One of the many gifts I received on my watershed visit to my ancestral home of #Lahore is the signature of my great great grandfather. I spent most of my life thinking all was lost of the legacy of Sir Ganga Ram, and here it’s been preserved for a century by the people of Lahore.
Most people whose ancestors suffered under Partition do not receive such an intact story and legacy. Yet this trip, @NCAPakistan searched thousands of #Lahore archives by hand to find the records of his great public works to share with me. I feel truly fortunate beyond words.
As we put the puzzle pieces of his life together, one thing is clear. Sir Ganga Ram believed any modern advance had to include everyone and make the people more self reliant, or it was not progress. This has deep implications for social, environmental, and economic policy.
When he was young, SGR’s father (my grtx3 grandfather) took him to the Golden Temple of Amritsar and pointed out that people were begging outside. It affected him for the rest of his life to think about what value a palace of gold had if people were begging outside.
One of my favorite stories I’ve learned was from near the end of his life. Hailey College was looking for more space to educate women. He said he had given most everything away and didn’t have much left, so they could take his house. What a spirit of generosity to live up to.
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