Book recalls Panjab varsity’s journey

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 9

After partition, Panjab University (PU), Lahore, went to Pakistan but it had affiliated colleges in East Punjab where examinations were to be conducted. On July 14, 1947, the Syndicate of the undivided PU had decided that exams would be held in “both parts of Punjab”.

‘Roots of Panjab University and its Sports Archives’ which was released today on the PU campus here recounted those turbulent years. Prof Gurcharan Singh Brar, who has taken 10 painstaking years to write the history of the PU from 1882 to 1982, narrates that examination fee had already been collected but it was not possible to conduct the exams due to a communal frenzy.

Registrar, Examinations, Prof Madan Gopal Singh was sent to Lahore to sort out issues with the university authorities as ‘officer on special duty’ but he was murdered by Ghulam Hasan on the Lahore campus.

“The MG Singh Memorial Committee wanted to have a library named after him but the Syndicate agreed to name just a hall but even that commitment was never honoured. Though, stipend was provided to his son KG Singh to study at St Stephen’s College, Delhi. Unfortunately, I could not contact the family,” Prof Brar said.

Prof Brar had retired from the Physical Education Department of the university. The author relied on documents at Khalsa College, Amritsar; St Stephen’s College, Delhi; Mohindra College, Patiala; RSD College, Ferozepur; and Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Government College (earlier Randhir College), Kapurthala. For newspaper archives, he went through the state government archives of Punjab and Haryana.

“When I joined the PU, I realised that sports history is a virgin field and decided to work on a book,” he said.

Women in sports at PU

The book documents that a directress of physical training was recruited from the USA on March 25, 1941, to focus on women sports. A separate Panjab University Women Sports Committee was proposed and its first meeting was held on June 17, 1941, and competitions in badminton, tennis, netball, athletics and relay races were planned.

In May 1942, JM Wheeler, a Scottish lady, took over as directress. After partition, Sudha Sen held the post of president of women sports committee for 1948 to 1955 but it was on December 24, 1949, the Syndicate of East Punjab University sanctioned a lump sum grant of Rs 2,000 for women sports’ tournaments.

Prof Brar digs records to find out Dalip Singh from Forman Christian (FC) College, Lahore, was the first to represent India from the PU at the 1924 Olympics at Paris and then in 1928 at Amsterdam in long jump.

In Amsterdam, Abdul Hamid from Government College, Lahore, represented India in sprint. Feroze Khan and Kehar Singh Gill from FC College and Government College, Lahore, respectively, participated in hockey where the team won the first gold medal.

First PU sports tournament panel

In 1896-97, the first Panjab University Sports Tournament Committee was set up. A special committee was appointed for its management with William Rattigan and HLO Garrett as its presidents and Professor Dallinger, Professor Allen and Professor Portman as its honorary secretaries and Hari Kishan Kaul as its member. The committee conducted first sports tournament in December 1896 in Lahore. The first inter-collegiate sports competitions were conducted in athletics, cricket, football and gymnastics. From 1924-1984, the PU produced 86 players who represented the country at the Olympics.

Controversies

The character of Panjab University College being oriental raised many controversies that centered on the creation of the university and lasted for 13 years. But commenting on the significance of the study of oriental literature in Panjab University, Lord Ripon, Viceroy of India, observed: “You are following the course which we in England have pursued for centuries, and from which we derived the great advantage. The university which you desired to see established-upon someone different foundation from that upon other and older universities of the country, all are based on that principle. The variety in the character in various educational institutes of the country is in itself a great advantage and so far from considering it any drawback.”