A book for school on its centenary – with love from its alumni

Tribune News Service

 Jalandhar, November 8

 Alumni of Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Garhdiwala, Hoshiarpur, have come up with a unique way to express their gratitude to their school. Brothers and architects by profession from Chandigarh, Sarbjit Bahga and Surinder Bahga yesterday launched a book dedicated to their school, which is a compilation of the 100 years of its history since its inception in 1921.

 The book has been titled “A 100-year journey — Centenary Celebrations: Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Garhdiwala, Hoshiarpur, Punjab (1921-2021)” . It has been compiled and edited by the Bahga brothers and published by White Falcon Publishing Company. While Sarbjit Bahga passed out from the school in 1974, Surinder passed out five years later.

 Sharing the details, they said, “The book is an anthology containing an eclectic mix of articles and pictorial essays by some like-minded school alumni. Through these articles, the authors have penned down their memories of their school days, exciting anecdotes, and tributes to their teachers. The book aims to record the love and feelings of the authors about the school, which will encourage and motivate future generations of students and teachers.”

Delving into its history, the elder of the two Sarbjit said, “Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Garhdiwala, is one of the oldest schools in the region that is rendering service in the rural belt of Hoshiarpur district. It was established in September 1921 with the earnest efforts of visionaries like Subedar Sham Singh, Subedar Mall Singh and one other friend. These three retired JCOs of the Indian-British Army felt that education was the only difference between Indians and Britishers. Thus, they decided to start a good school in this region.”

 Surinder Bahga explains how the project to pen a book was conceived and finalised, "About a year ago, during a casual conversation, my elder brother shared that our school is completing 100 years. He suggested that we should float this idea with school management. We spoke to many old school friends, teachers, and authorities. School Management formulated a committee to chalk out plans for Centenary celebrations. Proposals like the upgradation of the school entrance, creation of literature, installation of a statue of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur were finalised. Many ex-students, faculty, friends opted to donate for the cause. This book on school is a small contribution from Sarbjit and me for this noble cause."

 It contains 80 black and white and 80 coloured photographs, which showcase the long history of the school. A 150-page treatise contains articles by about a dozen authors who are alumni of this school and have excelled in various fields. These include Gurkanwal Singh, Avtar Singh, Charanjit Singh Bahga, Harbans Singh Sahota, Jaswinder Singh Sahota, Rajwinder Singh Bedi, Gulzar Singh, Tejinder Singh Bahga, apart from the editors Sarbjit Bahga and Surinder Bahga.

 Apart from this, the book contains brief biographical introductions to some of the noted alumni of the school. Pictorial Sections such as 'School in Pictures', 'Group Photos – A Frozen History', 'Sweet Memories of the School', and 'Centenary Celebrations' are other exciting features of this book. The last chapter of the book contains a Punjabi poem, 'Yaadan di Shatabadi' by Gurpreet Singh Dhugga. It sums up the entire history of the school in a poetic version.