The funeral of retired Major Geoffrey Douglas Langlands, an officer of the British Army who chose to stay in and serve Pakistan upon its independence, was offered in Lahore on Monday.
Policemen from the Chitral region, where Langlands had served as the principal of Sayurj Public School for quarter a century until retirement in 2012, paid homage to the educationist as he was laid to rest in Lahore.
Langlands had breathed his last after a brief illness at a local hospital in Lahore last week. He was over 101.
A teacher of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and many others, the noted Aitchison College teacher served the education sector for 75 years.
Editorial: A legendary teacher
The story of Geoffrey Langlands is one of human perseverance and dedication. He must have been blessed with a golden heart to have travelled the distance that he did, mind rooted in the finest traditions of his age, to influence countless lives along the way.
The revered Major nurtured generations of Aitchison College students, many of them destined to lead in their own right. After leaving the proud and tranquil school in Lahore, he still had enough left in him to take an assignment at Razmak Cadet College in North Waziristan. He then rounded it off with a long, deeply meaningful stint at a public school in Chitral, which was later named — fittingly — after him. His was a breathtaking journey that brought him in contact with students — and, through them, with their communities — from various, even contrasting, backgrounds.
He had lessons for all, including those who had the pluck and gumption to kidnap him and hold him hostage for a few days. He reportedly taught them how best to negotiate the steep climb while walking through the mountains. The Major was an incorrigible guide, who truly earned his rise and his salutes.
