Written by: Mahnaz Shujrah
Posted on: May 12, 2020 | 
| 中文
The GCU Main Building
Lahore is often called the “City of Gardens”, but for centuries it is also served as the center of arts, culture, and most importantly, education. Today, the city is home to some of the most prestigious institutions in the country, many of them dating back to the pre-Partition colonial period. One of the most iconic of these is the Government College of Lahore, which in 2002 was granted the status of a university, and is now called Government College University (GCU).
Built over 56 acres, the most distinct feature of the institution is its magnificent, gothic architecture, with pointed arches and ornate carvings. New additions were made to the campus over time, and some sections of the university are in a precarious condition, but the main building is well maintained. Many parts of the campus have been renamed after notable alumni, such as Iqbal Hostel or Salam Hall.
The Main GCU Hall
The college started out in the haveli of Raja Dhyan Singh, and later it was moved to two other locations due to the increasing student strength. GC was finally moved to its current building in 1877, in a park known as ‘Soldier’s Garden’. The four-story clock tower soon became a historic landmark of the city. Other main features of the campus are the Amphitheatre, the Oval Ground and Main Library.
A View of Government College, Lahore in 1880
GCU functions as a public university, located in the heart of colonial Lahore. Originally GC was an affiliate of the University of Calcutta, but in 1882 its affiliation was changed to the University of Punjab. The idea behind GC was to educate the local intelligentsia and create a widespread academic and scholarly spirit.
The initial class of 1868 had only nine students. A professor of Arabic and Islamic Law, Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner became the first principal of the college in 1864. Leitner would go on to become the founder of the Punjab University in 1882. Today, the university offers about 30 academic subjects, and is divided into five distinct schools. Taking a language course was compulsory; the options were Persian, Arabic, Chinese, and French. This is because Leitner was a linguist, and placed a great deal of emphasis on languages, especially Arabic and Persian.
A GC Classroom in 1947
Students from all over Pakistan constitute the diverse student body that is now over 12,000 strong. But even before Partition, when the student body was smaller, students from all over India would venture to Lahore for high-quality education and the academically rich culture of Lahore. Lists of students awarded with honor rolls and images of some of the outstanding students who have graduated from the GC still hang on its walls.
GCU is the proud alma mater of many notable individuals from diverse fields and has produced two Nobel Prize winners: Abdus Salam in Physics and Har Gobind Khorana in Chemistry. Some other luminaries produced by GC are Allama Iqbal, Khushwant Singh, Patras Bokhari, Sufi Tabassum, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Nawaz Sharif and the brilliant first foreign minister of Pakistan, Sir Zafarullah Khan.
The Philosophy Society of GC between 1922-23, with Allama Iqbal in the Center
I became familiar with the GC while I was reading a biography on Faiz, who graduated in Arabic for BA and did his MA in English between 1929-1933. It was during this period that he wrote some of his first poems, published in the prestigious literary journal “Ravi”. The graduates of the institute proudly call themselves “Ravians”, inspired the River Ravi nearby. There used to be frequent mushairas, and Iqbal was invited as chief guest in 1931. Faiz had written a poem about Iqbal, and Professor Sufi Tabassum insisted that young Faiz recite it. Even though he panicked initially, later when Faiz recited the poem, it was very well received both by the audience as well as Iqbal.
Faiz Ahmed Faiz with Dr. Nazir Ahmed at GC
Conversations with alumni from different generations give an idea of how the culture of GCU has evolved. It had a strong Debating Society, the Government College Dramatic Club or GCDC, college teams for sports like cricket, swimming, tennis, and athletics. Madeeha Gauhar cut her teeth in theater acting while performing for the GCDC. There was an emphasis on extracurricular actives, and those who excelled in academics, debating, and writing were put on the roll of honor, while those who excelled in any sport earned the college blazer. The annual sports competitions were held in the oval ground, while the annual cricket match between Islamia College and the GC was a well-entrenched tradition, generating a friendly competitive spirit between the two institutions.
The student body, which was only 2000 in 1962 has grown six fold-since, which has brought about changes in the administration and development of GCU. The relationships between the highly qualified and dedicated professors and their students was one of the most distinguishing features of the institution, but over the years, the older faculty has faded away.
However, the energy and enthusiasm of the students still remain. The nature of higher education has evolved, becoming more competitive and therefore, grade-oriented. The new ethos requires the faculty to publish or perish, and as the classes and student body has grown since its initial days, professors have less time for interaction with students outside the classrooms. The more relaxed atmosphere where the students were nurtured to develop intellectually and culturally through extracurricular activities was associated more with GC when it was still a college.
The Amphitheatre at GCU
While GCU may not be what it was, it has to be celebrated as a pillar in the history of education in Pakistan, with a rich legacy of traditions and a galaxy of very eminent alumni.
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