Government College University (GCU) Lahore on Thursday has held a solemn memorial reference in the Bukhari Auditorium to honour the life and legacy of Mrs Sonnu Rahman (1926–2025) — a distinguished historian, educator, and the founding president of the Debating Society of Pakistan.
Mrs Rahman, who passed away in August this year, was widely respected as one of the country’s most dedicated educators and among the earliest women to lead a national debating platform.
The memorial reference was presided over by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Omer Chaudhry and attended by a large number of educationists, alumni, students, and faculty members, who paid glowing tributes to Mrs Rahman’s lifelong services to education, debating, and intellectual development across generations.
In his address, Prof. Dr. Chaudhry said that Mrs Rahman’s love for education and her association with Government College were unparalleled. “She taught generations to think, to understand, and to speak with confidence. Her name remains a symbol of dignity and inspiration for the Ravians’ community,” he added.
Prof. Shahista Sanu Sirajuddin, in an emotionally charged address, shared personal memories and profound reflections on her late aunt, recalling how Mrs Rahman embodied Lahore’s and Government College’s spirit of inclusivity, intellect, and empathy. She spoke of her aunt’s remarkable ability to transcend linguistic and cultural barriers when she moved to Mardan after marriage, learning Pashto fluently and endearing herself to her new community through sincerity, generosity, and grace.
Prof. Sirajuddin highlighted how Mrs Rahman’s “joy of life transcended language and culture,” describing her as “a fiercely intelligent woman who lived through the most defining years of the subcontinent’s history, and transformed that lived experience into wisdom and compassion for generations of students.”
She remembered Mrs Rahman as “a born teacher whose intelligence, discipline, and imagination made history come alive in her classrooms.” Teaching, she said, was “mother’s milk to her,” and even in her sixties, she engaged her students with passion and humour — “terrifying them when needed, nurturing them when lost.”
Prof. Sirajuddin concluded her tribute by reading verses from Mary Oliver’s The Deer and Elizabeth Jennings’ Invocation and Incantation, invoking the timeless spirit of her aunt as a symbol of wisdom, grace, and enduring peace.
A special recorded message from Syed Babar Ali was also presented at the event, in which he described Mrs Rahman as “a radiant mind and a dignified, knowledge-loving woman” who played a pivotal role in promoting women’s education and intellectual independence in Pakistan.
LUMS Vice Chancellor Dr. Ali Cheema recalled that Mrs Rahman revitalized the traditions of debating and dramatics, inspiring students to pursue knowledge and creative expression with confidence and purpose.
Filmmaker Umar Riaz, along with Ayesha Amir Ahmed of the Debating Society of Pakistan, remembered Mrs Rahman as a compassionate mentor and a pioneer of modern debating culture in Pakistan, who nurtured in her students the values of empathy, creativity, reasoning, and tolerance.
Former GCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Hassan Amir Shah remarked that Mrs Sonnu Rahman was a teacher who imparted not only knowledge but also character, describing her as “a luminous chapter in the history of Government College.”
Senior Old Ravian Najm Latif and Prof. Dr. Farhan Ibadat Khan lauded Mrs Rahman as an outstanding teacher, historian, and humanist who believed in education as a means of bringing positive social change.
The memorial concluded with a moment of silence in her honour.
Posted on
2025-10-10
