Engagement between T.N., Punjab goes back a long way, says Kovind

Guru Nanak College hosts incumbent President after a gap of 33 years

Saturday was a special day for Guru Nanak College, the 47-year-old institution, and the office of President for more than one reason.

After a gap of 33 years, the institution hosted the incumbent President. In July 1985, then President Giani Zail Singh went to the college campus in Velachery to declare open a building of the Guru Nanak Matriculation Higher Secondary School. This time, Ram Nath Kovind went there to inaugurate Guru Amar Das Block and Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Auditorium.

The day was special for another reason as it marked the 102nd birth anniversary of Zail Singh. Noting this, Mr. Kovind said he earlier paid floral tribute to the former President at the Raj Bhavan here.

Recalling how Punjab and Tamil Nadu had a “long and rich history of engagement,” the President pointed out that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was believed to have visited Rameswaram. Both Punjab and Tamil Nadu, which were at the forefront in the freedom struggle, had contributed substantially to the economic and social development of the country after Independence.

Sikhs’ contributions

Mr. Kovind had a word of appreciation for the Sikh community in Tamil Nadu, which was involved in a number of fields such as business, industry and agriculture. Over 100 years ago, the family of A.G. Ram Singh migrated from Amritsar to Chennai. Ram Singh was one of the pioneering cricketers and mentored several local players.

Two of his sons, A.G. Milkha Singh and A.G. Kripal Singh, played for India and at one time, it was said that “the leading cricket family of Tamil Nadu was a Sikh family,” he said, adding that the sense of oneness and the feeling of unity in diversity marked the special features of the country.

Mr. Kovind gave away medals to 12 top rankers in undergraduation and postgraduation courses.

Tracing the growth of the college, Governor Banwarilal Purohit felt that the institution should get the status of deemed university as all the criteria were “almost being fulfilled.”

K.C. Veeramani, Commercial Taxes Minister, Harbans Singh Anand, president, Manjit Singh Nayar, general secretary & correspondent and M. Selvaraj, principal of the college, were present.