The grand wheel of time always moves on.The present
glories of culture and people fades out to be buried under sand of time. Today I
am trying to uncover a nostalgia memory of “Café De Laila”. Recalling those days,
when “Café De Laila” was a fanfare ,full of life, laughs, full of aroma of
boiing tea. Those were were the days crowded with chai lover’s. Group of
students, university office staff used to sit on antiquated chairs in wait of
their cupp of Garam Chai.
Café De Laila lies near Students Union building and
in between Stat Bank of India AMU branch and Arabic Deptt
named Ali bagh . The arched door with an iron gate leads into a small compound
with a lazy earthy ambience. Now it has a “sarkari saste ghalle ki dukan”.
On those days V.C and administrative office was in
SS. Hall (South), down and up stairs of Victoria gate. So the nearest tea dhaba
was “Café De Laila”.
Café De Laila was started in 1933 by AMU Aligarh. First
it was managed by Mr. Abdul Hafeez. Once upon a time; it was one of the most
visited canteen of the campus of Aligarh Muslim University. It enjoyed the
regular flow of students.
87 Years passed.
“Guzra huwa waqt wapas nahi aata bus yaden rah jati hain”. Generations
graduated after each other, they sipped here Garam Chai, laughed, involved in
literary conversations and some time hot discussions too. They took something
else apart from their degrees from this place: the unending love for tea.
Canteen Café De laila was allotted to run on tender
basis. Last owner was Mr Nisar Ahmad of Meerut. After 1917, university stopped
tendering. Then it was closed. University is planning some new construction over
this plot.
Then the chai was always served brewed in a white
porcelain teapot and matching cups and saucers! Famous for Matri-omelette,
half-fry eggs, oily parathas and the well-known over-steeped tea of Aligarh,
Kam shakkar Tez patt, mean storng tea.
On a lazy day I entered inside box shaped small
building of Café De Laila. Seeing this abandoned desolated Café De Laila, I was
shocked. “Aise veerane men ek din ghut ke mar jayenge hum”.
Topi Shukla
and Café De Laila
Topi Shukla a Hindi
novel written by Rahi Masoom Raza (He too was an Alig) in 1987. Topi Shukla is
main character of this novel. Interesting that “Café De Laila” ,has a mention
in this novel too.
टोपी शुक्ला बनारस से अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम विवि में शोध करने जाता है और प्रो. इफ्फन के घर रहने लगता है। प्रोफेसर की पत्नी से उसकी मित्रता जरूर है लेकिन मुस्लिम लीग की दो राष्ट्रवादी थ्योरी को वह समझ नहीं पाता।
टोपी शुक्ला, एक अत्यन्त प्रभावपूर्ण और मर्म पर चोट करने वाली कहानी है। टोपी शुक्ला ऐसे हिन्दुस्तानी नागरिक का प्रतीक है जो मुस्लिम लीग की दो राष्ट्रवाली थ्योरी और भारत विभाजन के बावजूद आज भी अपने को विशुद्ध भारतीय समझता है – हिन्दू–मुस्लिम या शुक्ला, गुप्त, मिश्रा जैसे संकुचित अभिधानों को वह नहीं मानता।
ऐसे स्वजनों से उसे घृणा है जो वेश्यावृत्ति करते हुए ब्राह्मणपना बचाकर रखते हैं, पर स्वयं उससे इसलिए घृणा करते हैं कि वह मुस्लिम मित्रों का समर्थक और हामी है। अन्त में टोपी शुक्ला ऐसे ही लोगों से कम्प्रोमाइज नहीं कर पाता और आत्महत्या कर लेता है। यह उपन्यास आज के हिन्दू–मुस्लिम सम्बन्धों को पूरी सच्चाई के साथ पेश करते हुए हमारे आज के बुद्धिजीवियों के सामने एक प्रश्नचिद्द खड़ा करता है।
“Iffan ke yahan uska
aana janaa itna badha ki shamshad market, staff club, cafe de phoos aur“Café De
Laila” men iski baate hone lagi”(From Topi
Shukla)
Every door and wall of University has story attached to
it, waiting to be told by someone, and one among them is “Café De Laila”.
Entering Café de Laila through its mausoleum-like door is like travelling back
in time.
Recalling memories from 70’s.On those days, there was no
any building by its side but a big open space. It lies just behind “3 university
road” (now admission Section) and Administrative block.
The grand spacious
bunglow “3-University Road”, was housed by Dr Abdul Aleem Saheb, Chairman
Department of Arabic (1956-1968). Later He became Vice Chancellor (1968-1974)
of AMU. Aligarh.
On those days there
was a small opening in boundary wall and that was the shortest way for Aleem
saheb to go on foot from his residence ‘3-University Road” to departmet in
Zahoor Ward.
It was culture and
Tahzib of those days that Aligs there sipping chai, used to stand and raise
hands for a salam, and Aleem saheb used to pass with a light smile on his face.
Poet Majaz
and “Café De Laila”. Har Sham Hai Sham- e- Misr Yahan”
Those were the golden period of
Aligs culture, when “Café De Laila” used to be common meeting point of
intellectuals, poets, writers of those days, like Majaz, jazbi, Jan Nisar
Akhtar, Akhtar-u-l Iman, ‘Akhtar Husain Raipuri’, ‘Sibt-e-Hasan’, ‘Hayat-ul-lah
Ansari’, ‘Sa’adat Husain Manto’, ‘Al-e-Ahmad Suroor’, ‘Ali Sardar Jafri’,Qazi
Abdus Sattar,Sharyar,etc and many more.“Har Sham Hai Sham- e- Misr
Yahan”
Speaking of Majaz, he is credited to have coined the name
of the oldest tea joint in Aligarh, Café de Laila. The legend goes that he had
initially named it Alif Laila, when it was first established in 1933.
It is said that: A British Professor had then changed it
to Café de Laila. The owner of the establishment, recounts that
he bought the café in 1991 from Abdul Hafeez, because Hafeez’s son “chai ka
karobaar samajhte the, zayeka nahin” (he understood the business of tea, but
not its taste).
Aligarh had a tahzeeb which slowly disappeared with Dhaba
culture! Sir Syed Ahmed Khan did not have material possession but he had his
vision which made him work hard even in old age. You have given dreams to the
Aligs that the AMU can be among the best in India and in the World.
Once upon a time, Aligarian Tahzeeb and Traditions were
followed religiously by students. The proper dress code, well polished shoe to
properly combed hair.
They used to maintain their “class”, not wearing chappals
on road. Of late, this “class” has been replaced by a “mass
approach” which has promoted the out growth of roadside dhabas all around
the University campus.
“Café De Laila” culture is over, it is replaced by an
unending Dhabas. Have a stroll in campus from Shamshad Market to Purani
chungi. You will find major part of the market resting under the shades of
Banyan trees.
What strikes first, is the unhygienic roadside tea stalls. Hordes
of students sitting and chatting at these dhabas in Shamshad Market, Purani
Chungi. Other iconic Dhaba zones are Zakariya Market, Dodhpur and even Tasveer
Mahal.
We Aligs had stopped dreaming like that for decades. Gone
were the days of glory when AMU gave the leaders of international stature to
the world. Now we are too proud to have given Azam Khan, which is also a story
of AMU several decades ago. We should not settle for anything
The End
