazmi was born on 8 December 1925 at Ambala, Punjab, (British India). Kazmi used simple words in his poetry, including "Chand", "Raat", "Baarish", "Mausam", "Yaad", "Tanhai", "Darya" and ...

, Professor Sayyid Sajjad Rizavi, Ustad

Amanat Ali Khan Ustad Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; 1922 – 18 September 1974) was a Pakistani classical vocalist from the Patiala gharana tradition of music and is widely regarded as one of the finest classical and ''ghazal'' singers of all time. Togethe ...

, Dr. Muhammad Baqir, Intezar Hussain,

Rajinder Singh Bedi Rajinder Singh Bedi (1 September 1915 – 1984) was an Indian Urdu writer of the Progressive Writers' Movement, progressive writers' movement and a playwright, who later worked in Hindi cinema as a film director, screenwriter and dialogue writer ...

Firaq Gorakhpuri Raghupati Sahay (28 August 1896 – 3 March 1982), also known by his pen name Firaq Gorakhpuri, was an Indian writer, critic, and, according to one commentator, one of the most noted contemporary Urdu poets from India. He established himself ...

and Syed Qasim Mahmood. Pak Tea House became a birthplace of the influential literary movement, the

in Pakistan, which had been known for

left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soc ...

since its foundation in 1940. Many writers frequented it, and it was also a favorite gathering place of the section of Lahore youths with non-mainstream points of view. It maintained a reputation as a forum for people of diverse backgrounds to voice their opinions in a non-judgmental atmosphere. In 1999, it was closed by its owner due to lack of business, a decision criticized by the intellectual community of Lahore. It remained closed for 13 years until 2 February 2012 when, on the orders of the Lahore commissioner, Pak Tea House was again put under the control of the YMCA. On 8 March 2013, Pak Tea House was reinaugurated by the Government of Punjab. Pak Tea House is located on the Mall Road, near

Anarkali Bazaar Anarkali Bazaar (Punjabi, ur, ) is a major bazaar in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Anarkali also serves as a neighbourhood and union council of Data Gunj Buksh Tehsil of Lahore. It is situated in the region that extends from the south of Lahori ...

and Neela Gumbad. In 2014, Pak Tea House is said to be still popular amongst students who reportedly say that the food and snacks are reasonably priced and of good quality. This tea house walls are now decorated with pictures of many literary figures of the past.

Reopening

In June 2012, the government of Punjab announced its intention to reopen the Pak Tea House, where it would support itself.Court paves way for revival of Pak Tea House
The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 20 June 2012, Retrieved 6 March 2021 On Friday 8 March 2013, Lahore's iconic Pak Tea House reopened after 13 years of closure. Among the attendees was the Pakistani writer Ata ul Haq Qasmi. Pak Tea House remains a special place for those who remember Lahore's lively literary and cultural past.

References

External links

Lahore tea house under threat
BBC News {{DEFAULTSORT:Pak Tea House Culture in Lahore Progressivism in Pakistan Tea houses Pakistani literary critics The Mall, Lahore Coffeehouses and cafés in Pakistan YMCA buildings Restaurants in Lahore

History

Reopening

See also

References

External links