Dyal Singh Majithia
Encyclopedia
Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia (1848–98) was an Indian banker and activist in progressive and social reform measures in Punjab
.
, Dyal Singh was the only son of General Lehna Singh. He lost his parents at the age of six. He got his early education in the Mission School at Amritsar and was later self-educated.
He founded the newspaper The Tribune
and managed the affairs of the Harmandir Sahib
("Golden Temple") for nearly thirty years. He took up business in real estate and diamonds and earned huge wealth. He was the first president of the Indian Association of Lahore and continued in that capacity till his death. He was a founding Trustee of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
.
He was Chairman, Board of Directors of the country's first indigenous bank, the Punjab National Bank
. The Bank was founded on May 23, 1894 (its first meeting was held at 6:30 PM at Dyal Singh's house). At the second meeting on May 27, 1894, Dyal Singh was appointed Chairman and Harkishan Lal was Secretary of the Board. He was also a pillar of the Brahmo Samaj and donated liberally for educational institutions and libraries, including numerous colleges all over Upper India, like Dayal Singh College, Lahore and Dyal Singh Memorial Library, Lahore. He was closely associated with Punjab University
. He also founded The Tribune
newspaper (now HQ in Chandigarh)
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
.
Biography
Born in VaranasiVaranasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
, Dyal Singh was the only son of General Lehna Singh. He lost his parents at the age of six. He got his early education in the Mission School at Amritsar and was later self-educated.
He founded the newspaper The Tribune
The Tribune
The Tribune is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from Chandigarh, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Dehradun and Bathinda. It was founded on 2 February 1881, in Lahore , by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as...
and managed the affairs of the Harmandir Sahib
Harmandir Sahib
The Harmandir Sahib also Darbar Sahib , also referred to as the Golden Temple, is a prominent Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab . Construction of the gurdwara was begun by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, and completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev...
("Golden Temple") for nearly thirty years. He took up business in real estate and diamonds and earned huge wealth. He was the first president of the Indian Association of Lahore and continued in that capacity till his death. He was a founding Trustee of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj is a religious division of Brahmoism formed as a result of 2 schisms in the Brahmo Samaj in 1866 and 1878 respectively.-The Brahmo Samaj:...
.
He was Chairman, Board of Directors of the country's first indigenous bank, the Punjab National Bank
Punjab National Bank
Punjab National Bank , was founded in 1894 and is currently the second largest state-owned commercial bank in India ahead of Bank of Baroda with about 5000 branches across 764 cities. It serves over 37 million customers. The bank has been ranked 248th biggest bank in the world by the Bankers...
. The Bank was founded on May 23, 1894 (its first meeting was held at 6:30 PM at Dyal Singh's house). At the second meeting on May 27, 1894, Dyal Singh was appointed Chairman and Harkishan Lal was Secretary of the Board. He was also a pillar of the Brahmo Samaj and donated liberally for educational institutions and libraries, including numerous colleges all over Upper India, like Dayal Singh College, Lahore and Dyal Singh Memorial Library, Lahore. He was closely associated with Punjab University
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
. He also founded The Tribune
The Tribune
The Tribune is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from Chandigarh, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Dehradun and Bathinda. It was founded on 2 February 1881, in Lahore , by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as...
newspaper (now HQ in Chandigarh)
External links
- Biography at Dyal Singh Memorial Trust Library, Lahore