British Indian peer Lord Rami Ranger has welcomed the announcement by an Indian university in the state of Punjab to establish an annual lecture in memory of his late mother to honour her enduring legacy as an inspiring community leader.
The Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar plans to hold the Sardarni Harbans Kaur Memorial Lecture annually at its campus as a tribute to the “remarkable woman” who never gave up or gave in, no matter what fate threw at her.
Sardarni Harbans Kaur was widowed at the young age of just 35 years with eight children during the Partition of India, reads a statement from Lord Ranger.
Her husband, Shaheed Nanak Singh, an ardent campaigner of religious harmony was assassinated as he tried to protect innocent student protesters caught up in communal riots during the Partition of India.
The statement from Lord Ranger reads: “He managed to save the student but lost his life for Hindu-Muslim unity in India. His widow arrived in a refugee camp in Patiala having lost her ancestral home (in Pakistan), country and breadwinner. She rose to the challenge like a lioness and accepted what fate had thrown at her.
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“She took up a job in a local primary school as a teacher and brought her eight children up through immense difficulties, hardships and sacrifices. She gave five of her sons to the defence of India as commissioned officers, and they fought three wars for the integrity of Mother India.”
Lord Rami Ranger CBE is her youngest son, who has received several royal honours for his contributions to business and society.
Earlier, the Punjab government had unveiled a statue of Sardarni Harbans Kaur alongside her husband in Amritsar as a tribute to the remarkable couple.
Guru Nanak Dev University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu paid tribute to their life as a shining example for others and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the memorial lecture was signed recently on behalf of university by Dr Sandhu and on behalf of the Shaheed Nanak Singh Foundation by her granddaughter Dr Chand Trehan and Sanjay Mehta.
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Sardarni Harbans Kaur’s life story will act as an inspiration to so many others who are in a similar situation and thinking of giving up; giving up is not the answer but going forward is with whatever resources one has, noted Dr Sandhu.
*Info: Shaheed Nanak Singh