Professor Peter Virdee Honoured by Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society
I was honoured to be recognised by the Chief Khalsa Diwan as a prominent Sikh personality on the occasion of the 64th All India Sikh Educational Conference held at Ludhiana on 9 November 2012.
Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society is a 110 year old institution of Sikhs. It was established in 1902. S. Arjan Singh Ji Bagrian was the founder President and S. Sunder Singh Ji Majithia was its first Honorary Secretary. For promoting education among Sikhs, Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society established a new organisation – Educational Committee in 1908.
The aim of the educational committee was not only to spread education but also to promote the philosophy of Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society to make the common masses aware of the importance of education. Since then, the Educational Committee of the Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society has organised 63 Educational Conferences in various parts of the country.
Wherever the Educational Committee used to organise and Educational Conference, a new educational institution was established at that place, with the efforts of the supporters of Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society. The first conference of the Educational Committee was held in 1908 in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan) and after that Khalsa High School came into being there. Thirty Three Educational Conferences were organised by this committee till 1946. Various prominent political personalities honoured these Educational Conferences with their gracious presence from time to time. Before 1947, the famous personalities who attended these conferences included royal personages.
The prominent personalities who attended the Educational Conferences after the Independence are former Presidents of India, Dr Rajindra Prasad, Dr Zakir Hussain, Shree Fakhar-u-Din-Ali Ahmed, Dr G.S. Pathak – Vice President, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Prime Minister, S. Sawarn Singh – Defence Minister Govt. Of India, Shri M. C. Chagla Chief Justice Bombay High Court, Shri K.M. Munshi Governor Uttar Pradesh, Shri Mangal Das Ji Pakwasa, Governor Maharashtra, S. Ujjal Singh Governor Punjab, S. Partap Singh Ji Kairon Chief Minister Punjab, Giani Zail Singh Chief Minister Punjab, Capt. Amrinder Singh Chief Minister Punjab, S. Parkash Singh Badal Chief Minister Punjab. The prominent personalities who gave Presidential Addresses in such conferences of Educational Committee of Chief Khalsa Diwan to give direction in field of education were S. Baghail Singh Ji Rias, S. Joginder Singh Ji Rais, Kanwar Daljit Singh Ji, S. Sunder Singh Ji Majithia, Dewan Leela Ram SinghJi, Sant Attar Singh Ji Maustuana, S. Kharak Singh Ji Rias, S. Harbans Singh JI Attari, S. Shivdev Singh Ji Rias, Principal Jodh Singh Ji, Prof. Puran Singh Ji, Bhai Kahan Singh Ji Nabha.
Before 1947 the educational conferences organised by the Educational Committee left such marks that the number of educationasl institutions rose from 7 to over 600. After the partition in 1947, the economic condition of the Sikhs deteriorated badly, because of which many schools were either closed or were handed over to the government by the Managing Committees.
In 1967, Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society passed a resolution to establish schools under the banner of Sri Guru Harkrishan Ji; the 8th Guru and the first such school was established in Amritsar. At present more than 45 schools, Central Khalsa Orphanage (Amritsar) Old-Age Home (Tarn Taran), Hospitals, Homeopathic dispensaries, Dental Clinics, Sangeet Vidyalayas, Dharam Parcher committees etc are being run under the aegis of Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society which not only provide quality education but also make efforts to inculcate among students the spirit of Sikhism. It has already added two Adarsh schools at Dhandran (Ludhiana) & Naushera Pannua (Tarn Taran) in collaboration with Punjab Government under the name of Punjab Government CKD Adarsh Schools.
Educational Committee of Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society, Amritsar has now entered into the field of Technical, Vocational & Professioanl Education. Consequently, it has already started CKD International College of Nursing & CKD Institute of Management & Technology in Amritsar. The project of CKD Institute of Management & Technology at Tarn Taran & CKD Institute of Liberal Arts at Amritsar, are under consideration.
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