LAHORE: In a symbolic tribute that ascends borders, Aitchison College has dedicated a classroom in honour of one of its distinguished alumni former Indian Punjab chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar.
A ceremony was held at the college on Wednesday to name the classroom No-108 after Brar which was attended by Babli Brar, the daughter of Brar, college Principal Dr SM Turab Hussain, senior staff and officebearers of the Aitchison College Old Boys Association. Industrialist Syed Babar Ali, Brar’s schoolmate and lifelong friend at Aitchison, joined the event online.
Babli Brar unveiled the plaque dedicating the classroom to her late father. ‘This classroom is dedicated to the loving memory of my friend Harcharan Singh Brar (1922-2009) of Srai Nanga, District Ferozepur,’ says the text of the plaque written by Syed Babar Ali.
Harcharan Singh Brar joined Aitchison College in 1937 and graduated after passing his Senior Cambridge in 1941 and the Higher School Certificate of Cambridge University in 1943. He was an outstanding student, school prefect and was awarded the Rivaz gold medal. He did exceptionally well at games.
He earned colours in riding, tennis and cricket, which gave him the full blazer, a coveted achievement.
Mr Brar was admitted to Government College, Lahore in 1944 and graduated with a BA degree from the Punjab University. After 1947, he joined the Congress Party in India and was elected to the Provincial Assembly of East Punjab (1960) and appointed the Deputy Minister. After his tenure, he was appointed as the Governor of the Odisha Province (1977) and later-on Governor of Haryana and finally as the Chief Minister of Punjab (1995).
Harcharan Singh Brar in his 1989 visit to Lahore inaugurated a library at Aitchison College and dedicated it to Babar Ali.