August 3, 2003

It was under the tutelage of great masters that the Griffin Institute went on to become a premier sports institution

THERE were striking similarities between the boxing careers of Samad Mir, the best Pakistani boxer of all times, and Richard Clement, another champion boxer. They were both born the same year, both started their boxing career at the age of 10, and both spoke very high of the Griffin Challenge Belt Boxing Tournament, and of a person by the name of Richardson. My curiosity to find out more about Griffin and Richardson, took me to the Griffin Institute, one afternoon.

Griffin Institute is situated on the right side of the canal road heading towards Moghalpura. I arrived at the Griffin Institute around noon and was told that the offices do not open till four in the afternoon. So, I decided to kill some time watching the cricket match next door. Here, at the ground, I was lucky enough to find S.A. Qamar, secretary of Griffin Institute, who was more than willing to help me out.

Griffin Institute was one of the many institutes built by the British Railways, to cater to the socializing and sporting needs of the Railways officers and their families. British Railways was divided into various divisions and each division would have its own colony and an institute. Lahore ended up with three such institutes. Carson’s Institute and Burt Institute are the other two.

Griffin Institute was built at the periphery of the Mechanical Workshops’ residential colony. One of the biggest Railway Colonies in the subcontinent, it was second only to the Mechanical Workshops and its colony in Jhansi, India. Griffin Institute was the centre of all activities, even during the late seventies, with its Christmas balls, annual dinners, sports events, and a weekly card game commonly known as housie. Griffin Institute, also, has the honour of hosting side matches for the touring international cricket teams.

It was alleged that the membership of the Institute was restricted to Anglo and Anglo-Indians and no natives were allowed in the Institute. There could be some truth in it; during Railways’ early days there were hardly any native officers. However, Mr Qamar remembers being invited by the Institute on a Christmas Ball and receiving dried fruit hampers for a number of years.

Griffin Institute was a happening place. Committee members handled its affairs and it was an autonomous body protected from the interfering Railway authorities. It could very well be the reason for depriving Griffin of its lush green playgrounds and formation of a separate institute by the name of Moghalpura Railway Institute in 1954. However, that deprivation hardly diminished Griffin’s razzle-dazzle.

Griffin Challenge Belt was a mega event attended by boxers from all over the country. There were both juniors and seniors bouts held. The proceeds were donated to Pakistan Red Cross Society. It was in Griffin’s courtyard that Samad Mir and Richard Clement dazzled spectators with their boxing prowess. Mr H.S.W. Richardson took over as the secretary of the Institute on September 17th, 1959 and held that position till his retirement in 1968. Mr Richardson, an Australian by birth, joined Railways in the late twenties. It is speculated that his family stayed with him during late thirties and forties, however, hardly anyone recalled seeing them after partition. It is assumed that they left the country while Mr Richardson and his sister, Ms Dolce Richardson, a teacher at St. Anthony’s High School, Lahore, decided to stay back.

Griffin Challenge Belt was a much sought after annual event, which Mr Richardson managed to hold during his nine years association with Griffin. Nobody knows exactly when the tournament was held last, but it is believed that it was in 1970. Mr Richardson was retained as Manager of the Institute after his retirement at a monthly salary of Rs300/- per month and accommodation. A true promoter of sports, Mr Richardson dedicated his life for the cause of sports and that of Griffin. He remained confined to his room for the last few years of his life due to deteriorating eyesight. He passed away on 23rd March 1991. Ms Dolce Richardson remained actively involved in academics even after her retirement from the school and she passed away on 10th December 1999 bringing an end to nearly a century old legacy.

Griffin Institute, like all other Railway Institutes throughout the country, including the Moghalpura Institute, was to receive a mortal blow in 1974 when their lifeline — the mandatory membership fees, were discontinued. With no funds coming in and hardly any voluntary membership, Griffin Institute’s condition grew from bad to worse. And then came the eighties with its housing schemes fad. Railway Officers, all over the country, did not want to miss the boat. Like their counterparts in the Army, Railway Officers had at the disposal some very valuable pieces of land. Every inch of land that could be made available, legally or otherwise, was acquired by the Railways Employees Housing Society and was sold to a number of ex-Railway employees.

Griffin, due to its prime location fell prey to the Housing Society and serving Railway officials, and much of its area surrounding the front entrance and exit was earmarked for the higher ups in the Railway hierarchy, as their post-retirement abode. Griffin’s worker’s quarters were not spared either. They were declared kachi abadi and were subsequently demolished to make way for the Society . The officials were too eager to please their bosses and took no time in issuing NOC for the Griffin’s land to be sold to the Housing Scheme. The result was disastrous.

An unassuming tourist wishing to visit Griffin, would barely notice the entrance due to the presence of neatly built houses around it. The land to the left and right of the Institute now belongs to an ex-Chairman Railways, an ex-General Manager Railways and numerous other well connected ex-Railways officials, who managed to bypass the balloting process and managed to get the prized land that once belonged to Griffin. The semi-circular road in its compound that served as entrance and exit, is no longer there. The piece of land that once served as the exit is presently a two-storied house of an ex-Railway employee.

Mughalpura is not doing well either. With the exception of the cricket ground, which was renovated only recently mainly because the present sports officer, an army-man, is a cricket lover, the rest is in shambles. The football stadium, hockey stadium, basketball and tennis courts, are a mess. Moghalpura Institute, has three hundred and fifty voluntary members, each contributing Rs10/- a month which is barely sufficient to engage a gardener let alone a complete ground staff. The new regulations, under the army management, bar any serving Railway employee to render any services to these Institutes. The result is total deterioration of such valuable national assets.

Griffin itself, was in total ruin about ten years back. There was hardly anything intact in the building. Thanks to the efforts of the Honorary Secretary, Khawaja Abdul Majeed, an ex-sportsmen and a Griffin beneficiary, Griffin is barely managing to stay afloat.

Griffin Institute in the year 2003 is no longer a centre of excellence. What we have here instead, is an institution fighting for it survival. The Institute’s claim to fame these days is that of a cheaper alternative to the ‘Marriage Halls’. Secure parking, Griffin’s name, the wooden dance floor, and a promise not to charge for additional hours is the package that Khawaja Abdul Majeed sells these days.

“Two hundred and twenty five voluntary members each paying Rs20/- cannot keep this building intact”, says Khawaja Sahib. Still, many at the institute say that it looks much better than what it looked ten years back. A major renovation took place about a year ago. Funds generated through marriage ceremonies helped Griffin to get a face-lift, but a complete restoration would require a little more than hosting marriage ceremonies and receipt of Rs550/- in membership fees. But there are people, like S.A. Qamar and Khawaja Abdul Majeed, who grew up in Griffin and saved it from certain death a year or two ago, when the authorities had decided to lease Griffin to commercial developers on the lines of Railways Golf Club. A timely intervention by the Railway employees forced them to change their minds.

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