Geoffrey Douglas Langlands

CMG CMG may refer to: Companies * Capitol Music Group, a music label * China Media Group, the predominant state radio and television broadcaster in the PRC * China Media Group Co., Ltd., publicly listed Chinese holding company in the media sector * ...

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, HI, SPk (21 October 1917 – 2 January 2019) was a British educationalist who spent most of his life teaching in and leading

schools in Pakistan The following is a list of schools in Pakistan, categorized by province/territory and by district. Azad Jammu & Kashmir Mirpur * Balseri Government Girls' Middle School * Bahriatown School System * Batengi Primary School * Behdi Girls' Prima ...

, instructing many of the country's elite. In World War II he served as a Major in the British Army, and afterwards in the British Indian Army, where he worked to keep the peace during the partition of the British Indian Empire in 1947. He transferred to the

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a resul ...

at the birth of the country, and returned to a career in education, first of army officers. Then, at the invitation of

the President ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

, he joined the so-called "

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depar ...

of Pakistan",

Aitchison College Aitchison College ( ur, ایچیسن کالج) is an independent, semi-private boys school for boarding and day students from grade 1–13 in Lahore, Pakistan. It has a tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports, and co-cur ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

. After 25 years there, he left to lead a

military high school Military high schools are a type of high school that include military cadet education and so are a form of military academy. They are found in several countries and offer a regular high school education but with an extra military training curriculu ...

Cadet College Razmak Cadet College Razmak is a military high school, located in the valley of Razmak, in North Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan. History The college was founded by the late prime minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali ...

. He ended his career by taking on a new school in

Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...

and raising it to internationally high standards; he continued to lead it into his 90s, when it was renamed in his honour

Langlands School and College Langlands School and College, in Chitral, North-West Pakistan, in

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, England, to a father employed in an Anglo-American company and a mother who was a classical folk dance instructor. His father died in the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

that killed millions worldwide. His mother then took her children to her parents' home in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

. She died of cancer ten years later, as soon thereafter did the children's grandfather, leaving Langlands and his siblings without any living relatives. He was given a free place at

King’s College, Taunton (Strong and faithful) , established = 1880 , closed = , type = Independent day and boarding , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label ...

(an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

- i.e.fee-paying - school) by its headmaster, a family friend. His older brother received a scholarship to an orphan school in Bristol, and a family friend helped secure positions for the other children.

Career

Military career

In July 1935, Langlands completed his A Level education and began his teaching career in London, the following year at age 18. In September 1936, he was a mathematics and science teacher to second grade students in a school in Croydon. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

began in 1939, Langlands joined the British Army as an enlisted soldier. In 1942, Langlands became a

commando 40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations forc ...

and took part in the

Dieppe Raid Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment ...

. In January 1944, Langlands arrived in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

as an army volunteer on a troop carrier and worked three years as part of the selection board for officers training in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. Rising to the acting rank of

troop sergeant major A troop sergeant major (TSM)Note that in the British Army, the plural is "troop sergeant majors" and not "troop sergeants major". The earliest usage of "sergeant majors" in ''The Times'' is in 1822. The last of the (very occasional) usages of "s ...

, he received an emergency commission in the British Indian Army as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

in the

Garhwal Rifles The Garhwal Rifles, formerly known as the Royal Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became part of the British Indian Army, and a ...

on 3 September 1944. After Bangalore, Langlands was stationed in

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislativ ...

. He was promoted to temporary captain on 28 July 1945, subsequently transferring to the

14th Punjab Regiment The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Reg ...

. During the partition of the sub-continent in 1947 when India and Pakistan became independent nations, Langlands decided to move to Pakistan and was transferred to

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

where he joined the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

Teaching career

Langlands began his career in Pakistan by working as an instructor for the country's newly created army. He selected and trained officers for approximately six years. Upon the completion of the contract with Pakistan Army, British Army troops began to leave the country, and Langlands had to decide what to do next.

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, then

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. He devoted the next 25 years to the so-called "Eton of Pakistan",

, teaching mathematics to "upper-crust young Pakistanis destined to lead in business, politics and the army" and rising to be the college's dean and headmaster of its

prep school Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools *Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools *College-preparatory school, ...

. In 1979, the Chief Minister of the Northwest Frontier Province (now

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

) offered Langlands the post of principal at

North Waziristan North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afgha ...

. IN April Langlands joined the Cadet College, which had been created only the year before, and served until September 1989. In late 1989, Langlands took charge of the first private school in

, which was later renamed

Langlands School and College Langlands School and College, in Chitral, North-West Pakistan, The school, founded in September 1988 by local Deputy Commissioner Javed Majeed, grew steadily under his leadership. From 80 pupils it grew to 800, about a third girls, and many won scholarships to universities. Langlands served the school for the rest of his life. He suffered a stroke in 2008, which hastened the search for a replacement. By the time

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reported on the man and the school in 2009, it was clear that standards had slipped, and the financial situation was parlous; the district's top official said Langlands was ""A brilliant teacher but not a good manager." Eventually another principal was found, and Langlands reluctantly agreed to move to

grace and favour ''Grace & Favour'' (American title: ''Are You Being Served? Again!'') is a British sitcom and a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Are You Being Served?'' that aired on BBC One, BBC1 for two series from 1992 to 1993. It was written by ''Are You Be ...

accommodation on the grounds of Aitchison College, as it was thought that he could do more good for the Chitral school by fundraising in the capital. At the age of 94 in September 2012, he moved back to Lahore. Langlands disagreed with some of the changes his successor - also a British citizen - began to put in place. He attempted to prevent

Carey Schofield Carey Schofield OBE (born 1953) is the British principal of Langlands School and College in Pakistan, noted for its academic excellence. She had a previous career as a journalist and writer, particularly on military affairs. Career Writing After ...

from doing her work by asking a former pupil,

Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan ( ur, ; born 31 July 1954) is a Pakistani politician who served as the Interior Minister from 2013 to 2017. He is currently an independent member-of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab - elected to represent PP-10 (Rawa ...

, the

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...

, to deny her a work visa. Eventually scores of the college staff boarded a school bus for the 1000 km drive to Lahore, where they met with Langlands and persuaded him to allow Schofield to continue her work. He

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

in October 2017, which was celebrated with a party which many luminaries attended, as reported in ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's ho ...

''.

Death and legacy

Geoffrey Langlands died at the age of 101 in a hospital in Lahore on 2 January 2019 following a brief illness. Al-Jazeera called him one of the country's "most respected educators" The

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

said his "death

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a whole country into mourning" Many of his students, especially those from Aitchison College, rose to high places. One of those was the Prime Minister of Pakistan

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

. In a tweet he paid tribute: "Apart from being our teacher, he instilled the love for trekking and our northern areas in me - before the KKH (

Karakoram Highway The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...

) was built". Other former students include Foreign Minister

Shah Mahmood Qureshi Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi ( ur, ; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 29th Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022. He previously held the post from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of the Nationa ...

and

Aleem Khan Abdul Aleem Khan (born 5 October 1972) is a Pakistani former politician and a businessman tycoon. Aleem Khan owns Samaa TV and Vision Group. He was also the Senior Minister of Punjab and Minister of Food from 2020 to 2021. He also served as a me ...

. ''

Aaj News ''Aaj News'' () is a 24-hour Pakistani news television channel. It is a privately owned Urdu language TV station which covers national and international news. The channel started out as hybrid channel (news, current affairs and entertainment), ...

'' called Langlands "a phenomenon":

Generations of Pakistanis owe their education to him. In a career lasting 60 years, he has sought to maintain the ethos of the English public school in an alien land, long after the sun set on the empire he served. Britain has changed out of all recognition since Langlands departed its shores in the middle of the Second World War to serve with the Indian Army. By going away and staying away, his old-fashioned brand of Britishness, involving service rather than gain, has been preserved.

Recognition

*Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE; 1982) *

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in hono ...

(CMG; 2010) *

Hilal-e-Imtiaz The ''Hilaal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal") civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the ...

(HI; 2011) *

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(1987) *Sitara-i-Pakistan (SPk, 2004)

Career

Military career

Teaching career

Death and legacy

Recognition

See also

References

Further reading