This set of photographs from F.E. Chaudhry depict the news journalist side of Chacha‘s portfolio.
In February 1961, Queen Elizabeth II, toured India, Iran, Nepal and Pakistan on her first ever tour of countries outside Europe. She arrived in Pakistan on 11th February, and was received at the airport by Govenor, Nawab Kalabagh Khan. As a staff reporter of The Pakistan Times, F E Chaudhry covered her entire visit, but only two pictures are presented here.In the first picture, taken at the Lahore airport, where out of hundreds who gathered to cheer the Queen, only a select group of high profile politicians and bureaucrats are being introduced to the Queen. Bowing the head by gentleman in the suit while shaking hands with the Queen is only contrasted by the forced head bowing of two durbans holding spears at the entrance while clasping their hands in submission in the second picture, as Queen oblivious to their menial presence, is being escorted by the leading ladies to the Lahore Fort.
If the first picture projects an image of a modern, progressive nation, capable of hosting international dignitaries, the second picture deliberately re-creates a royal Indian past to highlight its ancient culture, with staged presence of durbans in Mughal costumes in a backdrop of a medieval fort built by the mighty Mughals, however, both joined by their acceptance of Western cultural and political domination revealed in the servile posturing of noted figures that frame the pictures and our history.
Click here for the evolving F.E. Choudhry Gallery at ATP.
The gentleman shaking the Queens hand happens to be my father. He was the company manager for Bata shoe Batapur and was from Czechoslovakia. Just paying respects to a foreign dignitary and he was invited by the local government. Funny thing is, I think Choudhry probably was trying to capture the mayor of Lahore who I believe is to my father’s right and just happened to capture my father shaking her hand.
Other than Alvi Sb, most people–esp Nadeem Omar and my friend YLH–need to get a grip. The faux Mughal style is our own ‘indigenous’ servility and the man bowing does appear to be her own ‘gora’ subject. Are any of you seriously going to tell me that we treat our servants/’inferiors’ better than the British did theirs?
@ Pervaiz Munir Alvi,
You remembered Zia as “Prince of darkness”, calling him
Prince, is devotional, A Prince is a Prince, yes, and what
about the Prince of Lumiaires & enlightenement, what
does he do ?? or what are they doing ???
Yes… one would do well to contrast these pictures with how Jinnah sho0k hands with Viceroys, Prime Ministers and even “King Emperors”.
He was always upright straight and statesmanly.
This shows that our decline had already started.
The bowing gentleman shaking hand with her majesty in the receiving line at the airport appears to be one of her own subjects. The two ‘positioned’ gate men in costume at the Lahore Fort appear to be a crude ‘enactment’ on part of her hosts. In first situation the gesture is part of British pompous protocol. In second situation the gesture is simply a Pakistani bureaucratic stupidity. This reminds me of ‘prince of darkness’, General Zia-ul-Haq. He also used to bow in front of other heads of states while greeting them. I also recall pictorial of Queen’s visit to Pakistan in magazine called ‘Mirror’. Those pictures were colored and not black and white like these. My favorite picture was that of Queen and the Nawab descending ornate steps at some dinner reception in Lahore. The man was brutal but he always showed class. He was not the ‘bowing’ kind. Queen or no Queen.