Harking back: The flogging of the Ravian spirit needs to be ended

There was a time when such an event made big news in Lahore. The Principal of GC was not only an Administrator, but a much quoted scholar, a sort of literary or scientific giant. But ever since this august institution was made a university it is a ‘normal’ event. But then Dr. Prof. Hassan Shah is a physicist of no mean distinction. A progressive mind and son of a progressive publisher of the Progressive Papers, whose ‘The Pakistan Times’ and ‘Imroze’ and ‘Lail-o-Nihar’ represented in the Punjab what Pakistan stood for, with a gent by the name of M.A. Jinnah being the patron. But the first military dictator sacked all progressive journalists and the second simply closed the establishment after flogging quite a few.

The same was the outcome earlier of the famous ‘Civil and Military Gazette’ of Lahore with many a journalist also being thrashed. So what is happening today in a way should not come as a surprise. But back to Dr Prof Hassan Shah. He represents probably our finest tradition that we have simply forgotten. It makes sense to recollect, with a few relevant comments to lighten matters. The founder of Government College, Lahore, was Prof Dr G W Leitner, who also founded the Punjab University and the Oriental College of Lahore. He is rated as the greatest linguist that ever lived, for he fluently spoke 17 languages. He was a professor at Kings College London at the age of 21 years.

Among his over 20 books are ‘The Science of Language and Ethnography’, ‘A Philosophical Grammar of Arabic’, ‘History of Dardistan’, ‘An Analysis of Abdul Ghafur’s dictionary and terms used for criminal tribes of the Punjab’, and, not to forget his masterpiece ‘History of Indigenous Education in the Punjab’, as well as books on the languages and customs of Gilgit, Chilas, Kunza (Hunza) and Chitral. But his amazing analysis of Islam as a religion comes in the form of three books, all masterpieces, which still stand out and are most quoted.

This I mention because once I tried, thanks to a Punjab MPA, to get Katchery Road that passes in front of GC, the Punjab University and Oriental College, all his creations, officially renamed as Leitner Road as a tribute to the great man. In the Punjab Assembly a minister by the name of the Honourable Rana Sanaullah condemned Leitner as having no knowledge of Islam. The Assembly record quotes him: “This illiterate enemy of Islam”. My response, more in disgust than anger, through a column was to recommend that he visit the Islamic Research Centre in Woking, U.K., which Leitner with his entire wealth built as the first mosque in England. Its research is outstanding. The resolution was killed. It was a demagogic victory of the illiterate and a reflection of the times in which we live.

Dr Prof Leitner was followed in GC by Prof T C Lewis, the great mathematician whose book ‘The Geometry of Confocul Conics’, revolutionised multi-dimensional geometry. He was followed by Dr C R Stulpnagel, whose classic ‘The Tribes and Castes of NW Provinces and Oudh’ contributed immensely to world understanding of sub-continental culture. His contribution to the science of numismatics is one of the most quoted in this field. Then came some outstanding principals like W Bell, Dallinger, and Robson and not to forget the great Prof J Stephenson, the biologist. His contribution includes the books ‘Indian Toxicology’ and ‘The Oligochaeta’. He translated the ‘Hadiqatu’ul Haqiqat’.

After him came Prof A S Hemmy, the physicist, and Prof HLO Garrett, whose outstanding books include ‘Sikh History’, ‘Mughal Rule in India’, ‘The GT Road” and a host of similar books. He was followed by Dr H B Dunnicliff, the famous chemist whose analysis on opium and other opiates are still acknowledged contributions. At this point we have the first Indian Principal Prof G D Sondhi, the sportsman and Trinity College, Cambridge, graduate. He was followed by Prof E Dickenson, the last of the British principals of GC who saw the Partition of 1947 come about.

The first Pakistani principal of GC was Prof Ahmed Shah Bokhari, famously known as Patras Bokhari. He was an outstanding writer whose humour still excites. His services later to the United Nations were outstanding. Following him was Prof U Kramet, Prof Sirajuddin, Prof Q M. Aslam and Prof Khawaja Manzur Hosain, for there never was a more polite principal.

In 1959 came the legendary Dr Nazir Ahmed, an outstanding zoologist and a Sufi, almost saintly. At the height of the Anti-Ayub Riots he defended his students by standing in front of police guns. “You shoot my children over my dead body” is what a newspaper headline then said. After him came Prof M Rashid, the economist. Prof Ashfaq Ali, Prof M A Khan and then came the famous psychologist Dr Muhammad Ajmal, whose nameplate outside his office said only: ‘Muhammad Ajmal’. I once asked him why he did not use the title Doctor and Professor. He took a long puff on his ever-present cigarette and replied: “To prevent people showing me their pulse”. He was followed by Sadiq Kalim, Fizaur Rehman and A M Awan. The appointment of Dr Khalid Aftab, the economist, saw a long 18-year stint, the longest ever, in which time in the year 2002 the college changed to a university.

This is an important phase for after remaining the country’s leading educational institution, for there was now considerable competition from public and private universities. The proliferation of universities saw a dip in the appeal of the ‘Ravian’ spirit. As Dr Khalid Aftab relinquished his post the second VC was Dr Ikramul Haq, who was within a few confused days was replaced by Prof Khaleequr Rehman. The post had by then been considerably degraded in the eyes of many, though career-minded teachers saw it as a step upwards. In 2015 came Dr Prof Syed Hassan Amir Shah, the physicist, who consolidated the Ravian spirit and added much to its reputation. His replacement has yet to be announced and there is already news of a part-time VC. Ever heard of a part-time VC? Well, in Pakistan anything can happen.

This just shows that there is a lot to be desired in the way universities, let alone the revered Government College, are handled by government. Imagine if the two famous universities of Britain – Cambridge and Oxford – had a part-time VC. It is an insult to the over 155 years of service to Lahore, to education, to the very fabric of higher education, to great names like Allama Iqbal, Abdus Salam, and to Faiz, Sufi Tabassum, Noon Meem Rashid, and to the thousands of great men this august institution has produced.

Surely all universities need to have a replacement in place three months before the revered seat is vacated. The criteria should be a man of outstanding scientific or literary stature not a career-minded boring teacher. Surely the time has come to challenge to rewrite the criteria and longevity of a Vice Chancellor. Great men have no age.