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Aitchison Lahore to YPS Patiala: 4 living alumni who witnessed Partition honoured
The 4 alumni studied at Aitchison Lahore (now in Pakistan) till 1947 before the Partition, and later they had to migrate to India.
Simran Singh Bhadaur, Col (retd) Harinder Singh Attari, Group Captain Jitinder Singh Chimni, and Malinder Singh Sodhi along with Yadavindra Public School (YPS), Patiala, headmaster Naveen Dixit and Tarunjit Singh Butalia, honorary envoy, Aitchison College, Lahore, -- who were felicitated during a 'Special Assembly' -- held on Tuesday evening.
In a rare yet memorable event, four living alumni of 140-year-old colonial-era Aitchison College, Lahore, were honoured during a “Special Assembly” held at Yadavindra Public School (YPS), Patiala, on Tuesday evening.
The four alumni — Simran Singh Bhadaur, Col (retd) Harinder Singh Attari, Group Captain Jitinder Singh Chimni, and Malinder Singh Sodhi — studied at Aitchison Lahore (now in Pakistan) till 1947 before the Partition happened, and they had to migrate to India.
The YPS School in Patiala, a replica of Aitchison Lahore, was established in 1948 by the then Maharaja of Patiala, Yadavindra Singh, for the Aitchison and other students who had to migrate from Pakistan to India due to the Partition. The Maharaja himself was an alumnus of Aitchison.
While Aitchison Lahore is completing 140 years this year, YPS has turned 78.
The flex naming six living joint alumni of Aitchison and YPS displayed at the special assembly held at Yadavindra Public School (YPS), held on Tuesday.
Tarunjit Singh Butalia, honorary envoy, Aitchison College, Lahore, who also attended the ceremony at Patiala, said: “At the time of Partition, 160 of the about 265 boys at Aitchison College were Sikhs and Hindus. They ended up in India. Maharaja Yadvindra Singh of Patiala graciously donated his stadium so the boys from Aitchison could continue their schooling. He hired Dhani Ram Kapila, Principal at Aitchison, as Headmaster of YPS. He also hired Aitchison teacher and hockey coach Harnam Singh Bal as Assistant Headmaster.”
“Aitchison College in Lahore was founded in 1886. The Maharaja of Patiala had donated Rs 50,000 towards the college building fund. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh and his son Maharaja Yadvindra Singh also studied at Aitchison along with about twenty other boys from the Patiala royal family,” said Butalia.
The four were honoured in the presence of school headmaster Naveen Dixit.
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Aitchison College will celebrate its 140th Foundation Day from February 13 to 15 in Lahore.
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