On Wednesday last week here in Lahore, one of Pakistan’s top industrialists, Syed Babar Ali, dedicated a classroom in memory of his best friend, Sardar Harcharan Singh Brar, at their alma mater, Aitchison College, in Lahore. Babli Brar, the daughter of Harcharan Brar, came from India to attend this special gathering at the college.
Ali and Brar came from very different backgrounds. Brar, born in 1922, was from a Sikh landlord family of Sarai Nanga near Ferozepore, while Ali, born in 1926, was from a Syed Muslim business family of Lahore.
Both met at Aitchison College in the mid-1930s and developed a lifelong friendship that lasted about seven decades and transcended the trauma of the partition, the narrowness of patriotism, and their professional careers. There are many friends, but then there are those rare lifelong deep friends — this is their story.
What brought them together was Aitchison College, established as Punjab Chiefs College in 1886 — 140 years ago which is known for its pre-partition multi-faith roots and was established to provide quality education to the landed gentry, princes, and elite chiefs of Punjab.
Babar Ali joined Aitchison College in 1934 at the age of 7 years, and Harcharan Brar joined in 1937 at the age of 15 years. Despite their age difference, the two became buddies (best friends). During their time at Aitchison, Babar Ali was a day boy (day scholar) at Jubilee House while Harcharan Singh Brar was a boarder at Godley House.
Both spoke chaste Punjabi. While one attended the campus mosque built in 1901, the other attended the campus Gurdwara built in 1910. While their faith was important to them, it never got in the way of their deep friendship. The same was true of their politics while at college: Harcharan was an ardent Indian nationalist, while Babar Ali was an enthusiastic supporter of the Muslim League.
The two young men developed a deep emotional bond at the college. Both excelled at cricket and tennis, receiving college colours. Both received the prestigious full school sports blazer in 1942. Babar Ali was chosen as the school prefect in 1942, while Harcharan became the prefect one year later. Babar Ali received the Albel Singh Watson Gold Medal and the Dane Bhima Gold Medal in 1941. The Rivaz Gold Medal, the most prestigious medal for the best-leaving boy, was awarded in 1943 to Harcharan Brar. Here were two friends who excelled in sports and academics by supporting each other’s journey as student learners at Aitchison, even though Brar lived on campus and Ali was a day student.
The six years of friendship between them at the college from 1937 to 1943 laid the foundation for a 72-year house of friendship. Both developed family terms during their time at the College. Harcharan Singh Brar was the favourite of Syed Babar Ali’s family and was loved by his parents, Sir and Lady Syed Maratib Ali, as their fourth son. Despite being in Purdah, Syed Babar Ali’s mother, who hailed from the Fakir Khana family herself, would insist on meeting her son’s best friend, Harcharan, who would greet her and touch her feet out of respect, reminding her of her ancestors’ relationship with the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. She would refer to Harcharan Singh Brar as “Badshah” out of love for him, as she would for her own sons.
The camaraderie of Aitchison College provided much-needed water for the blossoming of their friendship. They graduated from Aitchison at the same time in December of 1943.
After graduating from Aitchison in 1943, both attended Government College in Lahore, where they completed their degrees in 1945. Brar then left Lahore to enter politics in eastern Punjab, while Ali left to study at Harvard University in the US.
When Syed Babar Ali returned from the US in late 1947, most of his Sikh and Hindu friends were gone, including his best friend Harcharan Singh Brar. This traumatized both of them. Ali was keen to meet with Brar and arranged to meet his Aitchison buddy in early 1948 at the newly created border crossing of Ganda Singh Wala between Kasur and Ferozepore through Khan Qurban Ali Khan, the then Inspector General of Police, who was a friend of his family. Harcharan Singh Brar brought bananas from the other side of the border, which were rare in Pakistan at the time, while Babar Ali presented him with some silk ties he had brought for his friend from America.
Many tears of sadness and uncertainty were shed at this nostalgic meeting, but it seems they both pledged not to let the trauma of the partition mar their friendship.
In his 2015 memoirs, “Learning from Others,” Syed Babar Ali recalls that he and his best friend, Harcharan Singh Brar, were allowed to go to the local cinemas in Lahore to watch movies once every two weeks. Harcharan was very good at mathematics during their time at Aitchison. He also observed that Harcharan Singh Brar never touched alcohol.
Amongst the interesting anecdotes from their time as students at Aitchison, Syed Babar Ali recalls Harcharan Singh Brar had a great sense of humour. There was a fruit vendor, Meher, who would extend credit to the boys on campus and did not maintain a written account, as a result of which the boys would always be in debt. One fine day, Harcharan Singh Brar remarked: “The payment for your fruit dries out more blood in our bodies than the amount of blood your fruit makes in us!”
After partition, Syed Babar Ali became one of the most well-known businessmen of Pakistan, establishing Packages Limited and Lahore University of Management Sciences. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1997 and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.
On the other hand, Harcharan Singh Brar took on the life of a politician. He served as Governor of Haryana and Odisha and Chief Minister of Punjab.
Despite their professional careers, Harcharan, along with his family, was a regular visitor to the home of Babar Ali in Lahore. Brar’s children spent many summers in the hot Lahore sun at Babar Ali’s home. Not only were the two men friends, but their families also became close. All of Syed Babar Ali’s sisters referred to Harcharan Singh as their brother or “Bhai,” while his nieces and nephews to date refer to him as “Mama/Mamu,” meaning “maternal uncle” in Punjabi/Urdu. On the other hand, Harcharan Singh Brar’s grandchildren refer to Syed Babar Ali as “Dadaji,” meaning paternal grandfather.
From Harcharan Singh Brar’s marriage to the niece of Sardar Pratap Singh Kairon, to the setting up and winding up of their stud farms with the Habibullah family of Lucknow in Ferozepur, Harcharan Singh Brar’s medical checkups to his last rites, his brother-like friend Syed Babar Ali was with him at every stage of life and continues to be in close contact with his daughter and grandchildren.
In 1986, Harcharan Singh Brar led an Indian delegation of Aitchison alums to attend the 100th anniversary of Aitchison College. Syed Babar Ali invited him to inaugurate the college library. Their 1986 photo is proudly displayed in the Syed Babar Ali Library on the campus opposite the gurdwara building. During a visit to Islamabad, the Indian delegation met with then Pakistani President Zia ul Haq. During this meeting, Harcharan Singh Brar said to the President, “If I die and go to Aitchison College, then I am ready to die today.” This shows his attachment to his alma mater in Lahore.
Harcharan returned in 1989 as the chief guest at Aitchison Founders Day and led the college parade (see photos).
When Harcharan Singh Brar needed medical treatment in the 1990s, he asked Syed Babar Ali to accompany him to America. Upon hearing of his friend’s medical predicament, Babar Ali agreed at once, but on discovering that only the two of them were going, he inquired, “Don’t you want to ask a family member?” To which Harcharan Singh’s reply was, “I already have; I’ve asked you.”
Harcharan Singh Brar died in 2009. After his last rites, his children asked Syed Babar Ali to lead the funeral address, stating that “only you were his brother”. The death of Harcharan devastated Syed Babar Ali, but his fondness for Harcharan only increased. He kept in regular contact with Harcharan’s family.
Today, Syed Babar Ali is the oldest living alumnus of Aitchison College and just celebrated his 100th birthday last week. In recognition of Aitchison College’s 140th founding anniversary, he recently donated 4 million Pakistani rupees to the college to name a senior school classroom after his late best friend, Harcharan Singh Brar.
Indians and Pakistanis can take inspiration from these two friends, who came from different faiths, experienced the horrors of partition, lived in two separate arch-enemy countries, yet maintained a lifelong bond of kinship for over seven decades, dating back to their time together in school. May many such friendships blossom so we can build a more vibrant, respectful, and peaceful South Asia.
