It was 1887. Nineteenth century was coming to a close.
Sheikh Ghulam Ali, a school teacher, took retirement from his teaching career to set up a publishing house in Lahore.
At that time, publishing business, like all other businesses, was the exclusive domain of the Hindu community of Lahore. Hence, being a calligraphist, he started with calligraphy of the Holy Quran, chapter by chapter.
These calligraphic chapters of the Holy Quran, i.e. Siparas, laid the foundation of the publishing house. Sheikh Ghulam Ali himself saw his publishing house grow and thrive over the next half century. He passed away in 1938.