Kurukshetra’s debt to Kairon
Reading a review of a book on the life of the late CM of Punjab, Partap Singh Kairon, flooded my mind with old memories, particularly how Kairon was instrumental in establishing a number of educational institutions, including in Kurukshetra area, then a neglected part of the state of Punjab.
In his very first year as CM, in 1956, he established a Sanskrit university at Kurukshetra. The university was later converted into an all-faculty university in 1961, which went on to develop a national reputation under Hardwari Lal, and then Lala Suraj Bhan, as Vice-Chancellors. Kairon used to visit Kurukshetra, Nilokheri and Karnal frequently for supervising the development of educational institutions in the region.
Kurukshetra University got a fillip, with Lala Suraj Bhan joining as VC. As the principal of DAV College, Jalandhar, he was close to Kairon, which helped him attract significant funding for the new university. In addition to the university, the small town of Kurukshetra, with a population of just 18,000 at the time, received another great developmental contribution from Kairon. I remember a winter evening in 1963, when Lala Suraj Bhan dropped in to discuss an urgent matter with my father. He requested support for a project that he said would transform both the university and the town. He explained that the union government had promulgated a scheme to open a Regional Engineering College (REC) in each state, and that he had already drawn up a blueprint why it should be situated in Kurukshetra.
He was aware that the CM wanted the proposed engineering college to be built in Jalandhar, and a decision to the effect was to be taken at a high-level meeting in Delhi the next day. Hence, it was crucial to influence Kairon!
My father immediately contacted four of his close friends, including Dr Sohan Lal Dhawan, then president of the municipal committee at Thanesar, freedom fighter Giani Mehar Singh, and Dr Shanti Swaroop Sharma. They left for Chandigarh early next morning to meet Kairon and plead for the proposed college to be developed at Kurukshetra, the historic venue of the Mahabharata, where Lord Krishna imparted wisdom and insight to the warrior Arjun.
Kairon, a large-hearted and truly progressive personality, a statesman in every sense of the word, was happy to receive the delegation at his official Chandigarh residence around 7 am, barely an hour before his scheduled departure for Delhi. He knew all the visitors rather well, and did not need much persuading before acceding to their request. He himself laughed out loud: ‘I can understand that Lalaji (Lala Suraj Bhan) must have planned and sent this august delegation here to change my mind!’
Today, Kurukshetra is a well-known educational destination, and for this the town owes a deep gratitude to Kairon.
