Speakers at the concluding ceremony of Faiz Week at Government College University, Lahore said the real tribute to 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 tradition ultimately stands for tolerance, intellectual honesty and respect for others.

The week-long celebrations were organised by GCU to mark the 115th birth anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The programme featured a series of literary and artistic competitions, drawing participation from students of around 20 universities.

The concluding ceremony, held at the university’s Patras Auditorium, was attended by renowned poet Iftikhar Arif, Faiz’s daughters Saleema Hashmi and Muniza Hashmi, music composer Arshad Mehmood, actor-writer Adeel Hashmi and GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Omer Chaudhry. Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali was also present.

Iftikhar Arif, the former chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, described Faiz as a rare figure whose life, poetry and conversation were in complete harmony. He said he had not encountered another person whose conduct matched his ideals as consistently as Faiz’s. He argued that a writer becomes universal only after being firmly rooted in land, language and people, saying Faiz’s global reach grew out of his local grounding.

Iftikhar Arif said he never heard Faiz use 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 also offered a nostalgic note, recalling childhood visits to the 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 Government College Lahore, 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 elders by learning them deeply rather than repeating them ceremonially, adding that the endurance of Faiz’s message depends on the civility of public discourse.

In his address, GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Omer Chaudhry said Faiz Week marked the beginning of a new tradition and expressed hope that it would continue as an annual feature to strengthen the university’s literary and cultural identity. He said teachers and mentors linked to the broader Faiz tradition shaped students through discipline and intellectual example.

Composer-actor Arshad Mehmood spoke about his student years 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, Beaconhouse National University secured awards for best play and best production in the drama segment, while a performer from Forman Christian College received the best actor award.

The painting competition was topped by a student from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, followed by Beaconhouse National University, with third position going to Punjab University College of Art and Design.

In the singing competition, students from the University of Central Punjab secured top positions. Ghazal and essay-writing prizes were shared by students from participating institutions, including NUML Islamabad, the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and Kinnaird College.

The ceremony concluded with prize distribution.