Aditi Mahajan
Sardari Lal Mahajan, a respectable pillar in the Jammu society, left for heavenly abode peacefully on 4th Dec 2020 at the age of 104. He was a strong-willed, principled man who impacted many lives over several decades, and left behind a thought-provoking legacy.
While his family and friends grieve his loss, they also commemorate his industrious, conscientious, and dynamic life spanning many a difficult era in Indian history.
He was born in Chakroi tehsil RS Pura, to Lala Lachman Dass Mahajan, also know as Chakroike Shah) on 29th Feb 1916. Mr. Sardari Lal was the first person from that tehsil to go college. He then graduated from Prince of Wales college Jammu (now Govt Gandhi Memorial Science College) and later he went to DAV College Lahore to study Law. Thereafter he settled in Jammu and became an Income Tax Advocate. He was among the top three practitioners in the 50 ‘s.
Alongside his law career,he joined National Conference, and was among the prominent politicians of those times . His associates were Girdhari Lal Dogra (Cabinet minister for 20 yrs later member Parliament), D P Dhar (Cabinet minister and eminent politician), Pandit Trilochan Dutt (Cabinet Minister and Member Parliament). His passion and dedication also earned him the trust of Chief Ministers Bakshi Ghulam Mohd,Sadiq Sahib, Mir Quasim Sahib. He was made the President National Conference Jammu. He was nominated and elected as Member Legislative Council( MLC)for three consecutive terms. People in that era used to call him the King Maker.
Sardari Lal Mahajan was a highly empathetic person with steadfast principles of integrity and honesty. Many people would come to him for help and advice on tax matters, political conflicts, financial help, sometimes even just a sounding board for day-to-day issues. His compassion and generosity could be seen in attending to all of these people, no matter what time of day or night.
In his personal life he was a man of simple and few needs, the anchor to his long healthy life. He maintained a disciplined lifestyle, kept to his routine in every season and phase of life, and ensured his wife, son and daughters were well taken care of including a strong emphasis on education and higher thinking. He imparted the same principles of integrity, compassion and righteousness to his children and grandchildren, along with his dynamism, leadership, love of life and a sweet tooth.
Raunki (very lively) Mahajan Sahib, as he was endearingly called by the Jammu business community, the Shah of Kanak Mandi and Raghunath Bazaar, will be dearly missed.
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