LAHORE - The city of Lahore owes much to Sir Ganga Ram, a civil engineer who is regarded as the father of modern Lahore due to his extensive contribution in the development of the city. He was born and brought up in Lahore. His date of birth as written in history books is April 13,1851.
Sir Ganga Ram left an ineffaceable imprint on everything he did for this city. There is hardly any historical building of the British era which he had not conceived and designed. These buildings include General Post Office building, Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, Mayo School of Arts (now the NCA), Lady Mclagan Girls High School, the Albert Victor wing of Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram High School (now Lahore College for Women) and the Hailey College of Commerce. He also developed Model Town Lahore and several other educational institutions.
He was a graduate of Thomason College of Civil Engineering which is now called the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. He was the first Indian to graduate from this college.
Among his above mentioned contributions is Sir Ganga Ram Hospital which has stood the test of time and undergone several expansions over the years. Established in 1921 as a dispensary, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Lahore was developed into a mega hospital on 13th April 1943. The then British Governor of Punjab Sir Bertrand James Glancy performed the opening ceremony.
Punjab government officials confirmed that no attempt had ever been made in the past to change the name of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. They said that Lady Aitchison Hospital, Mayo Hospital and Gulab Devi Hospital also retain their old nomenclature. Not documented though, but some reports suggest that an attempt was made to change the name of the hospital under Zia’s Islamization drive, but it was opposed from within the government. This alleged move dates to the time when the historic Lawrence Garden in Lahore was re-named as Bagh-e-Jinnah.
The famous fiction writer Saadat Hasan Manto has narrated an incident in his short story relating to the statue of Sir Ganga Ram. The story describes how a violent mob attacked the statue of Sir Ganga Ram with stones and then a man-made garland of old shoes was put around the neck of the statue. The police arrived to disperse the mob and opened fire. But in the meanwhile, the statue was razed to the ground and some of the protesters also received injuries. The mob then shouted, “Take them to Ganga Ram Hospital.”
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore
Some other buildings designed by civil engineer Sir Ganga Ram include General Post Office, Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, Mayo School of
Arts (now the NCA), Lady Mclagan Girls High School, Albert Victor wing of Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram High School (now Lahore College for Women) and Hailey College of Commerce: He is regarded as father of modern Lahore
He worked for welfare of the poor, women, and widows regardless of their religion and social status
Apart from his contribution as a civil engineer and architect, Sir Ganga Ram was also a great philanthropist. He founded Sir Ganga Ram Trust to run the hospital. Following his death in 1927, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital was also established in New Delhi in 1954 by his family under this Trust. His family moved to India after the partition.
The entire life of Sir Ganga Ram was a manifestation of Hundi-Muslim unity. Given his work and vision, he perhaps never imagined the partition of British India and the resultant creation of India and Pakistan as separate countries. He worked for the welfare of the poor, women, and widows regardless of their religion and social status. He started a widow shelter in 1921 and opened schools and industrial homes for women. In the last year of his life he also opened up a shelter for the handicapped.
Sir Ganga Ram left an ineffaceable imprint on everything he did for this city. There is hardly any historical building of the British era which he had not conceived and designed. These buildings include General Post Office building, Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, Mayo School of Arts (now the NCA), Lady Mclagan Girls High School, the Albert Victor wing of Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram High School (now Lahore College for Women) and the Hailey College of Commerce. He also developed Model Town Lahore and several other educational institutions.
He was a graduate of Thomason College of Civil Engineering which is now called the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. He was the first Indian to graduate from this college.
Among his above mentioned contributions is Sir Ganga Ram Hospital which has stood the test of time and undergone several expansions over the years. Established in 1921 as a dispensary, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Lahore was developed into a mega hospital on 13th April 1943. The then British Governor of Punjab Sir Bertrand James Glancy performed the opening ceremony.
Punjab government officials confirmed that no attempt had ever been made in the past to change the name of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. They said that Lady Aitchison Hospital, Mayo Hospital and Gulab Devi Hospital also retain their old nomenclature. Not documented though, but some reports suggest that an attempt was made to change the name of the hospital under Zia’s Islamization drive, but it was opposed from within the government. This alleged move dates to the time when the historic Lawrence Garden in Lahore was re-named as Bagh-e-Jinnah.
The famous fiction writer Saadat Hasan Manto has narrated an incident in his short story relating to the statue of Sir Ganga Ram. The story describes how a violent mob attacked the statue of Sir Ganga Ram with stones and then a man-made garland of old shoes was put around the neck of the statue. The police arrived to disperse the mob and opened fire. But in the meanwhile, the statue was razed to the ground and some of the protesters also received injuries. The mob then shouted, “Take them to Ganga Ram Hospital.”
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore
Some other buildings designed by civil engineer Sir Ganga Ram include General Post Office, Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, Mayo School of
Arts (now the NCA), Lady Mclagan Girls High School, Albert Victor wing of Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram High School (now Lahore College for Women) and Hailey College of Commerce: He is regarded as father of modern Lahore
He worked for welfare of the poor, women, and widows regardless of their religion and social status
Apart from his contribution as a civil engineer and architect, Sir Ganga Ram was also a great philanthropist. He founded Sir Ganga Ram Trust to run the hospital. Following his death in 1927, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital was also established in New Delhi in 1954 by his family under this Trust. His family moved to India after the partition.
The entire life of Sir Ganga Ram was a manifestation of Hundi-Muslim unity. Given his work and vision, he perhaps never imagined the partition of British India and the resultant creation of India and Pakistan as separate countries. He worked for the welfare of the poor, women, and widows regardless of their religion and social status. He started a widow shelter in 1921 and opened schools and industrial homes for women. In the last year of his life he also opened up a shelter for the handicapped.