In the early 1930s, Hindu residents of Chakwal resolved to build the city’s third high school. Once named Arya High School, its building is now a part of the Chakwal Government Postgraduate College and remains, some 90 years later, a masterpiece of architecture.

The construction of the school was the result of collective efforts by local Hindus, who built the school room by room in the memory of their loved ones. Plaques on the walls of the school recall these efforts, starting with Bir Chand and Gyan Prakash, two brothers who took the lead in building a portion of the school.

Bir Chand and Gyan Prakash were prosperous timber merchants who contributed to the school in memory of their grandfather Bakhshi Kesar Mal Jaggi in 1933.

As more and more residents joined together, the small school expanded.

Lala Ram Chand and his brother Dr Sita Ram built a classroom in the memory of their father Lala Ishar Das Sethi in 1933. Two years later, Kishan Chand Sabharwal built an office in memory of his son Uggar Sain Sabharwal an old student of the school who died in earthquake that rocked Quetta in 1935.

Similarly, when B. Yag Datta, the young son of Sardar Anokh Rai Sethi, died in 1931, his father also built a classroom in his memory. Four brothers, Lala Kashi Ram, Ishar Das, Sri Ram and Roshan Lal, took part in the expansion of the building by constructing a classroom in the memory of their parents Munshi Boota Mal and Ameer Devi.

Lt Kirpa Ram, a resident of Vahali village who held MA and LLB degrees and was given the title Rai Sahib by the British government, also built a classroom in memory of his father S. Thakar Das Jauhar.

Utam Chand and Malik Ram also built a classroom in memory of their parents Jamna Devi and Munshi Chetram Kohli. Two wealthy women from Vahali village, Jawala Devi and Sardarni Bhag Sudhai, also participated in the construction of the school.

Soon, the school that had opened in just two rooms had 13 classrooms, three verandas and a hostel. But hardly a decade later, the founders of the school had to leave their institution, and it was deserted after partition.

The grand building is still a picture of neglect, and the beauty of its facade has been eclipsed by trees and a boundary wall. The condition of the school has continued to deteriorate in the face of official disinterest. An official from the building department told Dawn it is now in such poor condition that it is on a list of dangerous building.

Inside, ceilings, stairs and boundary walls are in disrepair due to a lack of maintenance by college authorities. The windows are broken and some of the classrooms are crammed full of old and broken furniture.

Without paying any heed to the renovation of the building, the Government Postgraduate College has started offering classes inside it.

“This historic building is our asset and it must be renovated and preserved. The provincial minister for higher education, Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz, who also hails from Chakwal, visits this building whenever he pays a visit to the college but he has not taken any practical steps yet,” a lecturer said.

When contacted, Mr Sarfraz said he was doing his best to obtain funding for the building’s renovation and preservation.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2019