Two weeks ago, we lost a great man, Mr Arfan Ghani, the architect, teacher, and educationist who was referred to by his students as either Arfan Sahib or Sir Arfan.

Born in 1953 to a family of immigrants from Batala in East Punjab, Arfan Ghani was the youngest of three brothers. His father was a well-known lawyer who resettled in a house on Fane Road near the Lahore High Court. Mr Ghani opened his eyes, lived his life, and passed away in this same family residence. He studied at the nearby Cathedral School and later joined the National College of Arts (NCA). He was grounded in the city of Lahore, but the impact of his life was, and is, felt across hundreds of students living and working around the world.

Arfan Ghani graduated with a National Diploma in Architecture from NCA, in 1977. After working as a professional architect for a few years he moved to the United States for his graduate studies. He attended the graduate programme in Social Anthropology at The New School, New York. This part of his life and education had a profound impact on how he approached architectural practice and education.

He returned to Pakistan in 1985 to set up a private practice in Lahore. In 1995 – 96 he joined his alma mater, NCA, as a teacher where he taught for the next 20 years of his life.

His untimely death has been a collective loss for the architectural community in Pakistan, and an even greater loss for architectural education. His dedication and methodology remain unmatched. Over the span of his illustrious career, Arfan Ghani trained and influenced two generations of architects and academics. His students are today employed by some of the best architecture firms and institutions around the world. At least three heads of architecture schools in Pakistan are his immediate students, and so are many other lecturers and professors. For all of them, there was still so much to learn from their Sir Arfan.

In a career lasting three decades, he spent the majority of it at NCA, Lahore. During this time, his name had become synonymous with the Department of Architecture. To study architecture at the NCA seemed incomplete without attending a studio with Arfan Sahib. A mighty presence around campus that always appeared in a humble attire and was readily available to anyone for a conversation over a cup of tea. With Arfan Ghani there was no pretense, just passion.

Arfan Ghani was invested in students. He rallied for the underdog and genuinely believed in the potential of every student. His methodology of empathy was unique because it was centred around a drive to unlock those potentials.

For the past decade he had been associated with the Beaconhouse National University (BNU) and Comsats University. He also served as an Advisor to the Department of Architecture at Comsats. He would often accept arduous challenges away from Lahore as well, be it teaching part-time at the NCA, Rawalpindi Campus, or conducting short studio at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad. He was a sought-after and frequent examiner at all architectural schools from Karachi to Islamabad.

Arfan Ghani enjoyed an unparalleled following amongst students. This had been on many occasions to the envy of his peers. His impact was profound, visible, and undeniable. Such popularity doesn’t always fare well in a society like ours. But his legacy is impossible to write off or ignore. The overwhelming and emotional response to his demise has reinstated how he still lives in the hearts of many.

It is pertinent at this time to clarify why this immense following existed in the first place and continues to live on after his passing. Arfan Ghani championed an interdisciplinary teaching methodology oscillating between science and the arts, and one which would push students to find intersectional relationships. But what set him apart was that he taught with compassion and empathy. He had a steadfast belief in egalitarian principles and a sense of humour that lightened the most anxious of occasions. He gave people a chance, something all teachers should aspire towards. He lacked pretense and there was an incredible honesty in the manner in which he would narrate his life experiences; never shy from admitting his lack of knowledge about something and was always eager to learn more.

He was an avid reader who could pick up a conversation on anything ranging from ancient Indian philosophy to quantum mechanics, and from classical philosophy to the theoretical constructs of computer programming. He took great passion to the heroic age of modernism and the socio-political philosophies of the 60s-70s, but what was truly remarkable was his ability to highlight intersectionalities between these varying subjects and engage his students in a space-making exercise that was grounded in substance.

Arfan Ghani was invested in students. He rallied for the underdog and genuinely believed in the potential of every student. His methodology of empathy was unique because it was centred around a drive to unlock those potentials. His commitment to each student was astounding.

It was not just passion but also integrity that reinforces his legacy. He always spoke truth to power, advocated transparency, and maintained an ideological stance throughout his career. Often at the expense of his personal gains. And as is the case with most honest men and women of this great land of ours, it is disheartening that he too was a victim of vindictive practices and institutional injustices. A man who never made riches but was richer than most. His richness came from devotion and duty.

It is exactly this respect that is reflected in the hundreds of testimonials written about him by former students, friends, and colleagues who are still reeling from the shock of his demise. And as it was many times in his life, in his death too, he was surrounded by his students. Arfan Ghani has left behind a legacy of selfless devotion, conviction, and purpose. The man who had an everyman kind of charm to him, Arfan Ghani, lives on in our hearts.

The writer is an architect and conservationist and an assistant professor at COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus. He holds an MSc in Conservation of Cultural Heritage from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. He has previously taught at the National College of Arts, Lahore and served as in-charge of the NCA Archives