Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College traces its humble beginnings as a school that started from Dev Nagar, Karol Bagh, Delhi in 1951 and eventually developed into an institution for higher education under University of Delhi. It relocated to a new campus in University Enclave, North Campus in 1973 and has since pledged to take forward the teachings and vision of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib ji.
The institution emerged with the objective to educate Punjabi refugees after the Partition of India. It began with a resolute vision of teaching Punjabi language, literature and culture along the then modern academic courses to the young refugees. In its early days it functioned from a wing at Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa School, Dev Nagar and began to take shape as a higher education institution in 1951 with the efforts of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee. In a meeting held at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Sardar Baisakha Singh agreed to take the lead of the case and an amount of Rs. 2 lakh was deposited with Delhi University making the college constituent of the University. In 1951 the college began with 19 students and 15 teachers with Bawa Bachittar Singh as the founding President of the Governing Body and Professor Gurbachan S. Talib as the Principal. The college had an erudite faculty with scholars like Professor Frank Thakurdas, who had come from Lahore and taught Political Science.
On March 22, 1973, SGTB Khalsa College was established at University Enclave (the present location) and was inaugurated by Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. In 2001 the college celebrated its Golden Jubilee and was declared a Minority College in 2011. The journey of its creation, from inception to operation, remained guided by the teachings, philosophy of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib.
The college celebrated its golden jubilee in 2001 and has been growing ever since. In 2004, the Guru Arjan Dev Seminar Hall was established to continue the legacy of goshtis (intellectual gatherings), fostering discussion and free thought. The hall, inaugurated in 2011, serves as a venue for conferences, meetings, and public lectures across disciplines. The college library, upgraded in 2008, was renamed after Mata Gujri Ji, wife of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, who also remained a commendable administrator and leader of the Sikhs after the execution of Guru Sahib.
The Master Tara Singh Auditorium established in 2005 was inaugurated by Capt. Amrinder Singh (former CM, Punjab), Smt. Sheila Dixit (former CM, Delhi) and S. Harvinder Singh Sarna. The multi level auditorium hosts various events year around from symposiums to cultural festivals, reflecting the vibrancy of the college.
Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College has been a proof of resilience and thirst for knowledge among the Punjabi community, it continues to make advancements ensuring imparting contemporary knowledge rooted in the teachings of the Gurus.
Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College is found on the legacy, life and teachings of the ninth Sikh guru – Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib. His life remained an exemplary display of struggle to propagate the principles of Human Rights, Social Justice, Secularism and Peace.
Born “Tyag Mal” on April 1, 1621 in Bakala, Amritsar to Guru Hargobind and Mata Nanki, Guru Tegh Bahadur grew up during a period of tension between the Mughal rulers and Sikh Gurus. The orthodox diplomatic practices of the Mughal court had created an atmosphere of terror ensuing from forced Islamic conversions – any school of thought, philosophy and religion was seen as a threat to the empire and was consequently targeted. At age 14, he participated in the Battle of Kartarpur in 1635, to defend the common person’s right to follow any philosophy, thought and religion of their choice, contrasting the dictums of the court. The necessity of protecting these natural rights was underscored in this struggle, and Tyag Mal's valor in battle earned him the name "Tegh Bahadur" — signifying "brave sword wielder.".
Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was appointed the leader of Sikhs in 1665, becoming the ninth Guru of the Sikhs. In May 1675 Guruji was approached by Hindu Pandits from Kashmir region, seeking the Guru's intercession against the forced conversions of Hindus to Islam by the Mughal rulers of India. Guru Tegh Bahadur took the supplicants under his protection and was incarcerated by Aurangzeb as consequence. To defend the rights of all ordinary individuals’ freedom to profess a thought, ideology and faith of their choice – he humbly accepted execution at the hands of the Mughal monarchy.
In one of his verses, he writes:
ਭੈ ਕਾਹੂ ਕਉ ਦੇਤ ਨਹਿ ਨਹਿ ਭੈ ਮਾਨਤ ਆਨ ॥
One who does not frighten anyone, and who is not afraid of anyone else.
ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਗਿਆਨੀ ਤਾਹਿ ਬਖਾਨਿ ॥੧੬॥
- says Nanak, listen, mind: call him spiritually wise. ||16||
He redefined ‘knowledge’ and ‘spiritual wisdom’ in an age which was compartmentalising spiritual wisdom in religious categories. In the verse mentioned above the wisdom is realized in the dignity of being a human, who has rights over the free will and free thought. The institution draws its understanding of ‘knowledge’ from the teachings of Guru Sahib, promoting and encouraging the freedom of intellectual thought, critical thinking, and the courageous application of acumen in life.
Courtesy: Gill, Amapreet Singh*. “Pincode 110001: Set up for post-Partition refugees, Du’s Khalsa college now a picture of ‘Mini India’ ”. The Indian Express, June 19, 2023, Delhi. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/pincode-110001-set-up-for-post-partition-refugees-dus-khalsa-college-now-a-picture-of-mini-india-8671640/ Accessed on December 13, 2024. *The article for the website has been written by Ms. Armeen Kaur Ahuja, Department of English and Prof. Amanpreet Singh Gill, Department of Political Science