From Lahore to Patiala, a shared classroom legacy endures

Yadavindra Public School (YPS), Patiala (Source: School’s official Facebook page)

Seventy-eight years after Partition, the two iconic educational institutions in India and Pakistan, bound by a shared history, legacy, and heritage, are set to celebrate their “old boys” and their cherished memories. However, given the strained relations between the neighbouring countries and no immediate signs of a thaw, the celebrations will be held separately, without any formal collaboration.

Founded in 1886, Aitchison College, Lahore, will celebrate its 140th Foundation Day, with events at its colonial-era campus scheduled from February 13 to 15. Aitchison is currently a semi-private school for boys, though it uses the term “College” in the traditional British sense to denote a prestigious secondary institution.

Meanwhile, YPS Patiala will hold its celebrations on February 2 and 3 to mark its 78th Foundation Day since its establishment in 1948. The Special Assembly on February 3 at YPS Patiala will witness a particularly memorable moment. Indian alumni who once studied at Aitchison and later moved to YPS after Partition will be invited and honoured.

Alumni of Aitchison College in 1890 photograph (Special arrangement)

“We have managed to contact at least 15 such alumni who will be invited and honoured at the Special Assembly on February 3. They studied at Aitchison and later moved to YPS after Partition. Very few of them are alive now, but we are trying to get in touch with as many as we can,” said Navin Kumar Dixit, headmaster, YPS Patiala.

The student association of YPS is known as the Aitchison Yadavindra Old Students Association (AYOSA), reflecting the fact that some Indian alumni studied at both institutions due to migration after Partition.

Meanwhile, peace activists in India and Pakistan are attempting to ensure that the shared alumni legacy is celebrated, if not physically, then at least online.

Aitchison alumni Ajit Singh Butalia and Haq Niwaz Tiwana with their sports trophies, 1931. The original of this photo was donated in 2025 by Butalia family to Aitchison Archives.

Tarunjit Singh Butalia, honorary envoy, Aitchison College, and founder of Jeevay Sanjha Punjab, an organisation working for peace on both sides of the border, said: “We are in touch with all the 15 living boys in India who attended Aitchison till 1947 and later moved to YPS. We are also in the process of reconnecting cross-border descendants of old boys who were friends before 1947 at the college. We have already connected six pairs of such families — the Raza and Bedi families, Manawala and Raza families, Bharwana and Bhadaur families, Bajwa and Zulqarnain families, Tiwana and Butalia families, and Bedi and Taarar families.”

“These are heartwarming reunions of families after a long time, built on lifelong Aitchison friendships and memories of their ancestors who were friends at the Lahore college. It is an ode to the old boys and their good old memories, which can never die despite Partition creating physical borders,” Butalia said.

Sikh worship service to be held at Aitchison Gurdwara after 78 years in Lahore

“After over 78 years, a Sikh worship service will be held on February 13 at the Aitchison Gurdwara for the first time since Partition. The hope is that the event will be broadcast live on Facebook so that the living boys in India who are unable to travel to Lahore can join this historic occasion,” Butalia added.

Originally named Punjab Chief’s College on January 2, 1886, Aitchison’s foundation stone in Lahore was laid on November 3, 1886, by the Earl of Dufferin and Ava, the then Viceroy and Governor General of colonial India. On November 13, 1886, it was renamed Aitchison College to honour the services of Sir Charles Umpherston Aitchison, who is credited with establishing the institution. A prominent Scottish colonial administrator in British India, Aitchison served as Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab from 1882 to 1887, during which time he played a key role in founding the college. Aitchison College began as one of the five Chiefs’ Colleges of northern India, with an initial enrolment of twelve boys in 1886.

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh is mentioned as one of the alumni on the official website of Aitchison College, Lahore. (Source: College website)

On the Indian side, YPS Patiala’s founder, late Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, is succeeded by his two sons — former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his younger brother Malvinder Singh — who continue to head the school’s governing body.