Past present: Refined argumentation

Published July 18, 2015
Anti-government protesters in Tahrir Square at nightfall in Cairo, Jan. 31, 2011, File photo
Anti-government protesters in Tahrir Square at nightfall in Cairo, Jan. 31, 2011, File photo

The ‘agora’ or the public square in Ancient Athens was a place of knowledge: people of the city would assemble here, discuss social, political and economic affairs of their daily lives, and create a bond of mutual understanding. It would be located in the centre of the city with shops and government offices, and had an open space for public meetings. Some of the buildings of the agora contained porticoes, under the shade of which intellectuals and thinkers discussed philosophical issues.

One of the ancient schools of philosophy known as ‘Stoicism’ emerged under the leadership of Zeno (d.c.262BC), and later became a popular philosophical movement in the Greek and Roman empires. Zeno met his followers under one of the porticoes or porch, which was known in Greek as ‘stoas’, from which the words ‘stoicism’ and ‘stoic’ are derived.

Socrates (d.399BC) came to the agora every morning to meet young people and discuss social issues and philosophy. Women and minors were not allowed to visit the agora. Therefore, Socrates had to go outside the agora to meet the youth of Athens and to talk to them about his philosophical ideas.


Debates and discussion in public squares have sometimes altered the course of history


Later, as time passed, the concept of the agora disappeared due to encroachment and construction of new buildings. However, not long ago, the Greek government demolished nearly 400 buildings to enable the construction of the agora again.

The Romans also had their own public space which was known as the ‘forum’ — the centre of public activity. People would gather there for various forms of entertainment. Sometimes, there was a gladiator fight or musicians would entertain people by playing different musical instruments. There would also be theatrical shows to entertain people. At the time of elections, public voting would take place here. There was a place known as ‘rostrum’ from where politicians would deliver speeches.

When Julius Caesar was killed, his corpse was brought to the forum, where Brutus (d.42BC), his assassin, justified his act of killing. Mark Antony (d.30 BC) on the other hand eulogised his patron, using rhetoric to manipulate the commoners to help him to punish the assassins. Upon hearing which, the people of Rome turned into a murderous mob, ready to kill the assassins, while Brutus and his accomplices fled.

Years later, Roman emperors built new forums and used them for their own propaganda. For example, the emperor Trajan (d.117AD) erected a pillar in the forum, depicting his victories over his enemies. Another emperor Commodious also erected a pillar which showed the military achievements of his father Marcus Aurelius (d.180AD).

The other cities of the Roman Empire also followed the same tradition of having a forum as a public space. It became a unique institution, providing an opportunity for people to participate in the political and social affairs of the city. When politicians addressed them, they would question them and in case of incompetence, the public would accuse them of failure. In a way, it took the form of a people’s parliament, where the crowd played an active role.

During the Mughal period when Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658) built the new city of Shahjahanabad, a public square known as ‘Chandni chowk’ was constructed. Sir Syed Ahmad (d.1898), in his book entitled Asar-al-Sanadid gives details of the chowk. According to his account, there was a Nahar-i-Bahisht (canal from the paradise) in the middle of the chowk. On both sides were trees to make the environment pleasant. There were shops selling a variety of merchandise which the traders brought from all over the world.

On the roadside, artists sat to paint portraits for the public, storytellers would narrate thrilling stories, which were enjoyed by small or large gatherings. Jugglers entertained the public with wonderful tricks and in the evening, the Mughal princesses would arrive for a stroll in the enchanting atmosphere of the chowk.

Although Chandni Chowk still exists, it has lost its past beauty and glory. At present, it is so crowded that it is difficult to even walk there. Neither is there a canal from paradise nor trees; neither artists nor storytellers or jugglers. The memory of the old Chandni Chowk lies in history books while in reality, the present has changed the past.

Today, there are many squares in the countries all over the world which play an important role in politics. For example, the Tiananmen Square of Beijing became famous when students gathered there and demanded for the establishment of democracy in China. The movement was brutally crushed by the Chinese government.

Recently, there were demonstrations and protests of people of Egypt in Tahrir Square of Cairo against the dictator Husni Mubarak. Their continuous struggle forced him to retire. In Istanbul at Taksim Square, the crowd protested against the corruption of the Erdogan government. There was time when the Red square of Moscow was famous for the annual parade of the army on the day of Revolution. In some countries, these public squares have played an important role in changing the government and consequently becoming a revolutionary symbol.

In Pakistan, since there are no such public squares, different groups of people protest in front of the press clubs which seemed to have replaced public squares.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 19th, 2015

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