Shyamhari Chakra
In a rare gesture of honour for India, the Pakistan Government has come forward to conserve ancestral homes of iconic Indian film personalities Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar.
Both the legends were born in Peshawar city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. They had moved to Mumbai before the partition.
The Department of Archaeology of the province has decided to provide the required funds for purchase and conservation of the two buildings.
The owners have demanded about Rs.200-crore from the provincial government to sell the property.
Late Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home, known as Kapoor Haveli, is located in Qissa Khwani Bazaar. It was built between 1918 and 1922 by his grandfather Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor. Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor were born at this Haveli.
Similarly, Dilip Kumar’s ancestral house, also located in the same Bazaar, is more 100 years old. The building, in dilapidated condition, was declared as national heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif Government.
Both the historic buildings have faced demolition threat for long as the owners have made repeated attempts to demolish the houses and construct commercial complexes.
It was well-known actor late Rishi Kapoor, son of legendary Raj Kapoor, who had requested the Pakistan Government to preserve his father’s birth-place that carries the Kapoor legacy.
In 2018, Pakistan government decided to convert the Kapoor Haveli into a museum.
Conservation of both the buildings assume enough importance for the Pakistan Government as they are a part of the nation’s cultural heritage, the media has reported quoting officials related to the conservation initiatives.
The Department of Archaeology in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province will allocate sufficient funds needed to buy the two buildings as they have been declared as national heritage by the provincial government, the reports stated.
The city of Peshawar houses around 1800 structures which are more than 300 years old, it was learnt.
