Memorable visit to DAV College, Lahore

The importance of preserving cultural heritage came to the fore when I recently visited DAV College, Lahore, and my birthplace, Eminabad. The Pakistani town is associated with Guru Nanak Dev and historical monuments and artefacts have been well maintained.

DAV College was started in 1886 as a memorial to the founder of Arya Samaj, Swami Dayanand Saraswati. After Partition, the college was relocated to Ambala city in 1948. The campus in Lahore served as a refugee camp till 1952. Thereafter, it was used as a medical and law college by an Islamic NGO, before being converted in 1958 into Government Islamia College Civil Lines for post-graduate studies. At present, 7,500 students are studying in this institution.

DAV College, Lahore, was associated with many fearless freedom fighters. Famously, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru sought refuge here after Assistant Superintendent of Police John Saunders was shot in front of the police station, located across the road from the college. They fled through the college gates as Chandrashekhar Azad fired at Constable Chanan Singh, who was in pursuit.

DAV College is also the site of samadhis of three members of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s family. A board on the campus states that the first samadhi belongs to Raj Kaur or Datar Kaur, who died in 1838. She was the mother of Kharak Singh, the Maharaja’s eldest son and successor. The second samadhi belongs to Chand Kaur, wife of Kharak Singh and mother of their son Nau Nihal Singh. She died in 1842. The third samadhi is of Sahab Kaur, who married Nau Nihal Singh at the age of 16 in 1837, and died in 1841.

Hard to miss on the campus is the board listing the names of all those who donated more than ~5,000 towards the establishment of the college in 1883. One of the top donors contributed as much as ~60,000, which was a very significant amount at the time.

College principal Dr Akhtar Hussain Sandhu, who joined as the vice-principal after completing his higher education from London in 2019, found the donor board plastered over with cement. He was told that this was done since the board carried the names of Hindus and Sikhs associated with the institution. He sought help from Dr Assal Ali Dani, an associate professor of Urdu, to restore the board.

Both appreciated the work done by the DAV college managing committee and Arya Samaj leaders for setting up the college, saying had they not set up the institution, “we would still have been shepherds”.

The main building of the college displays a foundation stone acknowledging the gift by Rai Bahadur Ganga Ram. A drinking water tower in front of another building acknowledges the donation made by Malan Devi in memory of her husband, Lala Sada Nand Grover.

When my friend Amar Raj Singh Nain politely mentioned that Sandhu is in fact a caste amongst the Sikh community in India, Dr Sandhu disclosed that his ancestors had converted to Islam. All religious places and historical legacies must be given ‘izzat’ (respect) and ‘itram’ (reverence), he said. A message leaders on both sides of the divide would do well to adhere to.