Let's recreate a scene. Mohammad Ali Johar is entering the Khalikdina Hall through the (Ionic) portico to face the British authorities who are livid with him. He walks into the spacious hall that has as high a ceiling as Johar's ambitions. He's going to be tried for incitement to mutiny, because the authorities think he delivered a seditious speech against them at a Khilafat Conference meeting. Johar also supports Mahatma Gandhi's call for a national resistance movement. Result the journalist-cum-scholar famous for his bellicose speeches is put in prison. The Khalikdina Hall is a witness to it.

Cut back to modern times. The smog is thick. The traffic is frenzied. M A Jinnah Road is chock-a-block. If you're coming from Burns Road and have reached an old building that houses a bank, you'll see an extraordinary structure across the thoroughfare, which appears to be least unsettled about the mad rush all around. It exists because of one man's unstinted generosity Ghulam Hussein Khalikdina.

It was local Christian and Hindu humanitarians, not to mention the British, who contributed invaluably to the construction of some of the most handsome edifices in Karachi. In 1906, Muslim philanthropists expressed their interest in coming up with a site that could be used for literary (and recreational) pursuits. Ghulam Hussein Khalikdina was the chief benefactor of the project that came to be known as the Ghulam Hussein Khalikdina Hall and Library.

The Palladian features of the building (Andrea Palladio was a famous Venetian architect who died in 1580 at the age of 72) are noteworthy. The triangular pediment, the Ionic portico, the teakwood doors, windows and lofty ceiling... all impart a touch of grandeur to the hall. The reason that the makers of the building didn't use local elements could be the then modern approach to learning and recreation.

The interior isn't overly ornamented. It's simple in style. The instant you climb the steps to have a closer look at the giant columns, you'll see a

door to the left that leads to Khalikdina Hall Library Association - Library and Reading Room. The door to the right has 'Students Welfare Organisation' pasted on it. Once you get to the hall you can't help but stay there for a while and put your imagination to use. What would it be like before partition? You see well-dressed men flipping through pages of hefty hardbacks. You hear murmurs of the old Karachiites walking across the library. You eavesdrop on chaste English being spoken by the British and some England-returned Indians... This historic place had it all.

In the first half of the 20th century the Khalikdina Hall was a major city centre. The citizens of Karachi were allowed to hold their gatherings here. Even a number of committees of the Karachi Municipality used it for official meetings.

What now?

These days, events like the naat khwani and mehfil-i-sama are a regular feature. The library section is handled by the Library Association. The staff hired for the upkeep of the structure has limited means, which enables it only to look after issues like maintenance of the lawn, painting of walls and doors etc. City Nazim Mustafa Kamal had recently directed the Works and Service Department to look into the matters related to the preservation of the Khalikdina Hall.

According to Deputy District Officer Atif Ali, three years ago a 15-foot termite-infested wooden piece covering the lobby caved in. A similar incident had occurred in the '90s. In 2008-09 repair work was undertaken and things were fixed to a reasonable extent.

“Not too far back it was the favoured venue for book launches, poetry symposia and wedding ceremonies. When in 1994 a certain part of the roof collapsed, the Khalikdina Hall remained closed for three years so that the broken area could be mended. Once it resumed functioning, rePhotos by Fahim Siddiqi / White Star

ligious gatherings took precedence over other things. The termite issue needs to be sorted without further delay, otherwise it might spread to the main hall,” says Atif Ali.

Architect Hanid Daud says, “The Khalikdina Hall is a remarkable building. It has colonial architectural attributes. But its historical significance is something that cannot be overlooked. I think it should be put to good use for a variety of student activities because there are a number of educational institutions in the locality. The hall has a cultural relevance and can prove inspirational in the historic context. Students don't know much about Mohammad Ali

Johar who was a brilliant debater. Declamation contests can be organised to highlight this fact.”

“I remember during a workshop we put certain Khalikdina Hall objects on display. I don't see them anymore. It would be lovely if the podium and the famous witness box were put back where they belong,” says Hanif Daud.

You couldn't agree with him more.

Let's create a scene. The Khalikdina Hall is abuzz with all sorts of activities, including socio-cultural. The portico is in shipshape condition. The hall is clean. The books placed in the library don't have a speck of dust. And the vehicular traffic on M A Jinnah Road doesn't jar your nerves.

mohammad.salman@dawn.com