The Holy Quran contains numerous verses about Allah’s kindness and mercy towards His creation. Almost all Surahs in the Holy Quran, except one, begin with: “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.” Surah Al-Zumar 53 says, “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’” Almighty Allah instructs us to encourage one another to be kind, implying that we should also be kind to ourselves. Surah Anbiya 107 states, “We have sent you forth as nothing but mercy to the people of the whole world.” The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is described by Allah as Rahmatan lil Alamin (Mercy to all), a messenger who brought mercy and compassion to all people and the entire universe. This attribute should be emulated by all Muslims and humans, guiding us to render, show, and radiate mercy to all. We should be kind to our family and friends, to those in need, to strangers, and to the earth. Though this is a difficult path, those who follow it will attain everlasting happiness.
Human history is replete with tyrants remembered with disdain and abhorrence, yet the comparatively fewer kind-hearted saints, regardless of their religion, who believed in the oneness of God and His mercifulness, continue to shine like bright stars in the sky. One such saint whose accomplished projects continue to radiate the brightest light of kindness and mercy in the history of the subcontinent is Sir Ganga Ram. Kindness is a universal language understood by everyone, and Ganga Ram demonstrated this beyond measure. Known as ‘The architect of modern Lahore,’ Sir Ganga Ram was a civil engineer and a leading philanthropist of his time, who transformed Lahore into a world-class city in the early 1900s. Born in 1851 in Mangtanwala village, about 64 km (40 miles) from Lahore, Ganga Ram is one of the few personalities in India and Pakistan who left a lasting legacy on both sides of the border as an iconic engineer and philanthropist. Hospitals in Delhi and Lahore, built by his trust and family in his name, continue to uphold his legacy to this day. While Lahore was his home, his family moved to Delhi during the 1947 Partition of India. Although Ganga Ram died in 1927, writer Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story, “The Garland,” poignantly captures how deeply intertwined his legacy is with the city of Lahore. In the story, said to be based on a true incident during the Partition, a mob attacks Ganga Ram’s statue in front of his hospital to erase his Hindu name, but when a man is injured, the mob shouts, “Let us rush him to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.”
Ganga Ram also funded the establishment of the Lady Maynard Industrial School for Hindu and Sikh women facing financial difficulties. He is credited with designing and constructing several magnificent buildings, including the Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, the Mayo School of Arts (now the National College of Arts), the General Post Office, the Albert Victor Wing of the Mayo Hospital, Lahore High Court, Islamia College Peshawar, Hailey College of Commerce, Lady Mclagan Girls’ High School, Ravi Road Orphanage, Sir Ganga Ram Trust Building on The Mall, Model Town Lahore and other modern housing societies, the Government College Lahore Chemistry Block, and Ganga Ram Hospital (now FJ Medical University). He then established Gangapur, a model village with new irrigation and farming systems. He also built a unique system to transport passengers from the Buchiana railway station, two miles away, to Gangapur, laying a narrow track to allow two trolleys hooked to each other to be drawn by a horse. Ganga Ram was eager to implement the irrigation system he had set up in Gangapur on a larger scale. One of his most ambitious projects was the Hydel Power project in Renala Khurd in Punjab province. Officially opened in 1925, the project used five turbines to irrigate 360 sq km (139 sq miles) of wasteland, transforming it into fertile fields.
A strict disciplinarian, Ganga Ram was also known to be a kind-hearted man. His contributions spanned architecture, engineering, agriculture, and women’s rights, with a particular focus on the welfare of widows. With the government’s approval, Ganga Ram built a Hindu Widows’ Home in 1921, costing 250,000 rupees, to train these women in skills that would enable them to support themselves. The home would eventually have two schools and a hostel, helping widows pass examinations and training them to become teachers of handicrafts. Long after the partition, another beacon of kindness was lit by the saintly figure Dr. Rashid Chaudhry, who, with the approval of the Chief Minister of Punjab Malik Mehraj Khalid, converted the abandoned Widows’ House into “Fountain House” for the treatment of mental health and psychiatric patients. This institution continues to operate today under “Akhuwat,” led by yet another saintly figure, Dr. Amjad Saqib, who has established additional Fountain Houses in Sargodha (2015) and Farooqabad (2021). The continued support of the public and the government for Akhuwat and its widespread noble projects, such as interest-free loans and micro-financing, testifies to the enduring power of kindness, serving humanity beyond borders and religious divides. As kindness and mercy are great virtues, those who remember, honour, and spread kindness are equally praiseworthy. The Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Punjab would make a significant gesture by inviting the family of Sir Ganga Ram to a thanksgiving ceremony, announcing the revival of the Sir Ganga Ram Trust, the resurrection of Gangapur as a model village, and the refurbishment of his memorial/Samadhi with a free dispensary. Alongside Dr. Amjad Saqib, greater honour should be given to Abdul Sattar Edhi and others who continue to follow in these noble footsteps.
Saleem Qamar Butt
The writer is a retired senior army officer with experience in international relations, military diplomacy and analysis of
geo-political and strategic security issues.