LAHORE: Speakers at the conclusion of Faiz Week at the Government College University (GCU) said the true tribute to renowned poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz lies in building a culture where people can disagree without insult, respect ideological differences and uphold the dignity of others.

They said the Faiz’s tradition ultimately stood for tolerance, intellectual honesty and respect for others. The concluding ceremony was held at the GCU’s Patras Bukhari Auditorium.

The Faiz Week marked the 115th birth anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. It featured a series of literary and artistic competitions, drawing students from around 20 universities.

Poet Iftikhar Arif described Faiz as a rare figure whose life, poetry and conversation were in complete harmony, adding that he did not encounter any other person whose conduct matched his ideals as consistently as Faiz’s.

He said that a writer becomes universal only after being firmly rooted in his own land, language and people, saying Faiz’s global reach grew out of his local grounding.

He said that he never heard Faiz using abusive or disrespectful language about anyone, even in private gatherings, and that the poet consistently respected differences of opinion and ideology.

Painter, writer and social activist Saleema Hashmi recalled childhood visits to the the GCU (then Government College) campus and the imaginative world of its gardens and open spaces.

She also remembered taking part in an Urdu adaptation of an English play staged in the open-air theatre at the GCU, saying the campus has long served as a living space for performance and artistic experimentation.

Muniza Hashmi reflected on her family’s multi-generational connection to Government College, noting that her father, husband and sons studied there.

She also shared a childhood memory of visiting her father in jail and receiving a handwritten poem as a birthday gift, which she said remains a treasured keepsake.

Actor-writer Adeel Hashmi urged students to treat educational institutions as spaces of moral and intellectual formation. He said it was the responsibility of younger generations to carry forward the work and words of their elders.

In his address, GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Omer Chaudhry said Faiz Week would continue as an annual feature to strengthen literary and cultural identity.

He said that teachers and mentors linked to the broader Faiz tradition shaped students through discipline and intellectual example.

Composer-actor Arshad Mehmood spoke about his years as a student at the institution, saying his foundations in acting and music composition were shaped by the campus’s cultural life and the discipline of student societies.

Crediting his mentors, he stressed that art should be built through craft and critique, rather than popularity, and underlined the dignity owed to performers.

Punjab University won the overall team trophy for performance across categories. In individual results, the Beaconhouse National University (BNU) secured awards for the best play and the best production in the drama segment, while a performer from the Forman Christian College (FCC) received the best actor award.

The painting competition was topped by a student from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, followed by BNU, while the third position went to Punjab University College of Art and Design.

In the singing competition, students from the University of Central Punjab (UCP) secured top positions.

Ghazal and essay-writing prizes were shared by students from various institutions, including NUML Islamabad, the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and Kinnaird College for Women.

The event concluded with a prize distribution ceremony.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026