Dyal Singh Majithia
Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia (1848–98) was an Indian banker and activist in progressive and social reform measures in Punjab. He established The Tribune newspaper in Lahore in 1881 and later remained founder chairman of the Punjab National Bank, established in 1894. He established the Dyal Singh trust society. When he died in 1898 he owned 26 prestigious properties, including Dyal Singh Mansion of 54 residential units on The Mall, scores of lawyers’ chambers on Fane Road, the exchange building which was later sold to Ganga Ram Hospital, and a property in Karachi which was sold after his death and the earning invested in the purchase of land on the road to Mian Mir, where today stands the new campus of Panjab University. Most of the buildings, plots of land, and villages in Lahore, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur districts were bequeathed to the trusts that set up Dyal Singh College and Dyal Singh Library. His other business activity concerned the purchase and resale of precious jewelry. With his deep knowledge of the history of the Sikh kingdom and the riches of the once important and wealthy families now in dire straits, he sent agents to buy these out for him. He was a connoisseur of precious stones and told his friends how lucrative this business was.
