Ganga Ram

Ganga Ram was a British Indian civil engineer and architect who made significant contributions to the urban development of Lahore, then in colonial India and now in modern Pakistan. He is also known as the "Father of Modern Lahore". He was born in Mangtanwala, a village in Punjab, in 1851 and joined the Government College, Lahore in 1869. He obtained a scholarship to study engineering at the Thomason College in Roorkee in 1871 and graduated with a gold medal in 1873. He worked as an assistant engineer and superintendent of works in various projects in Delhi, Lahore and other places. He designed and constructed many iconic buildings in Lahore, such as the Lahore Museum, the Aitchison College, the Mayo School of Arts, the General Post Office, the Mayo Hospital, and the Government College. He also introduced a new style of architecture, blending Indian and European elements, known as the Indo-Saracenic style. He was knighted by King Edward VII in 1903 and awarded the Companion of the Indian Empire in 1910. He was also a philanthropist who donated most of his wealth to charity. He established the Sir Ganga Ram Trust in 1920 to support various causes, such as education, health, agriculture, and women's rights. He built several hospitals in Lahore and Delhi, named after him, which are still functioning today. He also leased a large tract of barren land in Montgomery District and transformed it into fertile fields by constructing irrigation channels and a hydroelectric plant. He died in London in 1927 at the age of 76 and his ashes were partly immersed in the Ganges and partly buried in Lahore. He is widely respected and admired by the people of India and Pakistan for his achievements and generosity.