The Unseen Ink

Have you seen the statue of Alfred Cooper Woolner on Mall Road? Not just with indifference but with curiosity and admiration—so much so that you start noticing the true essence of this great Sanskrit scholar. If you have an interest in the art of sculpture, you’ve likely spent some time observing it closely. This is one of the finest examples of real sculpture in Pakistan.

On close observation, you’ll notice an odd detail: the color of the statue’s face is quite different from its neck, ears, and fingers. Why is that? Look up at the statue carefully. Gradually, you’ll see the painful reality: the face of this dignified statue is covered with a thick layer of black marks as if someone deliberately smeared ink or threw permanent dye on it as an act of disrespect.

But what’s the story behind this? Before we plunge into that, let’s briefly see who Alfred Woolner really was!

Alfred Cooper Woolner was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, in 1878. He was raised in an environment rich in art and literature. His uncle, Thomas Woolner, was a well-known poet and sculptor, and his father, Henry Woolner, was an accomplished pottery artist and poet. After studying Sanskrit and Persian at Trinity College, Oxford, Alfred moved to Lahore in 1903 at the age of just 24. He was appointed Principal of Oriental College and Registrar of Punjab University.

At the same time, Allama Iqbal (then known as Muhammad Iqbal) was also associated with Oriental College Lahore as an Arabic reader. Woolner’s talents were evident and glorious—he began his job at a salary of 500 rupees per month, a significant amount back then. 

During his tenure, he made immense contributions to Punjab University, including establishing its library, constructing the Oriental College building in 1925, and founding the Woolner Hostel in 1930. 

He also oversaw the construction of significant buildings like Hailey College and de’ Montmorency College of Dentistry, Lahore. Woolner introduced Sanskrit into the school curriculum, built Sanskrit schools in Lahore, and helped Punjab University acquire rare manuscripts and books, making its Sanskrit library one of the best in India, as Dr Lukshman Saroop has truly said.

Beyond his administrative work, Woolner authored six remarkable books on Sanskrit. Introduction to Prakrit and translation of Kundmala are relevant even today.

He also promoted Sanskrit dramas (Natak) in Lahore and organized the first-ever performance of the Sanskrit play “Shakuntalain” in its original language, Sanskrit.

Bruce, an authority on the history of Punjab University Lahore wrote: “It was probably the only event in the history of Lahore when Sanskrit dramas were played in their original language: Sanskrit.”. 

Woolner passed away in January 1936 after a sudden illness of malaria. His funeral was attended by a long procession, including eminent scholars and the Governor of Punjab. In recognition of his contributions, Punjab University decided to honor him with a statue. Woolner’s wife, Mary Emily Bland, funded the project, commissioning Gilbert Ledward, a renowned royal sculptor and royal Professor of sculpture, to create it. The statue cost 30,000 rupees, a substantial sum at the time.

However, in the 1960s, the statue became a target of public anguish during protests. It was frequently defaced with mud, ink, or other materials.

Two prominent historians and wise old men narrated it directly to me. They asked me not to reveal their names. But they were eyewitnesses of this disrespect.

One of them said that prominent educator and author Professor Hamid Ahmad Khan, who later became Vice-Chancellor of Punjab University in 1963 (former principal of Islamia College Lahore), took secret measures to protect and clean the statue. He assigned two young faculty members of the chemistry department to quietly wash and restore it during the night.

Over the past months, I’ve examined the statue from various angles. The marks of past defacements are still visible. The black stains on the face starkly contrast with the bronze color of the rest of the statue.

The flowing black lines of ink or other materials are visible on the right side of the neck. The right ear is completely smeared, leaving its inner part that tells the tone of the original statue.

The fringes also show the curved lines of the same ink.

All the face is covered with thick darkness.

Though all the defacement could not suppress the glory of the face and liveliness of the eyes.

However, these marks are a reminder of the disrespect it endured over the years.

It’s said that after independence, when other statues on Mall Road were vandalized, Woolner’s statue was spared because someone in the crowd declared, “Leave this one; he was close to Islam,” referring to Woolner’s contributions to Persian and teaching Rumi during his time at Oriental College Lahore.