There are a number of verses in the Holy Quran about Allah's kindness and mercy towards his creation. First all the Surah in the Holy Quran “except one” begin with: “In the name of Allah the Most Compassionate Most Merciful”. Surah Al-Zumar 53, “Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, don't despair of mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful “. Almighty Allah tells us to exhort one another to be kind. Implicit in that is that we should be kind to ourselves. Surah Anbiya 107 says, “We have sent you forth as nothing but mercy to people of the whole world”. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a messenger who has brought mercy and compassion to all people and the whole universe, an attribute described by Allah as Rahmatan lil Alamin (Mercy to all). The attribute could be manifested as a principle which must be emulated by all Muslims/humans, which is to render, show, and radiate mercy to all. We should be kind to our family and friends; we should be kind to those in need; we should be kind to strangers; we should be kind to the earth. He tells us that this is a difficult path, and if we can follow it, we will deserve happiness forever.
Although Human history is replete with names of tyrants who are remembered with disdain, abhorrence and are cursed; yet, the kind hearted comparatively fewer saints irrespective of the religion they followed with belief in oneness of God and His mercifulness, continue to shine like bright stars on the sky. One such saint whose accomplished projects continue to radiate the brightest light of kindness and mercy in the history of the sub-continent is Sir Ganga Ram. Kindness is the universal language that can be spoken by everyone and Ganga Ram proved it beyond measure. Sir Ganga Ram 'The architect of modern Lahore', was a civil engineer and leading philanthropist of his times, who made Lahore a world class city in the early 1900s. Ganga Ram was born in 1851 in Mangtanwala village, about 40 miles (64km) from Lahore. There are few personalities in India and Pakistan who left a legacy as lasting on both sides of the border as iconic engineers and philanthropists. Hospitals in Delhi and Lahore - built by his trust and family in his name - continue to uphold his legacy to this day. While Pakistan's Lahore city was his home, during the 1947 Partition of India, his family moved to Delhi in India. Ganga Ram died in 1927, but writer Sadat Hasan Manto's short story, The Garland, summed up just how much the man and his legacy is intertwined 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 wipe out 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 Lady Maynard Industrial School for Hindu and Sikh women who faced financial difficulties. He is credited with designing and constructing several magnificent buildings, including the Lahore Museum, the Aitchison College, the Mayo School of Arts (now called 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 o the Mall, Model Town Lahore and other modern housing societies, the Government College Lahore Chemistry Block, and Ganga Ram Hospital (now FJ medical university). Then, he set out to establish 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 keen to attempt the irrigation system he had set up in Gangapur on a bigger scale. One of his most ambitious projects was the Hydel Power project in Renala Khurd in Punjab province. The project, which was officially opened in 1925, used five turbines to irrigate 360 sq km (139 sq miles) of wasteland and transform them into fertile fields.
A strict disciplinarian, Ganga Ram was also known to be a kind-hearted man. His contributions spanned the fields of architecture, engineering, agriculture and women's rights. He specially focused 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 such women with skills to support themselves. The home would go on to have two schools and a hostel. It would help the widows pass examinations and train them to become teachers of handicrafts.
Long after the partition, another candle of kindness was lit by saintly figure Dr. Rashid Chaudhry who after approval by the Chief Minister of Punjab Malik Mehraj Khalid converted abandoned Widows House in to “Fountain House” for treatment of mental health / psychiatric patients; and it continues to operate till to date by “Akhuwat”, ably led by yet another saint named Dr. Amjad Saqib who has made more “Fountain Houses in Sargodha” (2015) and “Fountain House Farooq Abad” (2021).
The continued support of the public and the government to “Akhuwat” and its much spread noble projects like interest free loan/ micro-financing is a testimony that an act of kindness lives on, serving humanity beyond borders and religious divide. As kindness and mercy is a great virtue, those who remember, honour and spread kindness are equally praiseworthy. The Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Punjab shall be making a great gesture by inviting the family of Sir Ganga Ram on a thanks giving ceremony and announce revival of Sir Ganga Ram Trust, resurrection of Ganga-Pur as a model village and refurbishing his memorial/ Samadhi with a free dispensary. Alongside Dr. Amjad Saqib, greater honour should be given to late Abdul Sattar Edhi and others who continue to follow in these noble footsteps.
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