Shall we deem it a sheer stroke of luck that the Department of English at Murray College has always had devoted men of remarkable erudition who made their mark not only as teachers but also as Civil and Military officers and distinguished doctors, bankers and jurists. The founders of this distinguished seat of learning, most of whom incidentally happened to be from the English Department and some even headed the Department for some, if not the whole of their tenures as institutional heads, believed in educating the people with a view to preparing them for the service of the Almighty God. They believed in the development of moral character through the medium of college education- the goal being pleasing and serving our Creator by helping our fellow beings realize their full potential for noble ends. This was the primary goal, and the first thing in The College Motto: 'First Things First'. Such an end would certainly have been in view of the founder Principal Rev.J.W.Youngson when he started the Department of English on May 5,1889. In 1913 the block north of the present hall was added and the college obtained the affiliation for a graduate course, which was an important advancement. Murray College became a first grade college in 1913 and sent up its first batch of candidates for the B.A. Degree in 1914 Dr. William Scott, a Prof. of English, who also happened to be the Principal at that time, started B.A. Hons English Literature classes in 1921. Incidentally, he was the one, who initiated the College Magazine in English in 1915. The M.A. English classes at Murray College started in 1942 under the guidance of Rev. John Garret who continued discharging his duties as Principal (1923-1947) alongside teaching M.A. English classes. The department has made great strides since then. It has given able, dedicated teachers and youngsters, who studied at Murray College for their Masters Degrees, to almost all local, and many national institutions. Many of them have distinguished themselves in the field of pedagogy and are bringing laurels to their alma mater. At present, the members of the faculty are putting in tremendous effort to help Murray College and the Department of English maintain their glorious traditions and reach still greater heights in days to come. May the Almighty help us realize our ambition: (Aameen).
FORMER EMINENT TEACHERS:
Long is the list of members of the faculty who toiled selflessly to
make Murray College enjoy a pride of place on the academic firmament
of our part of the world. We certainly lay no claims to introducing
you to all the faculty members who contributed immensely to the cause
of education at different times. Nor is any disrespect intended to any
of those, whose names have not been mentioned in the following list.
Limitations of space would permit us to mention only a few of the
dedicated, illustrious souls. A couple of lines by way of introduction
to a great scholar and teacher would only be a sort of 'Hello', from
the reader to the teacher and from the teacher to the reader.
1. Dr.J.W.Youngson.
Dr.J.W. Youngson was the Principal of the college and headed the
Department of English From 1889-1891. He was the founder Principal
when the Mission High School became Scotch Mission College in 1889.
Those who lived close to Dr. Youngson in Edinburgh, Rev.D.L.Scott's
mother being one of them, relate that he was a man of wide interests.
He would be found going over his stamp-Collection at one time and
ancient manuscripts, at another. Whenever he used to pay a visit to a
village near Sialkot, (accompanied by some staff-members and
students), he used to give other occupants of the Tonga a talk on
Robert Browning, a famous, belated Romantic Poet.
2. Rev.George Waugh
He was the principal of Murray College and Head, of the Department of
English from 1891 to 1914.Dr. Waugh we gather on the authority of Rev.
D.L. Scott (Principal, 1947-1957) was very particular about the
element of accuracy in everything and was a man of great integrity.
Rev. Scott writes, “Principal Garret” told me that when he got a
bottle of ink (costing one Anna in those days) he put down half an
Anna to the College account, for the ink was meant for his office and
was used for the College work; and half an Anna to his own private
account, for he also used the ink from time to time for his private
correspondence.”
3. Rev. John Garret
He was the Principal of Murray College from 1923-1947. Many educated
'Senior Citizens' maintain that he had the reputation of being a great
teacher. Their facial expressions and their tone of voice would exude
tremendous reverence for their teacher. “The college was his 'Child'
and he spent all his energy in planning for the welfare and
advancement of its students. Few people know what college meant for
him”.
4. Rev.D.L.Scott
He was the Principal of Murray College from 1947-1957. Rev. D.L.Scott,
an eminent teacher of English, joined this college in 1930 when Rev.
John Garret was the Principal and when the library was housed in
classroom number 6. 'After the partition the enrolment dropped to
about a tenth of what it had been. Thanks to the great educational
boom, the enrolment was soon restored to a balanced level and the
college was soon much overcrowded'. His students still remember his
interest in their welfare and his gentle and polite nature. He worked
day in and day out to make this college a prestigious seat of
learning.
5. Prof. Arthur Mowatt
Prof. Mowatt was a teacher known for his erudition and dedication
to his work. He had been teaching at Calcutta before coming to Murray
College in the fifties. His students maintain that they were lucky to
have a teacher who was 'a true scholar with a great insight'. The
temptation to quote a few lines from one of the articles he
contributed to the College Magazine is irresistible. “In order to be
intelligently appreciated, Shakespeare's art must be properly
understood. A Shakespearean play was not produced form modern stage
conditions. It was not 'realistic' in stage-settings. It did not
observe pauses between Acts and Scenes and thus did not furnish the
audience with an opportunity to check the consistency of its component
parts. It was a continuous poetical play performed on a bare, intimate
platform-stage within the limits of two and half hours and conforming
to the stage conditions recognized in Shakespeare's time”. Prof.
Sirajuddin, whose Notes on 'The Stream of English Poetry' were called
'first rate' by Prof. Mowatt, also admired Prof. Mowatt's brilliance.
A man of tremendous scholarship, Prof Mowatt, was a great devotee of
Wordsworth and Shakespeare. He took great pains to organize the
English Literature section of The
College Library.
6. Prof. D.N.Sarma
He joined Murray College in 1932 but migrated to India in 1947. He
became a legend in his lifetime. He was a superb scholar and teacher
but a more superb magazine editor. He was also one of those, the
teachers whom the old timers would remember with tremendous respect.
7. Prof. Emmanuel Gill
Prof. Gill taught at Murray College for a brief span before his
migration to England for good in the spring of 1954. He was one of the
editors of The College Magazine during the few years that he was at
Murray College. His articles in the old issues of the college magazine
bear ample testimony to his intellectual brilliance and his editorial
skills. According to Mr. Khalid Hassan, a renowned scholar, journalist
and a writer with about thirty books to his credit, 'Mr. Gill was cool
and laid-back as he wrote fine English poems'.
8. Prof. Dr.F.S Khair Ullah
Dr. F.S Khair Ullah headed the Department of English at Murray
College from 1951 to 1972. He become the Principal of Murray College
in 1964. Dr. Khair Ullah had a Ph.D in poetry from Edinburgh
University. His devotion to work, academic brilliance and aptitude for
research soon earned him the reputation of a great scholar and
teacher. At the time of his appointment as Principal, he had long
years of meritorious service to his credit. He was not only a popular
and exceptionally gifted teacher of drama and poetry but was also a
gifted orator, editor, writer satirist and humorist. Had he not become
a teacher, he would have certainly become a great actor. He was
particularly interested in etemology and origin of languages. He
retired in 1972 when the college was nationalized.
9. Prof. Eric Cyprian
Prof. Cyprian, an old-timer would concur, was a brilliant teacher
who detested all establishments. He struggled to inculcate in his
students genuine interest in knowledge and learning and learning
things other than the prescribed textbooks. He was one of the founders
of The Shah Hussain College in Lahore though he spent his last years
of life as a journalist in Islamabad, working first with The Muslim
and, then, with The Pakistan Observer. He is also remembered for his
work on The Classical Punjabi Literature.
10. Prof. Muhammad Rafique
Prof. Muhammad Rafique taught at Murray College during the late
fifties and early sixties. He was a strict disciplinarian and loved to
teach literature and grammar in an atmosphere where one could even
hear a pin drop. Even before he left for London he spoke and wrote
English in idiom that even some of the natives would envy. His love
for Murray College pulls him to Sialkot almost every other year, and a
few of the oldies get a fine opportunity to get together and remember
the past, together.
11. Prof. Zummurad Malik
Prof. Zummurad Malik taught at Murray College only for a brief span
before going to Jinnah Islamia College. He could talk for hours on
anything from tea making to existentialism. He was a great teacher of
English with a highly stocked mind. He could decipher Egyptian
hieroglyphics, read and write Gurmukhi and quote at random from any of
Freud's books. He was also a superb Punjabi poet and had even a book
of Punjabi poems to his credit. Many of his Punjabi poems, we gather,
remained unpublished.
12. Prof. Samuel Lal Din
Prof. Samuel Lal Din got retired in 1992 after having served Murray
College for well above three and a half decades. Prof Samuel Lal Din
was a great teacher of English drama, being his special field of
interest.
He has got 'into' it so deeply that those who come into contact with
him find it a little confounding at times to ascertain whether they
happen to be taking to a real SLD or a fictional, dramatis persona.
His non-chalant attitude to challenges of life has made many envy him,
and have been desperately trying to inculcate a similar attitude. We
wish him long life and happiness!!.
13. Prof. Shahid Iqbal Sabir
Prof. Shahid Iqbal Sabir is remembered by his students and colleagues
with tremendous love and respect. He taught at Murray during the
sixties, seventies and eighties. He left Murray to teach at Gordon
College, Rawalpindi, briefly, perhaps, for a change. In mid-seventies
he went to Scotland – Strathclide University for an M.Lit degree which
served to enhance his research aptitude manifold, and groomed his
critical faculties remarkably. His research articles won accolades
from renowned British scholars and critics. Soon he earned the
reputation of a Milton Specialist. His friends and Collogues –
gentleman of no mean linguistic and literary competence – envied for
his English English.
14. Prof. Irsahd-ul-Hassan
Prof. Irsahd Hussan came from Lahore in 1976 and headed The Department
till he went back in 1983His students were particularly impressed by
his knowledge and dedication. He could articulate his ideas most
fluently on various literary topics for hours on end. Teaching
criticism was his special interest and his book of critical essays
titled Criticism in Crisis would amply testify this fact. He has a
number of poetry publications too, to his credit, 'Walls Of Glass'
being only one of them.
15. Prof. Amjad Virk
Prof. Amjad Virk is another illustrious son of Murray College. He
joined Murray College Staff in 1964 but left the College in 1969 to
serve the nation as a brilliant CSS officer. He was popular with his
students for his dedication and competence. He got retired only
recently, as he intends to supervise the running of a reputed chain of
schools, or to join one of them, at least, as a teacher. Prof. Virk
taught criticism at The Post-Graduate level, T.S.Eliot being his
favorite critic and poet.
16. Prof. Kh Ijaz Ahmad Butt
Prof. Ijaz Ahmad Butt was the Head of the Department of English from
1992-2001. He has a multi faceted personality. He has earned the
reputation of an accomplished 'Afsaana' writer and has two Urdu
novelettes to his credit. He has written many well-researched and
inspiring articles in Urdu as well as in English. He has also
distinguished himself as an orator. None can help noticing wit in his
conversation and his writing.
17. Prof. Winston Bruce Gill
Owing to his professional dedication to pedagogy, Prof. W.B Gill
deserves the best laudatory words of honour. His punctuality and
regularity, in meeting his classes, is still remembered by his
colleagues. Prof. W. B. Gill remained the Chairman of English
Department from 2001 to 2004. In this capacity he was, ever, taken to
be an ideal source of inspiration, both by his pupils and his
colleague. His name will, ever, be remembered, on the campus of G.M.C
Sialkot, as an ideal and devoted teacher. Prof. W. B. Gill composes
beautiful (even ensnaring) poems, in English.
18. Prof.Abdul Qayyum Khan
One may be allowed to borrow John Keats’s famous combination of words
“a friend to Man” while remembering Prof. A.Q. Khan. His pleasant &
jovial temperament, which, at times, used to be a source of the echoes
of laughter on the campus, will always be remembered with love, by his
colleagues. Prof. A.Q. Khan remained the Chairman of the English Deptt.
from 2004 to 2005. He was, then, appointed as the Vice-Principal of
the College. He got retired on May 04,2008, (as the Vice-Principal of
the College), but the happy Memories of his stay at G.M.C will never
get “retired” from the minds of those, who knew him from very close
quarters. We wish all the best to Prof. Khan.
19. Prof. Anthony Hayat
During his stay at Govt. Murray College, Prof Anthony Hayat was,
popularly, known as: “Mr. Tony”. He had also been lovingly called:
“The Boy Professor,” by his colleagues. He remained the Chairman of
the Deptt. of English only for a few months, as he was, then,
entrusted with the responsibilities of the Dean of Arts of the
College. Prof. Anthony Hayat is, still, remembered by the teachers and
the students of G.M.C for his etiquette, nice habits, positive
thinking, positive approaches and for his unique “Smiles” . Both the
living and the non-living, at G.M.C still “miss him” a lot.
20. Prof. Shafiqu Ur Rahman Farooqui
Mr. Shafiqu Ur Rahman Farooqui served this college for 35 long years.
He joined this college as lecturer and became Associate Professor of
English in 1998. He remained Head of the Department from 2005 to 2008.
and became Vice-Principal on 04.05.2008. He died on 09.01.2010 during
his service only 50 days before his retirement. He has been very
dedicated, devoted, punctual and renowned teacher. He was very loving
and kind as his name indicates. May Almighty Allah Bless his Sual.
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