It is not possible for anyone passing by the historic building of Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi to move ahead without taking a look at it.
This building has an attraction that attracts everyone towards itself. On seeing this the mind goes towards the Mughal era. For this reason, it is said with full confidence that this was the first building in Karachi which was built in the Mughal style.
Hindu Gymkhana was constructed on the basis of the plan prepared by Agha Ahmed Hussain. It is said that he was the first Muslim architect of Karachi. He also prepared the plan of Mohatta Palace, another historical building of Karachi.
It is said that the layout of Hindu Gymkhana was inspired by the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula situated in Agra. Stones for the construction of walls were brought from Bijapur. The dome-like chhatris on the exterior of the building's roof are inspired by Fatehpur Sikri built by the Mughal emperor Akbar.
Chhatris are built over the octagonal corner minarets that surround the main projecting window on both sides. These clearly show the influence of Rajasthani architecture. Small chhatris have been built at the corners of the verandah. All these were characteristics of the architectural style that was prevalent during the era of Mughal emperor Akbar.
The British Government had given land on a 100-year lease for the Hindu Gymkhana in 1921. The construction of its building was completed in 1925. Hindu Gymkhana was built by the Hindu community. Seth Ram Gopal Govardhan Das Mohatta had the lead role in it. That is why it was named after him. His name still appears prominently on this building.
Seth Gopal Govardhan Das Mohatta's grandfather Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta built the historic Mohatta Palace in Karachi. A museum now exists there.
The main objective of the construction of Hindu Gymkhana was to provide a place to the Hindu community of that time where they could continue their social and cultural activities. At that time Hindu Gymkhana was like a club for the upper class Hindus of Karachi.
After establishment, Hindu Gymkhana was not just a center of social and cultural activities. He was also quite active in sports activities at that time. It had its own ground at that time. Various sports competitions were held there.
However, no first class match was ever played on this ground. At that time, first class matches in Karachi used to be held in Karachi Gymkhana. But the cricketers got constant encouragement from the stage of Hindu Gymkhana. The name of Naomal Geomal is also included in these.
Before the formation of Pakistan, many Hindu cricketers born in Karachi played first class cricket in that era. But there were four Hindu cricketers who were born in Karachi before the formation of Pakistan and played Test cricket for India. One of them also became the captain of the Indian team.
Naomal Geomal, born on 17 April 1904 in Karachi, has the honor of being the opener of the team that played India's first Test match at Lord's in 1932. His performance in the first class matches played in that tour was very good. He had scored the most runs after CK Nayudu.
Naomal had scored seven centuries in his first class career. His deep love for Karachi always remained. Even after the formation of Pakistan, he did not consider it appropriate to leave Karachi. He continued coaching in Karachi and was also a selector.
He went to India in 1971. He died there on 18 July 1980 at the age of 76. His son Hari Naumal also played three first-class matches for Karachi and Karachi Universities. Hari Naomal now lives in Munabao, Rajasthan at the age of 86.
Born in Karachi, Pannan Mal Punjabi played the early part of his first-class cricket career in Karachi. Later he went to India. That moment was very emotional for him, when he came to Pakistan with Vinoo Mankad's team in 1954-55.
Gogumal Kishanchand played five test matches for India. He became known for his excellent batting in school cricket in Karachi. He scored 15 centuries in first class cricket. He died in Baroda in 1997.
Among these four Hindu Test cricketers born in Karachi, Gulab Rai Ramchand also got the honor of captaining India in Test cricket. He played more Test matches than the other three cricketers, i.e. 33.
After the formation of Pakistan, a large number of Hindus went to India. Therefore, the control of Hindu Gymkhana also came to the Government of Pakistan. Over time its land was given to different institutions for different purposes.
In the sixties, Bhagwan Das Chawla, Seth Motan Das and Khubchand Bhatia had also launched a movement to hand over the Hindu Gymkhana to the Hindu community. According to government records produced in the courts, the original area of the Hindu Gymkhana was 39,178 square yards, which has now reduced to only 4,816 square yards.
During this period, land was given to the Police Department, Federal Service Commission and Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association. During the era of military ruler Zia-ul-Haq, a decision was taken to demolish the building of Hindu Gymkhana, but the Heritage Foundation intervened in time and saved it.
This matter is still pending in the Supreme Court. Ashok Motwani, vice-president of Shri Ratneshwar Mahadev Welfare Seva Mandali Samiti, located in Clifton area of Karachi, told BBC News Hindi, "In 2005, during the tenure of General Pervez Musharraf, as a special favor to Zia Mohiuddin, the original status of Hindu Gymkhana was abolished and the National Academy of Performing Arts was established there."
Dr. Ashok Motwani says, "In 2007, we had filed a petition in the Sindh High Court to hand over the Hindu Gymkhana to Hindus and remove the academy from here. After this, the matter went to the Supreme Court. This matter is pending in the Supreme Court since 2014."
In 2008, the Sindh government sent a notice to the National Academy of Performing Arts asking it to vacate the building. The court had also ordered to shift NAPA to some other place in 2018, however this could not be implemented.
Dr. Motwani says, "We just want to see the Hindu Gymkhana back in its original form. We are also citizens of Pakistan. We have not left this land and are staying here. Under the order of the Supreme Court, we keep organizing programs in the NAPA building on the occasions of our special festivals."
