EXPRESSION of one’s extreme love and respect for something may take many shapes but Prof Abdul Kabir’s love and regard for his historic alma mater, the Islamia College, Peshawar, is turning into a beautiful wooden model spreading over 80.6 sq-ft with minute details of the 100-year-old structure, which is a medley of the Mughal and British architecture.

Resident of district Mardan, 71-year-old Prof Kabir got retirement from the Cadet College Kohat and opened a private school for children near his home to continue contributing to the society in terms of imparting quality education but his tastes are varied and strange.

Since his early childhood he used to play with different tools and would at times end up with an iron or wooden structure, but his desire to shape up things from paper and wooden planks turned into love for getting a command over grammatical structure of Arabic and English languages. His linguistic engineering did work. He qualified graduation in theology from Islamia College, Peshawar, in 1965 and later did masters in philosophy from the University of Peshawar. For a short sojourn in early 1960s, he had been to Bahawalpur University for studying Islamic jurisprudence.

When he heard about the centenary celebrations of the Islamic college, Peshawar, being an old Islamian Prof Kabir restlessly began thinking how to show his love and respect for the abode of his good old days. He recalled that Islamia College being the perpetual fountain of knowledge and enlightenment has endowed him like thousands others with its education drenched in progressivism and a forward-looking vision. After days of deliberations, he came up with the idea of presenting a tribute in the shape of a wooden model that should reflect a wholesome regard of an old Islamian. First he prepared a mini model so that he could judge how much effort he needed to put in for the proposed project.

To execute the project, he made several hectic visits to the Islamia College for taking measures of the whole structure including its window panes, domes, balconies, canopies and every minute projection visible in the building, this was very important for giving a real touch to the model.

“As I had already made models of the mosque of the Cadet College Kohat and of the Holy Ka’aba I thought that making a wooden model of the historic Islamia College would be a befitting tribute to my great alma mater. I have spent the best of my student days at the ICP. Had I not been there, I too would have been a village mullah with a tunnel vision. Teachers of the yore days were graceful and paragon of virtues, they were not interested in money making and they were eager to impart knowledge. A slight wink from them would suffice for students. We could not dare to see eye-to-eye with our teachers,” Prof Kabir reminisced.

Narrating one such incident, he said: “At Rahim Shah ward (a hostel reserved for students of Islamic studies), once the librarian of ICP arranged a musical night for satisfying my urge for sitar playing. Despite our efforts to keep the volume of sitar limited to our room, our hostel warden sensed the commotion and knocked at the door of our room. He said, Abdul Kabir you too! And with these words he went back and since then I have never listened music. Such was the grandeur and glory associated with the teachers,” he added.

The wooden structure is being made of cane planks comprising 127 beautiful domes lending a magical look to the model. According to Prof Kabir, over 70 per cent work has been completed. It will be transported on an open trolley or truck to the college’s Rooskeppel Hall for public display at the culmination ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the ICP in October this year.

“It cost me only a few thousands rupees but I will not sell it even if someone offers me million rupees as I have spent my precious time on its making in this scorching heat and through chilly winter nights. Once it goes on display, I hope it will be a worth-seeing sight,” Prof Kabir concluded.