“Shaheedon ki chitaon par lagenge har baras mele, vatan par marne vaalon ka yahi baaki nishaan hoga …!” True to the spirit of this couplet, the residents of village Daffar in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab have been organising an annual Kabaddi Tournament for the last 29 years in the memory of Pandit Hemraj – a legendary mathematician who hailed from this village.
Punjab is a sports-loving state, and thus, the people here (especially the rural folk) celebrate all the big occasions by organising sports meets commemorating such events. Likewise, the residents of village Daffar – the birthplace of Pandit Hemraj formed a “Principal Hemraj Sports Club, Daffar,” about three decades ago. With this club’s initiative, this prestigious kabaddi meet has become a ‘Major League Kabaddi.” In a lighter vein, it is admirable to organise ‘kabaddi contests’ if not ‘Math Olympiads’ in memory of a great mathematician.
The Sports Club also established the “Principal Hemraj Memorial Library” in Daffar in January 2021. It is a commendable initiative by the villagers to connect the younger generations with books and literature. The library is situated on the premises of the Government High School, Daffar.
The author has roots in this historic place, his maternal village, and has studied there up to Class 5. Due to this bonding, he felt it appropriate to remember and pay tribute to the genius – Pandit Hemraj.
Pandit Hemraj (1886-1938) was a world-renowned mathematician and former Principal of the prestigious Government Dyal Singh College, Lahore, from 1923 to 1938. He was born in Daffar, District Hoshiarpur, Punjab, towards the end of 1886. His father, Pandit Ganga Ram, was a poor Brahmin. It was under challenging circumstances, therefore, that Pandit Hemraj received his education. He passed his middle school examination from S.D. School, Hoshiarpur, in 1903, and matriculation from the Government High School, Hoshiarpur, in 1905. He passed his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Master of Arts (M.A.) examinations from the DAV College, Lahore, with distinction, standing first in the first class in the M.A. examination in 1912.
Shortly after passing his M.A., Hemraj was appointed an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Dyal Singh College, Lahore, in October 1912. His work thus came to the notice of the Punjab Government, and Sir John Maynard, the then Vice-Chancellor of the Panjab University, moved the University to offer him a scholarship to go abroad for higher studies. Pandit Hemraj did not accept the offer for reasons of health. Through hard work and intelligence, he rose to the Principalship of the Government Dyal Singh College, Lahore, in 1923 and served it ably until his (untimely) death on 12 November 1938. His death had left a void in the academic life of the Punjab University, Lahore.
A disciple of Pandit Hemraj, a great mathematician, Dr Hansraj Gupta (1902-1988) joined the Dyal Singh College Lahore in 1924 for his M.A. in Mathematics. The college’s Principal was Pandit Hemraj, who had a high reputation as a mathematician and teacher. Principal Hemraj has also published many papers on Number Theory. Those were the fundamental reasons Hansraj chose Dyal Singh College, Lahore. Pandit Hemraj was a well-known mathematician of those days. He had been associated with the Indian Mathematical Society (IMS) and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Society.
Dr Hansraj Gupta had been inspired to research Number Theory by Pandit Hemraj. In a Preface to the book titled “Symmetric Functions in the Theory of Integral Numbers,” Dr Hansraj Gupta stated, “My revered teacher, the Late Pandit Hemraj, who passed away on 12 November 1938, instilled a lot of enthusiasm for the subject among his pupils and himself made valuable contributions to the subject. The little I have done through research is in no small measure due to the encouragement I got from Pandit Hemraj.”
Apart from his mathematical ingenuity, Pandit Hemraj was humble and generous. I have learnt this from my maternal grandfather (nanaji) -Sardar Ishar Singh, a contemporary of Pandit Hemraj and very close to him as a village neighbour. Our maternal house was just 50 yards away from Pandit Hemraj’s ancestral house. My nanaji told us that Hemraj had done many charitable works in the village, including constructing a small Sarai/Aaram Ghar and a deep well for fetching potable water. It was considered a virtuous deed to dig a well at that time.
While searching for a suitable site for the well, my nanaji persuaded his father, Sardar Harnam Singh (my great grandfather -maternal), to donate some land for this noble cause. Thus, Sardar Harnam Singh transferred adequate land for the well. It is opposite our haveli across a wide seasonal choe (rivulet). The well remained operational till the recent past. We used to call it “upperwala khooh,” it remained a hub of many activities for more than seven decades.
While searching for Pandit Hemraj’s generosity, I found a letter he wrote on 01-03-1930. It was addressed to his close friend Sardar Qabil Singh, who belonged to a nearby village, Argowal, and was the Principal of Government High School, Tanda Urmar. Through this letter, Pandit Hemraj sought his friend’s help to find suitable work for two young boys – Amar Singh and Lalji Ram, having meagre resources from his village, Daffar. These boys had passed their matriculation examination and were searching for a job. This letter shows how concerned Pandit Hemraj was for the deserving and needy! I am thankful to Surtaj Malhi, a resident of Canada and the grandson of Sardar Qabil Singh, for sharing this letter with me.
With an emotional connection to Pandit Hemraj and his village, I endeavoured to pen a tribute to the great genius or unsung hero you may call. In this context, I requested an architect friend and Editor of the “Designers’ Style” magazine – Akbar Riaz, from Pakistan, to visit the Government Dyal Singh College, Lahore, to unearth some information about Pandit Hemraj, especially some photos.
At my request, Akbar Riaz visited the college and met the present Principal of the college. Though he couldn’t find any valuable material, he managed to click a photo of the Incumbency Board displayed in the office of the Principal and shared it with me. In this picture, Prof Hemraj’s name appeared at S. No. 4, meaning that he was the fourth Principal of this prestigious college and served it from 1923 to 1938 until his death.
Pandit Hemraj’s legacy lives on not just through the annual kabaddi tournament and the memorial library in Daffar but through his lasting impact as a mathematician, educator, and humanitarian. From humble beginnings in a small Punjab village to becoming a renowned mathematician and Principal of the prestigious Government Dyal Singh College, Lahore, his life exemplifies the power of dedication and perseverance. His contributions to mathematics, particularly number theory, influenced future generations of mathematicians like Dr Hansraj Gupta. More importantly, his generosity and concern for others, whether helping village youth find employment or improving village infrastructure, reveal the character of a man who never forgot his roots despite his academic achievements. Though more than eight decades have passed since his untimely death in 1938, Pandit Hemraj’s story continues to inspire and remind us that true greatness lies not just in intellectual accomplishments but in using one’s position to uplift others.
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Sarbjit Bahga (b1957) is a Chandigarh-based architect, author, photo artist, and archivist. He is the Principal Architect of Bahga Design Studio LLP. Earlier, Bahga worked in the Department of Architecture, Punjab, Punjab Health Systems Corporation, and Punjab Mandi Board in various positions.
He has more than 42 years of practical experience designing various types of buildings, complexes, and large campuses. His completed works include an eclectic range of administrative, recreational, educational, medical, residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings. A monograph on his selected works titled “MODERN REGIONALISM: The Architecture of Sarbjit Bahga” has been published.
Bahga is also a keen researcher and a prolific architectural writer. He has 12 books to his credit, which include Modern Architecture in India, New Indian Homes, Le Corbusier, and Pierre Jeanneret: The Indian Architecture, Trees in Urban Habitat, Landscaping Human Habitat, New Indian Architecture -1947-2020, and Hand-Drawn Perspectives and Sketches. Bahga’s contribution to architecture has been largely recognized. He is a three-time recipient of the World Architecture Community Awards. His name has been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for designing the “longest covered concrete corridor” in Vidya Sagar Institute of Mental Health, Amritsar.
