Accepted - After 12 Years continues....


Bakshi Sohan Lal, Advocate, Dharamsala—a great
friend of my father—had shifted his law practice to Lahore on the demise of his brilliant younger brother, Bakshi Jaishi Ram—a
leader of the Lahore Bar—who had been Chairman of the Reception Committee of the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress.

His nephew Bakshi Tek Chand (later the Hon’ble Mr Justice Tek
Chand, who, as a member of the Constituent Assembly, played a very important part in shaping our Constitution) often used to
spend his summer vacation with my father at Dharamsala.

Uncle and nephew both advised him to send me to Lahore for my studies and assured him that they would look after me. I could stay with
them at Lahore. My father was soon persuaded and I was sent to Lahore. I was admitted to the Central Model School, Lahore, where Mr. Tydman was then the headmaster to be followed by
Lala Shiv Dayal and then by Lala Sunder Das Suri.

I had not been long at Lahore when the great earthquake shook the Kangra valley on 4 April, 1905. It destroyed completely the towns of Baijnath, Palampur, Kangra, Dharamsala and all the intervening villages, killing thousands. The whole valley was in ruins. The historic temple of Kangra was razed to the ground along with the famous Kangra fort constructed by its Katoch
rulers. Not a single house in this area survived the shock. The only building that stood the shock in Dharamsala was the district treasury, an arch like. stone building not more than nine feet in
height.

The great Dharamsala Church, where Lord Elgin lies buried became a heap of stones. Several English officers, including the District Judge, died in the earthquake. The District Judge— poor fellow—had come there only the previous evening. He had come, it seems, only to die. In spite of persuasions to the contrary,
his predecessor had left the station late the previous evening:
choosing to spend the night at the Shahpur Rest House which was not affected by the earthquake!



To be continued...