Aitchison College names classroom after former Indian Punjab CM Harcharan Singh Brar

LAHORE: Aitchison College has dedicated a classroom to former Indian Punjab chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar, one of its former students, in what the institution described as a gesture of remembrance that crossed national boundaries.

A ceremony was held at the college on Wednesday to name classroom No-108 after Brar. The event was attended by his daughter Babli Brar, Aitchison College Principal Dr SM Turab Hussain, senior staff and office-bearers of the Aitchison College Old Boys Association. Industrialist Syed Babar Ali, who was Brar’s classmate and longtime friend at Aitchison, joined online. Babli Brar unveiled the plaque dedicated to her late father.

The plaque text, written by Syed Babar Ali, reads:

"This classroom is dedicated to the loving memory of my friend Harcharan Singh Brar (1922-2009) of Srai Nanga, District Ferozepur,"

Brar joined Aitchison College in 1937. He completed his Senior Cambridge in 1941 and the Higher School Certificate of Cambridge University in 1943. He was described as an outstanding student and school prefect, and received the Rivaz gold medal. He also performed strongly in sports and earned colours in riding, tennis and cricket, which entitled him to the full blazer.

After leaving Aitchison, Brar entered Government College Lahore in 1944 and later graduated with a BA degree from Punjab University. Following 1947, he joined India’s Congress Party. He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of East Punjab in 1960 and appointed deputy minister. He later served as governor of Odisha in 1977, then as governor of Haryana, and eventually became chief minister of Punjab in 1995.

Speaking at the ceremony, Syed Babar Ali recalled a friendship that began during their school years and continued for decades. “I have had the privilege of enjoying Brar’s friendship ever since we were classmates in 1937. He remained my best friend till he passed away in 2009. He and his family regularly visited us in Lahore and were warmly welcomed by my larger family.”

Dr Tarunjit Singh Butalia, identified as an honorary envoy at Aitchison College, said the classroom dedication by Syed Babar Ali reflected more than 70 years of friendship between the two men. He said their bond endured the experience of Partition, the passage of time, their professional lives and their patriotism.

"Their friendship transcended the trauma of the partition, time, their professions, and patriotism. It is a source of inspiration for young Pakistanis and Indians who will be the leaders of South Asia of tomorrow,"

The plaque has been installed outside classroom 108 of the Senior School, while a photograph of Brar in the college blazer has been placed inside the room. During a 1989 visit to Lahore, Harcharan Singh Brar inaugurated a library at Aitchison College and dedicated it to Babar Ali.