'Roads shouldn't be robbed of pre-Partition identity'.

LAHORE -- History, particularly connected with people, depicts the past, present and future of a region, and therefore must be holistically written.

This was the upshot of brief speeches delivered by some eminent people of Lahore at the launch of a series of four books by Dawn columnist Abdul Majid Sheikh here at a local hotel on Friday.

The books of Mr Sheikh, a Lahorite who now teaches at Cambridge, are mainly a compilation of his columns that he has been writing for Dawn for many years. The titles of the books are The Probable Origins of Lahore and other Narrations, Stories on Ustad Daman, Edhi and Lahore's Sadhus, Lahore's Lost Walls and the Thin Girl with an Iron Will, and A Walk Through Time.

Veteran journalist and rights activist I.A. Rehman said Lahore was the most frequently plundered city in the world but its people survived because of their matchless resilience. They even learnt to wear jewellery with which they could easily escape in case of another attack.

Series of books on Lahore by Majid Sheikh launched

He said Mr Sheikh had developed his love for writing on Lahore from his father Mr Hamid Sheikh, one of the editors of The Pakistan Times. 'I worked with him and also learnt from him what Lahore was about. The author took over the column his late father used to write on Lahore [for The Pakistan Times] and produced wonderful series of books on the city,' he added.

Author and columnist Fakir Syed Aijazuddin said Mr Sheikh paid full attention to Lahore and was fully connected with all aspects of the historic city. Mr Sheikh had been regularly writing on Lahore; his work was research-based and a valuable record. Rudyard Kipling found in 1892 demolition of Taxali Gate for its bricks and said 'you are selling the stones but...