Peshawar reminiscence of pre-partition days, and some reflections-with review by dr joshi

PESHAWAR
REMINISCENCE OF PRE-PARTITION DAYS,
AND SOME REFLECTIONS
H. L. KOHLI
Edited by
Jitendra Kohli
PrintedatThomsonPress
Peshawar—ReminiscenceofPre-PartitionDays,andsomeReflectionsH.L.Kohli
H. L. Kohli
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An Insightful Review by
Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi
Hon’ble former Union Minister of
Human Resource Development, and Science & Technology
The book 'PESHAWAR' is a fascinating account of the pre-partition
life in the town of Peshawar (now in Pakistan) along with other towns of
NWFP and the experiences and sentiments of Shri H.L. Kohli during and
after the partition of India.
Describing the impact of Quit India Movement during the last few
years of the freedom struggle in NWFP the author has referred to some
events in which he participated as a young boy. Shri Kohli ruminates
nostalgically about the visits of Mahatma Gandhi, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Pt.
Madan Mohan Malviya, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Khan Abdul
Ghaffar Khan who was known as Frontier Gandhi for his commitment to the
freedom movement and faith in Gandhi Ji. Shri Kohli also narrates the
escape of Netaji via Peshawar to Kabul and then on to Germany via Europe.
As a student Shri Kohli was highly inspired by the clarion call "Do or
Die" given by Mahatma Gandhi and plunged in the political activities as an
active member of NWFP Student Union Congress.
It is interesting to note that Shri Mohammad Yunus (nephew of
Badshah Khan) and Shri Kohli were both elected as President and Vice
President of the Student's Union and were staunch supporters of the freedom
movement. Shri Kohli remembers that many Muslims like Mohd. Yunus
who supported united India had to migrate due to threats to their lives. Shri
Kohli applauds Badshah Khan for his spirited opposition to Pakistan and the
demand for the formation of independent Pushtunistan to avoid joining
Pakistan.
According to Shri Kohli, maximum violence took place in Punjab
during the partition, which resulted in large-scale migration. The situation
was compounded due to the short period of just about two-and-a-half months
from the official declaration of partition to the actual date of independence.
Shri Kohli has refrained himself, and rightly so, from going into the graphic
details of the violence perpetrated during those nightmarish days.

Shri Kohli had left Peshawar to participate in the Independence Day
celebrations for Delhi, however due to the ensuing bloody turmoil after the
Partition, he could never return to the city of his birth. With deep anguish
and pain he writes that even the Frontier Mail from Bombay could no longer
reach Peshawar. At the age of 93 and even after a long gap of seventy-two
years Kohli writes, "I miss the place of my birth".
Shri Jitendra Kohli, the editor of the memoirs of Shri Kohli has
succinctly remarked in his Foreword, 'If the people of the two countries, who
actually have the same ancestry, realize how they have been misled by
vested interests (especially some sections in Pakistan), into this situation of
endless rancour, it can mark a new dawn in the region. Unending loss of
precious human lives and resources on both sides can be replaced with
enhanced prosperity on both sides.'
The message of this small monograph is to prompt us to learn from
history and strive for a bright peaceful and prosperous future for the two
neighbours who share the legacy of history and geography.
(DR. MURLI MANOHAR JOSHI)

H.L. KOHLI
Edited by
Jitendra Kohli
PESHAWAR
Reminiscence
of
Pre-Partition Days,
and
Some Reflections
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ii
Author: H.L. Kohli
Editor & Publisher (Self-Published): Jitendra Kohli
Owner: Jitendra Kohli
Cover Designer: Arjun Kohli
NOT FOR SALE
© Copyright Reserved 2017 Jitendra Kohli
Important Note:
i. All rights reserved.
ii. Mr Jitendra Kohli is the editor, legal owner and lawful assignee of
the material, except with respect to location pictures and news reports
which are owned by third parties. Please see ‘Special Note’ on third
party pictures.
iii. Downloading of the soft-copy (pdf or other document forms) of this
booklet and its distribution, without any change in any content, is ‘free
of cost’, provided – it is for non-commercial purposes, the source is
acknowledged, and written intimation is sent to the owner. For any
other form of reproduction or adaptation, prior written permission
is required from the copyright owner. Application for the copyright
owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication
should be addressed as follows:
1001 City Court, M.G. Road, Gurugram-122002, India.
E-mail: jkohlifreebooks@gmail.com
The doing of an unauthorized act in relation to a copyright work may
result in both civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
iv. Information given in this publication is as recalled by the Author (who
is in his 94th
year). The views expressed are the personal views of the
Author. The Author or Owner is not responsible for the correctness of
such information or the views.
All issues that may arise in relation to or in connection with the publication
are subject to jurisdiction of Delhi Courts and the laws of India.
ISBN : 978-93-5361-778-3
Printed in India at
Thomson Press India Limited
B-315, Okhla Industrial Area Phase-I
Delhi-110020
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iii
Special Note on Third Party Location Pictures and News Reports:
The Source (i.e. internet link/ URL) from where a third party picture
has been downloaded is acknowledged below against the corresponding
description/caption of each picture. Any inconvenience caused due to
change of internet addresses or related sites since the pictures were
downloaded is regretted, but no responsibility can be accepted for any such
changes. Noticed similar photographs elsewhere on the internet in public
domain. Refrained from monetizing the pictures. No copyright infringement
is intended.
1. Photograph on Cover-Page: A View of Khyber Pass
Source: http://wikimapia.org/1614551/Khyber-pass
2. Bala Hissar Fort
Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=old+pictures+of+bala+hisar+peshawar&rlz
=1C1WPZA_enIN644IN647&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=Pc-ySBMav64iMM%2
53A%252CnkzExwc7TXoRyM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTBaerROm8FJtrFIPS8ZG_
H6c4YBQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS-velnNzhAhUT6XMBHdDVAPAQ9QEwBHoECAgQ
A#imgrc=evHR4cIFe14TSM:&vet=1
3. A Narrow Pass in the Khyber Pass
Source: http://kptourism.com/sight/8/73
4. Ruins of Takshashila, the World’s First Known University
Source: https://www.google.co.in/search?tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=A7ZEW5fuJYf1vgSw27ug
CQ&q=ruins+of+ancient+taxila+university&oq=ruins+of+ancient+taxila+university&
gs_l=img.12...26335.29517.0.33550.11.11.0.0.0.0.158.1090.0j9.9.0....0...1c.1.64.img..
2.0.0....0.Xr5NvPi8RNA#imgrc=0IIOfy7Xc7OCmM:
5. Mahatma Gandhi and Badshah Khan in Edwardes College, Peshawar
Source:https://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta3/tft/article.php?issue=20130208&page=30
6. A news report dated 6th
May, 1938 about Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to
Peshawar
Source: The Hindu
7. A news report dated 19th
June, 1939 about Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose’s visit to Peshawar
Source: The Hindu
Note: The news reports have been purchased from The Hindu, with permission for
reproduction in this book.
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Peshawar - Reminiscence of Pre-Partition Days, and some Reflections
iv
BalaHissarFort
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v
ANarrowPassintheKhyberPass
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vi
Ruins of Takshashila, the World’s First Known University
Mahatma Gandhi and Badshah Khan in Edwardes
College, Peshawar
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vii
The Hindu/06-05-1938/12
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viii
The Hindu/19-06-1939/8
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H.L. Kohli
Jitendra Kohli
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xi
Dedicated to my late father, Shri Jagat Ram Kohli (who lived till
1949), my late mother Mata Raj Kaur (who lived till 1975), and my
late wife, Smt. Lakshmi Devi (1928 to 2016).
During the partition of the country in 1947, my wife’s family
migrated to India from a town called Campbellpur, just like my
family migrated from Peshawar. We got married in 1948 in India.
She shouldered all family responsibilities with efﬁciency and
dignity as a homemaker for 68 years.
H.L. Kohli
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xii
EDITOR’S FOREWORD
A
s I edited the memoirs penned down by my father, about
his days in Peshawar and a sprinkling of some related
historical anecdotes, my imagination carried me to a
different world — both in time and space. I could almost re-live
the days of his childhood and youth, and experience some of the
aspirations and emotions, which may have surged through him at
that time. In some ways, those times were very different from the
present, and in some ways the same.
I was born in New Delhi in 1953, six years after the partition of the
country, which had taken place in 1947. As a child, I recall that for
many years whenever my parents’ relatives or friends met, a very
common topic of discussion was about their days before and during
the partition of the country. There were traumatic memories of the
mob frenzy and bloody violence that had gripped the region during
the days of partition, and had affected almost every migrant family.
There were also fond memories of the land where they were born and
grew up, and with which their umbilical cord had now been violently
severed forever. Oft-heard refrains during these conversations
included nostalgic ones, such as — “Milk was better there… Ghee
was better there…this or that was better there…”, ‘there’ implying
their homeland in pre-partition India that had now become Pakistan.
There were also inspirational stories of how each of them were now
re-building their lives in India, having lost everything or most of
what they had when they migrated.
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xiii
Which part of pre-partition India a person came from was a
frequent starting point of many a conversation. This continued
to some extent even after decades. I remember an interesting
incident when I was in my early twenties. After graduating as
an electrical engineer from IIT Delhi in 1976, I had joined an
engineering company called Larsen & Toubro in Bombay. I had
just got transferred to the Delhi office of the company, and it was
my first day at the office. While the commonly used language
in office was English, occasionally people spoke in Hindi or
Punjabi at a personal level. It was a hot summer afternoon. The
hall in which I was sitting had pedestal fans. A pedestal fan in my
proximity was tilted in a direction away from me, so I requested
in Punjabi to an acquaintance, “Pakha dinga paya ve, ainhoo zara
siddha kar deyo ge” (The fan is in a tilted position, would you
be kind enough to straighten it, please?). A gentleman sitting far
away, who had heard my request, got up and came towards me
with a wide smile on his face, and asked, “Tussi pichhon Pishore
de ho?” (Do you/ your family hail from Peshawar?). It seems the
word, ‘dinga’ (tilted) was perhaps typical of the Punjabi dialect
spoken in Peshawar. The mere sound of that word led to a surge of
emotion in that gentleman, even thirty years after Partition. I too
got up, and we shook hands with a feeling of warmth.
Quite often when I travel abroad and happen to talk to a person
who looks like an Indian, he turns out to be from Pakistan.
If religion and politics are kept aside, there is bonhomie and
much commonality in our ways of living and aspirations. Not
surprisingly, this happens because it is historically the same race,
which has been divided due to the politics of vested interests and
religious bigots. I personally feel that while there are undoubtedly
some differences amongst the religions of the world, these
differences by themselves are not always a cause of serious
discord. Discord is often provoked by vested interests who gain
power by becoming self-appointed guardians and interpreters of
their religious doctrine, even if some of the interpretations may be
at variance with the basic tenets of that religion.
Editor’s Foreword
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xiv
Editor’s Foreword
After Partition, India and Pakistan have existed as two independent
countries for over seven decades now. In spite of the warmth that
people of the two countries sometimes experience at personal
levels, animosity between the two countries has not stopped. A
common feeling is — never mind if another country wins a cricket
or a hockey match, Pakistan should lose, and vice versa.
No doubt, India has made some serious overtures in the past,
albeit in vain. If the people of the two countries, who actually
have the same ancestry, realize how they have been misled by
vested interests (especially some sections in Pakistan), into this
situation of endless rancour, it can mark a new dawn in the region.
Unending loss of precious human lives and resources on both
sides can be replaced with enhanced prosperity on both sides. This
would naturally entail cessation of hostilities, giving up agendas
trumped-up over the last many decades, and substituting these with
an overwhelming decision to live together in harmony. People of
the two countries can then endeavor to restore the ancient glory
of the region in various respects – economic, social, cultural and
spiritual, and make it one of the most sought after places in the
world.
Looking at the state of affairs between the two countries over
the last seven decades, this may seem to be wishful thinking.
However, recent history has shown how countries that fought
against each other in two of the bloodiest wars in human history,
World War-I and World War-II, have now come together as part
of the European Union (EU). In this context, the legal-framework
of the EU is not important to emulate, what is important is the
realization that neighbouring countries have to exist with mutual
cooperation. History of the world shows that economic and good
sense does prevail at times. Will it, in this case? Only time will
tell.
Jitendra Kohli
New Delhi
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xv
Contents
Special Note on Third Party Location Pictures
and News Reports: iii
Pictures iv
News Reports vii
Photographs of the Author, and the Editor ix
Dedication xi
Editor’s Foreword xii
Brief History of Peshawar 1
Some Memories of Childhood and Family 3
Schooling 5
Some Geographical Aspects and Places of
General and Historical Interest in Peshawar 7
Some Religious Places in Peshawar 14
College Education and My First Job 17
Visits to Other Places during My Student Life 20
Trade, Business and some Societal Aspects 27
Hindu Saints Who Used to Visit Peshawar Every Year,
and Arya Samaj 32
Some Memories of Provincial/ Local Administrators 34
Last Few Years of the Independence Movement and
some Related Anecdotes 36
Index 45
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1
BRIEF HISTORY OF PESHAWAR
P
eshawar was a part of India till the partition of our country
in 1947. It was once the capital of India in second century
CE, under the rule of Emperor Kanishka of Kushan dynasty.
At that time, it was called ‘Purushapura’, which in Sanskrit means
the ‘city of men’. History remembers Emperor Kanishka for his
military prowess, as well as, political and spiritual contributions.
His empire extended from parts of present day Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan, to Turfan (somewhere near Xinjiang province of
modern day China), to the Gangetic plains of India in Patliputra
(Patna in the State of Bihar in modern India). Kanishka was a
patron of Buddhism and contributed to its spread in China. He
also had a role in the development of the ancient Silk Road. Some
ruins of the Kanishka period called ‘Shahji ki Dheri’ were still
there when the partition of the country took place in 1947. While
Peshawar’s exact origin is not known, the city has existed under
different similar-sounding names for possibly more than three-
and-a-half thousand years as per some ancient Hindu scriptures, as
well as, later writings of ancient Greek Historian called Herodotus
(circa 5th
century BCE). In the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata,
King Dhritarashtra’s Queen, Gandhari, was a princess of the
Gandhara kingdom. Purushapura (Peshawar) was one of the cities
in the Gandhara kingdom.
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2
The city of Peshawar is located just about 25 miles from the
famous mountain pass called Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush
mountain range. During the Kushan era, Khyber Pass was also
used as a trade route. Many invasions of India also took place
through Khyber Pass. These included invasions by Mahmud
Ghaznavi in 10th
/ 11th
century CE, Muhammad Ghori in 12th
century CE, Genghis Khan a Mongol tribal in 13th
century CE,
and others. Earlier in 4th
century BCE, Alexander the Great’s army
had also used Khyber Pass for invasion of India.
It would be interesting to note that during the times of Genghis
Khan and even later, the surname or title ‘Khan’ was originally
used by non-Muslim tribal chieftains and rulers in Mongolia,
where Buddhism was the popular religion. Later on, it was widely
used as a surname throughout the Muslim world. While I was in
Peshawar, some Hindus also used the title ‘Khan’, although that
was rare.
Coming back to Khyber Pass, it is noteworthy that, for almost
two millennia, Khyber Pass was an important route for trade as
well as multiple invasions of India. After the forces of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh reached Kabul in early 19th
century CE, there were
no further invasions of India through Khyber Pass. After Maharaja
Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, the Sikh empire started weakening
and disintegrating. In 1849, Peshawar along with other territories
in Punjab came under the control the British East India Company.
We must always learn from history. Specifically with reference
to Khyber Pass, as new strategic roads are being built today in
the proximity of India for the stated purpose of trade, defence
strategists should not ignore the fact that such roads could also
be used to facilitate the movement of an invading army, if the
geopolitical situation changes in the future. Suitable safeguards
should be put in place for such situations.

3
SOME MEMORIES OF
CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY
I
was born in 1925 in Peshawar, in a Hindu locality of the city
called ‘Andar Shahar’. I was the only child of my parents and
was born fourteen years after their marriage. Although my
father Shri Jagat Ram was non-vegetarian, I did not even touch
eggs under the influence of my mother, Smt. Raj Kaur, who was a
very pious lady. Later on, my father also gave up non-vegetarian
food, and became a pure vegetarian. In Peshawar, Hindu ladies
generally did not cook meat in the house, and male members had
to eat it outside. My mother could read holy books through self-
learning and informal guidance, and knew many scriptures by
heart, although she was not formally trained. My father was known
for his hospitality towards guests. He was extremely generous,
even if it meant going beyond his means at times. He would take
care of guests and sometimes even passers-by, particularly sadhus
(holy men).
In those days, it was common to have families with some sons
as Hindus and some as Sikhs. My paternal grandfather, Shri
Gopal Singh was a Sikh, while my father Shri Jagat Ram Kohli
was a Hindu. My father’s elder brother, Pishori Lal, died in early
childhood at the age of eight. My father’s younger brother, Shri

4
Suraj Singh Kohli was a Sikh and was also residing in Peshawar.
My maternal grandfather, Shri Amrit Shah Chadha, was a Hindu.
While my mother was married to a Hindu, her two sisters were
married to Sikhs.
My maternal grandfather owned land in many villages. He resided
in a village called Narang. At one time, his was the only pucca (i.e.
built properly with bricks and cement) house in the village. He
had also built a school for the village. He sent his sons to study in
Lahore and Rawalpindi for their college education. After he lost
his first wife (i.e. my maternal grandmother), he married again
at Varanasi. His four sons and a daughter from his second wife
were all younger to me. Today there is a Narang Colony in West
Delhi. Some of my uncles and their children have their homes in
this colony.
My paternal grandfather passed away when I was three years old,
and I remember having to perform the ritual of waving a chaur
(ceremonial fan) on his arthi (dead body) as a grandchild. My
maternal grandfather and two of his sons were killed during the
partition riots in 1947.
It was not uncommon in those days for close friends to decide
about the possible marriage of their yet-to-be-born children. My
father once told me that one of his friends, Shri Shiv Saran, an
officer of the rank of Deputy Commissioner, had promised that if
he had a girl child and my father had a son, they would be married,
but fate had ordained otherwise.
I developed the habit of physical exercise at the age of 7 or 8 years.
The exercise regimen varied with age, and included — long walks,
sit-ups, push-ups and occasionally wrestling or volley-ball. In
Peshawar, the canal banks were popular for morning walks. After
heavy exercise, I used to take bath at ‘Waziri Chashma’ before
returning home. Later, when I was in my twenties and moved to
Delhi after Partition, I added Yoga to my exercise routine. Yoga
and long walks stood me in good stead for many years.

5
SCHOOLING
P
eshawar had a Government School, Mission School, Khalsa
School, Sanatan Dharma School, Islamia School, Convent
School and National High School.
In Peshawar cantonment (popularly referred to as “cantt’’),
Pt. Girdhari Lal Salwan, a furniture merchant, started a school
which had chairs and desks for all the students. In most other
schools, chairs and desks were provided only from Class-V
onwards, and students of lower classes had to sit on the floor on
mats. I recall another incident related to Pt. Girdhari Lal Salwan.
Once funds had to be collected for construction of a temple.
Pt. Girdhari Lal Salwan offered a contribution equal to the amount
collected from all other donors.
I started my primary education from Niranjan Singh Saraf Khalsa
High School. It had rooms on three sides and a lawn in the centre.
It had a hostel on the first floor, and also a large hall. The results
of Middle and Matriculation Examination were excellent. In
1940, one Saran Singh from a very poor family passed the Matric
Exam securing 714 marks, which were considered as very high.
Later, he retired as Chief Secretary of the Government of Bihar, in
Independent India.

6
Memories of school days are incomplete without mention of some
amusing anecdotes. In Class-VIII, one of my teachers was Shri
Sita Ram from Varanasi. Once he wrote on the blackboard with a
piece of chalk, “I will not take my classes today”. In his absence,
one student erased “c” and it became, “I will not take my lasses
today”. When the teacher came back, he erased ‘l’, and it was now
“I will not take my asses today”. He also wrote that a husband
asked his wife, “BVGTPO” (in Punjabi that means, “Oh wife,
please have tea”), and she wrote back, “IJ” (in Punjabi that means,
“I am coming”). On another occasion he drew a figure , and
asked the students to infer it as a word. One of the boys re-wrote
it as ‘Potatoes’, inferring the picture as a pot resting on/ at two o’s
(pronounced as ‘oes’).
During the season of Malaria, quinine tablets were given to all
students in the school. During the lunch interval, students had to
take only milk, and no other snacks.
The system of co-education was not there except in the Convent
School in the cantonment area.
There was no system of paid-tuition for weak students, and
teachers guided them without any charge after school hours.
There was no system of compulsory school uniform. Typically,
Hindu students wore turbans or black caps as headgear, while
Muslim students wore red Turkish caps.
All schools used to start the day with a prayer prescribed by the
school.
As I stood first in the class in the Middle School examination held
by the Education Department of the Province, my name was put
in the Honours List in 1939. The second time my name appeared
in the Honours List was in 1941, when I stood first in the school,
obtaining 653 marks. I got 197 marks out of 200 in Arithmetic,
Algebra and Geometry subjects. I also stood first in First Aid
Exam that was held for all schools in Government High School,
Peshawar.

7
SOME GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS
AND PLACES OF GENERAL AND
HISTORICAL INTEREST
IN PESHAWAR
P
eshawar is situated at an elevation of approximately 1000
feet above sea level. It is a valley surrounded on three sides
by distant hills. After the winter rainfall in December and
January, the hill tops used to glisten with snow. A hill station
called Cherat, which was about 3000 feet above sea level, was at
a distance of about 20 miles from Peshawar.
There were a number of natural springs on the northern and western
sides of the city. There were water-tanks full of spring water,
which were cool in summer and hot in winter. There was also a
big campus Panch Teerath. It was said that the five ‘Pandavas’
(in the ancient times of Mahabharata, circa 3100 BCE) had come
and stayed there for some time. There was also a well named,
Katori Khuyi (in the shape of a cup). Hindus used to visit this
cup-shaped well for bathing in the mornings and evenings. While
bathing, once a dark-complexioned boy asked another one as to
how to get fair skin. The other boy told him to use white Lux soap.

8
Besides Panch Teerath, bathing tanks full of natural spring water
were there at Jabba and Waziri Chashma.
On the outskirts of the city, there were two large adjoining water
tanks called Gorakhnath. One was meant for bathing for men and
the other for women. A big fair used to be held there at the time of
Baisakhi (a harvest, as well as, a religious festival of the Hindus
and Sikhs, celebrated every year on 13th
/ 14th
April).
On a high mound, there was a historic fortress made of bricks
called Bala Hissar (Bala Hisar), which in Persian means ‘high
fort’. It gives a panoramic view of the city. Hiuen Tsang, a Chinese
traveller who visited India in 7th
century CE, mentions about it
in his writings. It also mentioned in Baburnama, the memoirs of
Babur. While I was in Peshawar, it was fenced on all sides, and the
main gate was guarded by a Scottish soldier.
A tehsil town of Peshawar district was called, Charsada. It was
at a distance of about 20 miles from the city. Here, one had to
cross seven perennial rivulets. I have not seen such natural beauty
anywhere else. These rivulets later merged into River Kabul, a
tributary of River Sindh.
For medical treatment, there was a big hospital called Lady
Reading Hospital. Its surroundings were full of trees and flowers.
It was located on the southern side of the fort. A mosque was
located at one end of the hospital.
For safety of the city from sudden attacks by tribals, there were
wooden gates. Prominent amongst the gates were – Kabuli
Darwaza and Kacheri Darwaza. Due to the growth of bazaars
outside, these two gates were later pulled down.
At the entrance of each inner lane of the residential houses, there
was always a patti (small gate of wood with covering of iron
sheet), with a window-like opening to go inside by bowing one’s
head. A chowkidar (guard) was always there to open the window.
Ram Chowk was the main commercial area with shops of
wholesale traders all around. Here one could also exchange Indian
Rupees with Afghani coins. It was also called Chowk Yaadgaar,

9
with a Gumbad (dome) in memory of Lord Hastings (Governor
General of India from 1813 to 1823). As this structure was high,
it was used as a stage for public meetings. A fountain was also
installed there by the Municipality, but generally it did not function
due to shortage of water supply.
In a street adjacent to Ram Chowk, there were shops of jewellers
and goldsmiths. This area was looted by tribals in 1910.
A wide street led from Ram Chowk to Ghanta Ghar (Clock
Tower). This was a landmark of the city. Garlands of flowers used
to be sold there in the evening. From the Clock Tower, one road
led to Rampura and Karimpura, and another to Gor Khatri (a site
of ancient ruins of the city). Police Headquarters were also located
there. It had a big gate and high walls on all four sides. There
was also a temple of Guru Gorakhnath inside. Saint Gorakhnath
was the founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India
around the 11th
century CE. His followers are found in the northern,
western and central states of India, as well as, in Nepal. It would be
relevant to note that there is a Gorakhnath Math in India, located
in the city of Gorakhpaur. At present (i.e. in the year 2017), its
Mahant (i.e. head priest) is Yogi Adityanath, who also became the
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh this year.
In Peshawar, there was a Zoo, which was closed down due to
paucity of funds for feeding the animals.
The home of Prithviraj Kapoor (a well-known theatre artist and
towering film personality in post-partition India, and father of
eminent film actors – Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi
Kapoor) was in the street of Lahoris. When I met him in Bombay
at Matunga in 1959, he asked his wife to bring sweets for me,
as I was from his hometown, Peshawar. When I asked him how
he came to Bombay (now called Mumbai), in a lighter vein he
disclosed that he had failed his college exams, and had run away
to Bombay to escape physical beating by his father.
Most of the residential buildings were three-storeyed. For
purchasing small articles from vendors at the ground-level, a
‘chhika’ (basket with a rope) was used by ladies from the upper
floors to avoid going up and down the staircase too often.
Some Geographical Aspects and Places of General and Historical Interest ...

10
There were two big gardens in the city, Shahi Bagh and Waziri
Bagh. Shahi Bagh was always chosen for large public-meetings.
Exhibitions of fruits and vegetables were also held there.
Electric supply to the city was by a company which had a steam-
run generator. This was supplemented by Malakand Hydro Electric
Project.
Water supply to the city was from a water headwork on River
Bara. Water taps were mostly provided on the ground floor of
a building, and there were no overhead tanks. For cold water,
residents used water from deep wells, or ice.
Marriage ceremonies normally took place in temples and
gurudwaras. The ‘doli’ (ceremonial farewell of a bride) typically
took place in the morning hours. There was a system of display of
dowry, and a woman from the household would elucidate about
the clothes, ornaments and cash.
There were akhaaras (traditional gymnasiums) for learning
wrestling. Here, nobody was asked about his caste or religion.
In some akhaaras, ‘gatka’ (an Indian martial art of Sikhs, using
wooden sticks simulating swords and use of shields) was also
taught.
There was complete communal harmony in Peshawar till the
Muslim League was able to spread its wings in the city.
Harmony amongst different communities is nurtured by
appreciating each other’s strengths and good qualities, respecting
each other’s sentiments and accepting the differences. Throughout
history, such harmony has got disturbed when political or religious
leaders exploit religious differences for achieving their personal
ambitions. This leads to reactions from the other side, and
sometimes a cascading chain of reactions and counter-reactions.
One such unfortunate event was to take place in our lives later,
when the partition of the country took place in 1947, resulting in
human tragedy and migration of refugees on an unprecedented
scale.
Festivals of Dussehra, Diwali and Holi were celebrated with great
enthusiasm. Lohri festival was celebrated by burning faggots (a

11
bunch of sticks tied together) in the evening for about a month.
While warming themselves around the fire, girls and women sang
songs, and stories of ‘Alaf Laila’ (one story leading to another)
were told till midnight by the elderly. For assisting during the
festivals such as Dussehra, there was a Sewa Samiti (a service
group) managed by Shri Kripa Ram, which provided volunteers.
Shri Kripa Ram was so devoted to the welfare of the poor, that
when he died there was no money left even for his own coffin.
The stories of Hari Singh Nalwa’s bravery and daredevil nature
were popular. Hari Singh Nalwa, who was commander-in-chief
of the Sikh army, had annexed Peshawar in 1834 and made it a
part of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s empire. When Hari Singh was
just thirteen or fourteen years of age, a tiger attacked him during
a hunt. It is said that, without depending on his fellow-hunters,
he killed the tiger with his bare hands by tearing apart the tiger
from its mouth. This gave him the nickname ‘Baagh Maar’ (i.e.
tiger-killer).
As a student, I once got an opportunity to travel on foot on the
road from Landi Kotal (last railway station) to Torkham town at
the other end of the Khyber Pass on the border of Afghanistan. On
the way I saw a fort on the top of a hill. I was told that this fort
was built by Emperor Ashoka, an Indian emperor of the Maurya
Dynasty, and grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of
the Maurya Dynasty. Chandragupta Maurya had created one of the
largest empires in ancient India.Ashoka, who ruled from circa 268
BCE to 232 BCE, expanded Chandragupta’s empire that stretched
from Afghanistan to present-day Bangladesh, and covered almost
the entire Indian subcontinent except some regions in the southern
part. His capital was Patliputra, with one of his provincial capitals
at Taxila (or Takshashila), which is about 100 miles towards east
from Peshawar. When I visited Taxila, I also saw the museum
located there.
Takshashila had one of the oldest Universities in the world
(founded circa 700 to 600 BCE). Here students came from all
over the world including Greece, Babylon and other countries

12
for studying a variety of subjects. Chanakya (371 BCE to 283
BCE), the great ancient Indian philosopher, economist and master
of political statecraft who was instrumental in the creation of the
Mauryan Empire, had also studied and taught at Takshashila.
At Khyber Pass, I saw that at certain places the width of the
road between hills on two sides was not even one hundred feet.
If our rulers in those days had erected defences at such points,
even five hundred soldiers could have checked the enemy
onslaughts. Unfortunately, our Indian rulers missed these strategic
defence points, and tried to build defences only on the River Indus
at Attock.
Peshawar cantonment was one of the largest cantonments in
undivided India. The cantonment had wide roads, a beautiful
Mall Road, Company Bagh and shops catering mostly to the
needsoftheBritishsoldiers.Thereweretwocinemahalls–Capitol
and Lansdowne. Capitol Cinema had Greek architecture with
statues.
A famous temple in cantonment area was Karam Chand Hall,
built by the father of Shri Mehr Chand Khanna (who later became
a Cabinet Minister in post-partition India), the biggest landlord in
Peshawar cantonment. He was President of NWFP Hindu Maha
Sabha. He was a friend of my father. Later, after return from the
USA, he returned the title of Rai Bahadur and joined as a Minister
in the Congress Government. He was then seen in Khadi clothes. In
India, he was made Minister of Rehabilitation. On his instructions,
I went as Estate Manager to the Government of India at Calcutta
(now called Kolkata) in end of 1963. When I asked him why he
wanted me to take up a posting which everybody was refusing, he
told me that he wanted me to go there keeping in view the fact that
only I would be able to handle the tough situation prevailing there.
I found my stay in Calcutta very fulfilling and enjoyed bonhomie
with the local staff.
There was a big airport at Peshawar cantonment. One of my
friends had a job there. Once he got me flown in an Airforce plane
of the Royal Air Force. That was my first flight in the air.

13
Peshawar had a beautiful museum. It also had statues of Buddha
and other articles of Gandhara Art including coins. Gandhara art
is a style of Buddhist art that developed in this region and eastern
Afghanistan around 1st
century BCE and later.
The Government House for the residence of the Governor had a
big compound. It had a row of pine trees as well. There was also a
dancing hall for the British, and a club in the cantonment.

14
SOME RELIGIOUS PLACES
IN PESHAWAR
Asa Mai ka Mandir
This was a Hindu temple of the Goddess of Hope. It had a big
complex consisting of several other temples, such as a temple
dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha (main temple), Krishna,
Balaram and Subhadra (with idols of wood), Hanuman and Shiva.
APeepal tree, a Banyan tree and Tulsi plant were also worshipped.
Dharamshala of Mai Raji
It had rooms at the top where sanyasis (religious people) from
Haridwar and other places used to come and stay for a period of up
to one month, and used to deliver discourses on the terrace. One
such person who used to stay here was Pt. Lekhram, a prominent
Arya Samaj leader.
Gurudwara Bhai Joga Singh
It was a big Gurudwara. Adjacent to it was a well, in which solid
pieces of sugar (called Misri) were thrown.
Gurudwara Bhai Biba Singh
This was also a big Gurudwara with an open compound in front
of it. Here, I was awarded a prize for topping in the subject of
‘Gurumukhi’ (Punjabi language script).

15
Dharamshala of Baba Siri Chand
It was located in the Ganj area of the city. It was also called ‘Panj
Jotan Ka Dhani’, as five flames burnt all twenty-four hours. People
had great faith in this shrine, and many used to walk barefoot from
their homes to the Dharamshala. Baba Siri Chand was the elder
son of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion. It is said that
Baba Siri Chand lived for 135 years. Some say he lived for almost
150 years (1494 to 1643). Sri Chand had mastered the techniques
of yoga at a very young age. He remained devoted to his father and
established the ‘Udasi’ order. The word ‘Udasi’ means one who is
a stoic and indifferent to worldly attachments.
There were also a number of small dharamshalas, which had
Hindu idols on one side and the ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ (the holy
book of Sikhism) on the other.
Dargah Pir Ratan Nath
Nowadays, it would seem strange that there could be a Dargah (a
shrine normally built over the grave of a revered religious Muslim
Sufi saint or dervish) dedicated to a Hindu Saint. There were a
large number of followers of the Dargah. Shivaratri is a Hindu
festival dedicated to the worship of God Shiva and signifying
‘overcoming darkness and ignorance in life’. It is normally
celebrated with prayers, fasting, and meditation. However, on
this occasion, at the Dargah it was also celebrated with sacrificial
offerings of goats and buffaloes.
Masjid Mahabat Khan
Interestingly, it was located adjacent to a Hindu locality rather
than a Muslim locality. It had two tall minarets for giving Azan
(Islamic call to worship) by putting hands on the ears. It had a
huge property attached to it, and some jewellery shops were let out
to Hindus and Sikhs also.
Vedic Heritage of Swat
Swat is a beautiful valley in NWFP at a distance of about 100
miles from Peshawar. Some historians have opined that in ancient
Some Religious Places in Peshawar

16
times, it was inhabited by Vedic Aryans and known as ‘Udyana’.
The Swat River is mentioned in the Rig Veda as the Suvastu
River. Further, it is said that the first Yajna (form of worship done
in front of sacred fire) as per vedic rites was performed in the Swat
valley.

17
COLLEGE EDUCATION AND
MY FIRST JOB
A
fterpassingtheMatriculationExamination,Igotadmission
in Islamia College and opted for Science subjects. In
those days the mode of transport for a student was mostly
bicycle.As the college was far off from my residence, I migrated to
Edwardes College located near the Peshawar cantonment railway
station. However, there I had to take Arts subjects, which included
Economics, Persian and Urdu, besides Mathematics.
In the Intermediate Exam, I got high marks and I was awarded
scholarship. There were only four scholarships awarded by the
provincial Government -- three for Muslims and one for a non-
Muslim.
As the World War II was going on, there were openings for college
students to join the armed forces of the British. I was selected
for the post of Second Lieutenant, and then for the job of a Pilot.
Being the only child of my parents, I had to forgo these offers and
abide by the wishes of my parents.
My professor for English prose was Prof. Thakur Das. He used
to give his discourse with his eyes closed, while holding his
black gown with both hands. The second English teacher was

18
Prof. Siri Ram Mehta. He used to teach poetry while walking.
Prof. Siri Ram used to say that a teacher would never become old
as he was always in the company of youth.
Economics was taught by Prof. D.P. Dhar. The Law of Diminishing
Returns taught by him is now only a memory. After Independence,
he found a place in Pt. Nehru’s Cabinet.
One of my classmates was Abdul Habib Khan. He was a good
football player, but he never cared for studies and thus could not
pass the Intermediate Exam. His explanation was that by not
going to the next class, he would continue to be on the rolls of the
college.
Colleges had very few girl students in those days in Peshawar.
The general environment was very conservative. In Edwardes
College, a Muslim girl student, Miss Salma (name changed), was
an exception as she would often wear pants and shirt. The boys
were awestruck. However, she never spoke to any classmate, and
only communicated with the Professors.
During college days, I studied two plays of William Shakespeare
-- Julius Caesar and Merchant of Venice. For the Persian course,
the classic ‘Rustam and Sohrab’ composed by the poet Firdausi
was prescribed.
Besidestextbooks,IstudiedalargenumberofbooksonPhilosophy,
Logic, Literature and volumes of British Encyclopedia in the
college library.
In 1938, Mahatma Gandhi had visited the college. During his
interaction, he expounded on the power of non-violence, and
asserted that it was a weapon of the strong, not of the weak
(Please refer reproduction of a news report, and a photograph in
the pictorial section of the book).
Once Sheikh Abdullah was invited to the college, and he delivered
a forceful address in Urdu. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the President
of All-India Muslim League, also visited the college. He was tall
and frail. He stated that he would get Pakistan without shedding
a drop of Muslim blood. Ironically, other than during wars, one

19
of the worst blood-sheds in human history took place during the
partition of the country in 1947. It is estimated that about fifteen
million people migrated from one side to the other, and that about
one to two million people (including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims)
died during the partition of India.
Shri Mehr Chand Khanna (who post-independence became
a Minister in the Government of India) was sent by the British
Government to the USA during war time. On his return, he once
told the college students, that one of the questions put forth to
him in the US was whether his daughter and other women were
allowed to use lipstick. That shows how conservative the society
was at that time.
Mr. A.M. Dalaya, the Principal of the college, was short-statured
and fair in complexion. He often said that he was proud of
Maratha blood in his veins. He also had to migrate to Delhi after
the formation of Pakistan.
I wore pants for the first time at the convocation held for award
of the Graduation degree. Until then, I had only worn salwar
(traditional trousers which were also called suthan). After
graduation, I applied for a job in NWFP Secretariat. In the test
held for the post, twenty candidates were selected. I topped the
list. I got a promotion to the next higher grade after one-and-a-
half years. But that was the end of it. When the partition of the
country took place, I was stranded in India, while my parents were
still in Peshawar. I too was caught in the communal riots. In one
such riot, I was hit by bullets in my left leg. There were traumatic
upheavals in the lives of millions of people.
With the bifurcation of the country, life had to be started anew.
After qualifying in a UPSC examination, I was given a class II
(non-gazetted) post in Central Secretariat at North Block. At that
time, I preferred getting a Government job rather than taking a
certificate for being a Freedom Fighter and entering politics.
For the time being, let me move back in time to Peshawar.
College Education and My First Job

20
VISITS TO OTHER PLACES
DURING MY STUDENT LIFE
Kohat
It was a district town adjoining Peshawar, but the link was only
through a long winding road over a hill. After crossing the hill,
there was a bazaar where locally manufactured pistols were sold
in baskets, almost like vegetables being sold.
Mardan
It was a district town. Once a big religious programme was held
there. During the programme, a Pandit gave a lecture against
eating meat, and all agreed that although it was difficult to
stop eating meat, nevertheless it was bad in any case. During
the lunch interval, the Pandit was found licking a bone behind a
curtain. On being questioned, he replied that he was paid Rs.50/-
for delivering a lecture on not eating flesh and meat, but if he was
paid Rs.100/- he could deliver another lecture on the benefits of
eating meat.
Nathiagali
It was the summer capital of the Province at a height of over
7000 feet above sea level. The area was full of pine trees. The
inhabitants were charming with rosy cheeks. It had a church built

21
with wood. This hill station was located in district ‘Hazara’, east
of River Indus. The road passed through ‘Abbotabad’, where
Osama Bin Laden hid many decades later. Abbotabad was cup-
shaped with pine trees all around, and at a height of over 3000 feet
above sea level. A road from ‘Nathiagali’ further led to ‘Murree’.
Murree, which was initially founded as a sanatorium for British
troops, later became a popular hill station.
Amarnath Cave
During summer vacation, a group of college students went for a
trek to the holy ‘Amarnath’ cave, with assistance of Prof. D.P.
Dhar, Professor of Economics. The team started on foot from
‘Chandanwari’, and stayed at ‘Sheshnag’ at night. During this
stay, when I came out of the tent at night, I saw reflection of the
moon shimmering on the waters of the lake, along with floating
ice on a stretch of the lake. The scene was mesmerizing.
Gurudwara Panja Sahib
It is located at the foot of a dry hill. Nearby, there is the tomb of
‘Wali Qandhari’ on top of the hill. Wali was himself a Sufi saint,
but is said to have become arrogant later on. Wali became jealous
of the increasing influence of ‘Guru Nanak’ (CE 1469 – 1539),
the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. It is
said that once when Guru Nanak was camping at the bottom of
the hill atop which Wali resided, Guru Nanak sent one of his
disciples ‘Mardana’ with a request for water from Wali. Wali
refused Mardana’s repeated requests and was rude to him. Instead
of giving water for drinking, Wali rolled down a big stone from the
hill which Guru Nanak stopped with his hand. It is said that seeing
this phenomenon, Wali Qandhari realized his mistake. There is an
impression of the Panja (i.e. palm of the hand) on the stone. From
both sides of the stone, water flowed into a tank, and went out in
the form of a stream. At the Panja Sahib Gurudwara, langar (i.e.
community kitchen in a Gurudwara where free meals are served to
all visitors) was served for all 24-hours.
Visits to Other Places During my Student Life

22
At that time, ‘Frontier Mail’ did not have a stop at the closest
railway station of ‘Hasan Abdal’ (‘Panja Sahib’). To press for
their demand for the train to halt at this station, a number of Sikhs
lay down on the railway track and were crushed by the oncoming
train. Due to this sacrifice, the station was made a halt for the mail
train. A big fair was held here on every Baisakhi.
Vaishnodevi and Jammu
After paying a visit to the holy shrine of ‘Vaishnodevi’, I visited
Jammu. Here I saw the Raghunath Temple. It is said that the
temple was built by Maharaja Gulab Singh, at the behest of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. While the presiding deity is Lord Rama
(an avatar of Vishnu), there are idols and images of various deities
in the niches and on the walls of the temple. The temple also
has stone-representation of 33 Crore (i.e. 330 million) Gods and
Goddesses comprising the Hindu pantheon. Some scholars say
that there are only 33 Gods as per Hindu scriptures, and that the
number 330 million is only a way to express the various forms
and the infinitude of the universe. As per Upanishads, the ultimate
reality in the universe is a single supreme Brahmn (or Brahman,
represented by the symbol ¬) which is the primordial cause of
all existence. It is this unity which expresses itself as diversity
in the form of all that exists in the universe. Three main Gods, or
33, or 330 million, are just the diverse manifestations of the One
Supreme Reality.
An important inference to be drawn from this number of 330
million Gods and Goddesses is that Hinduism is a way of life,
which has the spirit to accommodate a lot of diversity within its
framework. In contrast to the 330 million Gods and Goddesses,
there are also other facets of Hinduism which do not advocate
idol worship, and believe in only one supreme power without
attributing any form to it. In fact, as my son who has edited this
book puts it, “Hinduism is like a ‘spiritual internet’. Within a
common framework, it has the capacity to encompass diverse
views and ongoing interpretations in sync with changing times,
almost like the innumerable websites and blogs on the internet.

23
Within this vast spectrum of thoughts and viewpoints called
Hinduism, predominance is given to - ‘internal satisfaction
and self-realisation’ over external gratification, ‘spiritual and
mental accomplishments’ over material possessions, ‘strength
and valour used to protect others and for self-defence’ over
brute conquest, ‘the spirit of inquiry’ over surrender to dogmas,
‘spirit of coexistence’ over obsession to convert others having a
different religion, living in harmony with nature and worshiping
its goodness in various forms, et al.” Needless to state, Hinduism
has the capacity to see the good aspects of all other religions. That
is how Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and many others came and
settled in this land over the ages. Problems arose mainly when
Hindus themselves were persecuted by invaders and some were
forcibly converted, or when conversions took place later through
manipulations and inducements.
Sialkot
This city (at a distance of about 200 miles from Peshawar) was
famous for steel trunks. It had a Gurudwara called ‘Babe Kee Ber’
and a well dedicated to ‘Puran Bhagat’. The story of Puran Bhagat
is a remarkable story of victory of spirituality and self-control
over material and sensual pleasures.
Puran Bhagat was born a prince of Sialkot to King Salwan and his
first wife, Queen Ichhran, around 11th
century CE. Puran later on
became a Yogi after being adopted by Saint Gorakhnath. A 17th
/
18th
century English playwright once wrote, “Hell hath no fury like
a woman scorned”. The story of Puran Bhagat is the tragic story
of a prince, who had the self-control to resist the sensual advances
of his beautiful step-mother, who was almost his age. It is said,
that having failed to seduce Puran, the step-mother complained to
his father, King Salwan that Puran had misbehaved with her. The
outraged king got Puran’s hands and feet amputated, and threw
his body into a well. It is said that Guru Gorakh Nath found his
body, and with his great spiritual powers, brought him back to
life. Puran then became a disciple of Guru Gorakh Nath and a
great Yogi. Puran Bhagat’s story does not end here, and there was
another episode where he chose spirituality over sensuality. When

24
one looks at the moral degeneration taking place in our society
today, with heinous and perverse crimes against women being
reported every now and then, and fake religious gurus exploiting
women, one wonders whether it is the same land in which Puran
Bhagat once lived.
Haridwar
When I visited Haridwar, the occasion was the ‘Kumbh Mela’,
the world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims. During
the Kumbh Mela, which is held once in 12-years, devout Hindus
gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. A new clock tower had
also been built on the banks of the River Ganges by Ghanshyam
Das Birla, a well-known Indian Industrialist at that time. This
clock tower continues to be a landmark to this day.
On the way from Peshawar to Haridwar, I bought a book from the
stall of ‘Wheeler & Co’ at the platform of Lahore Junction. The
title of the book was ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’
by Dale Carnegie. So far, I have not come across a better book
covering such useful aspects of human psychology.
Mussoorie
From Mussoorie, I recall the wonderful view at night of the city of
Dehradun, which is in the valley below Mussoorie.
Narang Village
This was the village of my maternal grandfather, Shri Amrit Shah
Chadha. He had several plots of agricultural land in seven villages.
Narang village was located in tehsil ‘Chakwal’ (now a district) of
district Jhelum.
He was also dealing with sale of wheat. The ground floor rooms of
the house were always full of wheat. He was more than six feet tall.
In the entire village, he was the only person to get a newspaper.
From the newspaper that was in Urdu, he studied market trends
relating to areas of his interest. He also built a primary school in
the village.
The distance between the nearest railway station (Dhudiyal)
and village Narang had to be covered only on camel back. A

25
camel ride is bumpy, and the rider gets a swaying feeling as if
he is about to fall off. After a few years, a lorry started operating
to cover this distance. The entire village used to come out in the
evening to receive the lorry.
During the riots in the first half 1947, my grandfather was killed
along with two of his sons. The malafide motive was to grab the
agricultural land and the big pucca house of Shah ji, as he was
lovingly called.
Shimla
Shimla was the summer capital in British India. My maternal
uncle, Shri Bhupinder Nath Chadha, was posted at Shimla as a
Divisional Accountant in Viceregal Lodge, located on Summer
Hill. Once during summer vacation, I visited Shimla. Thus, I
got a chance to stay in Viceregal Estate. The train journey from
Kalka to Shimla in the toy train was fascinating, passing through a
mostly mountainous route, with lofty pines and about one hundred
tunnels. The downside was that the tunnels would get filled with
smoke of the steam engine.
New Delhi
During the winter months, my uncle would get posted to New
Delhi. I visited New Delhi in 1941, and saw the circular Connaught
Place. The journey in a tonga, a type of horse-drawn light-carriage
with two big wooden wheels, from North Block to India Gate was
wonderful. The roads were clean, with not a single piece of paper
strewn around. With clear skies and sunshine, I recall the sharp
shadow of the tonga on the road.
Lahore and Amritsar
Along with others, I visited Lahore in 1943 for attending a
religious congregation at a big temple. Shalimar Bagh at Lahore
was a replica of the famous garden with the same name at Srinagar.
During those days, Lahore and Amritsar were turning into twin
cities. At Amritsar, the Durgiana Temple with a gilded dome, is
also called Silver Temple because of its large beautifully-designed

26
silver doors. The sight of the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in
Amritsar, richly decorated with gold sheets, has no parallel.
Allahabad to Katni
In the train in which I was travelling, I remember an interesting
sight. Some foreigners, who were travelling in the same
compartment, were trying to savour mangoes. Perhaps it was their
first experience, so instead of cutting and eating the mangoes, they
were licking the mangoes from outside.

27
TRADE, BUSINESS AND SOME
SOCIETAL ASPECTS
Business
The wholesale business of cloth, tea and dry fruits was mostly with
Hindus and Sikhs. Cloth and tea were exported to Afghanistan,
while dry fruits were imported from there. Long shaped Sarda
(a type of melon) from Afghanistan, was a popular gift item.
Bunches of grapes from Afghanistan, were rolled in raw cotton
before being dispatched for sale.
Farming was predominantly with Muslims. Leather business was
also operated by Muslims. Peshawari Chappal (a type of sandal)
embellished with Zari was a distinct footwear. ‘Chowk Resham
Giram’ was the place to purchase Zari chappals.
Bajaj Lane was popular for purchase of cloth of any kind. ‘Gur
Mandi’ was famous for sale of jaggery containing pieces of dry
fruit.
Typically, shopkeepers, as well as, customers sat on the floor in a
shop, and there were no chairs.
Dress
Men mostly wore long shirts and wide salwars. Being bare-headed
was not common. A turban with qulla was common headwear.

28
Karakulli caps (a triangular cap made from fur of a particular
breed of sheep) had also started becoming popular. Pictures of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah often show him in such caps. Peshawari
chappal was the popular footwear. Dress style in Peshawar and
Kabul was almost similar, with Peshawari chappal as the common
footwear.
Women wore salwar kameez. Dupatta, a kind of scarf or stole with
folds, worn over the chest and thrown back around the shoulders,
was a must with salwar kameez. Muslim women generally wore
white-coloured burqas.
Once, during a wedding ceremony, a lady from Lahore came
dressed in a Sari. People were looking at her sari in amazement.
Houses
Generally, houses were built with three-storeys and had wooden
columns, as the frequency of earthquakes was high in the region.
During an earthquake houses were seen swaying from one side
to another. Due to the use of wood in roofs, doors and windows,
accidents due to fire were quite common.
Once there was a fire in Ghee Mandi, and about three thousand
commercial units were burnt. For seven days the night sky had a
reddish hue.
Transport
The usual mode of public transport was a ‘tonga’. It was common
to see tongas being driven fast. Once, a Swamiji who had come
from ‘Kankhal’ (in Haridwar) had to go back. The train was to be
boarded from the cantonment railway station. Since the Swamiji
had got late, by the time he got onto the platform the train started
chugging away. The train’s next halt was at Peshawar City railway
station. The tangewala (tonga driver) offered to take the Swamiji
to the next station by racing with the train. He made the horse
gallop and race with the train. The tonga was running on the road
parallel to the railway tracks, and reached Peshawar city railway
station before the train halted there. So what some of you may

29
have seen in a Bollywood movie many decades later, with the hero
racing a tonga with a train, was not so unrealistic.
There is another episode relating to a tonga. Once while riding in
a tonga, I left a new costly college book that I had purchased. I
was praying to God Hanuman for its recovery. Suddenly the tonga
driver appeared on the scene, and said that he was also searching
for me to return the book. This episode is also reflective of the
honesty of the local poor people.
Tongas had some limitations also. While going from the city to the
cantonment, the road passed over railway tracks and had a steep
slope. If commuting by a tonga, one had to get down from it at the
beginning of the slope.
Luggage was transported within the city mostly on hand-pulled
wooden carts.
An attempt was made to introduce a bus service between the city
and the cantonment. As a consequence, there was a big protest
from tonge-wallas who formed a Chabak (whip) party, and took
out a big procession.
During war time, a GT Bus service was started between the cities
of Peshawar and Rawalpindi. After sometime, another private bus
service was started with name of ‘Pindi Bus Service’.
Train service was mainly between Peshawar and Lahore, the
only other one being Frontier Mail that used to go up to Bombay
(now called Mumbai). Another relevant aspect of the Bombay
connection is that in Bombay city, ‘Pathans’from Peshawar region
were sought after as security guards, as they were considered
physically strong enough to handle culprits, and also had a
reputation for being honest and straightforward. Interestingly,
two doyens of the Bombay film industry, Prithviraj Kapoor and
Dilip Kumar (Yusuf) were also from Peshawar. Taj Mohammed,
the father of Shah Rukh Khan (another eminent film star in more
recent times), was also from Peshawar. Taj Mohammed was my
classmate at Edwardes College, Peshawar.
Between Peshawar and Kabul, goods were transported either in
lorries or on backs of camels.
Trade, Business and some Societal Aspects

30
Bicycles were commonly used by men in Peshawar. Some men
also used motor-cycles. There were no two-wheeler scooters at
that time. Some rich people had private tongas, and very rich ones
had motor cars.
Telegram
This was the fast mode of communicating short messages at that
time, and was quite popular.
Corruption
Corruption was mainly confined to the railways and the courts,
and it was minimal. It was generally understood that to please the
British officers, one had to offer only a bottle of whiskey, if at all
something had to be offered.
Cinema Halls and Films
There were two cinema halls in the cantonment area and four in the
city area. As a student, the first English film I saw was ‘Abraham
Lincoln’, in Capitol Cinema. I saw the film ‘Ram Rajya’ in Rose
Cinema in the city. The role of ‘Sita’ was played by Shobhna
Samarth, mother of well-known actress Nutan. The film, ‘Duniya
Na Maane’, had the song “Chal Chal Re Naujawan, Rukna Tera
Kaam Nahi, Chalna Teri Shaan”, which is valid even today.
One of the movies released at that time was ‘Sikander-e-Azam’
(Alexander the Great). Its hero was Prithviraj Kapoor. Once he
came from Bombay to Peshawar, his home town. With excitement,
people on the streets were shouting that “Sikander has come,
Sikander has come”. The names of other cinema halls (other than
two in cantt area) were -- Imperial Cinema, Rose Cinema, Tasveer
Mahal and Picture House.
Movies with Ashok Kumar as the hero and Devika Rani as the
heroine were popular.
Music
It was not yet the age of television. One could listen to songs on
gramophones. The songs of Kundan Lal Sehgal and Shamshad
Begum were popular.

31
The band of Ali Ahmed was sought after for weddings, and even
for processions.
A cinema ticket cost only four annas (anna was one-sixteenth of a
rupee) for a good seat at the rear.
Once a lady came from a village, and her son took her to Rose
Cinema. When the lights were switched-off, she started crying due
to the darkness. Used to the village nautanki, she also complained
as to why she was given a far-off seat, and not a front seat if she
had to see something properly.
Trade, Business and some Societal Aspects

32
HINDU SAINTS WHO USED TO
VISIT PESHAWAR EVERY YEAR,
AND ARYA SAMAJ
Sant Hari Ram Singh
He used to come every year with two disciples, and stayed at ‘Mai
Raji ki Dharamshala’. He belonged to ‘Nirmala’ sect, which came
into existence when Guru Govind Singh sent some of his disciples
to Varanasi for learning Sanskrit. He used to deliver discourse
(Katha) in the evening. Once Radhay Shyam also came to recite
Ramayana written by him in verse.
Swami Gangeshwara Nand
He was blind, but remembered all the four Vedas by heart.
Gangeshwara Dham in Delhi was built in his memory.
Swami Ram Prakash
His ashram was in ‘Kankhal’ (in Haridwar). He was also a Vaid
(Ayurvedic doctor), and treatment by him was well known. Once a
Khan took him to ‘Landi Kotal’ for treatment of his wife. Swamiji
took me along with him. At that time, I was fourteen years old.
The journey was covered by train. Khan arranged for our food
from the house of a Hindu friend. Similarly, for a Muslim guest, a

33
Hindu family would arrange food from a Muslim family. That was
the usual practice.
During that visit to Landi Kotal, I also went to Khyber Pass on
foot, escorted by two Pathans behind me carrying double-barrel
shot guns.
Bindu Ji Maharaj
HeusedtostayinthehouseofPanditKanhaiyaLal,Superintendent
of Police. He sang bhajans (devotional songs) while playing a
harmonium. He also introduced devotional dance, originally
started by Chaintanya Maha Prabhu (a 15th
/16th
century C.E.
Hindu spiritual leader from Bengal).
Once a large number of Sadhus (saints) covered with ashes came
and stayed at Panch Teerath. At that time there was a severe
drought. A Yajna (Hindu form of worship in front of sacred fire
with chanting of mantras), was performed for seven days with a
big Havan Kund made of earth. After that there were heavy rains
for three full days.
Arya Samaj
There were two branches of Arya Samaj in Peshawar. One branch
was founded by Pandit Lekh Ram, and it also had a Kanya
Pathashala (Girls’ school) attached to it. It had a big hall. One
Mahashay Chand gave me a copy of ‘Satyarath Prakash’ in Urdu.
‘Satyarath Prakash’ is the main holy book of Arya Samaj, which
was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875. Arya Samaj
is a reform movement within Hinduism, that promotes values
and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of
the Vedas, and does not believe in idol worship. I finished reading
the fourteen chapters of Satyarath Prakash in three days. It had a
profound effect on me.
Hindu Saints Who Used to Visit Peshawar Every Year, and Arya Samaj

34
SOME MEMORIES OF PROVINCIAL/
LOCAL ADMINISTRATORS
I
n British India, there were eleven Provincial Governments, out
of which eight were with the Indian National Congress. North-
West Frontier Province (NWFP) was the only Muslim majority
province governed by the Congress. Dr. Khan Sahib was the Chief
Minister. He was elder brother of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (also
called Badshah Khan). Ghaffar Khan was also known as Frontier
Gandhi, as he was a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and his
philosophy of non-violence. Ghaffar Khan taught non-violence to
Pathans, who are normally known for their warfare skills, dogged-
toughness and outspoken nature. For Pathans, non-violence was
an entirely new concept. Ghaffar Khan was also the leader of a
movement called Red Shirts (Surkh Posh), which was originally
a social reform movement focusing on education and elimination
of ‘blood feuds’ (or vendetta, i.e. a cycle of retaliatory violence)
amongst the Pathans. Dr. Khan used to have an audience of people
at his bungalow every morning and listen to their demands. He
used to give orders on the spot. As a result of his liberal policy,
a large number of Hindus and Sikhs were able to procure single
barrel shot guns.

35
NWFP had 40 members in the provincial assembly, including six
Hindus and two Sikhs. The population ratio was 5% Hindus and
2% Sikhs. In the Hindu constituency of Peshawar city, Dr. Ghosh,
a medical practitioner was elected, ignoring candidates belonging
to high-caste Hindus of the city.
In the Peshawar Municipal Committee, our representative was Dr.
Badri Nath Jaitley. He used to give free medicines to the poor
after check-up. His cousin, Little, was an active member of the
Congress.
Some Memories of Provincial/ Local Administrators

36
LAST FEW YEARS OF THE
INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT AND
SOME RELATED ANECDOTES
T
he biggest commercial street of the city was ‘Bazaar Kissa
Khwani’ (story telling). In the year 1930, four freedom
fighters were killed in police firing. In their memory, a
memorial was built on the footpath. When this happened, I was
five years old.
Even prior to 1942 (i.e. when the ‘Quit India’ movement took
place), a large number of public meetings were held in Peshawar
demanding freedom from the British Rule. In 1939, when Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru alighted from the train at Peshawar City Railway
Station to be taken in procession, my father advanced to touch his
feet.
When Mahatma Gandhi came to Peshawar, an exhibition of Khadi
garments was held in the Government School. Khadi is handspun,
hand woven natural cotton fiber cloth. Mahatma Gandhi had made
spinning with Charkha (a small, portable hand-cranked spinning
wheel), and weaving of Khadi a symbol and ideology for self-
reliance and independence movement. Since then, for a number of
years, I used to wear only Khadi.

37
Once Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya came to Peshawar, and
a public meeting was held at Shahi Bagh. Pandit ji and Khan
Abdul Ghaffar Khan were seated together on a wooden platform.
I was sitting close by in the lawn adjacent to it. When Ghaffar
Khan offered some food to Pandit ji, he remarked that “…we are
together in politics (Siyasat) but not in eating habits …”. Badshah
Khan then offered some dry fruits to Pandit ji.
In 1939, Subhash Chandra Bose was elected again as the President
of the Indian National Congress. Bose represented the younger,
radical wing of the Indian National Congress. Mahatma Gandhi,
who considered Bose as a challenge to his ideology and superiority,
was opposed to Bose and considered it as a personal blow. Netaji,
as Bose was popularly called, then resigned as the Congress
President in April 1939, and formed the ‘Forward Bloc’ in May
1939, as a party within the Congress. When he visited Peshawar
in June 1939, he was given a rousing reception, and taken through
the city in a big procession. He was fair and very tall. Throughout
the procession he was standing. I had the opportunity to watch him
from close quarters. A news report dated June 1939 about his visit
to Peshawar is reproduced in the pictorial section of this book.
There is another interesting connection of Bose with Peshawar.
Going back, after Subhash Bose had resigned from the Indian
Civil Service (ICS) in 1921 and joined the struggle for India’s
freedom, there were many occasions when the British government
had arrested him. In July 1940 Bose was again arrested by the
British. In January 1941, although closely watched by the British
authorities, Bose escaped from his Calcutta (now called Kolkata)
residence in disguise and made his way to Peshawar, and from
there to Kabul. From Kabul, he moved on to Europe, finally
making his way to Germany, to garner support for building an
army to fight for the freedom of India. In 1943, when he revived
the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army, I.N.A.), he electrified
Indians with his famous slogan, “Tum mujhe khoon do, main
tumhe aazaadi doonga” (Give me blood, I will give you freedom).
He also popularised the patriotic salutation, “Jai Hind” (Victory to
India, Long Live India).
Last Few Years of the Independence Movement and Some Related Anecdotes

38
In Peshawar, many public meetings were held at ‘Chowk
Yaadgaar’. An elevated structure had been built there. Against the
backdrop of unemployment, my first speech from this platform
started with the verse, “M.A. Chalaye Tonga, B.A. Uthaye Bori,
Hum Bhi Vakil Ban Kar Bechenge Bhindi Tori” (i.e., “An M.A.
will have to become a tonga driver, a B.A. will have to labour by
lifting heavy sacks, and after becoming lawyers we too will be
ordained to sell vegetables’’).
In September 1939, the British Viceroy of India, declared that India
was at war with Germany. The Indian National Congress, which
was the dominant political party of the time, objected strongly to
the declaration of war without prior consultation with Indians. In
protest, in December 1939, all the members of the Congress party
resigned from all provincial Governments and central offices, for
their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World
War II on the side of Great Britain.
While the resignations in protest were supported by Jawaharlal
Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi was not very happy as he felt that it
would strengthen both unwanted British wartime militarization
and the Muslim League. It was said that the Viceroy Linlithgow
and Muhammad Ali Jinnah were pleased with the resignations.
The vacuum created by the resignation of the Congress members
was seized by the All-India Muslim League, which promised
its support to the British. A few months later, in March 1940,
the Muslim League demanded the creation of Pakistan (Lahore
Resolution or Pakistan Resolution).
In the early years of his political career, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
advocated Hindu-Muslim unity. However, later he became a great
patron for the creation of Pakistan. Going back in history, it would
be interesting to note that Jinnah had joined the Indian National
Congress in 1906, many years before Gandhi and Nehru. He
joined the All-India Muslim League only in 1913, and continued
to be a member of both the parties. He resigned from the Congress
in 1920, and then became the President of the Muslim League. In
his personal habits, Jinnah was not a typical devout Muslim.

39
The Muslim League’s favourite colour was green. One day, their
volunteers looted a wooden cart full of green cucumbers in the
Peshawar city, and each one holding a cucumber started shouting
– “Muslim League Zindabaad”.
Congress volunteers normally shouted “Inqlaab Zindabaad”, and
used to now and then picket liquor and wine shops.
On 8th
/ 9th
August 1942, Quit India Movement started. This was a
watershed moment in the Indian Independence movement, and is
also called ‘August Kranti’. It was a civil disobedience movement,
in which Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for “Do or Die”. At that
time, I was studying in intermediate class, and was elected as Vice
President of NWFP Student Union Congress, with Mohammad
Yunus (nephew of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan) as President, and
Taj Mohammed as Secretary. He and some other Muslims like
Mohammad Yunus also migrated to Delhi after partition of the
country. During Partition, while most Hindus and Sikhs had to
migrate from the Pakistan side, and some Muslims migrated to
Pakistan, it is interesting to note that a few Muslims also migrated
from Pakistan to the Indian side. While some of them came for
personal reasons, amongst these Muslim migrants to India, there
were also those who were not aligned to the Muslim League, or
were associated with the Congress and were under threat of being
persecuted in Pakistan. In fact, even Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
(Badshah Khan) who stayed back in Pakistan after the partition,
was arrested many times by the then Governments in Pakistan.
Badshah Khan was against the partition of the country. When
the Congress accepted the plan for partition of the country, he felt
sad and told the Congress leaders, “You have thrown us to the
wolves”. KhanAbdul Ghaffar Khan and his political party, Khudai
Khidmatgars, then demanded an independent state of Pashtunistan
to avoid joining Pakistan. However, the British Government did
not agree. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan died in Peshawar in 1988
while he was under house arrest.
Coming back to Quit India Movement, the impact of the movement
was less than expected. Most of the Congress leadership had been
imprisoned, and to that extent been made ineffective. At that time,

40
some students and youths were drawn towards Subhas Chandra
Bose, who was in exile.
As the movement was entirely peaceful at least in that part of
the country, and for possibly other strategic reasons, the then
Governor of NWFP, Sir George Cunningham adopted the policy
of non-arrest of the agitators by the police.After the failure of Quit
India movement, Indian National Congress was relegated to the
background, and Muslim League and other Muslim organizations
started gaining ground in NWFP. Quite often in the evenings,
volunteers of Khaksar party used to march in the streets carrying
showels; those of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam with axes; and Muslim
National Guards with spears. Sometimes cows were put in front of
the marching units, to provoke the Hindus.
In view of the emerging insecurity amongst the Hindus and Sikhs
in the region, the ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)’gradually
gained popularity in NWFP and Punjab. To uphold Indian cultural
values, and to provide a sense of unity and discipline in the
otherwise unorganized and fragmented Hindu society, the RSS
had been founded in 1925 by Dr Hedgewar in Nagpur.
During those days, Sikander Mirza (also called Sahibzada
Iskander Ali Mirza) was the Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar.
He was understood to be a descendant from the family of Mir
Jaffar, the traitor of Bengal. In the 18th
century, Mir Jafar who was
commander of the army of the then Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-
Daulah, betrayed his master. Due to this betrayal, Siraj-ud-Daulah
was defeated and killed in the Battle of Plassey. As a reward for his
betrayal, Mir Jaffar became the next Nawab with the help of British
East India Company. This was the starting point of the eventual
spread of British imperialism in India. Sikander Mirza later became
the first President of Pakistan in 1956, and ironically deposed in
1958 by his appointed army commander, Gen. Ayub Khan.
For a long time, Hakim Abdul Jalil, a Unaani practitioner, was
the President of the Congress in Peshawar city, but in 1946 he
joined All-India Muslim League, thus also denting the Red Shirt
movement.

41
The Second World War had ended in 1945. By 1946, it had
become evident that India’s independence was now only a matter
of time. For transferring power, an Interim Government was to
be formed. The two largest political parties at that time were the
Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League.
Since the Congress had won the maximum number of seats in the
1946 elections held in British India, under the Viceroy the Interim
Government was to be headed by a nominee of the Congress party
(i.e. its President), who would then become the de facto first Prime
Minister of independent India. Nominations for the post of the
Congress President were to be made by the 15 Pradesh Congress
Committees (PCCs). It was said that the overwhelming majority of
PCCs were in favour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for the position.
Pt. Nehru then approached Mahatma Gandhi. Understandably,
when Mahatma Gandhi asked Sardar Patel to sacrifice once
again in favour of Pt. Nehru, Sardar Patel withdrew in favour of
Pt. Nehru due to his great reverence for Mahatma Gandhi. Thus
in May 1946, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was elected unopposed as
the President of the Indian National Congress. The Interim
Government was formed on 2nd
September 1946, with Pt. Nehru
as its Vice President and holding powers of Prime Minister.
While Pt. Nehru was a charismatic leader, Sardar Patel was a very
capable, tough, pragmatic and clear-headed administrator, with
great organizing capability. Subsequently, Sardar Patel performed
the herculean task of ‘integrating about 550 Princely States’into
the Indian Union, apart from his other important contributions.
Jammu & Kashmir was the only Princely State which Pt. Nehru
wanted to handle himself for integration with India.
To elaborate, Princely States were semi-sovereign vassal states
under the British Raj, and covered about 48% of the Indian
territory. In June/ July 1947, when it was formally decided to
partition the country into two independent dominions, India and
Pakistan, rulers of about 565 Princely States could have acceded
to India or Pakistan or remained independent. The rulers of
these states had their own expectations, egos and conditions for

42
accession. So the task of integrating over 550 Princely States into
India, which Sardar Patel accomplished in record time, was very
complex and challenging. Meanwhile, let me move back to 1946.
In 1946, after the formation of the Interim Government at Delhi,
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru as the shadow Prime Minister came to
Peshawar and stayed in the bungalow of Dr. Khan Sahib. I went
to meet him to tell about the increasing vulnerable position of
Hindus and Sikhs. The situation was getting delicate day by day.
On an earlier day, Pt. Nehru had visited the tribal area of Khyber
Pass, where he was hit by a stone on the head.
Once a newly-converted Christian remarked that Hindus have
ruled this country, and so have Muslims and Sikhs, and now when
it was the turn of Christians (i.e. the British) to rule the country,
why freedom was being sought.
In 1947, Hindus and Sikhs constituted 30% of the population of
the city, which was about two lakhs.
In March 1947, there was a communal riot in Kahuta, near
Rawalpindi. Houses of Hindus and Sikhs were looted and burnt
down, and they were subjected to other forms of brutalities. As
a result, panic gripped the minorities in Peshawar, as well as,
surrounding villages. As migration started from some villages,
we had to remain awake at night in Peshawar city as well. For
vigilance, many of us roamed around at night carrying shot guns
on our shoulders.
One of the main causes for driving out the Hindus and Sikhs was
to grab their properties and businesses, as they were comparatively
well-off.
The Muslim League had been demanding division of the country
on religious lines for many years -- Pakistan Declaration (1933)
and Lahore Declaration (1940). In 1946 Muhammad Ali Jinnah
had said that they will have a ‘divided India or a destroyed India’.
This was followed by a Direct-Action plan to force Muslim
League’s demand for a separate Muslim-majority Pakistan.
It resulted in a series of communal massacres, including the

43
massacres in Bengal in 1946. However, officially the partition of
the country was announced as per the 3rd
June 1947 Partition-Plan
recommended by Lord Mountbatten, the then Viceroy of India. It
was subsequently approved by the British Parliament as the India
Independence Act 1947. While various provinces constituting
British India were either to be part of India or Pakistan based on
various criteria (such as majority religion, proximity, et al), the
provinces of Punjab and Bengal were to be partitioned, with the
Hindu-majority districts of East Punjab and West Bengal being
included in India, and the Muslim majority districts with Pakistan
(East Bengal later seceded from Pakistan in 1971 and became
Bangladesh). There was a minor partition of the Assam province
also, with one district being included in Pakistan. In ensuring that
parts of Punjab and Bengal remained in India after the partition,
many leaders played important roles -- including leaders like
Master Tara Singh in Punjab, and Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
in Bengal. In post-partition India, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
founded the political party, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which is the
predecessor of the present day Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP).
The Mountbatten partition plan also included division of the British
Indian Army, the Indian Civil Service, the Railways, the Central
Treasury and other administrative services and assets. Importantly,
‘exchange of population’ had not been officially planned due to
public-stances of the political leaders, in spite of the large scale
communal violence witnessed since the previous year. Hence,
when the declaration by the British to partition India took place
in mid-1947, many people did not understand its full significance.
Migration was actually being forced due to the communal violence
which was being unleashed upon the hapless population. During
the partition, maximum violence took place in Punjab leading to
large-scale migration. The situation was compounded due to the
short period of just about two-and-a-half months from the official
declaration of partition to the actual date of independence, ie
15th
August 1947. Millions of people were uprooted, and lakhs
were killed (In this regard, official and unofficial figures vary to

44
some extent). I will refrain from going into the graphic details of
the violence perpetrated during those nightmarish days.
Since early 1947, Hindus and Sikhs started migrating to Haridwar
and Patiala in large numbers with their valuables, but my parents
and several other families did not choose to leave. Such families
had to be evacuated after 15th
August 1947, through aircraft
sent from Delhi to Peshawar. The distance from the houses to
Peshawar airport had to be covered with military escort (of the
Indian Army). However, all valuables had to be abandoned before
entering the plane.
It was not at all safe to travel by train from Peshawar to Amritsar
during those violent months of partition. A few days earlier,
there were mass killings in the train at ‘Wah’ (near ‘Hasan
Abdal’).
To participate in the Independence Day celebrations, I had left
Peshawar for Delhi, however due to the ensuing turmoil after the
Partition, I could never return to the city of my birth again. Even
the Frontier Mail from Bombay could no longer go to Peshawar.
In those days, it had stopped proceeding beyond Jalandhar.
Even at the age of 93, I miss the place of my birth.
H.L. Kohli

45
INDEX
A
Abbotabad 21
Abraham Lincoln 30
Afghanistan 11, 13, 27
Akhaaras 10
Alexander 2, 30
All-India Muslim League 10, 18,
37, 38, 40
Amarnath Cave 21
Amritsar 25, 26, 44
Andar Shahar 3
Arya Samaj xv, 14, 32, 33
Asa Mai ka Mandir 14
Ashok Kumar 30
Assam 43
Attock 12
August Kranti 39
B
Baba Siri Chand 15
Babe Kee Ber 23
Babylon 11
Baisakhi 8, 22
Bala Hisar 8
Bangladesh 11, 43
Battle of Plassey 40
Bazaar Kissa Khwani 36
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) 43
Bharatiya Jana Sangh 43
Bicycle 17, 30
Bindu Ji Maharaj 33
Blood Feuds 34
Bombay xiii, 9, 29, 30, 44
Brahmn 22
British East India Company 2, 40
British Government 19, 37, 39
British India 25, 34, 41, 43
British Viceroy 38
Buddhism 1, 2
Business 27

46
C
Calcutta 12, 37
Camel Ride 25
Campbellpur xi
Central Secretariat 19
Chaintanya Maha Prabhu 33
Chakwal 24
Chanakya 12
Chandanwari 21
Chandragupta Maurya 11
Charkha 36
Charsada 8
Cherat 7
Chowk Resham Giram 27
Chowk Yaadgaar 8, 38
Christians 23, 42
Cinema Halls and Films 30
Cinema halls – Capitol
and Lansdowne 12
Clock Tower 9, 24
College Education 4, 17
Communal Harmony 10
Communal Riots 19
Company Bagh 12
Indian National Congress 34, 37,
38, 40, 41
Connaught Place 25
Convocation 19
Corruption 30
D
Dale Carnegie 24
Dargah Pir Ratan Nath 15
Dehradun 24
Delhi ii, xii, xiii, 4, 19, 25, 32, 39,
42, 44
Devika Rani 30
Dharamshala of Mai Raji 14
Dhudiyal 24
Dilip Kumar (Yusuf) 29
Diwali 10
Doli 10
Do or Die 39
Dress 27, 28
Dr Hedgewar 40
Dr. Khan Sahib 34, 42
Durgiana Temple 25
Dussehra 10, 11
E
East Punjab 43
Edwardes College 111, VI, 17,
18, 29
Emperor Ashoka 11
Emperor Kanishka 1
Exchange of population 43

47
F
Festivals 10, 11
Firdausi 18
First Job 12, 17, 19
Forward Bloc 37
Freedom fighters 36
Frontier Mail 22, 29, 44
G
Gandhara Art 13
Gandhara Kingdom 1
Gatka 10
Germany 37, 38
Ghanshyam Das Birla 24
Golden Temple (Harmandir
Sahib) 26
Gorakhnath 8, 9, 23
Gor Khatri 9
Government House 13
Governor of NWFP 40
Graduation 19
Great Britain 38
Greek 1, 12
Gur Mandi 27
Gurudwara Bhai Joga Singh 14
Gurudwara Panja Sahib 21
Guru Gorakhnath 9
Guru Govind Singh 32
Guru Granth Sahib 15
Gurumukhi 14
Guru Nanak 15, 21
H
Hanuman 14, 29
Haridwar 14, 24, 28, 32, 44
Hari Singh Nalwa 11
Hasan Abdal 22, 44
Hazara 21
Herodotus 1
Hinduism 22, 23, 33
Hindu Kush 2
Hindu Maha Sabha 12
Hindu-Muslim Unity 38
Hindu Pantheon 22
Hindus 2, 3, 7, 8, 15, 19, 23, 24,
27, 34, 35, 39, 40, 42, 44
Hindus and Sikhs 8, 15, 27, 34,
39, 40, 42
History of Peshawar 1
Holi 10
Honours List 6
Houses 8, 28, 42, 44
I
IIT Delhi viii
Independence Day 44
Independence Movement xv,
36, 39
India xi, xii, viii, xiv, 1, 2, 5, 9, 11,
12, 19, 25, 34, 37, 38, 39,
40, 41, 42, 43
Index

48
India Independence Act 1947 43
Inqlaab Zindabaad 39
Interim Government 41, 42
Intermediate Exam 17, 18
Islamia College 17
J
Jalandhar 44
Jammu 22, 41
Jews 23
Job 12, 19
K
Kabul iii, 2, 8, 28, 29, 37
Kabuli Darwaza 8
Kacheri Darwaza 8
Kahuta 42
Kankhal 28, 32
Karam Chand Hall 12
Katori Khuyi 7
Khadi 12, 36
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan 34,
37, 39
Khudai Khidmatgars 39
Khyber Pass iii, 2, 8, 28, 29, 37
King Salwan 23
Kohat 20
Kolkata 12, 37
Kripa 11
Kumbh Mela 24
Kundan Lal Sehgal 30
Kushan Dynasty 1
L
Lady Reading Hospital 8
Lahore 4, 24, 25, 28, 29, 38, 42
Lahore Resolution or Pakistan
Resolution 38
Landi Kotal 11, 32, 33
Larsen & Toubro xiii
Lohri 10
Lord Hastings 9
Lord Mountbatten 43
Lord Rama 22
M
Mahabharata 1, 7
Maharaja Gulab Singh 22
Maharaja Ranjit Singh 2, 11, 22
Mahatma Gandhi iii, iv, 18, 34,
36, 37, 38, 39, 41
Mahmud Ghaznavi 2
Mai Raji ki Dharamshala 32
Mall Road 12
Mardan 20
Mardana 21
Masjid Mahabat Khan 15
Master Tara Singh 43
Maurya Dynasty 11
Mehr Chand Khanna 12, 19
Migrants 39

49
Migration 10, 42, 43
Mir Jaffar 40
Mohammad Yunus 39
Motor Cars 30
Muhammad Ali Jinnah 18, 28,
38, 42
Mumbai 9, 29
Murree 21
Muslims 2, 6, 10, 15, 17, 18, 19,
27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 38, 39,
40, 41, 42, 43
Muslim National Guards 40
Mussoorie 24
N
Nagpur 40
Narang 4, 24
Nathiagali 20, 21
Nawab of Bengal,
Siraj ud-Daulah 40
Netaji 37
New Delhi xiii, xiv, 25
Niranjan Singh Saraf Khalsa
High School 5
Nirmala ‘Sect’ 32
Nutan 30
NWFP 12, 15, 19, 34, 35, 39, 40
NWFP Secretariat 19
NWFP Student Union
Congress 39
O
Osama Bin Laden 21
P
Pakistan vii, xii, 18, 19, 38, 39, 40,
41, 42, 43
Panch Teerath 7, 8, 33
Pandavas 7
Pandit Madan Mohan
Malviya 37
Panj Jotan Ka Dhani 15
Partition xi, xii, xiii, xiv, 1, 4, 10,
19, 39, 41, 43, 44
Partition Plan 43
Pashtunistan 39
Pathans 29, 33, 34
Patliputra 1, 11
Peshawar Cantonment 5, 12, 17
Peshawari Chappal 27, 28
Physical Exercise 4
Princely States 41, 42
Prithviraj Kapoor 9, 29, 30
Pt. Girdhari Lal Salwan 5
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru 41, 42
Punjab xiii, 2, 40, 43
Puran Bhagat 23, 24
Purushapura 1
Index

50
Q
Queen Ichhran 23
Quit India Movement 36, 39, 40
R
Raghunath Temple 22
Raj Kapoor 9
Ram Chowk 8, 9
Ram Rajya 30
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) 40
Rawalpindi 4, 29, 42
Red Shirts 34
Rig Veda 16
River Bara 10
River Indus 12, 21
River Kabul 8
River Sindh 8
S
Sahibzada Iskander Ali Mirza 40
Sanskrit 1, 32
Sant Hari Ram Singh 32
Sarda 27
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel 41
Scholarship 17
Shah Rukh Khan 29
Shahi Bagh 10, 37
Shahji ki Dheri 1
Shalimar Bagh 25
Shammi Kapoor 9
Shamshad Begum 30
Shashi Kapoor 9
Sheikh Abdullah 18
Sheshnag 21
Shimla 25
Shivaratri 15
Shobhna Samarth 30
Sialkot 23
Sikander-e-Azam 30
Sikander Mirza 40
Sikh Empire 2
Sikhism 15, 21
Sikhs 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 19,
21, 22, 27, 34, 35, 39, 40,
42, 44
Silk Road 1
Silver Temple 25
Societal Aspects 27
Supreme Reality 22
Surkh Posh 34
Suvastu River 16
Swami Gangeshwara Nand 32
Swami Ram Prakash 32
Swat 15, 16
Swat River 16
Swat Valley 16
T
Takshashila (Taxila) 11
Telegram 30

51
Index
Tonga 25, 28, 29, 30, 38,
Torkham 11
Trade 2, 27
Trade route 2
Train Journey from Kalka to
Shimla 25
Train Service 29
Transport 17, 28
U
‘Udasi’ Order 15
Udyana 16
Unemployment 38
Upanishads 22
UPSC 19
V
Vaid 32
Vaishnodevi 22
Varanasi 4, 6, 32
Vegetarian 3
Viceroy Linlithgow 38
W
Wah 44
Wali Qandhari 21
Waziri Bagh 10
Waziri Chashma 4, 8
West Bengal 43
William Shakespeare 18
World War xiv, 17, 38, 41
Y
Yajna 16, 33
Yoga 4, 15
Yogi Adityanath 9
Z
Zoroastrians 23

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