Baring Union Christian College

Baring Union Christian College, Batala, Punjab, sprang from the seeds of a simple school founded by Miss Sarah Maria Tucker, in about 1886 for the purpose of teaching children Bible stories.

She teamed up with Francis Henry Baring, who had already come to Batala and, together, they set up the Boys High School for the teaching of Christian Leadership.

LL.B (Allahabad University) Diploma of Education, Bristol, England, was sent by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) to become principal.

Nearby, Khushal-Singh saw the now empty and neglected Anarkali Palace, once owned by Maharajah Sher Singh, and he had the inspiration to turn it into a college of further education.

But Khushal Singh’s personal triumph of 1949 turned to bitter disappointment when, following Indian independence, the CMS decided to withdraw from Batala.

He was heartbroken, as were his Baring students: A Farewell to the First Principal The Gardener of the Garden of Knowledge The Founder of the Baring College The Priest of the Temple of Light The True Patriot from Heart’s Height But neither the CMS nor the American Presbyterians wanted this to be seen as any kind of schism between the two Christian bodies, or those Christian colleges which, though founded in India, had been placed in Pakistan.