For the first time since Partition, a gurdwara within Aitchison College came alive with Sikh worship on Friday, marking a historic and emotional return to prayers.
The gurdwara, located on the grounds of the prestigious institution, had remained closed for nearly eight decades, as no students from the Sikh faith were enrolled. Its reopening coincided with Aitchison College’s 140th Founder’s Day celebrations, drawing current students, alumni, and members of the Sikh community.
“It was a nostalgic moment for me in particular to worship at the same place where my father, grandfather, and great grandfather prayed every evening before the Partition while they were students at Aitchison College,” said Dr Tarunjit Singh Butalia, an honorary envoy of the college.
Dr Butalia added, “It was a historic and emotional moment. This gurdwara had not been functional since Partition, but was well maintained by the college management.” He noted that about 15 Sikh alumni currently living in India still fondly remember the gurdwara, with its black-and-white marble floor and interior resembling a castle.
Leading the ceremony, local Sikh Harwinder Singh expressed joy: “What a joy to sing these holy verses at this over 100-year-old gurdwara which we had never visited, even though we live in Lahore.”
Principal Dr SM Turab Hussain said the college looks forward to hosting more such occasions in the future. “We hope this promotes more communal harmony, mutual understanding, and respect,” he said.
Aitchison College, originally known as ‘Chiefs College’, was founded on November 3, 1886, to educate the royals and chief families of undivided Punjab. The Patiala royal family helped fund the building, and the gurdwara itself was designed by Ram Singh, a noted Sikh architect from the then-Mayo School of Arts (now National College of Arts), Lahore. Its foundation stone was laid in 1910 by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, who studied at the college from 1904 to 1908. The gurdwara served as a daily prayer space for Sikh boys before it was closed after Partition.