Dyal Singh Majithia
{{short description|Indian banker and activist (1848-1898)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2010}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Sardar
| name = Dyal Singh Majithia
| image = Dyal_Singh_Majithia.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date text|1848}}
| birth_place = Banaras, Banaras State, Company India
{{small|(now in Uttar Pradesh, India)}}
| death_date = {{death year and age|1898|1848}}
| death_place = Lahore, Punjab Province, British India
{{small|(now in Punjab, Pakistan)}}
| occupation = Banker
| known_for = Founding The Tribune and Punjab National Bank
| spouse = Rani Bhagwan Kaur
| father = Lehna Singh Majithia
| family = Majithia
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia (1848–1898) was an Indian banker and activist in progressive and social reform measures in Punjab.{{Cite web |date= 19 December 2000|title=Dyal Singh Majithia |url=https://www.thesikhencyclopedia.com/biographical/sikh-political-figures/dyal-singh-majithia/ |access-date=2022-09-13 |website=The Sikh Encyclopedia |language=en-US}} He established The Tribune English language newspaper in Lahore in 1881, and later remained founder chairman of the Punjab National Bank, established in 1894.{{Cite news |last=Walia |first=Varinder |date=8 September 2005 |title=Special on the death anniversary of Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, which falls on September 9 - Majithia's virasat knows no sarhad |work=The Tribune India |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050908/aplus.htm |quote=}}{{Cite web |last=G. |first=M. |date=9 September 1998 |title=How The Tribune was launched |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98sep09/founder.htm#5 |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=The Tribune India (www.tribuneindia.com)}} Dyal Singh trust also donated many acres of land to the school.
Biography
Born in Varanasi, Dyal Singh was the son of General Lehna Singh of the renowned Majithia family of Punjab.{{Cite web |last=Gopal |first=Madan |date=9 September 1998 |title=A Broad-Minded Liberal |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/1998/98sep09/founder.htm |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=www.tribuneindia.com}} He got his early education in the Mission School at Amritsar and was later self-educated.
He founded the English-language 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 23 May 1894 (its first meeting was held at 6:30 PM at Dyal Singh's house). At the second meeting on 27 May 1894, Dyal Singh was appointed Chairman and Lala Harkishen Lal, the Secretary of the Board. He was also a pillar of the Brahmo Samaj and donated liberally to educational institutions and libraries, including numerous colleges all over Northern India, like Dayal Singh College, Lahore and Dyal Singh Memorial Library, Lahore. He was closely associated with Punjab University.
Legacy
The Tribune newspaper, founded by him, is still the leading English daily in Northern India. Since 1978, The Tribune Trust has published Punjabi Tribune and Dainik Tribune also. He willed his property for establishing college for secular education, initially resulting in creation of Dayal Singh College (Lahore), later also Dyal Singh College, Delhi and Dyal Singh College, Karnal.{{Cite web |last=Arora |first=Parveen |date=20 November 2017 |title=Amid uproar, old Dyal college files scoured |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/amid-uproar-old-dyal-college-files-scoured/500834.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040351/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/amid-uproar-old-dyal-college-files-scoured/500834.html |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=2022-09-12 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100330132531/http://www.dyalsingh.org.pk/the_founder.htm Biography] at Dyal Singh Memorial Trust Library, Lahore
- [http://pu.edu.pk/affiliation/collegeinfo/147/Govt.-Dyal-Singh-College-Lahore Government Dayal Singh College, Lahore]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120516192826/http://dsc.du.ac.in/aboutcollege.htm Dyal Singh College Delhi]
- [http://dsckarnal.com/ Dyal Singh College Karnal]
- [http://dspsjagadhari.com/ Dyal Singh Public School Jagadhari]
- [https://www.dspskarnal.com/ Dyal Singh Public School Karnal]
- [https://www.dsps7karnal.com/ Dyal Singh Public School Sector 7 Karnal]
- [http://www.etpb.gov.pk/dyal-singh-trust-library/ Dayal Singh Trust Library Lahore]
- [http://www.apnaorg.com/research-papers/sardar-majithia/ Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia]
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Category:Bankers from British India
Category:Indian newspaper founders
Category:Activists from Varanasi
Category:Writers from Varanasi
Category:19th-century Indian journalists
Category:19th-century Indian male writers
Category:19th-century Indian businesspeople
Category:Businesspeople from Varanasi