LAHORE, November 3, 2026 (Nazrana Times): Aitchison College in Lahore marked the 140th anniversary of the laying of its foundation stone on Tuesday, welcoming a delegation from Indian Punjab. The foundation stone was laid on November 3, 1886. Members of the college community joined the visiting guests for a programme that included keertan at the historic campus gurdwara, a special assembly and the inauguration of the renovated Bahawalpur House.

Keertan at the Historic College Gurdwara

A special keertan was held on Tuesday morning at the college’s historic gurdwara, which reopened earlier this year after remaining closed for 78 years. The ceremony recalled the college’s diverse religious and cultural heritage and its tradition of welcoming people of different faiths.

During the college’s Founders’ Day celebrations from February 13 to 15, the gurdwara hosted its first keertan in nearly 80 years. All four doors were opened to people of every faith. Pakistan’s Punjab Provincial Minister Ramesh Singh Arora and college Principal Dr S.M. Turab Hussain attended that ceremony.

Delegation from Indian Punjab Welcomed

The visiting delegation included Mr and Mrs Sukhinder Singh, Mr and Mrs Sarvjit Singh Bedi, Mr and Mrs Malvinder Singh Guron, Amarjeet Singh Bedi, Ranjit Singh Bedi, Harisimran Singh Pahuwindia, Gurpreet Singh Chajjalwaddi, Bikram Singh Sidhu and Dr Tarunjit Singh Butalia.

Guests from India arrived in Lahore on Monday, a day before the anniversary. They included relatives of former students who attended Aitchison College in undivided Punjab before the 1947 Partition.

According to details released ahead of the anniversary, Kanwaljit “Babli” Kaur Brar, who travelled from Chandigarh, was due to unveil a classroom named after her father, Harcharan Singh Brar. The naming honours his friendship with Syed Babar Ali.

Junior School Choir Performs the College Song

The college held a special assembly to commemorate the 140th anniversary. The Junior School choir performed the college song, carrying on one of the institution’s longstanding traditions.

Renovated Bahawalpur House Inaugurated

The celebrations also included the inauguration of the newly renovated Bahawalpur House. Bhawal Khan, a descendant of Bahawalpur’s former ruling family, spoke at the ceremony.

His great-great-grandfather, Sir Sadiq IV, gifted the historic building to Aitchison College. The building stands as a reminder of the college’s longstanding association with the former princely state of Bahawalpur.

Commemorative Shawl Sent from Patiala

Yadavindra Public School in Patiala, which has longstanding ties with Aitchison College, marked the anniversary on its own campus earlier this year. The school also sent a commemorative shawl for the Lahore celebrations.

For the three-day Founders’ Day programme in February, Aitchison College invited all 15 of its living former students in India, most of whom were in their nineties. The children and grandchildren of those unable to travel attended in their place.

Organisers said the initiative was centred on connections between people and did not represent any government. “This is a platform for ordinary people of India and Pakistan,” a representative said.

The anniversary gave the college community and its guests an opportunity to revisit Aitchison’s history, celebrate its multicultural heritage and renew ties between people on both sides of Punjab.

Report: Ali Imran Chattha