Celebrating the life of Inderjit Singh Bawa
[Inderjit Singh Bawa 07 July 1942 – 24 January 2025]
Final farewell on 27 January 2025
High Tea 4-5pm at 6 Hailey Road, New Delhi.
[Inderjit Singh Bawa 07 July 1942 – 24 January 2025]
Final farewell on 27 January 2025
High Tea 4-5pm at 6 Hailey Road, New Delhi.
Sadly announce the passing on of Inderjit Singh Bawa
24th January 2025
Dear Editor OCA,
It is with great sadness that we announce the departure of my dear husband Behram D. Irani on 24th Dec. 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.He leaves behind his wife Gool, daughter Roneesha, son Kaizad and family.
Behram Irani was at BCS 1950-1954 in Lefroy House.
JUSTICE H.S.BEDI – A GENTLEMAN JUDGE
(Harry Bedi)
Justice Harjit Singh Bedi (Harry Bedi) belonged to a family of agriculturists from Sahiwal (Montgomery), now in Pakistan. He is a direct descendent of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. 17th in line. His father was, Tikka Jagjit Singh Bedi. After partition, his family was settled in Fazilka, a small township near the India-Pakistan Border.
He was born on September 5, 1946. He breathed his last on November 21, 2024. His life journey of 78 years was unique. He joined Bishop Cotton School, Simla in 1954. His school mates have described him in different hues. A man of utter simplicity. He was intelligent, dedicated and committed to his firm views. He was not a man who could be defeated easily on any intellectual matter. He was confident. He was assured. He spoke in a soft manner. He had clarity of thought. He was always among the toppers in his class. He was obedient. He was shy. He was no brawn. Not the daring kind.
Some of his friends of 1962 class have spoken for him and of him. Harry loved his dogs and guns. His love for dogs has continued throughout. They remained with him wherever he went. When the body was brought for the last time on November 22, 2024 at his farm house, one had to see how the pair condoled the death of the master. They were the best bodyguard and protector of Justice Bedi.
In 1960, during the phase of cold war, Khrushchev had made a frightening speech at the United Nations. It culminated with an exhibition of shoe thumping in 1960. It appeared the world was at the brink of another world war. Three friends, Guzdar, Vijay Khurana and Harry decided to write a letter to Khrushchev urging him to show restrain. The three of them sat in a class room with Harry in the centre. The letter was written. Of course, the author was Harry. There was a letter box behind the Headmaster’s office. The letter was duly dropped in the letter box. Two days later, at the dinner time, Fred Brown announced with a smile on his face – Khrushchev come and get your letter, the post man cannot deliver it. Harry got up. Collected the envelop much to the amusement of all around. All in all, Harry has been described one of the finest specimens of a good product that Bishop Cotton School saw past its hallowed portals.
Justice Bedi did his law from Delhi University in 1972. He was enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana on July 17, 1972. While being an advocate, he was appointed as Part Time Lecturer in Law in 1974. I was already on the regular faculty since 1969. My association with him dates back to 1974. This 50 years journey was of Togetherness. He taught till 1983- short of a decade. Those were the years when our friendship matured. He was Deputy Advocate General, Punjab from 1983 to 1987. He was given senior’s gown in 1987. He was also appointed Additional Advocate General in which position he continued till 1989. He remained Advocate General (Punjab) till the end of 1990. He was elevated as Additional Judge of Punjab & Haryana High Court on March 15, 1991. He was further elevated as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court on October 3, 2006. Thereafter, the third elevation was to the Surpeme Court on 12.01.2007. I had the a joy of attending all the three swearing in ceremonies. He retired from the top court on 05.09.2011. What a journey ! From an advocate to senior advocate to judge of the High Court to the Chief Justice of the High Court and retired as Judge of the apex court of the country. A happy blend of a lawyer and a judge. His father, Tikka Jagjit Singh Bedi was a judge of Punjab & Haryana High Court who retired in 1969. Now, his son, Jasjit Singh Bedi is adorning the Bench of the same court. Three generations of judges. Doing of justice is flowing in the veins of Bedi family.
I wish to make a confession. When I sat down to weave this Tribute, I was in a dilemma – should I or should I not. My daughter Shruti got married to his son Jasjit on March 1, 2002. I have genuinely experienced him. As a judge (before 2002). As a human being, throughout. I ask myself, what is the difficulty! Therefore, I am sharing what I have experienced.
I took pre-mature retirement from Panjab University in 1991. Joined the Bar. I often use to appear in his court till the year 2001. He was a perfect mix of Socrates Recipe. Hear courteously. Consider soberly. Answer wisely. Decide impartially. His court use to be the lawyer’s court. The lawyers could give their best. The court environment was congenial. It was a learning experience for young lawyers. He was not technical. He was compassionate and humane judge. The young lawyers were encouraged. It was probably December, 2001. My son, Shireesh argued a matter in his court. After he finished, Shireesh was told, young man you have done very well. He gracefully bowed to the Hon’ble Judge. Justice Bedi asked the court master whose son is he? He was told, Balram’s son. Justice Bedi was liberal in his approach.
He remained a judge of constitutional courts for more than 20 years. He was truly an gentleman judge. His court craft. His court management. He would never lose his temper. A judge is measured by the judgments, he delivers. A judge speaks through his judgments. Judgments are not meant to be intellectual pieces of literature. They must speak of the courage, the empathy and the humanism of the judge. Above all, the sense of fairness, of openness and transparency. In Rathinam v. State of T.N. (2011) recorded : “The insinuation that the rich are always aggressors and the poor always the victims, is too broad and conjectural supposition”. This speaks of the balanced mind of Justice Bedi. He could never be easily swayed. In a three judge bench matter of Dasgupta v. Vijay Singh Sengoor (2010), Justice Bedi spoke candidly : “A public interest litigation is to be invoked sparingly and with rectitude and any order made in this situation must be reasonable and must not reflect the pique of the court……..as it is not the court’s business to attempt to run the Government in a manner which the court thinks is the proper way.” Once again, Justice Bedi did not trip into the domain of the government. He believed that judges must realize that they are ‘humans’. To do justice to humans is the best kind of service.
Above all, he was a good human being. During his 13 retirement years, he lived a life of a commoner. He never exhibited his position. Talking to him, one always felt, what a cultivated and well nurtured mind. He was ‘humility wrapped in humanity’. Permit me to be personal. Shruti became a part of Bedi family. Justice Bedi, got a Mandir constructed at the farm house. A Pandit performed the puja at the time of installing the different Idols. What a gesture! Truly, in Guru Nanak’s spirit. We all belong to one human family.
Edmund Burke spoke of : The cold neutrality of an impartial judge. That was Justice Bedi. He would always be remembered fondly. Equally, we would miss him dearly.
Dr. Balram K Gupta
Professor EmeritusSenior Advocate
Former Director, NJA and CJA
Harry was the sum of his parts. These parts were many but at the end you had a man of utter simplicity.
That is not the impression he conveyed when I first set my eyes on him in 1954. He was timid, I thought, until you discovered he was intelligent, dedicated and committed with firm views that he held with a fierce passion. He was not a man you defeated easily on any intellectual matter. He was confident and assured. He spoke in a soft manner with ideas that were built with a great deal of clarity of thought. It showed in his academic worth and he was always among the toppers in his class.
Harry was obedient. He was shy. He was devout.
In retrospect, Harry embodied all the fine qualities for the professional position he came to occupy. He was no brawn and he was not the daring kind but his sense of fairness, justice and all that was correct and right were attractive attributes.
Here are some comments about Harry by his friends from the Class of 1962:
“Harry loved his dogs and guns. He used to go hunting in the college. days with his dogs and whosoever wanted to join him. He never shot at a sitting bird. The ones that took off were invariably brought down as he was a crack shot. His dogs were always winning prizes. He inherited these qualities from his father who kept a stuffed tiger in the drawing room in his Sector 10 house. Later he would go clay pigeon shooting” – Yogesh Uberoi
“ I think you must be aware that his forefinger had been partially injured when he was crawling out of the side open drain from the swimming pool. The main door from there was closed. This was in the passage from the HM house to the pool. I was there and we rushed him to the hospital from where he was sent to Rippon. I can’t remember who else was there with me
Somehow we were locked on the swimming pool area, the door to the swimming pool had been closed from outside. we decided to climb on the khud side to get out. The person ahead of Harry slipped & stones were dislodged and they came hurtling down and Harry ‘s forefinger, first digit was cut, and hung by the skin. We took him to hospital & from there he was sent to Rippon hospital ” Ramesh Suthoo
(Comment: minor addition: The swimming pool was locked and this drain hole offered a short cut from the gym side up to the dorms. The entry from the second flat was inaccessible since an event was in progress that morning. Post monsoon a stone from the khud side dislodged itself and came like a sharp knife on Harry’s finger, a slitter like action, which caused the injury)
“Harry loved music and he played the mouthorgan very well . He could play any tune popular in those days” Harmeet Mamik
“A very fine legacy. The embodiment of a gentleman OC. We are all proud to also call him our classmate” Mohit Goyal
“He had a lovely record collection. I often used to visit his house and listen to the lovely music collection. This was when we were at college” RLV Nath
“Harry always conducted himself within the rules of the school and never strayed, a relatively quiet gentleman and one who didn’t take issue with anyone. He was very conscientious in his studies and if I remember correctly always in the top three in academics. All in all a very fine and good human being. Will miss him” NK Mehra
[click pictures for larger view]
After Harry cut his forefinger, and it was never adequately restored because Simla did not have the requisite medical facilities for a surgery that required great skill, his parents came up to Simla. He went home for some months for treatment and recovery. He toyed with the idea of using his left hand instead but managed efficiently with his right hand and the little stub of a forefinger. He was persistent in all he did. I can see him struggling to get past the qualifying line for the marathon, with Mr Advani urging him on from the sidelines, with just a few seconds to go and make it in time !! He never gave up, a trait that was inculcated in him. He consequently recovered from the injury rather well with his confidence restored.
Harry was a pacifist. During the phase in the Cold War and, we were old enough to read about international events, Khrushchev had that year made a frightening speech at the UN culminating with an exhibition of shoe thumping in 1960. It seemed that the world was on the brink of another world war. We were worried. Harry, Guzder (Curzon House) and I decided to write to Khrushchev urging him to show restraint. The three of us earnestly sat in a class room with Harry in the centre and a letter was written. Of course the author, the brainy guy, was Harry. We then ambled up to the letter box that stood behind the Headmaster’s office and deposited our earnest missive to Khrushchev. Two days later, during dinner time, Fred Brown flourished the letter and announced with a smile on his face, “Khrushchev, come and get your letter, the postman cannot deliver it!!” A rather sheepish Harry got up and collected the envelope much to the amusement all around.
Harry’s father seemed like a tall strapping man. He looked taller because he wore a “taller” turban with a “tur” , which is an extension of the usual turban but stands flat upright atop the conventional head gear and flutters about like the feathers atop a peacock’s crown. He, consequently, looked imposing (at that age at any rate to us!!) . The parents would come and affectionately hug their pampered boy and pat their hands over his soft cheeks. On their departure, we would then walk up to Harry and stroke his cheeks, perhaps, as affectionately. It was almost like a petting pool. We laughed but Harry blushed though he never responded to our little amusing venture.!!
Harry was close friends from time to time with most of his class mates particularly from Curzon, Ravi Rikhye, Ramesh Suthoo and the others but towards his final years he spent a great deal of time on the bench outside the Headmaster’s office with Amarvir Singh discussing spiritual matters. Those discussions may have even sharpened his instincts for the ethical and the strong desire to never deviate from the righteous and the right. Ethics mattered a great deal to him and it showed in his professional conduct. Harry was never swayed by any external influence or factor in all the decisions he delivered. He was upright, ramrod straight and not amenable to any inducements or suggestions, never delivering any favour no matter how close the relative or friend the person might be. He was in that sense intractable never wavering from what he considered honest, true and correct.
In a school where Hindi was a subsidiary, even neglected subject, Harry excelled. I recall Mr G Shanker informing us that there were only two boys in School who took dictation in Hindi perfectly never committing even one error, Harry and Amarvir Singh, he announced. Harry never got wrong any word in any dictation placing the right alphabet even for a similar sounding consonant or word. Perfection it was for him. He was conscientious.
This distinguished individual carried all the virtues that your scripture suggests are the qualities of good conduct. Harry fulfilled that bill almost completely though I daresay he was very human and not without his foibles or his faults. However, all that hardly mattered in the balance and he was one of the finest specimens of a good product that Bishop Cotton School saw past its hallowed portals.
Harry made us proud and may he rest in peace. Good bye, Dear Friend.
– Vijay Khurana
Message received from Pawan Kumar Pawa [aka AKOO]:
Extremely devastated to inform the untimely demise of my cousin Avnesh Kumar Pawa in Singapore.
School Prefect Rivaz House.
1970 Batch
He was a very good soul if you could recall him being room mates with Dosco Sweety Bawa & Jaggu in the Spiders Cottage near the School Gate & next to the Advani’s residence.
Our deepest condolences to the Pawa Family, all of Avnesh’s Friends and Loved ones.
Please join us to commemorate the life of H. Kishie Singh
4th November, 3 pm – 4 pm Gurdwara Sahib Sector 11
For all our friends and family who cannot attend and be with us in Chandigarh ,please click this live link of the Antim Ardaas to pay your respects 🙏
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_enywkyp6A
For all our friends and family who cannot attend and be with us in Chandigarh ,please click this live link of the Antim Ardaas to pay your respects 🙏
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_enywkyp6A
Very sad to inform all that OC H Kishie Singh, a renowned columnist and writer, passed away after a brief illness, at Kansal [Chandigarh], on Sunday 27th October 2024.
Kishie was a motoring correspondent for newspapers like The Statesman, New Delhi, and especially The Tribune. His column ‘Good Motoring’, for The Tribune ran for over 27 years. He has also been the contributing editor for magazines like Car & Bike, Auto Motor & Sport, and Auto India.
His latest book Good Motoring was published recently and has co-authored a book with The Dalai Lama, Ruskin Bond, Khuswant Singh, and others, called The Whispering Deodars.
He was part of several social and literary organisations.
You will be deeply missed Sir…!
Ash Virk
President OCA DELHI Chapter
H.KISHIE SINGH; A brief introduction
H.Kishie Singh did his schooling from Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and graduated from St. Stephens College, Delhi University. He then went on to finish his studies from University of McGill, Montreal Canada.
A former Motoring Correspondent for The Statesman, New Delhi. Senior Motoring Correspondent and Contributing Editor for magazines like Car&Bike International, Auto Motor and Sport, Auto India.
His column ‘Good Motoring’ have been carried by The Tribune Chandigarh, uninterrupted for 27 years!
He has authored two books. One is called ‘Good Motoring’ after his column. The book contains select columns and travelogues around the Globe. The second book, ‘Whispering Deodars’, was on his home state. Co-authors were His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, The late Sardar Khushwant Singh, Ruskin Bond, Satish Gujral, Rahul Singh, Ashok Dilwali to mention a few.
Being a motoring aficionado he has driven overland from London to Delhi. The following year he drove to Tehran and back and has crossed the fabled Khyber Pass three times!
In 2017, he received two awards for his writing concerning the Automobile and Road Safety. One, from the International Road Federation, Geneva, Switzerland. The second, a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Motoring and Road Safety by The Sangrur Heritage Preservation Society and and Literary Festival.
He is also one of the organisers of The Khushwant Singh Literary Festival that talks about current social, political and economic issues and engages with authors from all walks of life. It attracts well known personalities from across the Globe.
From Vijay Khurana
Kishie Singh was an affectionate, kind, intelligent and highly caring man.
He remembered his School days with great feelings and nostalgia. He won the Anderson Essay prize in his year and an achievement he proudly recalled. It probably spurred his inclination towards the profession of journalism. He was a master of his craft and the sense of wanderlust led him to explore the world which is when cars became the other passion. Details of his motoring trips were vivid and unusually interesting. You felt you were on that ride with him.
His principles did not allow him to countenance the existence of Gen Dyers name on the School boards and I think his campaign to have it removed did happen. Honour and respect before all else was Kishie’s slogan!
He was 87 and he packed a life full of interesting stories, good humour and an abundant circle of friends.
Our hearts go out to his wife, Neena and their daughter, Malvika. Sincere condolences.
Au revoir, Kishie. Rest in Peace
UPDATE : Cremation is fixed for 3:30. At sector 25. Chandigarh today.
Kirtan and Antim Ardas will be held on Sunday, the 27th of October 2024 at 16:00 hours.
At the group’s Corporate Headquarters,
1, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Hauz Khas, New Delhi.
Kiran D. Anand – Tejbir Singh & Malvika Singh – Jaisal Singh & Anjali Singh – Sujan Singh & Amrit Kaur Singh – and the entire ANAND family.
🟦 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dUFEhmnUgScCfTxs6
The following sad message received via Ms Kennedy – OC’s Coordinator at BCS on October 25th 2024:
“It is with the greatest sadness we announce the passing of Old Cottonian and BCS Governor Mr Deep C Anand today (he died peacefully in his sleep).
Our deepest condolences to his wife Kiran and his entire family, and the many people who loved him around the globe.
A two minute silence was held in his honour this morning at the Sports Day parade, and we will be holding a chapel service at 5pm. It’s a big loss for all of us, may God grant him eternal peace. Rest In Peace Sir.”
Deep Anand was The Driver of so many productive initiatives for the OCA, apart from the business empire he built.
He gave the OCA a life and a momentum that never flagged under his stewardship. It flourished.
He has our abiding gratitude and our thanks
While may he rest in peace, Heaven will be another place with his forceful presence!!
God bless him.
Vijay Khurana