Miss-Delectable
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Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
LAHORE: The Goonga Hotel on Temple Road is a rendezvous for the physically and mentally challenged people.
People from various walks of life visit the hotel to enjoy hot tea and see the dumb and deaf communicating in sign language. The hotel was set up about 70 years ago. It gained popularity due to good quality of tea being offered here.
Some elderly people sitting at the hotel said the administrations of the hotel had maintained the quality of tea. Talking to Daily Times, Zafar Anayat, the current owner of the hotel, said that the hotel had been serving the poor and the disabled with good-quality tea for the last 70 years.
He said that Baba Eesa set up the hotel and soon it became a popular place. “After the death of Eesa, his son Hameed administered the stall. Hameed renamed it Yakoo’s hotel,” he added. He said that he was a waiter at the hotel when Hameed ran it. “I have been running the hotel for the last 22 years after the death of Hameed,” he added.
Mansoor, a regular visitor of the hotel, said that the hotel had a traditional significance and people visited the hotel to discuss their problems and politics.
Inam, an elderly waiter, said film stars of the past visited the hotel late into the night to enjoy tea.
He said that the hotel was a safe haven for the dumb and deaf and the rejected people. Pointing towards a mentally challenged man, he said that the man had been a well-known wrestler. “He was popularly known as Haji Pahalwan and was a close friend of Jhara Pahalwan,” Inam added. He said now Haji Pahalwan had become disabled and this hotel was a last asylum for him. Chaudhry Iftikhar, a political activist, said that visitors of the hotel discussed problems faced by Pakistan. “A unique feature of the hotel is that it remains open for 24 hours. People can visit the historical building anytime without tickets,” he added. He said members of the dumb and deaf cricket team of Pakistan also visited the hotel.
LAHORE: The Goonga Hotel on Temple Road is a rendezvous for the physically and mentally challenged people.
People from various walks of life visit the hotel to enjoy hot tea and see the dumb and deaf communicating in sign language. The hotel was set up about 70 years ago. It gained popularity due to good quality of tea being offered here.
Some elderly people sitting at the hotel said the administrations of the hotel had maintained the quality of tea. Talking to Daily Times, Zafar Anayat, the current owner of the hotel, said that the hotel had been serving the poor and the disabled with good-quality tea for the last 70 years.
He said that Baba Eesa set up the hotel and soon it became a popular place. “After the death of Eesa, his son Hameed administered the stall. Hameed renamed it Yakoo’s hotel,” he added. He said that he was a waiter at the hotel when Hameed ran it. “I have been running the hotel for the last 22 years after the death of Hameed,” he added.
Mansoor, a regular visitor of the hotel, said that the hotel had a traditional significance and people visited the hotel to discuss their problems and politics.
Inam, an elderly waiter, said film stars of the past visited the hotel late into the night to enjoy tea.
He said that the hotel was a safe haven for the dumb and deaf and the rejected people. Pointing towards a mentally challenged man, he said that the man had been a well-known wrestler. “He was popularly known as Haji Pahalwan and was a close friend of Jhara Pahalwan,” Inam added. He said now Haji Pahalwan had become disabled and this hotel was a last asylum for him. Chaudhry Iftikhar, a political activist, said that visitors of the hotel discussed problems faced by Pakistan. “A unique feature of the hotel is that it remains open for 24 hours. People can visit the historical building anytime without tickets,” he added. He said members of the dumb and deaf cricket team of Pakistan also visited the hotel.