LAHORE: Lahore has a strong literary tradition embellished with rich folklore and cultural values, says Majid Sheikh, an author and journalist known for his writings on Lahore.
Addressing a gathering of students at the Government College University (GCU) on Tuesday on ‘Lahore as the City of Literature’, he claimed that many ancient books had origins in Lahore and all Vedas of Hinduism were written here.
“The actual word for the Hindus was Sindhus but the Arabs could not pronounce it, so it turned into Hindus,” he argued.
The event was organised by the Safdar Mir English Literary Circle of the university in collaboration with its Institute of History.
He recalled the days when baithaks used to frequently take place inside the Walled City of Lahore where the Lahoris used to sing Punjabi Vaars (epics) and other forms of poetry of famous poets. He also shared with the audience his experience of buying secondhand books in the city, saying one could find wonderful books from the old books market.
Mentioning importance of history to students, Mr Sheikh said if one wanted to properly understand history one should have a good understanding of archeology, astrology and calligraphy. Lahore, he added, had rich cultural and historical treasures and the archives section at the Civil Secretariat had the oldest manuscripts of great value.
“Lahore historically has great importance due to its geographical position. When, in 1956, archeologists dug up a place near Diwan-i-Aam, they found pottery, which was 4,600 years old,” Majid Sheikh claimed. He advised the students to have walks in the Walled City to enjoy its treasures and grandeur.
GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi said the university and its alumni would initiate a movement to rename Kutchery Road as Dr Leitner Road after Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, a British orientalist, who had founded the Government College (now a university), and the University of the Punjab and its Oriental College.
“Most of our old government colleges and model schools are all built on the foundations Leitner had laid,” he added.
Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2021
