A month has passed since the management of the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) was issued a notification by the Sindh Provincial Culture and Tourism Department to vacate the Hindu Gymkhana, within whose premises NAPA is located. While the NAPA administration is struggling to defend its position, some members of the Hindu community say they are happy that their heritage site is finally being returned to them. “I don’t understand what is there to debate about vacating the Hindu Gymkhana. It is a declared property of the Hindu community and they have been fighting for its possession for decades now,” comments Architect Murlidhar Dawani, also a member of the Hindu community.
Since independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Hindu community of Karachi had been struggling to acquire possession of this site, which was known to host the elite of the community since 1921. However, post partition the property was handed over to the Evacuee Trust Property Board. Later, the Hindus who opted for Pakistan appealed to the government for the restoration of the premises so that it could be utilised for cultural activities and religious festivals. They say that their plea fell on deaf ears.
“Most of the elite from the Hindu community migrated to India after partition hence there were not many members to fight for the restoration of the Hindu Gymkhana. The majority of the Hindus who opted for Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, belonged to scheduled castes that were already suppressed and were unable to exercise any influence. The authorities hence did not pay attention to their demands,” comments Amarnath Motumal, President of the Hindu Panchayat, Karachi Division.
Motumal said that a movement to handover the gymkhana back to the Hindu community was first launched in the 1960s by activists Khubchand Bhatia, Seth T Motandas and Bhagwandas Chawla - the then president of the Karachi Hindu Panchayat. However, the movement was ended due to the 1965 war and later by the 1971 war.
Echoing similar sentiments is social activist and co-chairperson Pak-Hindu Welfare Association, Ramesh Mana, who has been an active part of the movement for the restoration of the Hindu Gymkhana which he re-launched in the 1980s when General Ziaul Haq’s government decided to sell the property. “Due to the government’s lack of interest in the issue after the 1971 war, most members were then discouraged and did not raise a voice until General Zia went to the extent of issuing orders to auction the premises,” informs Mana.
Another prominent Hindu of that time, P.K. Shahani, voiced his concern through the media and this compelled parliamentarians to raise the issue in the National Assembly. A stay order was then issued and the Hindu Gymkhana was protected as a heritage site under the Sindh Heritage Act. But this did not solve the problem. When General Pervez Musharraf’s government took over in 1999, he asked senior artiste Zia Mohyeuddin to establish a national institute of performing arts.
“As soon as the orders were issued, the next morning we saw the name plate of the Hindu Gymkhana removed and once again wrote to the government against the injustice meted out to the Hindu community, but because the President’s daughter, Ayela Raza, was also involved in the project we did not receive a positive response,” revealed Mana.
The community contends that the control of the premises should have been handed over to the Hindus instead of permitting the artistes to encroach upon the property that belonged to the Hindu community. Moreover, the recent influx of Hindu families from upper Sindh to Karachi has put pressure on the leaders of Hindu Panchayats who are worried about accommodating the needs of the entire population of Hindus in Karachi that amounts up to 1.5 million.
“The only empty space we have to celebrate festivals such as Holi and Diwali is a ground at the Swami Narayan Temple on M.A. Jinnah Road. But due to limited space at the said temple, most people avoid visiting temples on these religious occasions confining them to their homes,” complained Dawani. He further clarified that the community was not against the school of performing arts, but against what he called “the insensitivity of the successive governments that allowed such encroachment.”
The community has also filed a case in court for eviction of the premises. “We are not against the school. We just want them to return our space and establish the school elsewhere. Also, why could the Musharraf government not have ordered the Sind Club or Karachi Gymkhana to be vacated for these young students of performing arts? Why the Hindu Gymkhana?” questioned Dawani.
The recent controversy to vacate the premises, however, began not because the land had been encroached upon but when allegations were levelled against NAPA administration for violating the agreement signed with the Sindh Culture Department. The agreement restricted the administration from construction or alteration of a heritage site – as per the provisions of the Sindh Heritage Act. Although officials at NAPA have refuted the allegations saying that ‘they have not made any alteration to the original structure’, the Hindu community feels it is time the democratic government returned the property to them.
Mana stated that since some of the most renowned artistes of the country are on the board of NAPA, finding an alternative space ‘should not be a difficult task for them and the government should facilitate them’. But given the differences within the representative bodies of the Hindu Community in Karachi, it is unclear which body will be given the charge of the Hindu Gymkhana. There are currently four main representative bodies – Pakistan Hindu Council, Karachi Hindu Panchayat, Hindu Panchayat Karachi Division and Pak-Hindu Welfare Association – running parallel to each other.
When questioned by The News, Mangla Sharma, Chairperson of Pak-Hindu Welfare Association and Dr Ramesh Kumar, former MPA and patron Pakistan Hindu Council, who have jointly filed the case in court, were unanimous on the view that a governing body, comprising representatives from all the organisations as well as from all castes, will be formed once the property is returned to them.
The News made several attempts to contact MPA Mukesh Chawla but he was not available for comments.
