Remembering the Glory Days of Lahore

Coffee House across the street had its own crowd, mostly made up of lawyers, politicians and journalists. The atmosphere was intellectual and journalistic. Off and on, some professors from Government College and a few students, including girls, would drop in for a cup. Everyone minded his or her own business and if a girl came looking for her friend, nobody showed any sign of jealousy. The regulars included Ashfaque Ahmed, Munir Niazi, Anjum Roomani, Qayyoom Nazar and Sajjad Baqar Rizvi. Shezan was an aristocratic place and so was its clientele. The Pak Tea House crowd stayed away from these places. There was also Stiffles, which was a popular bar before partition. It is the same site that made way for Casino and Lord’s in the 1950s and 1960s. As you entered Anarkali, to your left was a Sikh-owned sweetmeat shop whose lassi was much prized.