Gurmani Center
The Gurmani Center for Languages and Literature (GCLL) was established in 2010 with the generous support of the Gurmani Foundation to promote the study and research of Pakistani languages, including Arabic and Persian. Since its inception, the Center has grown into a leading hub for academic and cultural activities. It has hosted international conferences, published groundbreaking scholarship in the field of vernacular humanities, and offered a diverse range of courses in Pakistani languages.
One of the Center's flagship initiatives is the annual publication of Bunyad, a research journal recognized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) as one of the top-ranked journals in Urdu studies. Beyond publishing, the GCLL regularly invites artists, poets, calligraphers, and fiction writers to showcase their work and conduct workshops on creative writing, research methodologies, and related themes.
Due to its extensive contributions, the Gurmani Center has become a cornerstone of the vibrant intellectual and artistic life not only on the LUMS campus but also in the broader cultural landscape of Lahore.
Towards Peoples' Histoires in Pakistan
Towards Peoples' Histoires in Pakistan: [In]audible Voices, Forgotten Pasts
Edited by Asad Ali and Kamran Asdar Ali
After seventy-five years of independence, the history of Pakistan remains centered on the state, its ideology, and the two-nation theory. Towards Peoples' Histories in Pakistan seeks to shift that focus away from the histories of an imagined nation to the history of its peoples. Based on the premise that the historiographical tradition in Pakistan has ignored the existence of people who actually make history, this book brings together historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists to shed light on the diverse histories of the people themselves. Assembling histories of events and peoples missing from grand narratives of national history, the essays in this collection incorporate a diversity of approaches to the past as it opens the possibilities of multiple histories, the archives through which they are registered, and the various temporalities in which they persist.
A Short Course on Sanskrit
Building on the overwhelming success of our Hindi/Devanagari course (Hindī Rāsm ul Khat Sīkhēn), the Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature at LUMS proudly presents its ongoing short course on Sanskrit, led by Dr. Shahid Rasheed.
This immersive two-month program is designed to guide participants through the foundational grammar of Classical Sanskrit, offering a rigorous yet approachable curriculum. It provides a unique opportunity for attendees to delve into the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of this classical language under expert guidance.
While registrations for the current session have closed, this ongoing initiative reflects center's commitment for providing opportunities for learning classical languages.
Key Course Details
Instructor: Dr. Shahid Rasheed, an expert in classical languages
Schedule: Saturdays, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Gurmani House, Gulberg, Lahore
Duration: 50 hours across ten weeks
Fee: PKR 10,000/-
Session Timeline:
Commencement of Classes: Saturday, 14th December 2024
An 80% attendance rate and passing assessments are essential for course completion.
Exhibition Catalogue
Publications
Order your copy of
Bunyād 2023
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Create an account or login to
https://register.lums.edu.pk/ -
Click on "Subscribe Bunyad"
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Mention your name, mailing address and the volume(s) of Bunyād you wish to order
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Pay the generated fee voucher at a bank or online at https://pay.lums.edu.pk/
Charges per copy are as follows:
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Within Pakistan: 2000 PKR
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Outside Pakistan: 30 USD
For more information, please email bunyaad@lums.edu.pk
Podcast
Latest addition
Gurmani Centre presents another podcast in the book review series on Naye Naqqād ke Nām Khutūt. In this podcast, students discuss the significance of literary criticism in relevance to their mundane lives. They talk about the featured book, relating its ideas to their daily experiences.
Last Year
افتخار عارف صاحب نے گفتگو کا آغاز اپنی ابتدائی زندگی، تعلیم اور تخلیقی سفر کے اولین دنوں کے ذکر سے کیا۔ شاعری کیا ہے اور ان کے شعر کہنے کا تجربہ کیسا تھا، شاعری کیسے دوسرے فنونِ لطیفہ سے مختلف ہے اور اردوادب خصوصاًشاعری کے بارے میں تفصیل سے گفتگو کی۔سامعین نے بہت انہماک سے ان کی باتیں سنیں۔افتخار عارف صاحب نے اپنی غزلیں اور نظمیں بھی سنائیں جس کے بعد سوال و جواب کا سلسلہ شروع ہوا۔نشست بھرپور رہی۔ پروگرام کے اختتام پر سید بابر علی صاحب اور ڈاکٹر نضرہ شہباز خان نےافتخار عارف صاحب کو انھی کے شعر کی خطاطی کا ایک نمونہ تحفتاً پیش کیا۔
The Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature was pleased to welcome renowned Pakistani poet, writer, and scholar Iftikhar Hussain Arif to speak about his creative impetuses. Recognized as one of the most eminent contemporary Urdu poets, Arif's artistic impetus can be traced to a variety of sources, including his personal experiences, cultural stimuli, and his inimitable imaginative acuity. One of the key influences on Arif's poetry has been his multifaceted acquaintance with and appreciation of Urdu literature, particularly the works of prominent literary giants who preceded him.
