SCD Govt College alumni pay tributes to its martyr alumni Major Shiv Dev Singh Sidhu and Captain Vijay Sehgal of Goa Liberation War, 1961 Heroes
Poet Gurbhajan Gill lamented that wars always snatch away youthful sons from their families so war hysteria must be shunned
Ludhiana: The SCD Government College, Ludhiana Alumni Association remembered martyrdom of Goa Liberation War heroes of whom two prominent names Major Shiv Dev Singh Sidhu and Captain Vijay Sehgal were this college’s alumnus.
The GOA operation was done from 17th December, to 19th Dec,1961 In this process of Annexation of Goa Republic of India annexed the former Portuguese Indian territories of Goa, Daman and Diu taken by Portuguese 451 years before then from India. Both Major Sidhu and Captain Sehgal of Ludhiana attained martyrdom on 19th Dec 1961.
Among those who remembered the martyrs were Dr G S Grewal, Poet Gurbhajan Gill, Prof.Dr.Harblas, Prof.Dr. Kamal Kishor. Col Inderjit Singh Gill, Ashok Dheer, Dr Sunil Chopra, S S Bhogal (all old students) and Alumni Coordinator Brij Bhushan Goyal. Dr. Grewal shared rare memories of Martyr Major Shiv Dev Singh Sidhu as he was also his maternal uncle. He told that there was befitting reference to these brave hearts in War History.
Principal of the college Dr. Dharam Singh Sandhu while paying rich tributes to their college Alumni Martyrs informed that college prominently displays their pictures in the library. Further, in a Coffee Table Book authored by college teacher Dr. Harblas on the occasion of college centenary(to be released by CM Punjab) ,there are special pages dedicated to the these martyrs. Swaranjit Savi-a renowned artist and also an alumnus of the college has befittingly given artistic touch to these pages.
Poet Gurbhajan Gill lamented that wars always snatch away youthful sons from their families so war hysteria must be shunned. Coordinator Goyal also recalled the terse message given by none else than this college’s own Alumnus Sahir Ludhianvi who had penned out-
“Jang to khud hi ek masla hai ,jang kiya maslon ka hal degi.
Aag aur khoon aaj bakshegi, bhookh aur ahtiaj kal daigi .
Is liye ai shareef insano jang talti rahe to behtar hai,
hum sabhi ke angan mein shamma jalti rahe to behtar hai”
(War itself is a tedious problem before the world; it does not give any solution to the problem. Fire of destruction and blood are its consequences today. Hunger and deprivation it brings tomorrow. So, listen oh gentlemen, it is better if the war is avoided, it is better if the lamps keep lighting in our homes.)