LAHORE, July 12: Baithak Katbaan where the celebrated Tajuddin Zarin Raqam had trained a generation of calligraphers, and that too without charging any fee, is crumbling.

The son of the great calligrapher, Saleem Raqam, who runs the Baithak has no money to repair it. He says the Baithak has no official patronage. Despite promises by the late Ziaul Haq and some organizations, he says no funds have ever been provided for its upkeep.

He says his neighbour Yaqoob has filed a case against him for the possession of the Baithak and it is pending with a court of law.

Shops have sprung up on the ground floor. The first floor has two shabby rooms where Saleem Raqam imparts training to pupils.

The late Tajuddin had rented the Baithak from a Hindu family in 1926 and spent days and nights teaching the art of calligraphy. He bought it later and set up an institution of calligraphy. Khurshid Alam, Hafiz Yousaf and Nafees Zar were among his pupils.

Saleem says that his father had never charged a single penny from students and he met his expenses by writing posters. He says Tajuddin had also written posters for Jawahar Lal Nehru before the partition.

Upon his death in 1955, Khurshid Alam and Saleem Raqam undertook Tajuddin’s mission. Saleem says he has trained over 2,000 students so far—-ZulQernain Tahir