An article published in HT LIVE of Hindustan Times
Eminent Social reformer traces her roots at Kurukshetra
From Vijay Sabharwal
Kurukshetra:
Geeta Bhawan, an old temple situated on the eastern bank of the holy Brahma-sarovar
here is popular with tourists to the area, as well with locals, in large part because
of its beautifully-designed building. Entering the temple, one is drawn towards
a statue that is inscribed as that of ‘Raja of Reewa’, Venkataraman Singh, who
donated money to build the temple.
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| Geeta Bhawan Kurukshetra |
Close
to the statue is a big portrait of an anonymous, turbaned gentleman, whose
identity has remained a mystery. Often, pilgrims enquire about the identity of
the man whose portrait is so prominently displayed within the temple, but
neither the ‘pundit’ nor the manager had any answer to that question. Till Tuesday.
That is when a 97-year-old freedom fighter and social worker, Indira Pasricha,
visited the temple
Indira
revealed that the portrait was that of her ‘Nana’ (maternal grandfather), Diwan
Tek Chand, who was the Commissioner of Ambala Division in 1923, when this
temple was built.
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| Diwan Tek Chand ICS |
Indira
had come to Chandigarh last week from Delhi to participate in a function
organised by the Punjab University to release a commemorative postage stamp by the
Department of Posts to mark the 150th birth anniversary of a
well-known educationist, scientist and religious reformist, Ruchi Ram Sahni. Ruchi
Ram Sahni was also a trustee of the Tribune Trust that publishes the Tribune
newspaper.
Grand-daughter
of Sahni, Indira got excited when she met the Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra
University, Lt. Gen. (retd) Dr. D.D.D.S. Sandhu, at the event. She told Dr.
Sandhu that she had learnt that a portrait of her ‘nana’ is adorned at a temple
in Kurukshetra but that it did not carry his name or any form of identification.
She expressed her desire to visit Kurukshetra and to identify the photograph so
that his name could be mentioned on the portrait. Dr. Sandhu promptly offered
to help.
After
Indira’s visit to the Geeta Bhawan temple, the authorities and Pundit B.P.
Pathak verified from family photographs that the portrait was, indeed, of Diwan
Tek Chand, and declared that his identity would be displayed alongside the
display henceforth.
Indira
recalls that Tek Chand went on to do his Bar-at-Law from Middle Temple, London,
after completing his B.A. from Lahore and Cambridge. He was selected for the
ICS in London, in 1895, and returned to India thereafter. He was appointed Assistant Commissioner,
Hoshiarpur, in December, 1895, and was probably one of the first few Indian ICS
officers. He went on to become the Commissioner of Ambala Division in 1923. Tek
Chand was a scholar of Persian and, after studying in Egypt, obtained an
honours degree in 1910. He was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in
1918 for rendering valuable service during the First World War. He was a member
of the Viceroy’s council and designated ‘The Honourable’.
Amongst
the public buildings whose development he had overseen was one in Nankana Sahib
in 1914, the Clock Tower in Ludhiana and the Geeta Bhawan at Kurukshetra. He
died while Commissioner of Ambala in 1928, at the age of 58.
