By Irum Saleem
Yadavindra Public School (YPS) Patiala celebrated the 140th anniversary of Aitchison College, Lahore on February 3, 2026.
Four living alumni of Aitchison College attended the event and were honored. They are Simran Singh Bhadaur, Harinder Singh Attari, Jitinder Singh Chimni, and Malwinder Singh Sodhi. All four attended Aitchison College till 1947.
L to R: Malwinder Singh Sodhi, Harinder Singh Attari, Jitinder Singh Chimni, Tarunjit Singh Butalia (Honorary Envoy, Aitchison College), Nivin Dixit (Headmaster YPS), Simran Singh Bhadaur.
At partition, 160 of the about 265 boys at Aitchison College were Sikh and Hindu. They ended up in India. Maharaja Yadvindra Singh of Patiala graciously donated his stadium so the boys from Aitchison could continue their schooling. He hired Dhani Ram Kapila, Principal at Aitchison as Headmaster of YPS. He also hired Aitchison teacher and hockey coach Harnam Singh Bal as Assistant Headmaster.
Aitchison College in Lahore was founded in 1886. Maharaja Patiala donated 50,000 rupees towards the college building fund. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh and his son Maharaja Yadvindra Singh attended Aitchison along with about twenty other boys from the Patiala royal family.
Aitchison College celebrates its 140th anniversary this year. YPS Patiala celebrated this anniversary today, while Aitchison College will celebrate Feb 13-15 in Lahore.
