Syed Babar Ali and Sardar Harcharan Singh Brar : A lifelong school friendship that transcended borders, faiths

LAST week, Syed Babar Ali dedicated a classroom in memory of his best friend, Sardar Harcharan Singh Brar, at their alma mater Aitchison College in Lahore. Babli Brar, the daughter of Harcharan Brar, came from India to attend this special gathering.

Babar Ali and Brar came from very different backgrounds. Brar, born in 1922, was from a Sikh landlord family of Sarai Nanga near Ferozepore; while Ali, born in 1926, hailed from a Syed Muslim business family of Lahore.

Both met at Aitchison College in the mid-1930s and developed a friendship that lasted about seven decades and transcended the trauma of the partition, the narrowness of patriotism, and their professional careers.

What brought them together was Aitchison College, established as Punjab Chiefs College in 1886 – 140 years ago – which is known for its multi-faith pre-partition roots, and was set up and established to provide quality education to the landed gentry, princes and elite chieftains of Punjab.

Babar Ali joined Aitchison College in 1934 at the age of seven, and Harcharan Brar joined in 1937 at the age of 15 years. Despite their age difference, the two became buddies.

During their time at Aitchison, Babar Ali was a ‘day-boy’ (day scholar) at Jubilee House, while Harcharan Singh Brar was a boarder at Godley House. They graduated from Aitchison at the same time in December of 1943.

Both spoke chaste Punjabi, and while their faith was important to them – one attended the campus mosque built in 1901 while the other frequented the campus Gurdwara built in 1910 – it never got in the way of their deep friendship

Both excelled at cricket and tennis, receiving college colours. Both received the prestigious full school sports blazer in 1942. Babar Ali was chosen as the school prefect in 1942, while Harcharan became prefect a year later.

Babar Ali received the Albel Singh Watson Gold Medal and the Dane Bhima Gold Medal in 1941. Meanwhile, the Rivaz Gold Medal, the medal for the best-leaving boy, was awarded in 1943 to Harcharan Brar.

The six years spent together at school laid the foundation for a 72-year friendship. Both developed family terms during their time at the college. Brar was the favourite of Syed Babar Ali’s family and was loved by his parents, Sir and Lady Syed Maratib Ali as their ‘fourth son’.

Despite being in Purdah, Syed Babar Ali’s mother – who hailed from the Fakir Khana family herself – would insist on meeting her son’s best friend, who would in turn greet her and touch her feet out of respect, which reminded her of her ancestors’ relationship with the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

She would refer to Brar as “Badshah” out of affection. All of Syed Babar Ali’s sisters referred to Brar as their brother or “bhai”, while his nieces and nephews still refer to him as “Mama/Mamu Harcharan Singh” meaning “maternal uncle” in Punjabi/Urdu. On the other hand, Brar’s grandchildren refer to Babar Ali as “Dadaji” meaning paternal grandfather.

After graduating from Aitchison in 1943, both attended Government College in Lahore, where they completed their degrees in 1945. Brar then left Lahore to enter politics in Eastern Punjab, while Ali left to study at Harvard University in the US.

When Babar Ali returned from the US in late 1947, most of his friends were gone, including his best friend. This traumatized both of them. Ali was keen to meet with Brar and arranged to meet with his Aitchison buddy in early 1948 at the newly-created border crossing of Ganda Singh Wala, between Kasur and Ferozepore. The meeting was brokered through Khan Qurban Ali Khan, the then Inspector General of Police, who was a friend of his family.

Brar brought bananas from his side, which were rare in Pakistan at the time, while Babar Ali presented him some silk ties that he had bought for his friend from America.

Many tears of sadness and uncertainty were shed at this nostalgic meeting, but it seems they both pledged not to let the trauma of the partition mar their friendship.

In his memoirs Learning from Others, Babar Ali recalls that he and Brar were allowed to go watch movies at the local cinemas of Lahore once every two weeks. He also writes that Brar joined his class in 1937 and they soon became friends. Harcharan was very good at mathematics during their time at Aitchison. He also observes that Harcharan Singh Brar never touched alcohol.

Amongst the more interesting anecdotes from their time as students at Aitchison, Babar Ali recalls that Brar had a great sense of humour. There was a fruit vendor, Meher, who used to extend credit to the boys and did not maintain a written account, as a result of which the boys would always be in debt. One fine day, Brar remarked” “The payment for your fruit dries out more blood in our bodies than the amount of blood your fruit makes in us!”

After Partition, Syed Babar Ali became one of the most well-known businessmen of Pakistan, establishing Packages Limited and the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1997 and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.

On the other hand, Harcharan Singh Brar took on the life of a politician. He served as Governor of Haryana and Odisha and chief minister of Indian Punjab.

Despite their professional careers, Brar and his family remained regular visitors at Babar Ali’s home in Lahore. Brar’s children spent many Lahore summers at Babar Ali’s home.

From Brar’s marriage to the niece of Sardar Pratap Singh Kairon, to the setting up and winding up of their stud farms with the Habibullah family of Lucknow in Ferozepur, and from Brar’s medical check-ups to his last rites, his brother-like friend Babar Ali was with him at every stage of life, and continues to be in close contact with his daughter and grandchildren to this day.

When Brar needed medical treatment in the 1990s, he asked Babar Ali to accompany him to America. Upon hearing of his friend’s predicament, Babar Ali agreed at once.

On discovering that only the two of them were going, he inquired “Don’t you want to ask a family member?” To which Brar’s reply was “I already have, I’ve asked you”.

After his last rites, Syed Babar Ali was asked to lead the funeral address by Brar’s children, stating that “only you were his brother”.

In 1986, Brar led an Indian delegation of alumni to attend the 100th anniversary of Aitchison College. Syed Babar Ali invited him to inaugurate the college library. Their 1986 photo is proudly displayed in the Syed Babar Ali Library on the campus, opposite the Gurdwara building.

Brar then returned as chief guest at the Aitchison Founders Day and led the college parade in 1989.

He passed away in 2009. The loss devastated Babar Ali, but his fondness for Brar only increased and he kept in regular contact with his friend’s family.

Indians and Pakistanis can take inspiration from these two friends, who came from different faiths, experienced the horrors of partition, lived in two separate arch-enemy countries, yet maintained a lifelong bond of kinship for over seven decades, dating back to their time together in school.

May many such friendships blossom so we can build a more vibrant, respectful, and peaceful South Asia.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2026