I VISIT Shalimar Garden daily for my afternoon walk. The garden, on the one hand, glorifies human genius in the shape of a serene infrastructure and well-proportioned, lush-green lawns, while, on the other hand, it betrays the transitory nature of the notion of human glory and fame.
While it is always a rejuvenating experience to visit the garden, a few disturbing elements need to be addressed to make it a worthwhile visit for one and all. One can see ruffians following girls, families or newly-wed couples. There are security guards aplenty who otherwise whistle around, but do not have enough courage to stop such miscreants.
Another irritating sight relates to young boys and girls moving around in couples who often indulge in activities that, to put it mildly, are undesirable. Such sights spoil the fun for families visiting the historical gardens.
Usually at such places, filming movies or wedding shots are done for which permission is required from the office concerned that is situated at the Lahore Fort. Once I brought my digital camera to the gardens, but was not allowed to carry it inside because I did not have the required permission.
The argument would surely have been understandable were it not for the fact that people use their cellphones for the same purpose all the time without anybody asking them to produce the required permit.
Smoking in a public space, and that, too, a place where people are jogging, looks horrible. When the country’s law strictly forbids smoking at public places, I wonder why it goes unchecked by the authorities in this case.
Setting up a detailed code of conduct, displaying it at the entrances, and implementing it in its true and sane spirit may help resolve all these and other issues.
And while we are still on the subjects, let me point out the serious issue of traffic chaos in the vicinity owing to encroachments and reckless driving that cause a lot of problems for the pedestrians coming to the Shalimar Garden. One hardly ever finds a policeman who is bothered by this lawlessness. The relevant authorities should work to facilitate the visitors.
Syed Farhan Basit
Gujranwala
Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2023