08-07-2025
Aitchison's last links: In their 90s, old boys recall school days in pre-Partition Lahore
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Bathinda: Close to their 90s, they still remember their pre-Partition days at the elite Aitchison College in Lahore.
Simran Singh
and Malinder Singh Sodhi (in blue), who studied at the junior boarding school from 1942 to 1947, were the star attraction at an alumni and family gathering in Chandigarh on Monday.
While Simran and Sodhi were the only actual students of the 139-year-old educational institution, others at the gathering were family members of alumni who had passed on.
Both studied at Aitchison from kindergarten (K1) to K5 before moving to India ahead of the Partition. Monday's gathering was organised by Tarunjit Singh Butalia, honorary envoy for Aitchison College, who is settled in the US.
Simran belongs to Bhadaur village in Barnala district, while Sodhi to Buttar village in Moga.
A former sportsperson, Simran came to his village for the Christmas break in Dec 1946 and could not go back due to certain issues. Simran told TOI he was in Leslie House in the boarding school and spent good time with boys from top families from across north India. "In those days, most of the boys belonged to chief families. Then, after two years, I was shifted to Kelly House in the school, where I spent nearly two years. We were kept in a very nice atmosphere as teachers used to teach us mannerisms apart from our courses," he said.
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On in India, Simran played Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh and Southern Punjab, which merged into Punjab in 1967. "I also played and later remained a coach of badminton. It is after a long time that I met families of those who studied at Aitchison," he added.
Sodhi, who was at Aitchison from 1943 to 1947, recollected he was sent to Lahore to study in a "royal manner". After Partition, he studied at YPS, Patiala, and worked in the Thapar Group.
Butalia called the gathering "unique" and "ground-breaking". "It was for the families of Sikh and Hindu students who attended Aitchison College in Lahore from 1886 to 1947. There were 25 other representatives of families whose elders attended the college, but have passed away," Butalia added.
He added the initiative was being championed by Aitchison College in Lahore to reconnect with its Sikh and Hindu alumni and their families.
Butalia elaborated on certain plans being made for Feb 2026 when the college celebrates its 140th founding anniversary. Celebrations are being planned in Patiala and Lahore.
Those in attendance included representatives of chief families from Attari, Bedi, Bhadaur, Bhagowal, Butalia, Chhajjalwaddi, Kaithal, Kutlehar, Majithia, Mughal Chak, Pahuwind, Patiala, Sibia, Buttar, and Gur Har Sahai. MSID:: 122301298 413 |
