College named after alumnus strikes nostalgic note
From leading space scientist Satish Dhawan to lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi, this Ludhiana college is replete with examples to emulate
tion a government college and proposed Ambala as the location.
Delegations of five members each were invited from various districts of the ‘ilaqa’ (region). The team from Ludhiana was led by Sardar Bahadur Gajjan Singh, a member of the viceroy’s council. Gajjan Singh carried two crates of soda water bottles with him and reached late for the meeting on purpose. He entered with the crates. The Ambala divisional commissioner asked why he had got the bottles. Gajjan Singh replied that he would give the reason “when the time comes”.
As the meeting started, the president announced that it had been decided to open the college in Ambala. Gajjan Singh got up and said that as there was scarcity of water in Ambala, so much so that taps go dry in summer so he had brought crates from Ludhiana for the members. There was a big laugh from all quarters but the message was clear that Ambala was not suited to open the college.
Finally, Ludhiana was selected and HY Leanghorne, who was transferred from Khalsa College, Amritsar, became its first principal.
EX-STUDENTS WHO DID COLLEGE PROUD
Hayer, who did his bachelors of science from the college in 1953, says that it was in 1976 that the Punjab government renamed the college after its alumnus and leading space scientist Satish Dhawan, who retired as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman in 1972. The institution came to be known as Satish Chander Dhawan (SCD) Government College.
Another illustrious student of the college was poet Abdul Hayee, popularly known as Sahir Ludhianvi, who studied there from 1938-41. The college has named its auditorium after Sahir and his pictures of the era when he was a student dot walls of the college. A section in the college library is also devoted to Sahir.
Artist Harkrishnan Lal, former army chief TN Raina, former CBI director Joginder Singh, former Punjab top cop KPS Gill, former Indian cricketers Yashpal Sharma and Chaman Lal Malhotra, former chief election commissioner and ex-sports minister Manohar Singh Gill, English poet and short story writer Keki N Daruwala have been students of the college.
In addition, the chairman of Bharti enterprises, Rakesh Bharti Mittal and his counterpart at Avon Cycles Onkar Singh Pahwa are among the college’s alumni.
A number of sportspersons of the college have made it to the national and international levels. Olympian athlete Jagdev Singh also studied from this college.
During the college golden jubilee celebrations in 1970, organised by then principal Pritam Singh, poet Sahir Ludhianvi and artist Harkishan Lall were awarded gold medals.
THE SAHIR CONNECTION
A romantic revolutionary, Sahir, who was on the rolls for four years, was asked to leave by the college in 1941.
Urdu poet Kewal Dheer says that two incidents drove the college authorities to ask Sahir to leave. Sahir was the president of the students union in 1941 and his poems against the British rule irked the authorities. Another version is that Sahir was asked to withdraw from college for having an affair with a girl, Ishar Kaur, and sitting in the college lawns with her, much to the disagreement of principal Hervey.
Dheer says Sahir left Ludhiana and moved to Lahore. “He was again invited by the college twice – once in 1943 when he recited a poem, Nazr-e-college, in which he recalled his expulsion. In 1970 at the golden jubilee celebrations of the college, Sahir was presented a gold medal and he recited a poem, Aye Nayee Nasal,” says Dheer.
The following is an extract from Sahir’s poem Nazr-e-college:
Is sar-zameen pe aaj ham ik baar hi sahi, duniya hamaare naam se be-zaar hi sahi. Lekin hum inn fizaayon ke paaley huyein to hain, gar yan nahi to yahan se nikaale huye to hain.
Years after Sahir’s death, the PAU
CENTRE OF SPORT
Principal Dharam Singh Sandhu says the college has been the centre for sporting activities. The Punjab Silver Jubilee Hockey Championship was played here in 1950 in which 35 teams from across the country participated. A team — from Pakistan for the first time ever after Partition — took part in the tournament.
Before he became the first vice-president of India, S Radhakrishnan, was invited for the silver jubilee celebrations of the college in 1945. It was during his address that the college motto, ‘Dare to be true’ was selected.
CANTEEN TO ‘MUSHAIRA’
“Spending my college days here was the best time of my life as not only did the college impart quality education but it also focused on the teacher student relationship and overall development of the child. Time spent with friends in the college canteen is something I will always miss,” says Onkar Singh Pahwa.
“There used to be a ‘mushaira’ organised by the Old Boys Association and I will always cherish its memories. The college used to regularly organise Shakespearean plays, too,” says Hayer.