Unforgettable Memories With Panjab University Created a Deep Emotional Bond — Mera Khazana ..Baljit Balli

The recent controversy surrounding Panjab University reminded me that my relationship with this university goes back a very long way. I even took my Class 10 board examinations under Panjab University, and it was this very university that issued my Matriculation Certificate. Many people today may not know—or the younger generation may find it surprising—that high schools in Punjab were once affiliated with Panjab University, and the Class 10 examinations were conducted by this university. This system continued until the examinations were formally shifted to the Punjab School Education Board.

In 1969, I passed Class 10 from Panjab University with First Division. Scoring 60% or above and earning a First Division in those days was considered a major achievement. I scored 69.9%. From the first grade onwards, my name was registered in school as Baljit Rai. My Panjab University Matriculation Certificate and later my Graduation degree from Punjabi University were also issued under the name Baljit Rai.

However, over time, Balli derived as Nickname from my name, became a more popular and familiar name. When I entered college life—especially at Rajindra College, Bathinda, where I became a student leader of Punjab Students Union in 1971—the surname ‘Rai’ completely disappeared, and my identity became firmly established as Baljit Balli. My first passport too was made in the name of Baljit Rai because all my certificates contained my surname as Rai.I got added Balli as surname later.

When I decided to enter journalism in 1979, my first article was published on the editorial page of Punjabi Tribune under the name Baljit Rai.Barjinder Singh was editor and Harbhajan Halvarvi was the Assistant Editor of .

Returning to Panjab University—those who passed in First Division were readily offered jobs by banks and some government departments. I too received an offer for a clerk’s job from the State Bank of Patiala because my sister Pushpa worked there. They needed clerks and said that any First Division candidate recommended by an employee could be hired. But I declined, as I was weak in mathematics and had no aspiration for clerical work.

After Matric, I did not have a direct association with Panjab University, but since many colleges in Punjab were affiliated with it, the units of the Punjab Students Union were very active in those colleges. Let me recall that during the historic 1972 Moga firing incident and the students’ movement that followed, the colleges affiliated with this university—from Ludhiana to Muktsar and Abohar—formed the backbone of the agitation.

In April 1984, when former Rajya Sabha MP and Panjab University professor V. N. Tiwari was assassinated by Khalistani militants in Chandigarh, I was working with the Hindustan Samachar Agency. I wrote the news of this incident by hand in Punjabi and sent it to Punjabi Tribune and other newspapers.

Professor V. N. Tiwari was the father of present Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari. His killing created an atmosphere of fear within Panjab University.

In August 1984, when I became the Chandigarh reporter for Daily Ajit newspaper, Panjab University became my regular beat. I covered the university extensively for many years. I sat through many Senate meetings—now again in the news—and witnessed members argue fiercely like fighting roosters.

Influenced by Left ideology, I developed an interest in learning Russian. I enrolled in the Russian Diploma Course at Panjab University but could not attend classes due to my busy journalism schedule, and eventually dropped the course.

During those years, I witnessed many significant events both inside and outside the university.

I also witnessed the phase when Khalistani militants enforced the use of Punjabi within the university at gunpoint. In one Senate meeting, I heard a professor openly threatening those who opposed Punjabi. I fondly remember notable Punjabi literary figures from that era such as Prof. Atar Singh, Kesar Singh, and Deepak Manmohan Singh—who later settled in Patiala but whose imprint on P.U. remains strong.

I was also a witness to the episode when Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wrote to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh giving consent to convert Panjab University into a Central University. Through Ajit newspaper, we published strongly worded reports opposing this move and created public opinion so effectively that within two days Badal Sahib withdrew his letter.

It was Editor-in-Chief Barjinder Singh Hamdard who strongly opposed Badal’s decision, and that is why he prominently highlighted and published my reports on the issue.

I still remember the morning when Darbara Singh, Principal Secretary to Badal Sahib, called to inform me that the Chief Minister had withdrawn his letter to the Prime Minister and that a copy of the withdrawal was being sent. He asked me to inform Barjinder Singh Hamdard and hand him the letter.

The student leaders of that era—many of whom now hold political positions—often visited the Ajit office in Sector 22 with their press notes, hoping to get their news published. Even today, when I meet some of them, they fondly recall those days.

I have many memories of sitting at the Students’ Centre in the University Campus, drinking coffee, and chatting. I also remember spending long hours in the room of Sanjeev Tiwari, the Director Public Relations, sipping lemon tea. In the early days, I travelled to the campus by bicycle; later, I bought a moped and eventually a scooter.

One amusing incident is still vivid in my memory. Once, an eve-teasing incident took place on campus. Girl students went on strike and held a protest rally. During the rally, one city based girl giving a speech said indignantly: “They insulted us very badly—they called us Bibiyaan!” She had no idea that in Punjab—especially Malwa—the words Bibi and Biba are used for giving respect to the girls or older women even .

Over the years, in many ways—through teachers, vice-chancellors, seminars, symposiums, and various events—my connection with Panjab University continued. Not just legally or institutionally, but emotionally too, our bond with this university runs deep. That is why it is difficult for many of us to accept any move that weakens Punjab’s connection with Panjab University or diminishes the role of Punjabis in its functioning.

For this reason, me and my organisation Babushahi Network ( Tirchhi Nazar Media ) stand firmly with the students, the Bhagwant Mann Government, and all others who are raising their voice to preserve the university’s current status and administrative structure.

18 November 2025

Panjab University ਨਾਲ ਜੁੜੀਆਂ ਅਭੁੱਲ ਯਾਦਾਂ ਵੀ ਨੇ....... ਮੇਰਾ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨਾ.. ਬਲਜੀਤ ਬੱਲੀ