TDF GHAR

By Tanzeel Ali

December 24, 2021

The Dawood Foundation welcomes you to TDF Ghar , a home to reminisce the glorious history of Karachi. Under an old almond tree , with views of the Mazar-e- Quaid and original hand-crafted tiles , Hajiani Hanifa Bai’s 1930s home , is an enchanting sanctuary in the heart of old Karachi’s Jamshed Quarters. TDF Ghar has been transformed into a public space , to re-live the true spirit of the residents of this old cosmopolitan city , when it was truly a city of lights , of wide leafy boulevards, of opportunity , of discourse , of harmonious co-existence , where tolerence and diversity prevailed. Seeing TDF Ghar at Twilight, makes for a magical evening with views of the Bagh-e-Mazar e Quaid.

TDF Ghar is a microcosm to the modern city of Karachi. It tells the story of karachi that went to the hands of visionaries like Charles Napier and Nusserwanjee and blossomed one of the biggest city in the world. In 1843 , the British empire annexed Karachi as a district due to its key geopgraphical location. This simple dock soon become a welcoming port for ideas from around the globe. Latest inventions and developments poured in along with businessmen from every part of the world. And like its counterparts, karachi developed itself accordingly with roads and sanitations system. The police system (in karachi) was far more advanced than of any other in India . The city became crucial in connecting telegraphic communications between Europe and the Subcontinent .
Collected archive records show that this house was initially owned by a Hindu woman, Haribai Motiram, which she sold in April 1948 to Hanifabai Haji Gani for her daughter Aisha Bai Dawood in June 1948 for residential purposes.

TDF Ghar was build in 1920-30s based on a signatural architectural style approved by Karachi Municipal Corporation for Hyderabad Amil Cooperation Housing Society in Jamshed Quarters ( named after Jamshed Nusserwanjee ), a residential complex that Nusserwanjee developed specifically for a rapidly growing middle class segment of Karachi. The project marked the starting of urbanization of Karachi.

Maritsa 30 portable typewriter:

The Maritsa 30 is a portable typewriter from 1970s. The best known Bulgarian typewriter, brand name , Maritsa , comes from the deep river which runs through Plovdiv , the second largest city in Bulgaria , where the typewriters were made. Typewriters works in Plovdic produced several portable typewriters , starting with the Maritsa 11 and 21 ( a princess 300 clone , complete with ribbon colour selector and touch control switches ) and more independent designs, including the Maritsa 12,22,30 and 300.

Pay Phone ( Coin Telephone ):

In 1889 , the first public coin telephone was installed by inventor William Gray at a band in Hartford, Connecticut. It was a ‘’postpay’’ machine ( coins were deposited after the call was placed ). A pay phone is typically a coin-operated public telephone, often located in a telephone booth or a privacyhood, with pre-payment by inserting money , usually coins.

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