THE occasion is Eid. A large number of people congregate at a place, greeting and embracing each other with affection that can be called ‘community-inspired kinship’. The massive congregation signifies the endeavours of a group of people dedicated to the promotion of harmony and welfare in the historical locality of Model Town, Lahore.
Organizing Eid prayers at Model Town’s central park is no mean feat. The residents can now assemble at one central park instead of being scattered around different mosques in the locality, as is usually the case with other localities around the city. And all of this has been made possible by a dedicated group of people.
The Model Town Islamic Trust is selflessly engaged in offering a number of services to the residents of Model Town for over half a century. Though the organization’s activities are confined to a few spheres only and it is not in its manifesto to ensure the provision of basic facilities for the residents of Model Town, the fact that the organization works independent of all political and binding influences solely for the benefit of the people makes it rather unique in today’s relatively unkind environment. There are many organizations operating officially and unofficially in different localities of Lahore, but mostly their efforts are marred by ulterior motives. One can safely say that the trust is free of any kind of negative influences and the way it works sets an example for other such organizations.
A private organization with an independent work pattern has been managing affairs of graveyards and mosques of Model Town, and is all sanguine about plans to provide education and health facilities to the less privileged people of the locality in the years to come by building schools and clinics. Educational and medical institutions will provide quality education at reasonable rates to the residents of the area.
Like Model Town itself, the trust has a history dating back to pre-partition days. Building upon this standing, the trust is mostly engaged in providing services that are not usually offered by organizations operating in various localities within Lahore, whether in the public or private sector. Though land is becoming more and more expensive by the day in the city, and building a house even in mediocre localities of Lahore has become an unaffordable luxury, one would come across very few areas where residents are provided with benefits and facilities that are beyond a tad more than basic amenities. In fact, in most areas, especially in northern Lahore, even basic facilities are not available.
At least, in posh localities where a piece of land is quite costly and taxes are much higher, different organizations should step forward to make life easier and comfortable for the residents of such areas, offering something in return for lofty investments. But in most cases, even in the high-income areas, commitment towards the welfare of residents is almost non-existent and citizens still find themselves grappling with problems as rudimentary as provision of clean water and lack of garbage disposal facilities.
The DHA is, perhaps, another locality, which despite being very new compared to Model Town, boasts of quite a few facilities and services not available in other areas.
The Model Town Islamic Trust has confined its services mostly to those activities where residents may require guidance from religion. The trust promptly takes care of all such needs of the inhabitants, providing their services free of cost. Whenever someone dies in the locality, taking care of funeral and burial arrangements is one such service that the trust does. The trust provides coffins for the deceased, supplies material and services for ghusl, besides providing an ambulance for the dead body to be carried to the graveyard. Tombstones and mats for graves are also provided free of charge. A basic guide on matters pertaining to the funeral, apart from a public address sound system and an assistant performing miscellaneous duties to help the aggrieved family are also taken care of by the trust.
“The help provided by the trust when somebody expires in the family comes in very handy,” opines one resident of the area.
The trust is also planning to extend these services to include all responsibilities related to the occasion of death, including provision of tents, chairs, and catering services.
A board of trustees manages affairs of the trust, while it is run with donations contributed by members and other residents of the locality, besides annual membership subscriptions. An eye-care facility for the less fortunate residents of the area has also been planned by the trust.
“We have a vision for Model Town, and hopefully, we will succeed,” observes Sohaib A. Shah, honorary secretary of the trust. “Previously, with the help of the district administration, we used to organize Eid congregations in the central park, which is no mean achievement as the residents were demanding this for quite some time. Gathering at one point gives us an opportunity to greet neighbours and friends,” says a resident.
Though the trust works independent of external pressures, this event signifies positive cooperation between a private organization and the local government with whose help the congregation is managed.
The trust enjoys a glorious past. When Muslim residents of Model Town felt the need for forming an Islamic trust, which could address the spiritual needs of the community, 22 residents of Model Town met at a private meeting on October 20, 1937 and unanimously resolved to form a trust. In order to meet the preliminary expenses, a total amount of Rs206 was raised, marking the humble beginning of the Model Town Islamic Trust. The memorandum and articles of association of the trust were approved in a meeting held after a short duration of nine days at the Model Town Club, under the chairmanship of Khan Bahadur Sardar Mughalbaz Khan, member public service commission. The trust was duly registered under the Societies Act XXI of 1860, on December 3, the same year.
The trust also has the credit of having built the historical Jamia Masjid of Model Town, located in A-block. In those days, it was considered to be a great achievement for the Muslims all over India that they could build a mosque in a chic locality. Donations poured in from all over the country to meet the expenses, including contributions from the non-Muslims. The design of the mosque was prepared by B. Brentford, who took no money from the trust for the blueprint and also paid several visits to ensure the quality of architecture. The beautiful Model Town Mosque has been referred to in the Lahore edition of Nuqoosh and in A Guide to Lahore published by Ferozesons.
THE occasion is Eid. A large number of people congregate at a place, greeting and embracing each other with affection that can be called ‘community-inspired kinship’. The massive congregation signifies the endeavours of a group of people dedicated to the promotion of harmony and welfare in the historical locality of Model Town, Lahore.
