We live in a warped society dictated mostly by our mass illiteracy. Symbols like huge houses, the latest cars and clothes as also positions of power matter more than being educated, being polite and caring for one’s neighbours and those who care for others. But this piece is about a Lahore-born and based gentleman, amazingly artistically inclined yet the simplest, caring and politest human being I have known. But then he is known the world over for his craft.

I was lucky enough to attend a special session about him held in the Cambridge University’s Centre of South Asian Studies. The speaker was a renowned Professor Dr Chris Moffat of Queen Mary, University of London, who dwelt on his excellent book The Time of Building: Kamil Khan Mumtaz and Architecture of Pakistan. Of the different examples given in Dr. Moffat’s talk of the work of Kamil Khan Mumtaz, there was one that I knew about, and that was ‘mazaar’ of Baba Hassan Din deep inside Baghbanpura between the Shalamar Gardens western walls and the ‘mazaar’ of the Sufi Madho Lal Hussain.

Many years ago I wrote a piece of Hassan Din and how Kamil Khan Mumtaz was working on creating a monument “second to none”. That was way back in 2001 when Hassan Shah died. Prof. Moffat has written considerably about this effort. In 2024 that effort continues, and the end result could see Lahore’s finest, if not most beautiful, shrine. Just for the record Baba Hassan Din was an Englishman from Yorkshire whose original name was Alfred Victor, a railway engineer. One day while working on Lahore’s railways he allegedly met a person named Ali Hajveri, who invited him to Islam. So it was that Baba Hassan Din became a Muslim and allegedly started performing many ‘miracles’. He was buried in Baghbanpura near the Engineering University, where he initially worked.

Prof. Moffat dwelt in detail about the historic relevance of the work of Kamil Khan Mumtaz. “Starting from the earliest of times through different eras, especially the Muslim eras, the principles of architecture and building materials have been studied and understood by Kamil Mumtaz, and the ethic employed is rare,” he explained.

The book produced by Prof. Moffat is an attempt to understand “the trajectory which brought Kamil to the point where he is today an architect trained in the latest principles of modernism yet remains suspicious of its penetration of traditional heritage”. The end result is an art form that uses the finest crafts perfected over the ages, and which reflects the finest architecture of our land.

A few words about Kamil Khan Mumtaz. Born in Lahore in 1939, where he was raised. At the age of 18 after completing his A-Levels from Aitchison College and was sent to London to train at the Architectural Association. There he stayed for nine years working on different projects and refining his skills. In 1966, he returned and worked on different projects. Over time he, increasingly, supported heritage preservation and environmental protection. For the next nine years he was president of the National College of Arts in Lahore. According to Prof. Moffat in London his professor, the famous architect, Otto Koenigsberger, the man who designed and built the Berlin Olympic Stadium as well as Victoria Hall London, influenced him to always keep in mind the traditions and circumstances ‘back home’. He was repeatedly told that Lahore was the cultural heart of Pakistan due to its architecture. “Remember that the architect and all the workers who built the Taj Mahal came from Lahore”.

Prof Moffat was very clear in his assessment of Kamil Khan Mumtaz and his contribution to Pakistani architecture. “His greatest impact on the architectural education of an entire generation of architects as a professor and head of the architecture department at the National College of Arts in Lahore from 1966 to 1980 is widely acknowledged”. In 1980, he was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. As the talk continues it was surprising the detail with which Prof Moffat described the work of Kamil Mumtaz. “His work is influenced by his deep understanding of the cultural traditions of Pakistan. He often incorporates traditional motifs and designs into his work, creating a sense of continuity between the past and the present. Its simplicity and elegance, reflects the importance of harmony and balance.”

To questions posed by this writer, Prof Moffat acknowledged that the work and influence of the architect also flows from his own ‘Sufi’ beliefs. He can be seen in the simplest of surroundings and stands for hours, often in the heat of Lahore, with workers and craftsmen to make sure that every brick, every marble slab, every decoration is according to what he has designed. This is spot on, for as a journalist covering his work on the shrine of Baba Hassan Din in Baghbanpura, he stands for hours keeping an eye of every decorative marble slab to be used. Often he would inspect the specially baked bricks to be used in construction, as also the quality of the limestone cement. For me it was a lesson in devotion to a tradition most people have forgotten.

The talk by the London professor in Cambridge concluded with the assertion that architecture is not just about building structures. It is basically about creating a sense of place and identity which reflects the cultural and social values of the dwellers. Lastly, he said that Kamil Khan Mumtaz firmly believes that architecture should be sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Kamil Khan Mumtaz is a founder member of the Lahore Conservation Society. He led a team in preparing the Lahore Urban Development & Traffic Study. He was instrumental in planning frameworks for the Walled City. Besides the Aga Khan award, he received the President’s Pride of Performance Medal. He is the author of two prominent books Architecture in Pakistan and Modernity and Tradition. Now a stage in his life has been reached where scholars and architects in the Western world have started to teach their students the works of Kamil Khan Mumtaz. In Cambridge University, his work is part of the course for Masters’ students. The same is true of Oxford University. Such is the sweep of the contribution of Kamil Khan Mumtaz. One only wishes the same was undertaken by our own universities.

Once while visiting him and seeing his extreme simplicity, I narrated an episode from my own life. In school where I did well in academics, a friend commented: “If you are so brilliant, why are you not rich”. Kamil nodded his head in disbelief but remained silent. That is the man for you, his greatness lies in his simplicity and his love of our history and tradition.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2024