A tribute to a guiding light: remembering my mentor's legacy

Dear Shaukat Sb,

I hope this letter finds you in the highest level of Heaven, resting in the eternal peace promised by Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (PBUH) to those who guide and inspire others in their quest for knowledge.

Some know you as Dr Shaukat Mahmood, the respected HEC professor, historian and environmental and architectural conservationist. Others remember you by your pen name, Maxim, the cartoonist whose sharp wit and perceptive drawings captured the social and political mood of the times.

You have been involved in the noblest of professions - teaching, mentoring and enlightening the paths of countless students. Spending 64 years on the front line of education is a testament to your unwavering devotion, patience and profound intellect. You have often graciously written my reference letters as my PhD supervisor. You would begin, "I know of Ms. Kamran as …". But today, I look back and wonder what I truly knew of you.

What began as a formal academic relationship with a Professor of the History of Islamic Architecture - who emphasised the deep ambiguity inherent in labels like 'Islamic art' versus 'Muslim art' and pushed us to grapple with complex regional, cultural and political realities - gradually evolved into a profound mentorship. Over the years, you shifted from a teacher to a mentor. To a friend, an influencer - not just online, but in the way you inspired those around you to think differently and pursue their passions, a travel partner and ultimately a father figure - stepping in just when I needed it most, after I lost my own. I would like to remember him as a young "Proud Prince" from Karachi University and you as the "Tall and Handsome" guy from Edinburgh. I am sure both of you would share a smirking, happy smile at this playful remark.

Through this closeness, I witnessed how you navigated the intense, demanding realms of art, aesthetics and philosophy - a vast landscape of human thought and visual expression enough for a lifetime to explore. To look beyond the surface of material culture requires rare brilliance and sustaining that gaze over six decades demands more: treating art, research and writing not just as a career, but as a way of life.

True research in higher education is not the static collection of facts, but the ongoing creation of new knowledge - a lifelong commitment to uncovering truths, challenging narratives and preserving fragments of collective memory. With thirteen books to your name and many more under your supervision, your scholarship bridges past and present, making heritage a living force. You brought rigorous interdisciplinarity to the field, reminding us that architecture exists within its socio-political context and embodies the society that creates it. Through your guidance, we learned that universal principles of form and harmony unite all visual arts, from design to fine art.

You have demonstrated open-mindedness in your approach to research methodology, skillfully blending traditional educational concepts with contemporary pedagogies. Instead of imposing textbook methods, you encouraged us to explore and develop innovative approaches, broadening the scope of art history to include insights from both the social sciences and the life sciences. By allowing scholars to navigate the rich collective inheritance for individualised perspectives, you exemplified true scholarship. Your patience and adaptability to the diverse needs of students enabled many of us to complete our MPhil and PhD dissertations.

Your cartoons were blatant critiques, highlighting injustices, political ironies and the human stories behind headlines. Your contributions as Maxim were not merely artistic expressions but truthful commentaries reflecting your deep emotional engagement with society and its challenges. Your social media posts were both delightful and intrepid. In a world where art is often overlooked, your fearless engagement with difficult topics created a unique bridge between creativity and conscience.

Your legacy is not bound by time or geography - it lives on in your work, your family and in every student you've inspired.

With profound respect,

Bano.

July 2026