Professor Sundar Singh

Professor Sundar Singh was born in 1894 in Gujranwala, Punjab. He was the son of the Wazir of Neemrana and worked in the family-owned steel, chalk, flour, and rice mill businesses.

He came to the UK in 1926 to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield and worked for the Sheffield Corporation in their power division and also the English Electric Company, where he worked on water and steam turbines and Fullager engines.

He became one of the first people of South Asian heritage to graduate from the University of Sheffield in 1928 and also one of the first to be admitted to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Sundar Singh’s peers included the civil engineer Teja Singh Malik, who graduated from the University of London in 1917 and was the only prominent Indian engineer involved in designing New Delhi following the historic proclamation of King George V and Queen Mary at the Delhi Durbar of 1911.

He was part of a generation of pioneering South Asian graduates in Britain, which also included Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who graduated from LSE in 1927 and later became the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, and Jawaharlal Nehru, who graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1910 before going on to become independent India's first Prime Minister.

After graduating, Professor Sundar Singh returned to British India, where he became a leading figure in technical education. His passion for improving society through education led him to establish various engineering institutions across Punjab and Gujarat including the Lukhdhirji Engineering College in 1951, established at the request of H.H. Maharaja Shri Sir Lukhdhirji Waghji Sahib of Morvi.

Professor Sundar Singh devoted his life to improving the welfare and advancement of society through technical education and knowledge.

In the same spirit, the work of the foundation is very much dedicated to supporting the most disadvantaged communities in India and across the world, ensuring that current and future generations have equal opportunities to live with dignity and respect.