LAHORE: National College of Arts (NCA) conferred degrees on 252 students of eight departments on its 13th convocation, held at the Bhai Ram Singh Courtyard on Saturday.
NCA students of 2011 and 2012 batch from Lahore and Rawalpindi campuses were awarded degrees on the occasion. Writer Intizar Hussain was the chief guest while Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran and NCA Principal Dr Murtaza Jafri were also present to distribute the degrees among students.
Speaking in his commencement speech, Intizar Hussain congratulated the students and said that NCA, since its inception, has contributed a lot in the promotion of arts in our society. He shared his memories with the graduating students about NCA’s extravaganza exhibition of artist Shakir Ali and Sadequain, which according to him were the rare moments of joy in the country’s cultural history.
“Abstract art came in Pakistan from Europe through NCA and most of the artists adopted the European style of multitasking, which helped produce some of greatest artists,” Hussain added.
Students of 11 departments including Fine Arts, Visual Communication Design, Ceramics Design, Textile Design, Product Design, Musicology, Architecture and Film and TV were awarded on the occasion.
Talking to media, NCA Principal Murtaza Jafri said that NCA’s 13th convocation conferred degrees on students from 2011 and 2012 session, adding that the college has made a policy to hold convocations within six months of the degree show or thesis display.
It is pertinent to mention that the last convocation was held in 2011.
NCA Registrar Nadeem Hassan Khan told Daily Times said that 252 students of both campuses were awarded degrees on the 13th convocation.
PU VC Mujahid Kamran in his address expressed happiness to be at the convocation, hoping that through their selected fields, the NCA students would contribute in the prosperity of the country.
As many as 83 students were named in the Principle’s ‘Honour’s List’ while 71 students got distinctions.
Awards and prizes that were awarded among students of 2011 Lahore campus included Chughtai Award to Aqil Jamshed, Shakir Ali Award to Natasha Malik, Bhai Ram Singh Award to Awais Azhar, Haji Sharif Prize in Miniature Painting to Tahir Ali Sadiq and Sir Percy Brown prize to Minaa Haroon.
Awards for 2011 Rawalpindi campus included Shakir Ali Award and Muhammad Ajmal Kardar Gold Medal to Sundas Matloob, Bhai Ram Singh Award and Sir Percy Brown prize to Saboohi Sanshar and Haji Sahrid Prize in Miniature Painting to Mamoona Riaz.
On the other hand, awards for of 2012 Lahore campus included Chughtai Award and Saadat Hassan Manto Award to Hashim Ali Chaudhry, Shakir Ali Award to Jiulius John Alam, Bhai Ram Singh Award Muhammad Ajmal Kardar, Haji Sharif Prize in Miniature Painting to Shah Abdullah and Sir Percy Brown price to Anam Tahir.
Similarly, Rawalpindi campus students included Yumna Sadiq of fourth year (Fine Arts) who grabbed three awards while Sundas Shahid grabbed Sir Percy Brown Prize and Syeda Javeria Iqbal got Bhai Ram Singh Award.Daily Times.