Professor Gunwant Dua, a staunch advocate for the rights of college teachers and a key figure in the movement for the formation of a separate state of Punjab, passed away at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday. His demise, at the age of 71, was attributed to a lung infection and multiple organ failure.
Throughout the 1970s, Professor Dua fervently championed the cause of college teachers’ rights, enduring imprisonment on three occasions. Beyond his advocacy for educators, he played a pivotal role in the Punjab Suba Morcha Movement, advocating for the division of Punjab from Haryana and the establishment of a distinct state. In the 1960s, he spent nearly a year in jail for this cause, led by his father, the renowned poet Giani Ram Narain Singh Dardi.
Dr. Amarjit Singh, Director of the Institute of Nursing Education in Ludhiana, highlighted Professor Dua’s lifelong commitment to fighting against injustice, particularly for private college teachers. His advocacy spanned issues such as improved salaries, a favorable work environment for female faculty, and the prevention of teacher exploitation.
Born in Kamalia, Layallpur (now in Pakistan) in 1943, Professor Dua earned a postgraduate degree in English from SCD Government College. He served as a lecturer at GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana, and later assumed the role of in-charge at GGN Evening College. As a Syndicate and Senate member of Panjab University, Chandigarh, he was elected president of the Punjab College Teachers’ Union for three consecutive terms spanning 12 years.
At the time of his passing, Professor Dua held the position of coordinator at Gujranwala Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology in Civil Lines. He played a pivotal role in introducing pharmacy courses at the institute. Professor Dua is survived by his wife Surinder Kaur, who is the director of Shanti Tara College, Ahmedgarh, and two sons, Harpreet Singh Dua and Tripat Singh Dua. Harpreet is also a Senate and Syndicate member of PU, while Tripat, holding a PhD in computer science, serves as an assistant professor at GNIMT.
