LAHORE: The Lahore Sangat on Sunday paid rich tributes to the extraordinary men and women who remained associated with the city by putting up blue enameled plaques at their respective houses/workplaces.

Melodious music by police band added to the aura created by the impressive ceremony at Mohallah Islam. Minister for Health Yasmin Rashid was the chief guest while Yousaf Salahuddin, Lahore Biennale Director Qudsia Rahim, Qasim Jaffri, Fauzia Hussain Qureshi and Lahore Commissioner Saif Anjum also attended the ceremony.

Yasmin Rashid congratulated the Lahore Sangat for taking the initiative. She said the Walled City had a rich history and great people had been associated with it.

At the inaugural ceremony on Sunday, plaques commemorating six personalities were put up in the Walled City. The first one was of poet Hafeez Jullundhri at his magazine Makhzan’s office at Bhati Gate. He was the one who gave the country its anthem and later edited Makhzan.

The plaques of Mian Zahoorudin and Mian Ghulam Rasool, publishers of Makhzan, were also put up there.

Among others were Allama Muhammad Iqbal (Bhati Gate), Punjabi poet Ustad Daman who lived at Heera Mandi Chowk, Matti Taxali Gate from 1950 to 1984, Melody Queen Malika-e-Tarranum Nur Jahan who lived at Taxali Gate from 1938 to 1942 and legendary singer Muhammad Rafi who lived at Noor Mohalla, Taxali Gate from 1934 to 1944.

The Lahore Sangat is an informal association of Lahoris that works to remember and pay tribute to the extraordinary men and women by mapping where they lived and worked and putting up distinctive blue enamel plaques in their memory. Sangat honours and celebrates the rich tapestry of Lahore and Personalities that have made the adage “Lahore Lahore ai”.

These exceptional individuals were painters, writers, poets, architects and master craftsmen, wrestlers, storytellers, actors, scholars, teachers, revolutionaries, philosophers, jurists, cooks, weavers, embroiderers, designers, doctors, philanthropists, saints, mystics, musicians, singers, freedom fighters, dancers, sportsmen and women, dramatists, travelers, composers, publishers, journalists, theatre and film personalities.

The list is part of an ongoing process that is being added through additional research and contributions by the people of Lahore and beyond. The objective of the plaques is not only to honour the personalities but also to generate an awareness and instill a sense of pride amongst the people who live in the vicinity of the significance of their locality and neighborhood.

The Lahore Sangat has more than 120 plaques of icons on its preliminary list which will be installed over the next few months.

It acknowledges the support of the Commissioner Lahore, Municipal Corporation Lahore and the Walled City of Lahore Authority for their cooperation and assistance.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2020