At the KC admissions, we were greeted by the principal Miss Mangat Rai. She looked elegant in her sari and had an air of dignity in everything she said or did. She welcomed us to the KC family. Upon completing the formalities, we walked around the campus, bought cokes from the open air tuck shop and settled down on the circular bench skirting the banyan tree. My mind's eye, as I write, conjures up us six friends on the bench talking excitedly yet nervously, unsure of what this transition would mean.

The driveway in the old days was close to the front lawn. The red brick buildings housing the staff room, administrative offices and classrooms have weathered many changes. To the right of the lawn was the Red House, now no more, that housed the hostel dining room and first year students. Towards the back of the lawn is the fountain and the assembly hall.

Venturing past the hall, veering to the right, is the sports field, and past that is the new administration building with a pleasing lobby decorated with ethnic tiles. A quadrangle in the centre of this building adds to its charm. The grand amphitheatre, also a new addition, is imposing and yet intimate when filled with spectators. I can almost see the Romans in their robes walking on its steps! The old 'A' and 'B' hostels still accommodate students. The campus has a circular feel and radiates a beckoning and welcoming embrace. To my fancy, it feels like a pulsating heart throbbing with the motto “Light Courage Love”.

The Punjabi woman, born at the beginning of the 19th century, saw startling changes in her way of life. The dream of a higher institution of learning for the women of Lahore and the Punjab was realised in October 1913 when the first Intermediate class (FA) was started at Kinnaird. It was the only women's liberal arts college in the Punjab from 1913 to 1922.

The year 1947 was traumatic for the inhabitants of the Punjab and so too for Kinnaird. The college closed in early summer with 230 — Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Sikhs — and opened in newly-born Pakistan with only 22 students, four of whom were Muslim and the rest Christians. There was just a skeleton staff.

Kinnaird before Partition provided education to many diverse faiths. The students ate in the same dining hall, accommodated each other's dietary laws and respected each other's festivals. When the civil riots broke out at Partition, the hostel students had to be protected until they could be safely sent back to their homes.

It is ironic that during the 1971-72 East Pakistan war, the students were very prejudiced against the Bengali girls who came under attack from the West Pakistani girls. The guardians of the Bengali students had to take the girls under their own protection, as their safety could not be guaranteed in the hostel. This was in sharp contrast to what happened at Partition when the Muslim girls protected the Hindu and Sikh students. Now, it was the Muslim students who attacked their fellow Muslims.

The woman who nurtured Kinnaird College in the early years, was the principal, Miss Priobala Mangat Rai. She and other stalwarts such as Mrs Najmuddin and Miss McNair shaped the character of several generations of students. These early ladies created a lasting role model for the KC girls, teaching them dignity, femininity and graciousness along with intellectual curiosity. Ms Mangat Rai had a unique gift of expression. She would close the morning prayer with, “Now let us pray for our four-footed furry friends”. No animal rights activist could have phrased it better!

Miss Mangat Rai, affectionately known as “Mungo”, was principal from 1950 to 1969. KC allows its faculty and students a freedom to choose, to make their own decisions, and to follow their own conscience. Mungo's words, “Freedom is what makes a teacher. A teacher has the freedom to discuss and express her ideas within the four walls of the classroom. When students are admitted to a college, it is presumed that they are mature enough to listen to varied ideas expressed by different teachers and make their own judgments and decisions. When there are no more teachers, society dies,” are well worth remembering today.

In September, 1972, Kinnaird College was nationalised. All the missionary teachers were asked to leave (only a government servant could be a teacher) and a terrible vacuum ensued.

Mrs Mira Phailbus, who was a geography teacher at the time, was appointed principal. She kept the college and its traditions alive by maintaining a steady focus and a clear vision. A core of Pakistani teachers remained and Mira and these teachers managed to maintain the standards of the college. She recruited the right kind of staff and offered in-service training and self study for new teachers sent by the bureaucracy. Funds were low (as the funds which poured into the college from the missions stopped). The whole financial system had to be revamped.

The morning assembly, in the KC hall, is a very special time of day when faculty and students congregate. It starts with a recitation from the Quran followed by readings from the Bible. Hymns, a rich heritage from the early days, are sung. Inspirational hymns, such as, “Courage brother do not stumble though thy path be dark as night, there's a star to guide the humble,trust in God and do the right,” unite the gathering. The principal reads a passage for contemplation, or a story or parable and says a few words on morals and ethics.

Kinnaird has made a great contribution to Pakistani society. With the entry of women into the work force, KCites have broken ground in many fields architecture, aviation, art, couture, human rights, and so on. In Lahore, wherever one goes, banks, boutiques, businesses, one often finds a KC girl there. The women of the Punjab have come a long way. When the principal, Miss McNair, was asked to introduce home economics she opted instead to open the science block saying, “I want our KC graduates to be as much at home behind a desk as a stove.”

Kinnaird holds to the principle that everyone has a right to a good education. It is not just a college for the elite. It has always accepted and encouraged girls from different strata, such as a chowkidar's or a cook's daughter. In addition to merit, admission criteria include, minorities, need, and self-financing, which allows students to buy their way in by donating an extra sum to obtain admission. Self-financing was introduced to overcome financial shortfalls.

The college has never required its students to wear a uniform. It believes that good grooming, dressing, a sense of style are essential ingredients in a woman's make up. Some girls today are taking on hijab, which has caught on. An old student remarked, “In our day we were throwing away the chaddar and now girls are taking it on!”

In the old days, the hostel girls went for swimming at 5.00am to FC College (as KC did not have its own pool). The time was picked so the girls would have privacy. However, the FC boys, undeterred by the early hour, would be found peeping over the walls. A further tribute to the FC boys' agility was visible when the KC girls went by van to the United Christian Hospital (UCH) for their nursing practical classes. The way to the old UCH was through FC College. TheFCboys would be seen ensconced on the trees waving to the girls.

Mrs Najmuddin, the doyen of English theatre in Lahore, established high standards for the KC Dramatic Society. Her spirit still lives in their performances. The KC annual play is an eagerly awaited event on the Lahore cultural calendar. The grand old tradition set by Mrs Naj that gentlemen when attending the KC play must be accompanied by a lady is still adhered to. The recent, Diya Jalta Hai (hope lives on) attempted to expand the metaphor of the female consciousness and human rights, Shake speare's A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Tempest to name a few, have wrought their magic on Lahore audiences.

Many KCites have won fame and acclaim. To name but a few, there is the internationally acclaimed writer Bapsi Sidhwa, the courageous human rights activist Asma Jahangir, the much loved film actress Kamini Kaushal and Madeeha Gauhar, who has poured her considerable talents into bringing drama to Lahore and the subcontinent.

Life is change. However, students remain the same generation after generation, fresh, eager to learn and grow. Students, when treated with respect, give appreciation to their teachers and challenge and invigorate them.

One of the major differences between the KC of the '60s and '70s and today is the increase in the number of students. Though the concern between students and teachers can boil down to numbers yet the tradition of a KC family endures. Students are a product of the world around them and globalisation is changing the world and modern influences are coming in its wake. The young have it easy as compared to the early post-partition generation of students and this makes for a change in attitude.

The impact of Kinnaird and its values was best expressed by a Hindu student who left Lahore in 1947. She wrote, “Kinnaird was a college with a heart large enough to give to each of its students. I left KC with a sense of gratitude, and a strong desire to repay this debt of love as a personal obligation to society wherever I might find myself in life.” Indeed, the bonds KCites build and their pride in their badge endures throughout their lives.