GCU mourns on the death of Khushwant Singh

Lahore: Eminent Indian writer Khushwant Singh, 99, was the oldest living Ravian and all Old Ravians, students and faculty members of his alma mater Government College University, Lahore expressed deep condolences on his sad demise, said Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Khaleeq-ur-Rahman, Old Ravians Union President Kamran Lashari and Secretary Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt in their message on Thursday. They said they were very proud of Khuswant Sing and also wished that he could attend 150th year celebrations of GCU.

“I can never forget Anarkali and Government College, Lahore and their memories are still fresh in my mind,” said Kuswant Singh in his meeting GCU Chief Librarian Abdul Waheed last year in India and also wished to come to Lahore again.

Vice Chancellor Prof Khaleeq-ur-Rahman said the Khuswant Singh did his graduation from Government College, Lahore in 1934 and he wrote two articles; Macher (mosquito) and “School Eshq Di Fees” for the college’s literary magazine The Ravi in 1935.

ORU Secretary Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt said that Khuswant Singh had written a special article for a brochure of Old Ravians Union in 2004 on the occasion of the college’s 140th year celebrations and had expressed his deep love for his alma mater and Lahore. A delegation of Old Ravians had met Khuswant Singh in 2006 and he had shared all his memories of Government College, Lahore with Old Ravians. He had said that he wished to stay in Lahore but he had to leave the city after partition.

Khuswant Singh was contemporary of Urdu poet N.M Rahid at Government College Lahore and records showed that both writers had strong interaction during the student days and both used to write for the college magazine, The Ravi. Eminent poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz was leaving Government College, Lahore in 1932 after completing his maters, when Khuswant Sing joined it.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Khaleeq-ur-Rahman had given honorary membership of Old Ravians Union to the families of all Indian Old Ravains which included the family of Khuswant Singh.