A HIGH school was established in 1916 in Neelah village on the banks of the Soan river in Chakwal district by Sardar Mota Singh Bhasin, an illiterate philanthropist, who had done well in business and wanted to give back to his community. He took time off from his vast business commitments in Iran and Kashmir and returned to his village to set up a school.

This educational institution came to be known the SS Mota Singh High School. It became a beaconlight for the education-deprived residents of of Chakwal, Attock and outlying areas of Rawalpindi, be they Hindu, Muslims or Sikh. The institution catered to the educational needs of Muslims of the area after Partition.

It is sad that the provincial government has renamed the school Government High School Neelah. To honour the memory of this Sikh philanthropist whose school has contributed to Chakwal’s uplift, the school should be renamed S.S. Mota Singh High School to acknowledge his benevolence to spread education to a less developed region of Pakistan.

S.G.B.S. Bokhari

Peshawar

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2020