Bhai Vir Singh Niwas Asthan members oppose renaming of Lawrence road

The proposal to rename Bhai Vir Singh Marg (commonly known as Lawrence Road) to Maharaja Ranjit Singh Road, recommended by the National Minority Commission, has been met with strong opposition from members of Bhai Veer Singh Niwas Asthan. The road was officially named after Bhai Vir Singh in 1972. Members of the Niwas Asthan, which operates a Gurdwara and museum at Bhai Vir Singh’s birthplace, have called for efforts to promote the road’s original name — Bhai Vir Singh Marg — rather than renaming it.

Gunbir Singh, vice-president of Bhai Vir Singh Niwas Asthaan, expressed surprise at the National Minority Commission Chairman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura’s, recommendation to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for renaming Bhai Vir Singh Marg as Maharaja Ranjit Singh Road. He criticised the move, saying it diminishes Bhai Veer Singh’s legacy and contributions to Punjab, its language, and culture. “Bhai Sahib’s role in the revival of Punjabi, his expansive literary and spiritual works, earned him the adage of the “Sixth River of Punjab,” and even Rabindranath Tagore of the North,” he added. Bhai Vir Singh played a pivotal role in the revival of the Punjabi language, the unity of the Sikh community and the establishment of key institutions like Khalsa College and Punjab & Sind Bank.

Named after bhai vir singh in 1972

• The proposal to rename Bhai Vir Singh Marg (commonly known as Lawrence Road) as Maharaja Ranjit Singh Road has been met with strong opposition from members of Bhai Veer Singh Niwas Asthan.
• The road was officially named after Bhai Vir Singh in 1972.
• Bhai Vir Singh played a pivotal role in the revival of the Punjabi language, the unity of the Sikh community and the establishment of key institutions like Khalsa College and Punjab & Sind Bank.

Singh emphasized that little has been done by the successive governments to preserve and promote the Niwas Asthan as a heritage site. The proposed renaming, he argued, would not only erase the significance of Bhai Vir Singh’s name but also divert attention from the real issues facing the city, such as poor maintenance of historical sites and environmental concerns.

A little has been done for the upkeep of the old Company Garden which houses the Summer Palace of legendary Sikh King Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It has already been encroached upon and tiled in the garb of children’s park, odd out of scale statutes set up at the panorama, and even its green environs and heritage trees are not maintained. “Instead of the renaming scheme, the government should pay heed to the cleaning and greening of Guru Ram Das Nagri as the holy city is reeking under the onslaught of garbage, poor AQI, falling water table etc,” Singh said.

The people will be better served if attention is paid to the real issues at hand, instead of perfunctory and counterproductive suggestions.

Industrialist Raman Gupta said many people are unaware of the road’s official name, urging the government and NCM to make immediate efforts to promote its original name. He suggested that the road from the Deorhi, situated inside Company Garden, towards Ram Bagh should be named after the Maharaja, who used to commute over the stretch to reach the Golden Temple.