Recently, the Pakistan government decided to restore veteran actor Dilip Kumar’s 100-year-old ancestral house in Peshawar which is now in shambles, reports National Herald. The Department of Archaeology in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province has decided to allocate funds to purchase the building and maintain it as a historical site. Over the years, the house had faced several demolition threats but the archaeology department wanted to preserve it for its historical significance.
The 97-year-old actor took to Twitter to share pictures of his ancestral home which were originally posted by Pakistani journalist Shiraz Hassan, reports The Indian Express.
Thank you for sharing this. Requesting all in #Peshawar to share photos of my ancestral house (if you’ve clicked the pic) and tag #DilipKumar https://t.co/bB4Xp4IrUB
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) September 30, 2020
He further asked people online to share pictures if they could and some did! Have a look at some of the pictures here:
Have a look at the tweets here:
#DilipKumar House, Peshawar @TheDilipKumar #Peshawar #KhyberPakhtunkhwa pic.twitter.com/D9pOxXfztO
— Muhammad Islam Khan Mohmand (@Kamunicationist) September 30, 2020
#DilipKumar House Peshwar @TheDilipKumar pic.twitter.com/fSnXPHvtIM
— Abdul Qayum Afridi (@abdulqayum6) October 1, 2020
— Nomadict (@Enzimam) October 1, 2020
— Nomadict (@Enzimam) October 1, 2020
And here is a look of your house in moving images.
I tired going inside as well but the condition didn't allow me. pic.twitter.com/BkPB71joYr— Nomadict (@Enzimam) October 1, 2020
#DilipKumar house that is located in Peshawar. @TheDilipKumar
@chintskap #Peshawar
M your big fan. ALLAH bless u with health ameen. Or inshallah app bohat jaldi Pakistan be visit karin. ALLAH bless u with long life. Love from Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/gE4aByKUCN— Hassaan A Chishti 🇵🇰 (@ChishtH) September 30, 2020
Old House of @TheDilipKumar in Peshawar. #DilipKumar pic.twitter.com/rO7oBLnOAF
— Jawad Khan Yusufzai (@Jawad_Yusufzai) September 30, 2020
Being overwhelmed after seeing the pictures, Dilip Kumar went on to share some of his fondest memories of living in his Peshawar home. He remembered his grandfather’s piggyback rides, his grandmother’s stories, the spacious kitchen in which his beautiful mother cooked, the prayer room, terrace, and the engaging stories of a storyteller who sat near Qissa Khwani Bazaar.
Read his tweets here:
#DilipKumar's sentiments on his ancestral house in #Peshawar. (2011) -FF
1/n I am at once full of fond remembrances of my parents, grandparents and numerous uncles, aunts and cousins who filled the house with the sounds of their chatter and hearty laughter.— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020
2/n My mother who was frail and delicate was always in the spacious kitchen of the house and as a little boy I would wait for her to finish her chores so that I could just sit by her side and gaze at her beautiful face.
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020
3/n I have memories of the sitting room where the family gathered for high tea in the evenings, the large room where the ladies prayed, the terrace, the bedrooms, everything.
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020
4/n I can vividly recall the piggy rides on my grandfather’s back and the scary stories my grandmother cooked up to forbid me from wandering out of the house alone.
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020
5/n I have lovely memories of Qissa Khwani Bazaar, where I received my first lessons in story telling, which later provided the impetus to choose meaty stories and scripts for my work.
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020
6/6 Every day as the trading closed in the market of Qissa Khwani Bazaar, a story teller would sit in the centre of the square narrating stories of valour and victory, deceit and retribution which I would listen to with wide- eyed attention, seated next to my father and uncles.
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020
Not just Dilip Kumar’s house, but also Raj Kapoor ancestral home, known as Kapoor Haveli, is to be turned into a heritage museum. Isn’t this wonderful news? Such beautifully made houses who have survived the tides of time deserve to be preserved with care!