LAHORE, July 27: The Government College University (GCU) arranged an evening at its Bokhari Auditorium on Wednesday to pay a tribute to a distinguished Old Ravian and poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz in connection with his centennial birth anniversary celebrations.

Members of GCU’s Dr Nazir Ahmed Music Society presented several ghazals and nazms of Faiz which were composed by Tariq Suleman Khan Farani while Debating Society’s members presented an oratorical rendition of Faiz’s verses in the tradition of the legendary Zulfiqar Bokhari and Zia Mohyuddin.

GCU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Khaleequr Rehman said that Fiaz was poet of humanity, love and resistance against oppression. He said Allama Iqbal and Faiz are the trail-blazers who led the nation in direction of Muslim renaissance.

“The supremacy of human values and intellect is the essence of their thought which has the potential to revive the tradition of excellence historically attributed to Muslim scientists and thinkers like Imam Ghazali, Al Bairuni, Abne Haithum and Al-Razi,” he added.

Dr Ali Madeeh Hashmi paid a glowing tribute to his grandfather. He recalled that Faiz’s father and Allama Iqbal were contemporaries at the University of Cambridge.

Noted critic Dr Saadat Saeed said that four eminent Old Ravians – Maulana Muhammad Hussain Azad, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and N.M. Rashid – advocated the glory of 1,000 years of Muslim civilisation in India, Islamic renaissance, humanism and modernism, respectively. He stressed the need to conglomerate the four traditions so as to pave the way for prosperous future for Pakistan, Ummah and humanity at large.

GCU Urdu Department chairperson Dr Shafiq Aajmi threw light on the literary, social and melodious aspects of Faiz’s work. Later, the vice-chancellor presented shields to the guest speakers.