Gawalmandi

Whenever there is a talk about Gawalmandi Street, the question of where it got its unique and diverse food palette from comes to mind.

According to Khwaja Shakeel, the chairman of gawalmandi Food Street, Gawalmandi is full of people from different cities such as Amritsar etc. who migrated and then settled here. Those people included different craftsmen as well as some businessmen. However, after migration, there was unemployment for these families which led to them setting up small shops in front of their houses to earn. While the craftsmen used their skills to earn money, a few individuals set up food shops to make a living.

These small food stands eventually grew larger in number until there were shops offering something unique at every corner of the street. For example, gram flour coated fried fish was introduced by the Sikhs who had migrated from Amritsar. This came to be known as the ‘Sardar’ fish. 

Likewise, various types of barbeque and different kinds of falooda from families with pehelwan ancestry started gaining fame. Hareesa was introduced by the Kashmiris. All of these unique offerings brought diversity owing to the people from different areas who had migrated to gawalmandi and brought with them something special to offer.

Eventually, it got to a point where Gawalmandi became known for its delicious good in lieu of the fact that there were other businesses operating there as well. However, it was the food that distinguished it from the rest of the city. People from today’s generation use written recipes from books to cook, however, these were the people who were handed down taste from generations before

The first suggestion to transform Gawalmandi into a food street came in 2000 by some gourmets and the local government. It was suggested to give Gawalmandi a global identity. There was confusion among the people about it at first and the concept seemed alien to them. However, eventually everyone came around and the residential lands as well as businesses other than food were bought by the government for the transformation of Gawalmandi, all the while preserving the historical structure of the street. It was not before the American counsel general visited Gawalmandi that it really took off. 

He was mesmerized to see the diversity of people and food on the street. It was obviously contrary to his belief. Afterwards, ambassadors of different countries visited Gawalmandi and made it a tourist hub.

The Gawalmandi soon came to be known as the center of city’s traditional value after that. However, in 2011, under PML-N Punjab government, it was shut down with the justification that it blocked roads for citizens and tourists alike. At the same time, the historical gates built by rich Hindu, Sikh and Muslim families were also taken down.

 

In 2012, the government of Punjab compensated this loss by creating another food street on Fort Road. However, the fate of Gawalmandi still remained in the dark. As per surveys from local businessmen, 8000-10000 people running food businesses in Gawalmandi were affected by this action. 

Finally in 2013, Najam Sethi, the caretaker Punjab Chief Minister reopened Gawalmandi. He gave way to the importance of culture in this way. Today, Gawalmandi is back in business and is offering 100+ dishes from all around the country to its visitors. Gawalmandi had been a victim of political ignorance but is back on its feet again. It’s operating under proper quality control and set prices for the entire street. The local residents have started coming back and the security is up to mark as can be guessed by the fact that families feel safe to visit it even after midnight. Gawalmandi is famous again and is providing people with a taste of their history and culture.