Institutions Involved in Preserving Karachi Heritage

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD
Marvi Mazhar & Associates is an independent architecture and design studio, nestled under the shade of a Pisonia tree in Karachi, Pakistan. The studio is guided by the principles of regional architecture and specialises in restoring historic buildings, managing conservation assessment studies, and conducting social research and documentation.
More to be added as we discover them;
Amin H. Karim MD
Posted in Historic Buildings of Old Karachi, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Studio Number Nau of Radio Pakistan. Karachi.

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD

RADIO PAKISTAN KARACHI STUDIO NUMBER NAU (9) EVERY SUNDAY 9 PM:

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By Raju Jamil

To the veterans, it could be the most pleasant yet tearful mixed with happiness memory remembering “Studio No. 9” which was broadcast every Saturday and found people specially our sisters, mother and even daadi and naani glued to the radio….sometimes holding the aerial in their hands for earthing to get a better sound due low powered RPK transmitters on medium wave.

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Incredible plays loom in my mind that I was a radio buff; RAHAIN, LIGHT HOUSE KA MUHAFIZ, ISHQ E DAURAN, LUBNA, BAARISH, MAUT KA FARISHTA…….THE LIST GOES ON.

My memory though remains fully intact of all the plays and radio artiste of that very late 50’s and very early 60’s era…like Talat Hussain, Sajida Syed, Ibrahim Nafis, Talat Siddiqui, Rehana Siddiqui, Santosh Russell, Sahab Qazilbash, Qazi Wajid, Zafar Siddiqui, Mahmood Ali, Safia Moini, Agha Jahangir, Rizwana Khan, Munni Baaji, Amir Khan a.k.a Hamid Mian, Mughal Basharr, S. M. Saleem, Jamshed Ansari, Maqbool Ali, Ishrat Hashmi, Zeenat Yasmine……and a deluge of talent picked up from Bazm e Tullaba…. our Neelofer Aleem.

Sauti Asraat means background ambiance sounds and music were always by Abdul Razzak. The prominent producers I remember were; Razi Akhtar Shauq and Farooq Jahan Taimuri. Famous dramatist were Syed Ahmed Rafat, Saleem Ahmed, Z. A. Bukhari the Emperor of Radio Pakistan Karachi brother to the great Pitras Bukhari.

One play on studio no. 9 which was re broadcast a few times besides other was…

“Rooh Ka Chakkar”

Those beautiful winter days with gujjak wala handling his thehla lighted by a patromax……shouting “Le Lo gujjak… Khasta Karari Ho Rahee Hai Mewa Gujjak” and we clad in our sleeping suits—-with lihaaf on ourselves, would try and stay as near our our PYE or TELEFUNKEN or PHILLIPS or GRUNDIG radio set…all ready to hear that amazing signature tune of the unforgettable “Studio Number Nau (9)” of RPK on Saturday nights.
JASHN e Tamaeel was of course like Eid or Christmas as celebrations.

While I remember many plays of RPK by heart…alongside some of the cast members, I would like to enlighten my readers with a very interesting yet a comical and also kind of mind boggling play titled “Roohi Ka Chakkar” broadcast by RPK sometimes in 1959-60 which had, according to my memory or guess; Talat Hussain, S.M. Saleem that I remember with sauti asraat by M. A. Razzak that I can never forget.

The play involved the exchange or some mysterious transformation of the ROOHs of two into one another. One was a student and the other a teacher or Professor. I can also remember the dialogue “Iss Tarhaan Nahin chalega Sahabzaday!!” And “Subb Chalta Hai Professor” when the girl who likes the student is perplexed on a different approach of the professor towards her—the professor being in captivity of the ROOH of his student who’s approach towards the girl he likes is sober and very elderly……so forth on.

Hilarious and most interesting play of RPK I remember. My guesses for its producer take me to either Farooq Jahan Taimuri or Razi Akhtar Shauq or Yawar Mehdi…and the play probably written by Syed Ahmed Riffat…my father’s college mate from Delhi and a close friend and indeed a known dramatist of Radio Pakistan Karachi.

A revival of the broadcast of the old plays of RPK is a must to keep our heritage on Radio plays alive. I just want a revival of our values of entertainment.

Never forget your history and the good parts of it when it comes to showbiz and entertainment.

Raju Jamil.

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Posted in Art and Crafts of Karachi, Entertainment in Old Karachi, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Stage Plays of Karachi

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD

STAGE PLAYS HISTORY OF KARACHI’S GLORIOUS PAST:

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*Raju Jamil*

FIRST TOP THREE STAGE PLAYS OF PAKISTAN IN KARACHI………

1. BAAZIGAR..staged at Katrak Hall in 1956 with cast: Ibrahim Nafis, Laal Mohammad (musician of the duo Laal Mohammad and Iqbal), Naseeruddin and some kids. All from Radio Pakistan, Karachi. This stage play was house full and went on for one week. It also had a song worded as “Najoomi..batlanaa….”

2. IBLEES KI MAJLIS E SHOORA: staged at Theosophical Hall, Bunder Road opp: Radio Pakistan, In 1958. I don’t remember the cast but I know 90% were Radio Pakistan artiste.

3. MIRZA ZAHIRDAAR BEG: staged at Theosophical Hall in 1959 with cast; Sehba Akhtar (the poet and writer of MEIN BHI PAKISTAN HOON TU BHI PAKISTAN HY), Rehana Siddiqui (Khala of TV artiste Arifa Siddiqui) and Tahir and many Radio Pakistan artiste.

Sixties saw the staging of epics like; Mirza Ghalib Bundar Road Pe, Taaleem e Baalighaan, Laal Qillay Se Lalukhet followed by a twist and change on themes by Ali Ahmed and Kamal Ahmed Rizvi……till Urdu stage plays met their sad end that finally……now the NAPA is trying best to revive the stage or theatre plays in Pakistan.

SOME OF THE TOP ENGLISH STAGE PLAYS OF KARACHI OF 50’s-60′ AND 70’s.

There was never a proper theatre/stage production house in Karachi till mid 50’s when Jalal AlKarimi (survivor of PIA Cairo Aircrash) and his partner established one on their own and did some ENGLISH Stage plays with some Britishers and Christians.

Very early sixties or probably very late fifties saw some students gather and embarked upon producing stage plays—which are listed accordingly;

1. “Julius Caesar” 1964 (Javed Jabbar and some students of Karachi school…fresh matriculated ones in college)

2. “You can’t take it with you” 1964 ( Anwar Maqsood, Shirley Hyder, Javed Jabbar, ) the team also visited Lahore and staged this play at the Govt. College.

3. “Man who came to dinner” 1964 ( Jabed Jabbar, Akbar Agha, Shirley Hyder, Iftikhar Ahmed, Anwar Maqsood ). This play was years later—by 1972-73 adopted in Urdu by Hasina Moin and produced by Kamal Ahmed Rizvi.

4. “Simple Spy Men” (Probably Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Mahmood Masood and his brother) 1964

5. “Hamlet” acted by Aslam Azhar – 1963.

By 1973-74, Yasmin Ismail established her “Contemporary Theatre Productions” at her home in DHA- adjacent to DHA Office. Her team included; Shireen Mazari, Rana Haider, Ismat HAIDER, Rizwan Haider, Tariq Ismail, Nighat Bokhari, Saleem Askari, Sehban Ismail, Jaffery and yours truly. Yasmin got fortunate to receive the support of Goethe Institute that her three stage plays were sponsored by GI led by Mr. Gassman who was married to a Pakistani girl Saljuqi..sister of my school class fellow Shahla.

The three plays of Yasmin were;
1. “Birthday Party” by Harold Pinter directed by Aslam. Cast as I remember…were Jaffery, Yasmin, Ismat Haider, Nicky Bokhari and Tariq Ismail. (Tariq married Yasmin by 1974)….

2. “Arsenic and the old lace” 1973 directed by Yasmin Ismail.

3. “Arms and the men” 1974 directed by Rahila Masood of Karachi Grammar school. The cast had; Yasmin Ismail as “Raina”, Shaheryar Azhar a Citibanker from Karachi as ‘Sergius’ a British man as ‘Capt BLuntscheli’, Beg Sahab as ‘Major Petkoff”. I was a Serb Sargent at arms.

Yasmin had a very strong team. We met every weekend regularly and planned ENGLISH stage plays. We did them at the Adamjee Auditorium, PACC, The American Center Auditorium at the American Consulate in front of Frere Hall etc. the history will record as our play “Arms and the Men” the only English stage play ever to be telecast on PTV from its Karachi Station as it was full recorded either by ARFEEN or Ishrat Ansari at the Adamjee Auditorium.

Then again…and suddenly, the English stage plays died down….taken over by Umar Sharif extempore unscripted stage plays….till entered my cousin Sohail Malik who tried and succeeded to an extent in reviving the English Stage plays and went slow…though sporadically coming up with ine suddenly but his lament on the Government conditionalities for stage plays in Karachi needs a serious consideration by those in authority.

Raju Jamil June 1 2018

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Menin Rodrigues Two classic English plays held in the 1970s were “Jesus Christ Superstar” the musical in 1971, and “Macbeth” a satire in 1976. Both were staged at the Ebrahim Alibhai auditorium.
Menin Rodrigues Mention must be made of the Konkani  stage plays coupled with Solos & Duets held at the Katrak Hall in the 60s and 70s by the Goan Christian Konkani speaking community.

Frederick Nazareth  I was just correcting the record to show that the 1973 production of ”Arsenic and Old Lace” was by NTG and was directed by Jalal Al-Karimi. The two sweet albeit murderous old ladies were played by American actors Ninette Mordaunt and Mary James. The rest of the cast was a mix of Pakistani and expatriate actors, including Tony Moggach, husband of Deborah Moggach, best known for writing the screenplay for the internationally famous ”The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”. Your CTP production of the play presumably came later.

Posted in Entertainment in Old Karachi, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hotels of Karachi

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD
By Raju Jamil
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Live entertainment once nourished Karachiites and its nightlife was the envy of people from the rest of the country. The hotels dotted across the city were the hub of entertainment from the ‘50s to the early ‘70s. From providing live music shows and dance performances to hosting dance parties and serving as a rendezvous for people, the hotels of Karachi were the centre of attraction. Today, they are just a pleasant memory for those who were fortunate to have lived through the era. Kolachi takes a nostalgic look back this week at the city’s once-thriving hotel and nightclub scene.

Taj Hotel:

In 1942, a hotel by the name of Taj was constructed on the Club Road. In its first phase it served as a residential hotel. In its second phase, around 50 rooms were added. Notable personalities who resided at the Taj included Pakistan’s only Nobel Laureate, Abdus Salam and the Quaid-e-Azam’sBritish nurse. “Taj’s business slumped after the imposition of martial law in 1958, to revive the hotel, the Oasis nightclub was added in 1963,”shares its owner Venu Advani’. “It aimed at providing entertainment to male customers. Andaleeb was established for tourists and lovers of local culture, and the discotheque Playboy came much later in 1971”, he says.
Advani reminisces that performers from Europe often frequented Iran and Iraq via an agent in Beirut. So he visited Beirut to select and invite those dancers and musicians to perform at the Taj. However, their numbers were small due to the fact that only 50 per cent of their earnings could be remitted to their home country in line with the State Bank’s forex policy.
                        When the foreign minister of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) Dharamcsec Senanyake visited Pakistan, the government officials showed him Moenjodaro and Taxila. He was soon invited by the Advani family to visit Andaleeb. The hospitality there was so cherished by him that the very next day he excused himself from a state appointment to visit Andaleeb again. “The foreign minister said he was bored of seeing dead places and the liveliness of Andaleeb was what he craved for,” recalls Mr Advani.
A programme by the name of ‘Karachi by Night’ was initiated by Advani to facilitate the tourists. There was no proper government authority working on promoting tourism at the time. ‘Karachi by Night’ was a night-long programme where the visitors were routed to various hotels and clubs such as Excelsior, Metropole and his own hotel Taj. In 1977, prohibition led to the shutdown of all bars and nightclubs. And the martial law that followed ensured that the entertainment came to a standstill. In 1981, Taj Hotel disappeared altogether.

The Palace Hotel:

PalaceHotelKarachi

1940s: Aerial View of Killarney hotel (later Palace Hotel), then Sheraton Hotel and now Moevenpick Hotel – Karachi
Location by number(s):
1. Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground where the unofficial Pakistan v/s MCC match took place in 1952.
2. Where we now have Pearl Continental Hotel.
3. Where we now have PIDC Building since 1956.
4. Dr. Ziauddin Road.
5. Polo Ground…opp: Jinnah Courts.
An eminent philanthropist, Ardeshir Mama, built a home to accommodate his 21 children which was famously called Mama’s Mansion. The building was constructed soon after the First World War. It is said that a small bistro was established by Mama. However, when he ran into debt, the property was forfeited to the Punjab government. In the early 1930s, Sidney Marder, a European Jewish Karachiite bought the place and relocated his hotel Killarney to Mama’s Mansion and renamed it as ‘Killarney Hotel- Marder’s Palace’. Killarney was used extensively as lodging for US officers. The hotel ran well till after the World War II. Marder sold the property sometime in 1946-47 and left the country. Mr Advani states the Singhs of Calcutta ran the hotel. It is possible that Sidney Marder sold it to them. In the years that followed, it simply became the Palace. “After partition, the Indians were allowed to maintain private properties in Pakistan”. In 1967, the government took over the Palace and it was sold to the Ramchandani family who operated it till it was bought by Sadruddin Ghanji,” shares Advani. Ghanji demolished the old structure and built the current Hotel Sheraton on its grave.
Pictures from the period show that the name of the hotel was written as a neon sign on its dome. In other pictures, the name was seen affixed to the rooftop. The hotel held an important place in the social life of the city. The Palace Hotel, from 1948 to 1953 was the residential enclave of foreign diplomats. The Palace also attracted a regular crowd of intellectuals soon after partition. It is said thatFaiz Ahmed Faiz would be a part of those gatherings dwhenever he passed through the city.
Since nightclubs were very popular and socially acceptable back then, the Palace too housed such a facility by the name of Le Gourmet. The main attraction at Le Gourmet were the jazz musicians from abroad, although many old-timers have doubted this fact. Local Jazz musicians such as the Franciscoband also performed at the Palace in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. The famous cabaret dancer of yesteryear, Marzi Kanga, also performed at Le Gourmet. After such venues were shut down, Kanga went abroad to perform at international hotspots.

Metropole Hotel:
MetropoleHotelKarachi

One hotel that survived till more recently was the Metropole, whose building still stands as a city landmark despite talk of its demolition. It has a special place in the hearts of the city. It was established by Cyrus. F. Minwalla, the then vice-president of the Karachi Cantonment Board. In 1951, it was inaugurated by the Shah of Iran. Initially, it housed two floors but later other floors were constructed. From 1953 to 1964, it served the city with an inimitable flair. As one entered the hotel, there was a coffee shop that was a daily rendezvous for senior and city journalists. The juniors would hang around to eavesdrop. A cup of coffee cost two rupees, which was a heavy sum back then. On Sundays, a special Parsi menu was served with Dhansak the most popular dish.
The legendary jazz musician, Dizzie Gillespie, who visited Karachi in the 1950s (most likely 1954), performed in the garden of the Metropole. The Meridian international center website states that he refused to play until the doors were open to the ‘ragamuffin children’ because the tickets were so expensive that the people with whom the musician wanted to connect couldn’t make it. The garden could accommodate up to 4,000 people.
The hotel also served as a host for many state functions. In the mid-1950s, the Ismaili community requested a suite to be prepared for His Highness the former Aga Khan. The Pak-American Cultural Centre regularly held events and the French ran an opera at the Metropole. “In 1964, the opening of the Inter-Continental proved to be a blow for Metropole as the customers were attracted to the new place,” claims Happy Minwalla, who owns the building along with his sisters. Metropole continued to operate and thought of innovative ways to pull in an audience. “In 1967, we introduced our discotheque- the first in the city”, says Mr Minwalla. Local bands of the city, such as the Incrowdperformed at the discotheque. In 1968, the famous Samar nightclub was built. Samar had live orchestra from abroad, be it Italian or Filipino. Local bands also performed, one of them was theCaptivators. Marzi Kanga also gave enchanting performances at Samar. The beautiful dancer Amy Minwalla, who often danced in films also held shows at the Metropole, where people recall her performing ballet including some international dancers.
Professional belly dancers were a norm, with Princess Amina from Beirut being the most popular. Cultural events such as plays and the Berlin Orchestra conducted by also took place. “Christmas and New Year parties were a rage back then. Even Valentine’s Day was celebrated with a ball being held,” says Minwalla. “The hotel looked for any cause for celebration, be it the fourth of July, theme based events such as Middle-Eastern or Mediterranean nights or Italy’s Independence Day, where exclusive Italian cuisine was served”. Minwalla added that 2,500 marriages have taken place at the Metropole. “In 1967-68, Z.A. Bhutto held the launch of his party, the Pakistan People’s Party, at the Banquet Hall of the Metropole,’’ recalled Mr Minwalla with pride and nostalgia.
Sections of building were rented out to offices in the late 1970s. The prohibition hurt Metropole, which closed Samar and the discotheque. The Zia era ensured that dance and mixed- gatherings were not promoted in any way. Even food quantity was restricted, further hurting Metropole. The hotel continued to serve as a residential and catering facility but the old charm was gone. In 2004, the owners decided to demolish the building and construct a high-rise hotel. When a section was demolished, it agitated the conservationists, who then got the building declared a heritage site and barred it from being demolished. A court will now decide the fate of it.

Hotel Grand

“In 1937, my parents bought an old farmhouse in Malir,” reminisces Minwalla. “During the war, the U.S. soldiers needed to pitch tents. The farm land was leased out. My father ran the bar and my mother ran the kitchen. In the process, Hotel Grand was born. Since it was close to the airport, it was a popular destination for those visiting the airport. Many airlines such as Pan American housed its crew at the Grand. The Olympic-sized swimming pool pulled in many customers. Back in those days, a drive to Malir was quite exciting as there was no Sharea Faisal to take one to Malir,” shares Happy Minwalla. In 1972, the Minwallas closed the hotel and sold the building.
There was also an Imperial Hotel on Queens’s road. It ran the Lido bar. It is said that it was usually preferred by people with more modest incomes. Further up the road is the Beach Luxury, also once a major hub of nightlife housing the Kasbah and 007, which had managed to survive.

The Railway hotels

Apart from these hotels, the citizens were also catered to by four railway hotels – the Carlton, North Western, Bristol and Killarney, all fairly near the Cantt station. While there are many accounts regarding the construction and ownership of the Bristol, Byram Avari, owner of the Beach Luxuryand Avari Towers, maintains that it was constructed by a Hindu gentleman and operated by an English Jew, Mr Wiseman. “The official rules stated that no Indian, regardless of faith, could run an ‘English style hotel’, In 1944, Mr Wiseman left the country and sold the property to Avari’s parents, Dinshaw. B Avari and Khorsheed Avari, who had to make special requests to the Commisioner, Sir Sidney Ridley, to purchase the hotel and run it. “They were granted the permission on certain conditions which included serving only chicken at lunch and dinner given the high price of beef”, recalls Avari. They ran the Bristol for 11 years. “After partition, the hotel saw its business boom as Karachi became the capital city and destination for foreign diplomats,” narrates Avari.
Initially, the hotel had been a simple eatery for the army officers and affluent. “We maintained an in-house band and dance parties for New Year and Christmas used to take place,” shares Avari. In 1955, the Dinshaws bought the Bristol, from whom it was sold to Mr Rizvi, an income tax officer. Despite changing hands, Bristol’s bar and cuisine were maintained. In 1960s, the price for a couple’s ticket to a New Year’s party was Rs 300! Later on, shows such as Saturday Night Disco andNightclub were introduced, where groups from Thailand, Germany and France performed. In 1961, Hollywood actress Donna Reid rested at the Bristol when she had an overnight stay in Karachi en-route to Cairo. In 1994, the hotel suffered two subsequent attacks leaving Mr Rizvi injured. The hotel shut down. The building still stands and is often used for shooting drama serials.
Killarney was owned by Sidney Marder. In 1930s, the hotel relocated to the Palace. It served as a Russian consulate for years. Currently, it is being used by Bayview High School.
�North Western was constructed in 1908. “It was owned by a Jewish family, the Wyse, who were from Austria, they sold it to my father, Agha Mohd Yusuf sometime in 1946, as they were migrating to South Africa”, informs Hissam Yousuf. It housed Agha’s Tavern, which served continental cuisine, and Agha’s Grill, which served Pakistani delicacies. Entertainment was not offered as such but Christmas and New Year were celebrated with fervour. Then came the dark ages and prohibition affected the hotel. In 1985, the family decided to shut down the hotel for renovation and repair of the building. Later, it was sold to private developers. The building stayed vacant till early 1990s, when it was demolished along with Carlton, while in process of being listed as world heritage sites.

Best Western Plaza

The Best Western Plaza opened on Daudpota Road sometime in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Its construction continued till after its opening. It had 14 storeys. The 14th floor housed a disco, which continued to operate in Zia’s time, till his moral police came across it. It was used as a backdrop in many Pakistani films. An open air theatre was used for Qawwali and poetry recitation. During Badar Mir’s recital, the gates were nearly broken down due to the heavy crowd. The hotel also hostedMohammed Ali and Madam Nur Jehan’s programmes.
Moreover, The Beijing Dragon Palace had one of the finest Chinese restaurants of its time and that too with local chefs. A section of the hotel, such as the Irma coffee shop and the Hamza conference hall amongst others, were named after family members of the owner.
The family maintains that Indian stars such as Vinod Khanna, Rekha and Dilip Kumar also resided at their hotel. In 1990s, the family ran into a financial crisis and leased the hotel to someone with strong political connections. The hotel was subsequently found guilty of allowing prostitution to thrive on its premises, leading to a raid. Subsequently, the hotel was shut down in 2000.
Hotels are on the hit-list and unable to offer much for entertainment. Besides society has become more conservative and many equate music and dance with vulgarity and sin. However, Karachiites crave for affordable entertainment and hotels even today to bring back some of the nightlife of the past. If cinemas are seeing a revival, why not entertainment at hotels too?
My Band Experiences in Karachi ~ Donald D’silva
In 1958, I moved to F.C.C.H.S. I grew up with all the guys in the block. We had great times together, playing all the fun games together, doing things which would upset the elders, but those experiences I remember vividly and will always cherish them.
I was relatively shy in high school and a little beyond, but with my experiences playing in the band, things changed for the better. I was bad but not terribly bad.
My interest in music started at an early age. My mother and some of her siblings played the piano and we would have great party sing-a-longs for all family occasions. My dad’s mother, Aunty Virgie, was an accomplished pianist and used to teach piano. I was forced to go to her for piano lessons, but I did not get far as I was more interested in playing with all the block boys.�I joined the St. Patrick’s school band in the early sixties and used to play the clarinet. I also learned how to play the harmonica. When we were in school, I learnt the guitar. I did not have a guitar, but with the good friends who had a guitar, like Everard Remedios, the late Johnny Aranjo and others, I managed to get pretty good on the guitar.
I am also indebted to a good friend of mine, Titus Nunes. I used to go his house in D’Cruz Lane and would get the opportunity to listen to some of the new music, practice the guitar and fool around singing.�In 1969, we started practicing as a group i.e. Titus Nunes, Willie Po, Peter Patrick, Iggy Castellinoand I. We practiced in Iggy Castellino’s spare house, which we called the “Shack”.
In late 1969, we got an opportunity to play at “The Merchant Navy”. This was a joint adjacent to The Beach Luxury Hotel, patronized by the shippies. There was very little pay but this was considered to be the training grounds for musicians. I am greatly indebted to Peter Patrick, who loaned me an electric guitar so that I could be part of the group.
We, like many other musicians will always be thankful to a gentleman named Schwartz, who had a shop in Regal and would rent out amplifiers and PA systems to the Karachi musicians who could not afford to buy the stuff. We named our group Barbed Wire and sometimes we were Willie and the Po boys. I played the lead guitar and sang. This stint lasted for about a year, and ended when the 1971 war with India started.�After that, I completed my B. Comm and started working. There was no music for me until the end of 1972, when I was approached by Titus Nunes, the late Edgar Saville who asked me if I was interested in joining a group, namely “The In-Crowd”.
The In-Crowd was a very famous and well recognized group in the sixties and into the early seventies. I agreed to join, this time playing bass guitar and vocals. There was only one member of the original In-Crowd remaining, Edgar Saville.
This lineup comprised of Ronnie Pinto (lead and vocals), Hilary Fialho (drums). Titus Nunes (rhythm guitar and vocals), the late Edgar Saville (keyboard). After loads of practice and getting our act together, we turned out to be a good group and I believe kept the name of the In-Crowd in good standing.�Edgar Saville was just brilliant with his musical abilities. I learned a lot from him and also from Ronnie boy, who was a very progressive musician. We continued playing at the Disco in Hotel Metropole and had some great times. We continued at the Disco till it closed in the latter part of 1974.
We then moved to the Beach Luxury Hotel where we played at “Casbah.” I played for a few months at the Beach Luxury but for personal reasons, quit the group. I was replaced by David Fredrick andTitus took over playing bass.
I then joined a Chartered Accountant firm, Ford Rhodes Robson Morrow with the aspiration of doing my CA (a dream). The stipend paid for this stint was rupees 75.00 a month. I continued with this job until I was approached by Titus Nunes, Hilary Fialho, Ronnie Pinto (from the In-Crowd) and Clarrie Andrade and Alex Gomes (from the Phase – II, who played at the Midway House). These individuals were in the process of quitting their respective groups due to differences. I was asked to join the group as a singer, something I was not comfortable doing as I always had a guitar in my hand. Anyway, they coaxed me in to joining this six piece group which was name, “The Familiar Faces”.�The Familiar Faces did not need much practice as all the guys, except myself were still playing, although I had a little catching up to do. In the first half of 1975, we landed a very lucrative contract at the Hotel Intercontinental (The Nasreen Room). This was a very sophisticated joint, patronized mainly by the rich and famous. Playing at the Nasreen Room was a great experience, both from the satisfaction of the music played and the appreciation from the patrons. There were changes in the group, when Clarrie Andrade and Ronnie Pinto had to quit the group when they migrated to Canada. Michael Rodrigues (keyboard) and the late, great Ivan Menezes joined the group.
We continued until early 1977, when due to personal reasons, Michael, Ivan and myself left the group. A few weeks later, the three of us along with Tony Fernandes aka Tom Jones (drums), formed a group which we named “Schwartz”, honouring the great creator of amplifiers and PA systems.
We played mainly for weddings and were having great deal of success when the unthinkable happened. We were scheduled to play for a wedding in the evening, when in the afternoon, Ivan Menezes was killed in a motorcycle accident. That was devastating and his loss was greatly felt.
My final band experience was when, Norman Fernandes, Sidney Fernandes, Edgar Saville, Ronnie Remedios and myself formed a group and played at “The Midway House”.
At the end of 1977, Ronnie Remedios and myself quit the group and that was the end of my official playing experience.
My last unofficial band experience was when I was asked to help the Blackjacks, who at that time had Roland Trinidad, Glenn Boyle, Ronnie Remedios, Michael Rodrigues and Bobby Fredrick, who were playing at the Three Aces. I was now working full time at SAS, a great job and free airline travel. As their main vocalist, Bobby Fredrick left the group, I was asked to help with the vocals until they could get things together. I stayed for a short time with the Blackjacks and did some singing, until Trevor D’Mello was ready to take over with singing and his saxophone.
Thus ended my band playing experiences and I can sincerely say, I would never trade this great experience for anything else. It allowed me become a self confident person and has left me with memories that I will cherish forever.
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Editor’s note:
Donald & Marie Therese live in Toronto, Canada
Looking at the 1973 above photograph, the person on the left is the late Edgar Saville (keyboard), 2nd from the left is Titus Nunes (rhythm guitar and vocals), in the middle is Hilary Fialho (drums), 2nd from the right is Donald D’Silva (bass guitar and vocals) and on the extreme right is Ronnie Pinto (lead guitar and vocals).

BRISTOL HOTEL – KARACHI

(1910-1994)
BristolHotel
BRISTOL HOTEL Karchi was constructed by a Welshmen (name unknown) in 1910
near the Cantonment Railway Station-Karachi..parallel to the rail tracks between
Karachi Cantt and Karachi City Railway Station. It neighbors the British Council now.
Initially a TAVERN & BISTRO for the affluent ones..mostly the high echelons and army
officials under the British Raj of early 1900s.
The hotel was mostly the venue of the most talked about New Year parties, May Queen Ball and wedding parties and became the most popular place of Kolachi or Kurracchee then which continued till late 50’s when the Welshmen’s son Grout, left for UK selling it to a Pakistani namely Rizvi Sahab, an I.T.O in 1960.
Karachi—in 60’s had hardly a few hotels..and the ones I remember, which were worth
a stay; Metropole, Palace, Beach Luxury, Grand, Excelsior, Taj…with Intercontinental (now PC)
the first 5 star in city…commencing its operations from 2nd May-1961 with Bernard Holt as it’s first ever GM !
Mr. Rizvi maintained the grandeur of BRISTOL and it’s BAR and …
particularly it’s cuisine which was, probably
the best in Karachi and could not be beaten by the food served at the restaurants
of Metropole, Palace (where now stands Sheraton) and Agha’s Tavern (which
use to be right behind Palace Hotel Annexe—bang opposite it’s hotel where the
dilapidated building looks a haunted one now..adjacent to the PIDC building
towards Chief Minister Sindh’s House.
People traveled from far and wide—to enjoy the cuisine at BRISTOL.
The New Year Parties and May Queen Ball continued with the same fervor and glamour.
During 60’s the price tag of NYP entry for a couple was Rs.300 (close to Rs.15k of today).
The scribe has attended two new year GTs at Bristol in 1968 and 1969. Rizvi Uncle
being my dad’s colleague—and a close friend—was like a family. His brother, then,
was one of the famous doctors of Karachi; Aaley Zamin Rizvi. He had a clinic near Regal Cinema-Karachi.
BRISTOL continued to attract affluent Karachi-ites for it’s cuisine basically while
the huge rooms with roushandaans and the lush green garden with Saturday
Night Discos and Night Club was par excellence…where groups from Thailand,
Germany and France were in attendance which was adopted by the Minwallas
of Metropole for their ever popular SAMAR night club and dine out of the 70’s.. on the
ground floor entrance facing Café Grand…where we also had UBL Hotel
Metropole Branch on the left side and the famous travel agency GERRYs on the right.
BRISTOL Hotel breathed it’s last when it was attacked by some dacoits
and Mr. Rizvi suffering injuries in 1994 which re-occurred within six months
that Rizvi Sahab was kind of forced to call it quits.
BUT…the building of BRISTOL hotel..a landmark and solid construction of 1910
still stands tall..as a home now.
It is said that American movie star—DONNA REED has stayed at BRISTOL
sometime in 1961 during her overnight visit to Karachi enroute to Cairo
on the arrangement by PAN AMERICAN airlines which used to house
it’s crew at Malir’s GRAND Hotel of Minwallas, near Karachi Stargate Airport of 1935.
It was after 3 decades that I visited BRISTOL HOTEL for recording of
Adnan Wai Qureshi’s serial in 2012 and a lot of golden memories wreaked out which I thought to share with you all
(Raju Jamil)
(On Bristol Hotel only)
Rest is snagged and sharing
BeachLuxuryTag
Beach Luxury Hotel, Karachi.
Posted in Entertainment in Old Karachi | 3 Comments

Karachi Old and New Street Names

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD
OldNewSign
Anselm Joseph (Of St. Patricks High School) as done a wonderful job of collecting old & new names of various streets & roads of Karachi:- There are more if you know please add in the comments:
These are:-
Old Names – New Names:-
Atmaram Street -Bagh-e-Zohra Road;
Barnes Street -Jamila Street;
Bonus Road -Fatima Jinnah Road;
Bunder Road -M. A. Jinnah Road;
Burnes Road -Mohammad Bin Qasim Road;
Clark Street -Shahrah-e-Iraq;
Clifton Road -Khayaban-e-Iqbal;
Commissariat Road- Kiyani Shaheed Road;
Connaught Road- Chaudhry Rehmat Ali Road;
Cowel Road -Sarmad Road;
Drigh Road -Shara-e-Faisal;
Elphinstone Street -Zaibunnisa Street;
Embankment Road- Nawab Mahabat Khan Road;
Frere Road- Shahrah-e-Liaquat;
Frere Street -Dr. Daudpota Road;
Garden Road- Sir Aga Khan III Road;
Gizri Road -Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman Road;
Golf Club Road- McLallan Road;
Grant Road -Hasrat Mohani Road;
Harchandrai Road- Hussain Bhai Bandukwala
Road & Siddiq Wahab Road;
Harris Road -Aga Khan Road;
Havelock Road -Aiwan-e-Sadr Road;
Hiradharam Road -Mohammad Ali Bogra Road;
Hira Lal Ganatra Road- Aslam Road;
Hospital Road -Rafiqui Shaheed Road;
Ingle Road- M.R. Kiyani Road;
Inverarity Road- Sarwar Shaheed Road;
Kattyan Road -Stock Exchange Road;
Kingsway -Shahrah-e-Kamal Ata Turk;
Kutchery Road – Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road;
Lawrence Road -Nishtar Road ;
Lidbetter Road- Japani Road;
Mansfield Street -Syedna Burhanuddin Road ;
McLeod Road- I.I.Chundrigar Road ;
Napier Road -Shahrah-e-Altaf Hussain;
Napier Street -Mir Karamali Talpur Road;
Newnham Road -Fakhr Matri Road ;
Preedy Street –
Princess Street- Chand Bibi Road
Queens Road -Moulvi Tamizuddin Khan Road;
Queensway -Shahrah-e-Iraq;
Ramachandra Temple Road -Babar Street;
Rampart Road -Adamji Dawood Road;
Scandal Point Road- Club Road;
Solomon David Road -Suleman Dawood Road ;
Somerset Street -Raja Ghazanfar Ali Road;
Srichand Vishindas Road -Haji Kassim Sommra Street;
Tahilram K. Road -G. Allana Road ;
Udhavdas V. Street -Soomra Gali ;
Victoria Road -Abdullah Haroon Road;
Vishwanath Patel Road- Aslam Road; &
Wood Street -Talpur Road.
OTHER PLACES (Added by AHK 2018)
Jehangir Kothari Parade – Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim
Sangster Road:  Ahmad Muneer Shaheed Road
University Road- Jamiluddin Aali Road (2018)
Will continue to add…..AHK
Any photo of the old street sign will be welcome.
Posted in Old and New Side by Side | 1 Comment

Half Century Old Small Businesses in Karachi

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD

By 
Amin H. Karim

In this article we will present small family owned businesses in Karachi that have survived the changes of Karachi. It will be work in progress as we add more businesses that are discovered by the members of the Karachi Past and Present forum on FaceBook.
Karachiites remember many a small business that did an excellent job in their field. It is a personal observation that many family owned businesses in Karachi came to an end for one of the three reasons: (1) competition from large corporations as happens in many parts of the world (2) family disintegration due to one reason or another (3) and most importantly, I think, emigration of children to other countries a direct result of unfortunate violence in the city but also children simply not returning once they were prospering in other countries. There may be other reasons as well.
Here are some businesses that have survived the above causes and continue to serve Karachiites, in fact have grown with time and spread to the suburbs with branches.

  1. KAUSAR MEDICO:
    Started on Bunder Road (Now I.I. Jinnah Road) in 1948 and owned by a Mr. Hussain Kausar. It now has branches in Defense Housing Society.  The original shop is located across from Khaliq Dina Hall and Dow University of Health Sciences, in the  neighborhood of old Majestic Cinema. Majestic Cinema is now gone and replaced by Allahwala Cloth Market built by Mr.Abdul Khaliq Allahwala who was a Member of National Assembly in 1960’s in the Ayub Khan era.KausarMedicoMAJinnah2018
2) Kashmir Art Emporium on Zebunnisa Street.
3) Grand Tea Company in Saddar
4) High School Restaurant on M.A. Jinnah/Mission Road
Image may contain: outdoor
5) Jinnah Sports, M.A. Jinnah Road
6) Said Ghani
7) Mohammed Hashim Tajir Surmawala
8) Friends Optical (on M.A. Jonnah Road and Clifton)
9) Jafferjee and Co. Leather (On Abdullah Haroon Road and also Clifton)
10) Khamisani Travels
11) Azamsons Medical Books, Mission Road.
12) Hotel Jabees.
13  Beach Luxury Hotel
14  Village Restaurant
15  Sanuallah Clothiers.
16  Wahid Nehari Burns Road.
17. Royal Silk Palace, Abdullah Haroon Road. Established 1948.  Owner Imtiaz Longi.
Posted in Karachi Neighborhoods, Major Businesses in Old Karachi, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Pakistan TV Karachi

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD

PTV1966Menu

Pakistan Television Menu when it started.
More to be added.

Posted in Media in Old Karachi, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Arts Council of Pakistan

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD

By:
Raju Jamil

JamilRajuSmall

The Arts Council Of Pakistan in Karachi of sixties and the glory of one of the greatest painter and calligraphic magician in the world….. SADEQUAIN:

Exposition of calligraphies (December 6, 1968 – January 6, 1969) by Sadequain in innovative forms he called Khatt-e-Sadequain executed during the month of November (Ramzan 1388 AH).

This exhibition was first of its kind in Pakistan which transformed the vocational skill of calligraphy to an art form and elevated the stature of a KHATTAT to an ARTIST.
Then in a short period of time, Sadequain turned the calligraphic world upside-down and unleashed a calligraphic revolution in the country that created a wave of aspiring calligraphers, provided them identity, and now they are engaged in new experiments and thus redefining the centuries-old art form.
Sadequain’s calligraphies represented the most radical departure from the established norms which had been in place for hundreds of years. The centuries-old guarded traditions, watchful eyes of the religious police, or pitfalls of the uncharted waters did not deter him from going where not many had ventured before him.

SadequainCaligraphy

Posted in Art and Crafts of Karachi, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The “Razz Ma Tazz” Karachi of the 70’s

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD
KhattakRakhsinda

By

Raju Jamil

JamilRajuSmall

The “Razz Ma Tazz” Karachi of 70’s…. With Mrs. Nusrat Bhutto seen with other in crowd with initials “RK” is none the other but the most popular and jazzy TV ads model Rakhshinda Khattak who also appeared in a failed yet popular due to her and the Irani Director/Actor and hero of his own movie “JANE BOND 008 OPERATION KARACHI” in 1970. He became my friend through my Iranian schoolmate who too acted in that movie. I was offered a role too but since I had vowed not to do a negative role ever—I ploitely refused the Iranian Director Reza Faazli. But I helped him in acquiring permission in hotels etc to shoot some scenes. I got him my friend Mubashir Sajjad’s Chevy Belair ’57 for a song “IK URRAN KHATOLA AYEGA…” filmed from Intercon (PC) to Airport with Reza happily singing about Rakhshinda coming to his city.
Reza and me remained in touch via letters for 15 years till he migrated to USA where he died aged 78 a few years back–as per info of a Persian Restaurant owner I met in LA last year.
Rakhshinda remained a crazy for us teens who would worship the ground she walked upon. Her long leather Nancy Sinatra style boots with skirts raised eye brows.
I heard Rakhshinda died three years ago in USA.
Karachi has seen many lights, delights and nights that could only be dreamed now.
Posted in Entertainment in Old Karachi, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Western Music and Karachi of 50’s-60’s-70’s

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Amin H. Karim MD

By Jamil Raju

JamilRajuSmall

No TV…limited cinema halls, mostly foreign movies, night clubs, discotheques, Sunday Jam Sessions at clubs and private at homes with live bands like Keynotes, In Crowd, The Bugs, Dad’s Gratitude etc had everything to offer to enjoy our young and teenage life on weekends and holidays.

What how we reached out to our favourite Elvis, Cliff Richards, Neil Sedaka, Ricky Nelson, Connie Francis, Beatles, Jhonny Contrado, Jim Reeves and Burl Ives ruling us during cool December with awesome Christmas Carols/Songs we still remember for which in entire the then Pakistan, it was Karachi and Karachi only..cycling the memories we cherish today and tell our children about.

Coming to how we reached them with Record Player as expensive a gadget as an Altis Car…and 78 RPM Rekords playable of His Masters Voice Grinding Gramaphone which needed needle change after a few rekords…sometimes made us envious of that dog staring at the speakers..in the ad and sign board of Saddar’s Gramaphone Vompany of Pakistan we use to stare after enjoying a soda at Baluch Ices and another cold drink spot in front of Noorani Masjid..namely Punch Cool which had Pakistan’s first ever Jukebox where we’d play our fav songs through slotting 8 Annas sipping coke I have purchased for 6 Annas…..

The free western music entertainment for us who didn’t have record players and 78 followed by 45 RPM rekords.. (I got mine in 1962 when my dad got one with my fav Elvis rekords on his UNESCO scholarship visit to Europe).

Therefore—our hero we would follow as steadfastly as ever was none the other but EDWARD CARRAPIET a wonderful Christian RJ at Radio Pakistan, Karachi and who among us old fogies of those wonder years of Karachi can forget Eddie’s weekly Satarday night half n hour music program “MUSIC BY REQUEST” which entertained your request letters mailed to him at RPK at least a week earlier as he use to receive hundreds of requests mostly from Grammarians, St. Pats, St. Pauls, St. Lawrence, Convent of Jesus & Mary, Dow Medical students and teens but “Josephines” from St. Josephs beating them all.

My dad being a poet and presenter of literary talk programs as his extracurricular….I had a few opportunities to visit RPK since 1957 and finally met Eddie through his producer Yawar Mehdi. I requested Eddie to entertain my requests and sometimes on phone also..about 30 minutes before the scheduled time of 10 PM…that I still remember the phone number of RPK which was nose front to Theosophical Hall..as “70761”…..

It was thanks to Eddie who swooned us with our favorite songs including the most requested number of the movie “The Millionaires” sung by Peter Sellers as an Indian Doctor and Sophia Loren as his patient.
“House of a Bamboo Door” and “Diana” still make me absolutely nostalgic that I repeatedly hear them.

MUSIC BY REQUEST and Jim Reeves were inseparable with songs like “Crash of No.9”, “I know….” , “But you love me Daddy” the list goes on….but JINGLE BELLS by Jim….will live till eternity. Jim’s near match, my another fav… Burl Ives got me to love this great balladeer from Eddie’s MBR of RPK. His “Little Bit of Tear Let Me Down”…as infectious as ever. Jhonny Contrado’s “Those Magic Changes” is glued in my flashdrive.

Karachi was yearned to be visited by Lahore teens for its jazzy happenings which all vanished which to me..could have been some curse.

Today’s Radio is all but commercial and never have I heard any song being played till end. The RJ must bellow out some of his geniuses or an ad…right when you are enjoying the song…which too is rarely. The FM is 98% heard while you are driving…and not like our wonder years when we use to sit by our Phillips or Murphy or Telefunken or Grudig Radio like Madhubala did listening to her favourite “Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bholey Gi Woh Barsaat Ki Raat” on telefunken huge radio set which use to have the names of cities to roll the pin on it for transmission.

RPK, Edward Carrapiet, Yawar Mehdi and a medium wave band for which an aerial was essential for clear reception…all need to be thanked from Karachi of Past for giving us memories we joyfully remember and swoon.

BTW…Eddie once told me on phone “Ye Sala Tum Every Week Aik Nayee Larki Ko Song Dedicate Karta Hai? ye fake names tou nahin and I said mostly are…which makes my classmate jealous of me…and now the fact is that the most regular requested song by me for a girl was “Only Youuuuu….” and that girl is my wife now.

WESTERN MUSIC became so popular that RPK also initiated “Karachi Hit Parade” followed by Sunday after program by Khatija Naqvi as “Listeners Choice” on the pattern of BBC London’s program by same name which were presented by Margaret Howard and Elizabeth London and they too did play many of my requests by informing through a London view postcard the date and time on mh address.

RadioPakistan1956
Radio Pakistan Building on M.A. Jinnah Road (formerly Bunder Road) was built in 1956.

Posted in Entertainment in Old Karachi, Uncategorized | 1 Comment