Pak Tea House facts for kids
Pak Tea House is a famous tea house and café in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It's well-known for being a meeting spot for smart and creative people. Many artists, writers, and thinkers have visited it over the years. It was started in 1940 by a Sikh family. After Pakistan became independent in 1947, it got its current name. The tea house was closed for a while but reopened in 2013. It's also famous as the place where the important Progressive Writers' Association literary group began. For a long time, it was a central place for new ideas in Lahore.
History of Pak Tea House
The café first opened in 1940. It was called the "India Tea House" and was started by Boota Singh, a Sikh person in Lahore. In 1944, two Sikh brothers, Surtej Singh Bhalla and Kaiser Singh Bhalla, took over the café.
The tea house closed during the partition events in 1947. In 1948, a local food supplier named Sirajuddin Ahmad rented the place. He renamed it "Pak Tea House" in 1950. Mr. Ahmad ran the restaurant successfully until 1978. After he passed away, his son, Zahid Hasan, managed it. However, fewer customers came, and it closed in 2000. During this time, the Young Men's Christian Association became its owner.
Pak Tea House became a very popular meeting place. It was especially loved by artists, writers, and cultural figures until the 1990s. Many famous people visited, including:
- Faiz Ahmad Faiz
- Agha Shorish Kashmiri
- Ibn-e-Insha
- Ahmad Faraz
- Saadat Hasan Manto
- Josh Malihabadi
- Sahir Ludhianvi
- Amrita Pritam
- Munshi Premchand
- Majrooh Sultanpuri
- M. D. Taseer
- Krishan Chander
- Ismat Chughtai
- Ahmad Rahi
- Muneer Niazi
- Meeraji
- Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi
- Habib Jalib
- Kaifi Azmi
- Kamal Ahmed Rizvi
- Nasir Kazmi
- Professor Sayyid Sajjad Rizavi
- Ustad Amanat Ali Khan
- Dr. Muhammad Baqir
- Intezar Hussain
- Rajinder Singh Bedi
- Firaq Gorakhpuri
- Syed Qasim Mahmood
Pak Tea House was also the starting point for an important literary group called the Progressive Writers' Association. This group was known for its new ideas. Many writers visited the tea house. It was also a favorite spot for young people in Lahore who had different ways of thinking. The tea house was known as a place where people from all backgrounds could share their ideas freely.
In 1999, the owner closed Pak Tea House because it wasn't getting enough business. Many smart people in Lahore were upset by this decision. It stayed closed for 13 years.
Reopening the Café
On February 2, 2012, the Lahore High Court ordered that Pak Tea House be given back to the YMCA. In June 2012, the Punjab government announced that it wanted to reopen the tea house.
Finally, on March 8, 2013, Lahore's famous Pak Tea House reopened after 13 years! Many people attended the reopening, including the Pakistani writer Ata ul Haq Qasmi.
Today, Pak Tea House is still popular, especially with students. They say the food and snacks are good and not too expensive. The walls inside the tea house are now decorated with pictures of the many famous writers and thinkers who used to visit. Pak Tea House is located on Mall Road, close to Anarkali Bazaar. It remains a special place for those who remember Lahore's lively past in literature and culture.
