1. religion and spirituality
2. hinduism

Baisakhi
Greetings
Punjab Advance
October-2014
My Word
Ajay Bhardwaj
Editor -in-Chief
[email protected]
Q
uite an eventful month that has gone by. It saw Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on his maiden visit to the state
bow at the Golden Temple and pay homage to
Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru at Hussainiwala
Then we had a historic intermingling of cultures of Punjab and
Maharashtra in Ghuman village in Gurdaspur where literature of the two
states crossed hands in the backdrop of an enriching ethos that Bhagat
Namdev had bequeathed in the14th century.
Close on the heels was the annual budget which underlined hope
and promise on the fiscal front, besides unleashing a spate of development
schemes for the state.
But the moment of crowning glory for Punjabis came around
when Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was honoured with the second
highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan, conferred on him by President
Pranab Mukherjee.
Ever since the award was introduced in 1954, it is for the first time
that a sitting Chief Minister has been bestowed this honour. The citation
says that the award is conferred on Badal `for rendering selfless service to
the people of the state for more than six decades`. As Badal joins the galaxy
of Padma Vibhushan recipients, we felicitate him for bringing pride to the
Punjabis.
After the legendary title of 'Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Quam' was given
to him by Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, the Padma Vibhushan is yet another
befitting honour to him.
Closeby, we carry a story on Prakash Kaur who stands out as an
unsung hero showering her motherhood on abandoned girls at her
Unique Home in Jalandhar. Herself abandoned by her parents more than
60 years ago, Prakash Kaur has dedicated her life to a selfless mission of
rearing abandoned girls.
Looking forward to your word on editorpunmedia @gmail.com
April 2015
Punjab Advance
3
Contents
Punjab
Advance
www.punjabadvance.com
L APRIL-2015
LVOL-2 L ISSUE-4
CEO
N
Rahul Tewari
Editor-in-Chief
N
Ajay Bhardwaj
Editor
N
Donald Banerjee
Designer
N
Kumar Jiv Chumber
Publisher
N Information and Public
Of Prudence and Promise
Budget 2015-16
10
Relations Department,
Punjab
Contact address
N
PUNJAB ADVANCE,
Room No. 1, 5th Floor,
Punjab Civil Secretariat,
Chandigarh-160001
Ph. : 0172-2740668
PM bows
in Punjab
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the
authors in the articles published in
PUNJAB ADVANCE are their own. They do
not necessarily reflect the opinion of
Punjab Government or the organization
they work for. Editor reserves the right to
edit, abridge or expand the articles
submitted. In case of any dispute, legal
jurisdiction will lie in Chandigarh based
courts.
Printed, Published and Edited by Rahul
Tewari on behalf of the Information and
Public Relations Department, Punjab.
20
Printed at New Printindia Pvt. Ltd., 8/4B,
Industrial Area, Site IV, Sahibabad-201010
Gaziabad, (UP) and published at Room No.
1, 5th Floor, Civil Sectt., Chandigarh.
4
Punjab Advance
April 2015
Your Word
Sporting
heights
Marathi dance
on Punjabi soil
I could not believe
my eyes when I saw
an all-sports cover of
Punjab
Advance
March issue. I agree
Punjabis have again achieved great heights in
sports, an area in which they had excelled earlier. The article on the state’s performance in the
national games was rightly described as an answer to the media’s negative projection of Punjab as a state of drug addicts. Keep it up we
Punjabis are going to make it big.
Hardeep Syal, Mohali.
14
Rurka Kalan football hub
It was news to me that a village tucked away inside Phagwara had caught the eye of the Federation Internationale de Football Associations
(FIFA), the international body controlling world
football. Kudos to Gurmangal Dass Soni, who
gave up a cushy job in the US and opted to promote football in Rurka Kalan village.
Jagir Singh Ahuja, Ludhiana.
Mohali on world
golf map
Colourful centrespread
Your centrespread pic of the Golden Temple
Beri in full bloom, was a treat to watch. Do give
us more such pics.
Jaspreet Kaur, Gurdaspur.
Unsung hero
38
April 2015
Punjab Advance
Your column on unsung heroes is a good beginning, focusing on people doing social work.
Sixty-five year old Harjinder Singh stands out as
a face in the crowd…
Varinder Singh Kochhar, Amritsar.
5
The glorious
Moment of pride for Punjabis
BUREAU REPORT
S
ardar Parkash
Rattan Faqr-e-Quam'
Singh Badal is
from the highest temthe first Chief Minister
poral seat of Sikhs, the
to be conferred the
Akal Takht for the
second highest civilian
recognition of his outhonour, the Padma
standing contribution
Vibhushan.
and glorious services
The five-time Chief
rendered by him during
Minister, who is one of
his long panthic and
the oldest to head the
political career.
state at 87, was conStarting his active
ferred the award by
political career as a
President
Pranab
sarpanch in the year
Mukherjee at a civil inIndia got its independvestiture ceremony held
ence,
87-year-old
at Rashtrapati Bhavan in
Parkash Singh Badal
Delhi.
has achieved almost
Vi c e - P r e s i d e n t
everything a politician
Hameed Ansari and
can wish for. He served
Prime Minister NarenPadma Vibhushan Parkash Singh Badal
five times as Chief
dra Modi besides several
Minister of Punjab and
Union ministers were
10
times
as
a
member
of
the
State
legislative Assemalso present on the ocassion. The Chief Minister was
accompanied by his son and Deputy Chief Minister bly. He was Union Minister in the Morarji Desai GovSukhbir Singh Badal and daughter-in-law and Union ernment in 1977. Described as “the country’s great
Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
statesman”, Badal has been awarded the honour in the
Earlier, in 2011, he had received the title of 'Panth category of “public affairs”.
6
Punjab Advance
April 2015
Vibhushan
April 2015
Punjab Advance
7
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal at the Padma Investiture
ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan
Greetings
I thank the President and the Union
Government for bestowing the
honour on Sh. Parkash Singh
Badal. Which is in a way also an
honour to the people of the state.
This honour is a clear indicator of
CM Parkash Singh Badal’s
transparent policy where there is
no place for revenge. The award
is a proof of his peaceful efforts
and welfare services
Sukhbir Singh Badal
Dy CM
Brahm Mohindra,
Sr. Congress leader
8
Punjab Advance
This award to the Chief Minister has added glory to Punjab
and all the Punjabis. Badal has
won many hearts throughout
his political career and it is a
befitting honour to him.
Sukhdev Madpuri,
Punjabi litterateur
April 2015
President Pranab Mukherjee pins the Padma Vibhushan on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
Greetings
T h e
Padma
V i b hushan
Award is
in recognition of
S.Badal’s
enormous
contribution in maintaining peace in Punjab and safeguarding human rights.
Apart from carrying out various
welfare services, he has contributed in the upliftment of soci-
Most befitting
honour for chief
minister Parkash
Singh
Badal,
whose
more
than six decades
of social and political career has
been outstanding.I had the
chance to be number two in his cabinet three
times and I have more than 40 years of association with him. We have been together through
thick and thin. He is humble to the core and bestowing Padma Vibhushan on him is a well-deserved honour to the man.
Balramji Dass Tondon,
Governor, Chattisgarh
Sunil Jakhar, Leader of
Opposition in Vidhan Sabha
Charanjit Singh Atwal,
Speaker, Vidhan Sabha
April 2015
I greet S. Badal on being
bestowed the Padma Vibhushan award, but I feel he
deserves a much higher
honour considering the work
he has put in.
Punjab Advance
9
Budget 2015-16
Of Prudence
· A spate of development
schemes get underway
· Promise of sustained
econimic growth
Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa presents
the 2015-16 Budget in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha
Ajay Bhardwaj
P
rudent fiscal consolidation and a spate of
development schemes marked the 201516 annual budget presented in the Vidhan Sabha in
March.
Finance Minister Parminder Dhindsa made sure
that the state economy treaded the path of sustained
high economic growth the benefits of which touched
all sections of society.
The minister, in his budget address, underlined that
the government was taking all steps to ensure that the
state vigorously pursued fiscal consolidation and
thereby stabilised its debt and deficit position.
Expressing his satisfaction over the fact that the
state had been removed from the list of states in the
grip of revenue deficit, Dhindsa said Punjab was well
within limits of most of the fiscal targets set by the
13th Finance Commission.
The fiscal deficit came down from 3.45 per cent of
10
the GSDP in 2006-07 to 2.77 per cent in 2013-14 and
is estimated at 2.97 per cent in 2014-15 (revised estimate), well within the 13th Finance Commission target of 3.0 per cent.
For the year 2015-16 , the fiscal deficit of state
government is projected at 2.98 per cent of the GSDP.
The diligent efforts of the state government have
enabled it to keep the debt within manageable limits as
is reflected in the rapid decline in debt to GSDP ratio.
In 2014-15, the outstanding debt to GSDP ratio is
pegged at 32.27 per cent (revised estimate), well ahead
of the target of 38.7 per cent set by the13th Finance
Commission for the year 2014-15.
The minister said the state also made sustained
efforts to raise its own tax revenue. Consequently,
between 2007-08 and 2014-15 (RE) the State’s own
tax revenue increased at an average annual growth rate
of 16 per cent.
Among the spate of development schemes
proposed to be undertaken by the state government
would be the flagship programme of the ‘Mukh
Mantri Pendu Vikas Yojana’.
The scheme envisages comprehensive development
of villages through provision of basic amenities. For
Punjab Advance
April 2015
Budget 2015-16
and Promise
the current fiscal year ,a sum of Rs 600 crore has been
earmarked for this scheme for development of 12500
villages in Punjab. The three year plan would have a
total allocation of Rs 1800 crores.
Under another pilot scheme an allocation of Rs
600 crore has been made for support to sugar
cooperatives for making timely payments to cane
growers and an allocation of Rs 80 crore for
recapitalisation of Central Cooperative Banks in order
to further strengthen them to increase their lending for
agriculture.
The budget also proposed to launch an ‘Entrepreneurship Development Programme’ for a period of five
years. Under this programme an interest subvention at
the rate of 3 per cent will be provided on loan taken to
set up a micro or small enterprise with investment of
up to Rs 5 crore. For the year 2015-16 an allocation of
Rs 100 crore has been provided for the scheme.
For the development of urban sector, the minister
announced to float the ‘Punjab Urban Development
Mission’ under which 100 per cent water supply, sewerage, STP, Road and Streetlights will be provided in
all the cities by the year 2017.
Governance reforms has been a major thrust of the
state government during the last two years.
Punjab has been a leading state in the implementation of e-governance initiatives. One such landmark
initiative in citizen centric service delivery is the setting up of Sewa Kendras.
Fulfilling our commitment to bring the ‘Government at the Doorstep’ we are establishing Unified
Service Centres (Sewa Kendras) in rural and urban
areas. 2174 Sewa Kendras will be set up within this
year for providing 50 services to the citizens at their
doorsteps. Within the next two years, over 200
services will be covered through Sewa Kendras. Rs
500 crore has been earmarked for this purpose.
April 2015
The finance minister has kept focus on providing
skills to youth by utilising the training capacity of
various government and private institutions as well as
engaging reputed private training providers.
The government would strengthen and upgrade the
existing skill training infrastructure.
The Finance Minister says the future of Punjab lies
with the youth which make up almost 30 per cent of
the total population of the state. To enhance the
employability of youth, the government is committed
to empowering them with the right skills in tune with
the industry requirements.
Keeping this in view and also the fact that with a
significant presence of MSME sector, the state will be
a crucial partner in the ‘Make In India’ campaign. The
state has set up an empowered ‘State Skill
Development Mission’ with three tiers at the State,
District and Block level.
Under this Mission 22 Multi Skill Development
Centres, one in each district, is proposed to be set up
in a phased manner.
In the first phase, centres are being set up at Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and
Ropar to meet short-term skill development needs of
the State. The Mission is also in the process of setting
up three Skill Development Centres in the Health Sector at the Medical Colleges in Amritsar, Patiala and
Faridkot.
Under this Mission, I also propose to set up three
specialised Skill Development Centres in the construction sector in partnership with renowned companies in the construction sector. To provide skill training
at their doorsteps, 2000 skill training centres for girls
and 500 centres for boys will be opened in villages in
the existing infrastructure of Government schools and
other buildings at village level when they are not in
use. The State Government proposes to spend Rs 200
crore on these initiatives.
Punjab Advance
11
Budget 2015-16
Economy to grow steadily: Dhindsa
What is the 2015-16 budget all about ?
15 and though the debt now stands at Rs 1.24 lakh crore, it
I was keen that the revenue growth figures are realistic. Last
is 32.27 per cent of the GSDP. Next year, the debt will be
year, the growth in revenue was much less than the targeted
31.34 per cent of the GSDP. I agree that we have not been
18 per cent, mainly because of the poor global economic
able to bring down the revenue deficit, but we are working
sentiment. This year, we are targeting a 10 per cent growth
on it too.
in revenue receipts, which is achievable. I have not in-
How do you plan to tackle the revenue deficit ?
creased the plan size much, but instead have taken the plan
utilisation from the current 72 per cent to over 90 per cent.
Thus the plan size has been kept at Rs 21,173 crore.
The emphasis will be on additional resource mobilisation
through checking tax evasion and plugging loopholes in tax
collection. We are hopeful that VAT collections will be
buoyant and help us generate Rs 17,850.96 crore and ex-
What is your fiscal consolidation roadmap:
cise will yield Rs 5,100 crore. The non-tax revenue is also
Punjab’s economy is on a sound footing. Do not look at the
expected to increase by Rs 830 crore and devolution from
rise in debt and the high revenue deficit in absolute terms.
central taxes will yield us an additional Rs 2,500 crore.
The fiscal consolidation roadmap clearly says that the fiscal
What do you feel about the state’s fiscal health next year ?
deficit has to be less than 3 per cent and we have achieved
We have made sufficient fund allocations; subsidy bill of
this target with a 2.97 per cent deficit. Similarly, the state’s
Rs 6,214 crore is being stemmed, and details of sharing of
debt should be less than 38.7 per cent of the GSDP in 2014-
12
Punjab Advance
April 2015
Budget 2015-16
Pilot schemes
• Launch of the ‘Mukh Mantri
Pendu Vikas Yojana’. The
scheme envisages comprehensive
development of villages through
provision of basic amenities. For the
current fiscal, a sum of Rs 600 crore
has been earmarked for this scheme
•launch of ‘Entrepreneurship
Development Programme’ for a
period of five years. Under this
programme an interest subvention at
the rate of 3 per cent will be
provided on loan taken to set up a
micro or small enterprise with inApril 2015
vestment of up to Rs 5 crore. For
the year 2015-16 an allocation of Rs
100 crore has been provided for the
scheme.
• Launch of the ‘Punjab Urban
Development Mission’ under
which 100 per cent water supply,
sewerage, STP, road and streetlights
will be provided in all the cities by
the year 2017.
• Rs 50 crore - Medical Insurance
for the poor people.
• Rs 100 crore - Creation of cancer
and drug de-addiction treatment
infrastructure.
Punjab Advance
13
Marathi Litfest
Marathi dance
on Punjabi soil
BUREAU REPORT
R
The three-day festival of
Marathi
literature
has
brought the representatives of Punjabi
and Marathi languages closer to heart.
“The bonding between Maharashtra
and Punjab has strengthened with this
event,” said Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis while addressing the
gathering at the concluding function of
the 88th All India Marathi literary summit at Ghuman village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Union Railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu, Deputy Chief Minister of
Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal, Maharashtra’s Minister for Education and Cultural
Affairs Vinod Tawde, Governor of
Sikkim Shrinivasdada Patil, former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh J J Singh,
Kashmiri author Prof Rahman Rahi, Editor of ‘Naya Zamana’ Group Jatinder
Singh Pannu also shared the dais on this
occasion.
President of the literary summit Dr
Sadanand More chaired the concluding
14
A Marathi dancer performs on stage
Punjab Advance
April 2015
function.
Fadnavis started his speech in Punjabi.
He spoke in fluent Punjabi for almost five
minutes in which he spoke on Sant
Namdev and his association with Ghuman.
Switching over to Marathi, Fadnavis said
that the literary summit of Marathi language was the oldest and the most prominent literary event in India. Highlighting
the consistency and grandeur of Marathi literary summit, he stressed the fact that
Marathi deserved to be in the list of Classical Languages of India. “Marathi is just
two steps away from becoming a Classical
Language. It’s just a matter of a few days to
get this status,” Fadnavis said. He also appealed to the experts in literature to make
Marathi a language of Science.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
gave a brief account of how Varkari and
Sant authors contributed to Marathi literature. He termed 88th All India Marathi Literary Summit as a celebration of two
cultures and heritages. Former Governor of
Arunachal Pradesh General (retired) J J
Punjabi summit
in Nagpur
Reasserting the commitment
of Maharashtra Government to
hold next Punjabi literary
summit
in
Maharashtra,
Devendra Fadnavis appealed to
literature-lovers of Punjab to
visit Nagpur. “We will be glad to
host people of Punjab in
Maharashtra. Nagpur will be
waiting for you next year,” he
said, evoking a round of
applause.
April 2015
A Marathi group dance
Singh started his speech in Marathi. Having headed the Indian Army and
worked with Maratha warriors, Singh termed himself as ‘half Marathihalf Punjabi, and full Indian’.
He has authored a Marathi book ‘Maza Sainik, Maza Ladha’. He
spoke in Punjabi, Marathi, and Hindi and received rounds of applause.
Expressing happiness over Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh
Badal’s announcement that Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar will
have Baba Namdev Chair Fadnavis announced that Swami Ramanand
Teerth Marathwada University in Nanded (Maharashtra) will have ‘Guru
Govind Singh Chair’ from the next academic session.
Punjab Advance
15
Marathi Litfest
The Coming of
A Bhagat
From Maharashtra
Sant Namdev Shrine at Ghuman, Gurdaspur
BUREAU REPORT
N
amdev was one of the
most famous poet saints
of the 13th and 14th century. He was
the composer of hundreds of 'abhangs'
(devotional songs). Even today, devotees can be seen singing the beautiful
abhangs of Namdev.
There is an interesting legend associated with the birth of Namdev. It is
said that Damashet, after being per-
16
suaded by his wife, went to the temple
of Lord Panduranga to pray for a child.
The same night, Lord Panduranga appeared in his dream and asked him to
go to the ghats of Bhima River the next
morning. He told Damashet that there
will be a floating shell in the river, in
which he will find a small child. He
may take that child to his care and treat
him as his own child.
Punjab Advance
Damashet did as told and came
back with an infant in his arms.
Damashet, and his wife, Gonayi gave
him the name 'Nama'. Born at Hingoli
in 1270, Nama showed deep dedication
to the Lord right from his childhood.
Namadev got married to a girl named
Rajayi (or Radha Bai). They had four
children, namely Narayana, Vitthala,
Govinda and Mahadeva. Namdev
April 2015
Marathi Litfest
spent all his life in the devotion
of the great Lord Panduranga
and left for his heavenly
abode in the year 1350 at Ghuman village in Punjab.
In the early 14th century
Sant Namdev is said to have
walked hundreds of kilometres
from Maharashtra to Ghuman
in Punjab, which he founded.
He left his imprint on the Sikh
faith. Sant Namdev’s ‘abhangas’ are included in the
Guru Granth Sahib as
‘Namdevji ki Mukhbani’
Tapiyana Sahib is a gurdwara near Ghuman where Sant
Namdev Maharaj, popularly
known as ‘Baba Namdeo’ or
‘Shiromani Bhagat Namdevji’
in this region, resided for more
than 20 years.
Unlike other gurdwaras
across Punjab, where idol worship is not practiced, this gurdwara has an idol of Baba
Namdev. However, people
coming from Maharashtra,
who have a typical ‘Vaishnav
Saint’ image of Namdev
Maharaj in their minds — with
Images of Sant Namdev form the backdrop at the Marathi Litfest in Ghuman
Veena in one hand and a pair
of ‘Chiplis’ in another, singing
People started calling Namdev Ma- gurdwaras. A small lake constructed by
Vitthal Bhajan — would not easily
haraj
as ‘Baba Namdevji’ and became Baba Namdev and the well constructed
recognise this look of Namdev Mahis
followers.
Baba Namdev, too, under his guidance are like spiritual
haraj. With a long white beard, he is
worked
hard
for
the villagers. He con- places for the visitors. People of Ghuperforming penance in ‘Padmasan’ postructed
a
well
for
them and created a man and Bhatiyar villages are regular
sition and looks like an aged Maharpermanent
source
of drinking water. visitors to Nanded, and many of them
ishi. For the residents of Ghuman and
This
well
is
known
as ‘Shri Khuwa also visit Pandharpur and Narsi
adjacent villages like Bhatiyar, ShiroSahib’.
A
place
where
Namdev Ma- Namdev (birthplace of Namdeo Mamani Bhagat Baba Namdevji is a
haraj
used
to
reside
is
known
as Baba haraj). They have immense respect for
Godly figure who blessed this land
Namdev
Dwar
Gurdwara
while
a place Baba Namdevji, and many of them
with unending prosperity and devotion.
where
he
performed
penance
or refer to him as ‘Bhagwan Namdev’ for
Sant Namdev Maharaj selected an
Tapasya
is
known
as
‘Tapiyana
Sahib’.
the miracles he performed in these
isolated place in Ghuman surrounded
Namdev
Maharaj
learned
Punjabi
villages.
by dense forests and started performand
even
composed
many
verses
or
People narrate several legends like
ing penance. Members of a wandering
Dohas
in
Punjabi.
how
Baba Namdev gave life to a dead
tribe ‘Ghuman’ noticed him at this
One
may
find
several
references
to
cow,
how he transformed the dead
place and sought his permission to reMarathi
culture
as
idols
of
Lord
Vitberry-tree
into a green and blossoming
side here. After the name of the ‘Ghuthal,
and
Charan
Padukas
of
many
unone,
and
how he took Samadhi at
man’ clan, this village was named as
known
saints
are
there
in
these
Tapiyana
Sahib.
‘Ghuman’.
April 2015
Punjab Advance
17
Marathi Litfest
confluence
of cultures
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Maharashtra counterpart among the dignitaries at the Marathi Sahitya
Sammelan in Ghuman
BUREAU REPORT
G
human, a non-descript village tucked away in Gurdaspur district, became the heartbeat of
Punjab as 7,000 Marathis converged on
this border hamlet to express their love
and appreciation at the three-day
Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. This was
the first time the organizers had chosen
a venue in the north for a Marathi litfest. The event mostly takes place in
Maharashtra. But at times the organisers have ventured out to absorb other
cultural streams. They have gone beyond the state border and held such
18
events in Baroda and Kolkata.
For the 88th convention the organizers zeroed in on Ghuman, because of
its link to Sant Namdev. It is believed
that the saint travelled from Maharashtra to Ghuman, where he lived for 20
years. Saint Namdev left his imprint
on the Sikh faith. His 61 shabads were
included in the Guru Granth Sahib, as
Namdevji ki Mukhbani.
The vibrant rangoli colours---red,
purple, yellow and green---adorned the
streets and common spaces. The locals
gave full respect to the colourful mes-
Punjab Advance
sages embossed in Marathi. The words
stood out as “ghasaya shabd, tasaya
shabd, talaya shabd, bolya purvi.” The
residents gave full respect to the visitors from Maharashtra and were quick
to absorb the relevance of shabad, the
spoken word. The bani is sacred to
them.
The annual event of the Akhil
Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan
(ABMSS is a congregation of writers,
poets,
playwrights,
kirtankars,
intellectuals and above all, readers who
assemble in large numbers to
April 2015
Marathi Litfest
germinate fresh ideas and celebrate
what has been written over centuries.
This tradition propagates and strengthens their deep-rooted culture of love
for knowledge. .
During the three-day liltfest, the
bonding was perfect. the gurdwara
courtyard reverberated with the sounds
of Maharashtrian chaugda and jhanjh
and Punjabi dhol. Dance steps from the
the shoulders of the outgoing and
incoming presidents of the ABMSS.
Gurdial Singh, Jnanpith awardee in
Punjabi, was to inaugurate the sammelan, but could not make it due to ill-
Marathi Sahiitya Sammelan official applies tilak on Surjit Pattar
Temple gurdwara
The local gurdwara is named after
the Marathi saint, which has his
samadhi. Though native Pandharpur in
Maharashtra also has a samadhi of,
who they call, Sant Shreshth, there is
no dispute among his followers about
his place of death.
The gurdwara is unique in more
ways than one. It also houses a temple
within the sanctum sanctorum, where
the Granth Sahib is placed. Two idols
of Radha and Krishna are happily sharing this space along with a tiny Shivalaya. The devotees do not
discriminate, they bow their head
before the Granth Sahib and the idols
too. The cave-like rooms within the
gurdwara were the home to the guests.
The gurdwara is called Dehura,
because of the presence of the idols.
This is the only gurdwara in Punjab
that is not controlled by the SGPC.
April 2015
two diverse cultures mingled, so did
musical notes. Even the community
kitchen embraced Marathi dishes.
A flag, propagating literary tradition, was hoisted in the outer courtyard
by eminent authors of both languages,
Punjabi and Marathi. Punjabi poet Surjit Pattar, Jaswant Jafar, Gurbhajan
Singh Gill, former president, Punjabi
Sahitya Akademi and Madhavi Vaidya,
president, Akhil Bharatiya Marathi
Sahitya Mahamandal, Bharat Desadla,
Sunil Mahajan, FM Shinde, outgoing
president of ABMSS, and other
members of the organising committee
unfurled the flag, announcing the commencement of the 88th annual
celebration of the ABMSS. They also
pulled a flower-bedecked Granth dindi
carrying the sacred written words —
the poetry collections of Sant Namdev
and Sant Gyaneshwar, and their biographies. In Maharashtra, the books are
carried in a palanquin that is carried on
Punjab Advance
health. When the organisers went to his
village to record his message, the
renowned author pointed out, “Hum
pranton me bikhre hue log hain (we are
divided by regionalism). We need to
become Bharatiya, and the hosting of
the 88th chapter of the ABMSS in
Ghuman is a good effort in this
direction.”
Locals say the visit is being touted
as a unique event, but it is factually
wrong. People from Maharashtra have
been visiting their poet-saint's village
for years, during the Maghi mela,
though not in such huge numbers and
not with such political hullabaloo. The
condition of the roads has improved
overnight. Two new roads have come
up and sanitation has improved
phenomenally for this mega event. A
couple of years ago, Sushil Kumar
Shinde, former Union Home Minister,
visited Ghuman and was aghast to see
the poor state of the gurdwara.
19
PM’s Visit
PM bows
in Punjab
PM Narendra Modi pays obeisance at the Golden Temple
BUREAU REPORT
P
rime Minister Narendra
Modi paid tributes to freedom fighters
and martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh
massacre and visited the historic
Golden Temple on a daylong visit to
Punjab.
Soon after his arrival, Modi went
20
straight to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur
district by helicopter where he paid
tributes to freedom fighters Bhagat
Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev at the
National Martyrs Memorial on the anniversary of their martyrdom.
He later visited the Jallianwala
Punjab Advance
Bagh memorial and paid floral tributes
at the memorial, where British troops
opened fire and killed hundreds of unarmed Indians in April 1919.
The Prime Minister ended his daylong visit to Punjab by spending about
40 minutes at the Golden Temple. This
April 2015
PM’s Visit
PM Narendra Modi pays homage to martyrs
was his first visit to the complex after
becoming Prime Minister. Modi undertook the parikrama of Harmandir
Sahib and paid obeisance in the sanctum sanctorum, where he was offered a
'Siropa' (robe of honour) by the Priest.
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur,
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
and Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki,
were among those who accompanied
the Prime Minister.
Addressing the massive gathering
at Hussainiwala, the Prime Minister
said every effort would be made to ensure the overall development of the
state and prosperity of its people.
Announcing a slew of incentives
April 2015
for the state, the Prime Minister announced that the Centre had decided to
enhance the allocation of the state
under the next five year plan to Rs
54000 crore instead of the existing Rs
20000 crore. Likewise, the allocation
for development of the urban local
bodies and Panchayat bodies had been
enhanced to Rs 6000 crore annually
from the existing Rs 4000 crore.
Earlier the Chief Minister batted
for the opening of trade through Hussainiwala and Sadki borders in the
state for promoting economic activity
in the region. He said the border towns
of the state were the most prosperous
towns of Punjab but the partition of the
Punjab Advance
country had inflicted a serious blow to
these towns.
The Chief Minister also urged Mr.
Modi to take up the issue of bringing
the list of items traded through the
Attari border at par with those exported
through the Mumbai-Karachi sea
route. He also impressed upon the
Prime Minister to evolve a special
scheme for developing the border
areas/ cities of the state so that the
brave people of border areas could get
their due. Mr. Badal also urged the
Prime Minister to restart the special
scheme for providing special relief to
the farmers having land across the
border.
21
PUNJAB DIARY
Bhabha cancer hospital in Sangrur
T
he Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) Mumbai
will set up Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (HBCH) at Sangrur so that best quality diagnostic and treatment facilities are made available to the
cancer-effected Malwa region of the state.
This follows the signning of a Memorandum of
Understanding between Punjab’s Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Mrs. Vini Mahajan
and TMC Director R.A. Badwe in the presence of
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
The MoU is a part of the ongoing endeavour of
the state government to completely eliminate the
curse of cancer from the state.
The HBCH would act as an Outreach facility to
the upcoming Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital Research Centre at Mullanpur, Mohali (SAS Nagar)
district.
The HBCH would be set up within the premises
of Civil Hospital to provide best cancer treatment to
the people of the Malwa region. The main aim of
the HBCH is to set up a Cancer care facility in the
Sangrur District Civil Hospital to cater to the medical needs of the residents of Sangrur and the ad-
Principal Secretary Health anf Family Welfare Vini
Mahajan and TMC Director R.A. Badwe exchange MoUs
in the presence of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
joining districts of the Malwa region.
The HBCH would have 10 day care beds, three
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, three recovery beds
and eight inpatient beds. The centre would also be
equipped with high-end cancer diagnostic and treatment facilities and RT treatment requirements like
3D-CRT, SRS, IMRT, IGRT, etc. besides having
chemotherapy and surgical facility.
No harvesting of wheat at night
T
The State Government has banned the
harvesting of wheat crop with combines
at night time to ensure that the the crops remain
clean and dry as per the norms.
The ban orders will remain effective from 7 pm to
10 pm till May 29.According to Agriculture
Department Director Mangal Singh Sandhu as crop
absorbed moisture during the night due to dew, thus,
its harvesting adversely affected its purchase by the
22
procurement agencies.
To tackle the problem of stubble burning, the
Agriculture Department has prepared a plan for
promoting ultra modern straw choppers in the state
by providing maximum subsidy on it. The
government has also announced an incentive of Rs
1 crore and Rs I lakh for each district and village,
respectively, which were free from stubble burning
across the state.
Punjab Advance
April 2015
PUNJAB DIARY
Gatka gets state recognition
W
ith a view to promoting gatka, the Punjab
Government has accorded recognition to
this traditional martial art form as a game and
enlisted it in the gradation list of recognised sports
in the State sports policy, 2010.
The proposal to include Gatka in the state
gradation list was made by Deputy Chief Minister
Sukhbir Badal, who also holds the sports portfolio,
and was cleared by the cabinet on December 16.
Meanwhile, Member Parliament and World
Gatka Federation president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa,
Asian Gatka Federation president SP Singh Oberoi,
Gatka Federation of India president Harcharan
Singh Bhullar and general secretary Harjeet Singh
Grewal, have welcomed the decision.
They said that it was a long pending demand of
the Gatka players to enlist this age old sport in the
gradation list of recognised games so that the gatkebaaz could avail all the facilities being provided to
other games and players and reservation of 3 per
cent quota in all posts and admissions. Gatka, has
A child performs the martial art form of gatka
already been included in the National School Games
and Punjabi University Patiala has been hosting the
All India Inter-Varsity Gatka tournaments since
2011. The Punjab Olympic Association has already
recognised Gatka game and granted affiliation to the
Punjab Gatka Association.
Mission Inderdhanush to Cover 90 p.c. infants
T
he State government has
launched ‘Mission Inderdhanush’ to achieve a target of getting 90 per cent infants covered in
the state under the complete immunization programme by 2020.
Health Minister Surjit Kumar
Jyani set the ball rolling by starting
the first camp at Ludhiana on April
7, marking World Health Day.
Four districts in Punjab--- Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Muktsar---have been identified under the
April 2015
Surjit Kumar Jyani
Punjab Advance
complete immunization programme.
During the mission all the left out
children below two years and expectant mothers would be covered with
the vaccination programme. A total of
45,000 infants were expected to be
covered in all the four districts.
Giving a district-wise breakup, a
Health Department spokesman said
Ludhiana with 24,500 infants was the
leader, followed by Gurdaspur (9,300),
Muktsar (8,100) and Pathankot
(3,100).
23
PUNJABIS OVERSEAS
Sikh cop on Texas streets
A
their ranks. Harris County is no differn Indian-American Sikh has
ent. We are one of the most culturally
become the first police offirich and diverse communities in Amercer in the US state of Texas to serve
ica," Sheriff Garcia said in a statement
while keeping his Sikh articles of faith,
yesterday.
including a turban and beard.
Meanwhile, a prominent member
Patrol Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliof the Sikh community, Jasjit Singh,
wal has been allowed to wear the turban
executive director of the Sikh Ameriand beard while patrolling the streets of
can Legal Defence and Education
Harris County in order to bolster culFund, commended Harris County Shertural diversity
iff's Office' decision.
He became the first deputy in the
"With this policy, one of the largest
US state of Texas to serve with Sikh arsheriff's offices in the country has afticles of faith, including the turban and
firmed that a person does not have to
beard while on the job.
choose between their faith and a career
Dhaliwal, in his late 30s, has been
Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal
of service," Singh said.
with the sheriff's office for six years.
Since 9/11, misperceptions about Sikhs' religiously manThe move is part of Sheriff Adrian Garcia's religious accommodation policy to promote understanding, respect and dated turbans and beards have led to an increase in disto communicate with all segments of the population in Har- crimination against the community.
Policy changes like that at the HCSO and other law enris County.
"By making these religious accommodations we are forcement agencies across the country aim to combat this
joining the US military and other law enforcement agencies stigma while also giving qualified men and women a chance
across the country with observant Sikh-Americans among to serve the community.
Punjabi church in Canada
C
services held in English.”
anada’s first-ever PunThe Punjabi Masihi Church
jabi church has come
holds services mostly in Punjabi
up in Surrey. The church, which
and also in Urdu and Hindi.
had been operating out of a
While the congregation of about
rented annexe at a Delta church
300 people has spent the last 19
for nearly 20 years, is a
years at the Delta Pentecostal
multicultural and communityChurch, it was important for the
serving church that widely
group finally to get a building of
caters to the Lower Mainland’s
its own.
South- Asian Christian commuAfter a significant amount
nity.
“It is a Christian church, but
of fundraising and volunteer
mostly people from India and
hours, the community started
Pakistan gather,” said Rehan
building the church in 2008 and
First Punjabi church in Canada
Garstin, one of the pastors.
finally opened its doors.
“Normally when you think
The Punjabi Masihi Church
about a Christian church it is Caucasian (and) mostly has a large community in Vancouver and Surrey.
24
Punjab Advance
April 2015
PUNJABIS OVERSEAS
Canada’s first Sikh billionaire
H
aving made his millions in the Canadian real
estate market, Canada’s first Sikh billionaire, Bob
Dhillon, feels India’s real estate market has a lot of potential
if the government makes the right moves.
“The Indian real estate market is a developer’s dream. It
is fascinating. It can be the No.1 market for growth,” says
Dhillon, who has charted an amazing success story for
himself by becoming the biggest landlord in Canada with
nearly 10,000 properties.
Dhillon, who is based in Calgary and whose assets are
pegged at 1.2 billion Canadian dollars, feels that certain
policies, including ownership rights, land acquisition and
others, make the Indian real estate market “uncompetitive”
for investors from other countries.
Having visited India as part of the delegation of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and others in recent
years, Dhillon says the new Narendra Modi government was
making the right moves but a lot needed to be done.
Dhillon, whose real name is Navjeet Singh Dhillon, belongs to Tallewal village near Barnala in Punjab.
Born in Japan in 1965, where his grandfather had moved
from Punjab to get into shipping business, Dhillon’s family
lived in Hong Kong, Japan and Liberia. Having lost everything in Liberia’s civil war, the family moved to Canada in
the 1970s to begin from scratch.
“I have believed in diversification. I own an island in
Belize, have a credit card processing company, merchant
Bob Dhillon
process companies and other businesses. These are pretty
diverse things I do. But I have very strong roots with Punjab
and India,” said Dhillon, who holds a MBA degree from
Richard Ivey School of Business.
Dhillon started his real estate journey at age 19 by
buying two old houses. He renovated and sold them.
Dhillon, who studied in Shimla’s Bishop Cotton School
from kindergarten till he was a teenager, has business
Canadian Sikh body wins Kara war
L
The World Sikh Organisation of Canada
has won the ‘Kara” (Sikh bracelet)
war. Yes, it has assisted a Toronto Sikh student
who was prevented from wearing his kara while
working at a food processing facility.
Jagroop Singh Pandher was working as a palletizer at
the Give & Go Prepared Food Corporation when he was
told, in reference to his kara, that he would not be permitted to wear his ‘jewelry’ on the job.
Despite attempts to explain its significance, Jagroop Singh
was told that if he wished to continue working at the facility,
he would have to remove his kara.
No clear safety risk was identified as to why the kara could
not be worn. The kara or iron bracelet is an important Sikh
article of faith that is worn at all times and represents the
April 2015
Sikh’s obligation to perform righteous deeds and to remain
in remembrance of God.
WSO’s legal counsel Balpreet Singh approached the
Give & Go Prepared Food Corporation in order to
resolve the situation. After explaining the
significance of the kara, why it is not removed by
Sikhs and reviewing the safety issues being raised by
Give & Go, an accommodation policy was agreed upon
which safeguards Jagroop Singh’s religious freedoms while
ensuring safety is not compromised.
Sikh workers will now be permitted to wear the kara on the
job, as long as the kara is worn tightly on the arm, restrained
with an elbow support and covered by a rolled down sleeve.
As with other employees, the arm and hands are to be
covered with a glove and disposable sleeve.
Punjab Advance
25
Marathi taal on
n Punjabi dhol
Rumblings
Remembrance
Dr Luckas ;
a Guru to
Badal, Gujral, Jakhar
RK Kaushik, IAS
I
n 1947, Lahore had the most educational institutions for any Asian city; and among the
best was Forman Christian College that American activist and academician Dr Charles William Forman had
built in 1864. Among its brilliant teachers was one
Reverend Dr ED Luckas, economics professor there
for more than 40 years and principal from 1942 to
1945.
Dr Luckas was adored as much for his teaching
style as for the practical ways in which he tackled life's
28
obstacles. In 1945, before the annual convocation in
May, he called a meeting of teachers and suggested
that Mahatma Gandhi, who had just been released
from jail, be invited to bless the students. Gandhiji was
invited indeed. Dr Luckas touched his feet on the dais
and asked the teachers to do the same. Several teachers and students did. It upset the British. A complaint
reached Punjab Governor BJ Glancy, who forced Dr
Luckas to resign and brought one Professor Mukherjee from (then) Calcutta as principal. Dr Luckas con-
Punjab Advance
April 2015
Rumblings
tinued as professor and Head of the Economics Department until 1952.
In 1942, Dr Luckas allowed and supported the Quit
India Movement rallies on the college premises. When
some students were arrested for illegal assembly, he
got them out on bail. In spite of the British pressure, he
expelled none. In his 40-year teaching career, he didn't charge any salary. His food and stay were on the
college. He would reach office early and dust his room,
never asking any employee to do it for him. He would
be by the side of the ailing students even before their
families got to hospital, and dozens of times, he gave
his blood to save their lives.
In 1945, Dr Luckas hosted a Christmas dinner,
where Punjab premier (as the chief minister was then
known) Sir Khizer Hayat Khan Tiwana, the chief justice, judges of the high court, and top civil and military
officers were present. A waiter toppled a bowl of koftas on Sir Tiwana. Embarrassed, the premier flew into
a rage, and all the elite there became livid. The premier's personal staff took him away to a retiring room,
where he changed his dress. The college waiter was
trembling, and even the guests were scared for him.
Next day, Dr Luckas called the waiter over and said
that to err is human, and this was an unwitting mistake. He wrote a regret letter to the premier and settled the issue.
In 1947, some 300 boys went to Nishat cinema
house in Lahore and forced the misbehaving staff to
play the movie without any of them purchasing the 12anna ticket. In the evening, the manager sought an audience with Dr Luckas and requested for
compensation.
Dr Luckas paid all the money but said nothing to
the students. The students once smashed the windowpanes of private buses during a strike and even then he
compensated the owners.
In 1952, he moved to the US, where he died on December 29, 1964, 50 years from today. Among his notable students are late former Prime Minister Inder
Kumar Gujral, former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram
Jakhar, and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh
Badal.
(The writer is a Senior IAS Officer
in the Punjab Govt.)
FC College, Lahore
April 2015
Punjab Advance
29
Films
“Punjab 1984”
wins national honour
Kirron Kher (left) and Diljit Dosanjh and Sonam Bajwa in “Punjab 1984”
BUREAU REPORT
T
he Punjabi route to the
national film awards
stood reaffirmed in the 62nd National Film Awards, 2015, with ‘Punjab 1984’, Baljinder Kaur and Dolly
Ahluwalia figuring in the list of
national awardees.
30
Punjab 1984, a much talked
about Punjabi film starring singeractor Diljit Dosanjh, Chandigarh
MP Kirron Kher, Sonam Bajwa,
Pavan Malhotra and Rana Ranbir
bagged the national award for being
the best Punjabi film this year.
Punjab Advance
Directed by Anurag Sigh, the
film is a touching story of a mother
and son - played by Kirron Kher
and Diljit Dosanjh. Woven in
Punjab's
turbulent
times
appreciated by critics and audiences
alike.
April 2015
Films
The best Haryanvi film may have
gone to ‘Pagdi The Honour’, but the
best supporting actress award for the
film went to Baljinder Kaur, who was
born in a village in Jalandhar.
It was 20 years of hard work as a
theatre artist that brought her into Indian film industry, where just three
movies in five years propped her to the
pinnacle that most actors aspire for.
Native of a small village near Jalandhar in Punjab, Baljinder, better
known as Ballu in her friend circle, had
shifted to Hisar after marriage in 2000
with Brijesh Sharma, also an actor. The
two had met at Panjab University from
which they both earned an MA degree
in Indian theatre subject in 1996. Later,
Sonam Bajwa
they attended National School of
Drama together.
For years, Baljinder Kaur worked
in theatre circles of Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Haryana towns until she got a
break in 2010 to work in Shahid, a feature film directed by Hansal Mehta.
Her work was noticed, throwing even
bigger challenges and opportunities in
her way.
April 2015
The best costume designer award
went to Dolly Ahluwalia for “Haider”
– a modern-day adaptation of William
Shakespeare’s
classic
tragedy “Hamlet”. Set in the
backdrop of Kashmir, it also
won the Best Male Playback Singer for Sukhwinder
Singh for the song “Bismil”;
Talking about the film,
Costume designer Dolly
Ahluwalia said she was
taken by surprise when
Vishal Bhardwaj got in
touch with her for Haider's
wardrobe. There wasn't
much time, but since it has
always
a
pleasure
working
with the director (Blue
Umbrella,
Omkara,
B l o o d
Brothers,
Kaminey) she grabbed
the opportunity that
would take her back to
Kashmir which she
used to visit frequently
as a child but hadn't
been to in recent years.
"I started out creating Kashmir in Delhi.
Everything in the film
is sourced and made
here," says Dolly,
speaking from a quiet
corner in a busy market in the capital.
"When Vishal and his cinematographer
(Pankaj Kumar) were doing a recce in
the Valley, he invited me over to share
my creative vision with him. Armed
with my sketches and swatches, I met
him and was delighted by the appreciative response."
After that, she returned to Delhi
and continued with her work there. "I
Punjab Advance
had the creative liberty of keeping
Kashmir as the base and playing
around with it. If Vishal had wanted to
Rana Ranbir
just pick up stuff from the bazaars of
Kashmir, why would he have hired
me?" she reasons, pointing out that
while phirans are easily available in the
state, the black-and-grey one worn by
Shahid Kapoor in the film has been designed specifically for the film. Ditto,
Shraddha and Tabu's hijabs and head
scarve.
Working with Vishal, she admits, is
always a challenge because of the last
minute changes he makes. And there
were many unexpected emergencies
during the film's making like one of
Tabu's outfits shrinking in the wash.
"We had to get a similar costume
designed for continuity," reminisces
the costume designer who has picked
up two National Awards for Shekhar
Kapur's Bandit Queen and Shoojit Sircar's Vicky Donor. Interestingly, she
also won the National Award for Best
Supporting Actress for Vicky Donor.
31
NRIs’ initiative
‘Swachh’
Punjab villages
BUREAU REPORT
I
n a unique initiative the IndoCanadian Village Improvement Trust has transformed the face of
more than a dozen villages in Punjab
by undertaking an eco-friendly, sustainable and affordable project providing access to clean drinking water, an
underground sewage system, treatment
of waste water, paved concrete streets
and solar street lights.
Dr Gurdev Gill, president of the
organisation, and Herb Dhaliwal, patron of the organization and the first
Indo-Canadian to become a federal
Cabinet Minister, have carried out a
comprehensive integrated development
under the ‘Swatch Punjab’ scheme
A study by Gurmail Singh and
Swan Singh of Panjab University in
32
2007 revealed that there has been a
solar street lights.
69.9 per cent reduction of diarrheal
Dr. Gill said that following proper
diseases in villages where the projects
procedures, the cost of the projects
were completed.
implemented so far, came to around
The State Government shared 50
Rs. 35,000 per household.
per cent of the cost of previous projects
According to Herb Dhaliwal and
along with NRIs based in Canada.
Dr Gill “These eco-friendly sustain-
After these, 15 new projects have been
able village projects are a must to im-
completed at a cost of about Rs 16
prove the sanitation in villages.
crore. The sources of funds, from over-
Besides, a different approach has to be
seas, have since then increased. At
taken to finance these projects.”
present, the Punjab government is pro-
The revolutionary project promises
viding the organization with 75 per
to take Punjab to the standard of de-
cent of the total funds.
veloped countries in the world. “The
The eco-friendly, sustainable and
idea is simple, affordable with minimal
affordable projects have provided ac-
cost to the state government. Besides,
cess to clean drinking water, an under-
the NRIs can play a major role.”
ground sewage system, treatment of
While in the earlier eight projects,
waste water, paved concrete streets and
up to 2007 the cost came to Rs 27,000
Punjab Advance
April 2015
First Indo-Canadian Cabinet Minister Herb Dhaliwal (right) and Dr. Gurdev Gill NRI talk about the Swachh
village campaign
per household, the average cost of the numerous other rewards for his social
The NGO handling the project
new projects would be Rs 35,000 per work in Indian community.
wants the villagers to be the stakeholdhousehold.
Punjab has a population of 20 mil- ers, responsible for the financing.
Dr. Gill is personally involved in all lion and 70 per cent of this population
The average cost of the new projaspects of developects would be Rs
ment of these proj35,000 per houseects and spends six
hold. “If the amount
The
State
Government
shared
50
per
months of a year in
of Rs 35,000 is borcent
of
the
cost
of
previous
projects
Punjab supervising
rowed at 5 per cent
along
with
NRIs
based
in
Canada.
After
and executing these
for a term of 25
these, 15 new projects have been
projects as is the
years, the monthly
case with ongoing
payment of principal
completed at a cost of about Rs 16 crore.
projects.
and interest comes
The sources of funds, from overseas,
A medical gradto Rs 204,” said Dr
have since then increased. At present,
uate from the UniGill, and added:
the Punjab government is providing the
versity of British
“Villages in Punjab
organization with 75 per cent of the total
Columbia and the
are paying Rs 70 a
funds.
first doctor of Indian
month for not so reorigin to open priliable drinking water
vate practice in
supply and they will
Canada, Gill is a recipient of the Order lives in villages. There are about gladly pay another Rs 30 to Rs 50 per
of British Columbia. He holds an Hon- 125000 villages in Punjab and most of month for the comprehensive facilities.
orary degree of science from the Uni- them lack modern amenities that are The share of the government would
versity of British Columbia and taken for granted in the West.
come to only Rs 100 per month.”
April 2015
Punjab Advance
33
Unsung Heroes
Hope
Parkash kaur’s home for abandoned girls
Parkash Kaur (extreme left) and her world
DONALD BANERJEE
- Nikita was abandoned by her parents when she was only three months old. She was found on
the roadside….
- Mandip was only 15 days old when she was found in the bushes in a miserable condition….
- Zenab was left in the cradle at the age of one year. Her eyes still search for her parents….
- Reva was a new born when she was dumped on the highway near Kapurthala…
A
ll these four abandoned
girls were rescued by the
Unique Home for Girls where Bibi
Prakash Kaur showers her motherhood
on unwanted and unclaimed girls. Herself abandoned as a child more than 60
34
years ago and brought up in a local
gurdwara, this mother figure for 64
abandoned girls has dedicated her life
to the noble but onerous mission of rescuing abandoned girls.
Prakash Kaur does not like the word
Punjab Advance
abandoned children. “They are my
children and I never make them feel
like abandoned children,” says the lady
who is in her mid-60s.
She has touched the lives of many
who’ve been cruelly shunned by their
April 2015
Unsung Heroes
own. The girls who have found a doting mother in Prakash Kaur range
from the age of four days to 19 years.
Prakash doesn't like to look back. Sixty
years ago she too was abandoned by
her parents and a local gurdwara was
what she called home. The stories of
her little ones mirror her life.
The year1993 was the turning point in
the lives of these girls. That was when
Prakash set up the Unique Home for
girls on land donated by the Gurdwara
where she grew up. Surprisingly,
works of Charles Dickens inspire the
feisty lady from Jalandhar.
All the girls who come here make it
through just fine. Every morning the
home comes alive. After a quick
breakfast, Prakash and the senior girls
help the little ones get ready for school
and as they step out, there is a sweet
beginning for the day at some of the
best schools in Jalandhar.
A brilliant student, 15-year-old Sheeba
wants to become a neurosurgeon.
Recognising her potential, Prakash
sent her to a boarding school in Mussoorie.
"I am really proud of my mom, because I think that there is nobody like
her in the world, she is God, she is a
friend, she is everything to us," said
Sheeba.
Prakash lives for the girls. Stepping out
in tattered clothes she picks out fruits
for her daughters. Giving them the best
in life is the only thing that is on her
mind and Prakash knows there's no
shame in asking people for help.
The prayer on the lips of the girls is
simple, 'Thank you god for my
Mamma… one who is ready to die so
I can live'.
Satya Mave Jyate Programme raised
Rs 14 lakh to support Unique Home
Jalandhar for abandoned and orphan
girls. Bibi Parkash Kaur Ji was called
to Bombay to receive this cheque from
Bollywood star Aamir Khan.
With the money raised through the
show, the organization was able to
speed up work on a long-cherished
project: a new residential home for
April 2015
Prakash Kaur
abandoned girls. The home, which is
being built on a two-acre plot, is surrounded by landscaped gardens and is
almost ready.
Lohri of Hope raised 25,000 sterling
pounds for the Unique Home for Girls
(Jalandhar) On January 24 this year.
More than 500 people came together at
CSN in Birmingham to celebrate the
charity ball in aid of Unique Home organised by Snob Events & UK Friends
of Unique Home.
The event was a huge success with
guests enjoying a sparkling drinks reception, four course meal and impressive entertainment from DJ Dipps
Bhamrah from BBC Asian Network,
DJ Nav, a live set by JK, Giddha
Sansaar, Eternal Taal and Vasda Punjab. The star of the evening was Sukshinder Shinda who performed his hits
with a live band. The event was hosted
by Unique Home supporter Harjap
Bhangal . The auction was particularly
entertaining with the highest bid going
for a signed Pele top for £5,000
Unique Home is run by a trust named
after Bhai Ghanayya Ji, a disciple of
Guru Gobind Singh. The trust aims to
raise these children as healthy individuals and arm them with all the social
skills and educational qualifications
Punjab Advance
that they need to face life on their own
terms.
The first thing that strikes one in
Unique Home is a small hatched box
near the entrance. It is called the “cradle”. Flip open the hatch and you see a
shelf built into the wall. When a rescued child is placed on the shelf, it sets
off an alarm that tells the staff that they
have a new girl to take care of. When it
comes to christening the new arrivals,
names are drawn from all the religions
of India. So at Unique Home, girls
have Sikh,Hindu, Muslim and Christian names and faith has no restrictions.
A proud Prakash Kaur says the girls go
to good English medium schools like
Saint Mary’s in Mussoorie. A few have
since been married into suitable
homes. But Prakash Kaur’s responsibility does not end there.
She continues to keep a watch over the
girls even after they are married. She
fights for their rights if the in-laws
prove to be difficult. Take the case of
former Unique Home inmate Alka.
When her husband died prematurely,
her in-laws grabbed all her property
and threw her out of the house. Prakash
Kaur intervened and fought tooth and
nail. She eventually managed to secure
for Alka her rightful share in the family property.
So far Prakash Kaur has organised the
marriages of 17 of the Unique Home
inmates. While a few of these girls
graduated from college before they got
married, the remaining tied the knot
after passing out of high school. However, several of the older girls here
have decided not to marry and instead
dedicate themselves, like Prakash
Kaur, to the service of Unique Home.
April 24 is a very special day at Unique
Home. It is the day when the children
here collectively celebrate their
birthday. A huge 100-kg cake is cut
and the day is marked by much
merriment. That apart, once every year,
during the summer holidays, the
inmates of Unique Home go on a trip
to Darjeeling.
35
Success Story
A Milking
Glory
Brothers supply 2700 litres of milk daily
BUREAU REPORT
N
ag Khurd village,
tucked away in Majitha
constituency of Amritsar, is in the news
these days. Two brothers hailing from
this village have become a role model
for the other villages of the district, by
bringing a manifold increase in their
income through dairy farming. They
are a lighthouse to the farmers.
The two farmers have scripted a
success story for their village using the
initiatives of the state government
which encourages allied farm
activities.
Thirty-three-year-old Ravi Inder
Singh and Preet Inder Singh (30), sons
of Harjinder Singh of Nag Khurd, said
encouraged by the initiatives taken by
the government towards boosting agriculture allied activities, they decided to go in for daily farming.
They started dairy farming in about Amritsar Deputy Commissioner visits the modern dairy farm at Nag
two and a half acres of land about 10 Khurd village in Majitha
years back. But it was only seven years
back that they adopted the revolutionThe steps paid dividends. Today litres. Their dairy farm employs 13
ary initiatives introduced by the they have 225 cows and their daily labourers and with the help of two augovernment to boost dairy farming.
supply of milk is more than 2700 tomatic machines they supply milk to
36
Punjab Advance
April 2015
Success Story
the people in the neighbouring areas.
The excess milk is supplied to companies like Amul.
It was a proud moment for the two
brothers when one of their cows produced 59 litres of milk to finish second
in the the Livestock Championship organised by the Punjab Government in
Muktsar.
They were happy that the state was
making all out efforts to encourage
of milk supplied by them as compared
to the other dairies.
Amritsar Deputy Commissioner
Ravi Bhagat made a special visit to
Nag Khurd to meet and encourage the
courageous brothers. He said the Punjab Government was making special
efforts to boost agricultural allied activities and such successful farmers
would be a great source to propagate
dairy farming in the region.
were held. The winners are given cash
prizes worth Rs. 5.15 lakh. The winners also get an opportunity to participate in the National Livestock
Competition held in Muktsar wherein
the prize money is equivalent to Rs.
1.50 crore.
Stressing on the need for adopting
allied activities, he said the State Government was imparting free of cost
training, providing subsidy and facili-
Extracting milk with an automatic milking machine
dairy farming in the state. They said if
the government extended some more
support to the dairy farmers in
marketing their produce and making
arrangements for a quality check of the
milk then it would be a great help to
boost dairy farming. They said there
was a marked difference in the quality
April 2015
He said to motivate the farmers as
well as the unemployed youth towards
allied activities, the Punjab Government was organizing Livestock Championship in every district wherein
breed competitions of animals in 50
different categories and milking
contests of cows, buffaloes and goats
Punjab Advance
tating loans through banks to boost
dairy and other allied activities. He
said it was due to the efforts of the state
government that dairy farming had
emerged as a prominent activity. He
called upon the youth to adopt dairy
and other allied activities to earn the
maximum economic gains.
37
Sports
Mohali on world
golf map
Modern range and academy to hone skills of golfers
The complete layout model of the Mohali Golf Range and Academy
Donald Banerjee
M
ohali has joined the
\select group of cities
having a modern golf driving range
and a fully equipped golf academy.
Spread over 11 acres the Mohali Golf
Range has been built as per the latest
38
international standards in Sector 65.
With golf becoming an Olympic
sport from the 2016 Rio Olympics, this
golfing hub, considered the country’s
largest stand alone ‘golf practice and
learning facility’, will become the
Punjab Advance
grooming place for golfers in the country.
The golf range and academy was
inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister
Sukhbir Singh Badal with a ceremonial
tee shot on March 11.
April 2015
Sports
Area Development Authority) at a
cost of Rs 15 crore.
Kahlon spelt out the salient features
of the Mohali Golf Range.
1. Fully Floodlit Golf Driving
Range and Golf Academy
* Capacity – can accommodate 70
golfers at one time
* Double Tier 48 astroturf hitting
bays
* 900 square yard of grass tee hitting
practise area with Bermuda Tif
Dwarf 419 Grass
* Length of hitting area 285 yards
and width 103 yards
* 9 Target greens with bunkers and
yardage markers
* 9-hole par 3,
sub-junior golf
course-cum-adult pitch-and-putt
Golf Course within the range
itself
* Putting practise green with a pot
bunker
Design : 2 Tier McKinzey Style
Area :7000 sq. ft.
Grass :Bermuda Tif Dwarf
Eventual Speed : 7-12 on stimpmeter
Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal does the ceremonial tee off at the Mohali Golf
Range
The Punjab government has incorporated the services of Arjuna Awardee
Harmeet Kahlon as the brand ambassador. A national amateur champion
for several years Harmeet is a regular
on the Asian Tour. He won the Hero
Honda Masters in 2002 when he finished 29th on the Asian Tour order of
merit. He holds international golf
clinics at several golf clubs in the
country.
April 2015
By naming him the brand ambassador the Mohali Golf Range is sure to
tap and hone talent on the fully floodlit driving range equipped with doubletier 48 astroturf hitting bays.
Harmeet Kahlon, who has been a
regular at the Chandigarh Golf Club
and the Chandigarh Golf Range, will
now tap and hone talent of the 175
members of the Mohali Golf Range,
built by GMADA (Greather Mohali
Punjab Advance
* Practise chipping green area 5000
sq. ft.
* Practise bunker 700 sq ft.
Besides these golfing features the
range would also have a swimming
pool, gymnasium , sauna, steam, billiards, table tennis, restaurant, banquet
hall, cards room, audio visual room
and library.
The pro-shop will be stocked with
player-specific fitted, good quality, latest equipment, golf sets, individual
clubs, bags and apparel, including
caps, golf shoes etc, at competitive
39
Sports
prices for all level of players, including women and children.
To fulfill its objectives, the Mohali
Golf Range is open for practice to
non-members also and will follow
the
following
approach
and
methodology
Golf coaching programme with experienced coaches.
For beginners (men, ladies and
children):
course experience
Curriculum: Introduction to the
game and demo, warm up ,stretching ,
basic golf terminology , full swing
technique, putting, chipping , bunker,
golf etiquette, rules of golf, equipment
etc.
For Existing Players: (men,ladies
and children):
* Individual or Group lessons according to the requirement of individual
and testing etc
For Professionals and Elite
Amateurs
* Individual Elite Programme though
world class coaching
* Golf Swing Analysis , Special Shots
& Tournament Scoring Analysis
* Tournament pressure situations management
* Use of imported Training Aids like
Putting Track ,Swing Dye etc
Arjuna awardee and Asian Tour winner Harmeet Kahlon
* Both individual and group sessions
and follow-up by coaches with
weekly monitoring
* Golf clubs will be available for
rental
* Bi –weekly sessions with each introduction to separate aspects of golf in
each session
* Pitch & Putt for beginners in the
Mohali Golf Range 9-hole short
golf course thereby giving them on-
40
players.
* Video Analysis and Comparison on
IPad with V1 Analysis
* Golf Psychology and Swing thought
Lessons
* Players to bring their own equipment
Curriculum :Individual player-specific requirement covering all aspects
of golf including full swing technique,
putting, chipping , bunker, rules of
golf , golf etiquette, equipment fitting
Punjab Advance
* Golf Psychology, Fitness, diet
* Uninterrupted hitting from Bermuda
Tif Dwarf 419 Tee Grass
* Imaginative Short Game Practise on
Fast and Undulating Putting and
Chipping greens Organise Monthly
Competitions
* Beginners Putting Competition
* Children and Adult Pitch and Putt
Competition in the 9 hole Pitch and
Putt Golf Course.
April 2015
Sports
‘Anmol’
basketball talent
BUREAU REPORT
T
here has never been a
name so apt. ‘Anmol’
Singh is a ‘priceless’ sporting talent.
The 18-year-old Punjabi lad is a starter
on the u-19 Indian men’s basketball
team. The 6ft 10 inch power forward
has seen a dramatic rise in his abilities
in the last year, despite picking up the
sport for the first time at the relatively
late age of 15.
“I used to play lawn tennis in the
beginning, because my father wanted
me to focus on an individual sport.”
The green grass soon gave way to
brown maplewood floors. “My uncle
and aunt have played basketball for
India, so it wasn’t really a surprise.” A
few months into his hoops training,
Anmol tried out for the youth (u-16)
Punjab state team in 2011 and was rejected. “The late Punjab Coach
Sankaran Subramanium told me I had
no chance.” A distraught Anmol looked
to the sky for answers, wondering if
moving away from tennis was a
mistake. It was then that an ‘anmol’
miracle happened.
“I grew almost a foot in less than
two years.” Not surprisingly, for a sport
that favours height, he was named in
April 2015
Anmol Singh in action
the Punjab u-18 team for the 2012 junior nationals in Puducherry. Anmol got
the chance to play alongside and learn
from junior India players Gurvinder
Gill and Loveneet Singh.
“Gary and Loveneet work very
hard and give their 100% in every
practice.” The very next year it was
Anmol’s turn to shine, as he put up
scorching offensive performances in
the knockout stages of the 2014 Junior
Nationals, against strong teams like
Haryana, Tamil Nadu and losing
finalists Delhi. “We had lost to Delhi
in the previous finals, so it was
important for us go to all out. We
Punjab Advance
chanted our traditional Sikh battle cry
‘Jo Bole So Nihaal, Sat Sri Akal’, and
with the blessings of our Guru went
into each match, and won!”
After his recent entry into the
Junior Indian team, Anmol now plans
to shift to the US for the next few
years. “I have relatives in Houston, so
I will join a good sports college there,
improve my game and come back to
India, to be of service to our Senior
National Team.”
Anmol has vowed to become
India’s best basketball player. “Guru
Ki Kripa se (with the blessings of our
Guru), pakka (for sure) I will be.”
41
Fiction
A Tiger
in the house
RUSKIN BOND
T
imothy, the tiger cub, was
discovered by grandfather
on a hunting expedition in the Terai
jungle near Dehra.
Grandfather was no shikari, but as
he knew the forests of the Shivalik hills
better than most people, he was persuaded to accompany the party—it
consisted of several Very Important
Persons from Delhi—to advise on the
terrain and the direction the beaters
should take once a tiger had been spotted.
The camp itself was sumptuousseven large tents (one for each shikari),
a dining-tent, and a number of servants'
tents. The dinner was very good, as
grandfather admitted afterwards; it was
not often that one saw hot-water plates,
finger-glasses, and seven or eight
courses, in a tent in the jungle! But that
was how things were done in the days
of the Viceroys There were also some
15 elephants, four of them with howdahs for the shikaris, and the others
42
specially trained for taking part in the
beat.
The sportsmen never saw a tiger,
nor did they shoot anything else,
though they saw a number of deer, peacock, and wild boar. They were giving
up all hope of finding a tiger, and were
beginning to shoot at jackals, when
grandfather, strolling down the forest
path at some distance from the rest of
the party, discovered a little tiger about
18 inches long, hiding among the intricate roots of a banyan tree. Grandfather picked him up, and brought him
home after the camp had broken up.
He had the distinction of being the
only member of the party to have
bagged any game, dead or alive.
At first the tiger cub, who was
named Timothy by Grandmother, was
brought up entirely on milk given to
him in a feeding-bottle by our cook,
Mahmoud. But the milk proved too
rich for him, and he was put on a diet
of raw mutton and cod liver oil, to be
Punjab Advance
followed later by a more tempting diet
of pigeons and rabbits.
Timothy was provided with two
companions—Toto the monkey, who
was bold enough to pull the young
tiger by the tail, and then climb up the
curtains if Timothy lost his temper; and
a small mongrel puppy, found on the
road by grandfather.
At first Timothy appeared to be
quite afraid of the puppy, and darted
back with a spring if it came too near.
He would make absurd dashes at it
with his large forepaws, and then retreat to a ridiculously safe distance. Finally, he allowed the puppy to crawl on
his back and rest there!
One of Timothy's favourite amusements was to stalk anyone who would
play with him, and so, when I came to
live with grandfather, I became one of
the tiger's favourites. With a crafty look
in his glittering eyes, and his body
crouching, he would creep closer and
closer to me, suddenly making a dash
April 2015
Fiction
for my feet, rolling over on his back
and kicking with delight, and pretending to bite my ankles.
He was by this time the size of a
full-grown retriever, and when I took
him out for walks, people on the road
would give us a wide berth. When he
pulled hard on his chain, I had difficulty in keeping up with him. His
favourite place in the house was the
drawing-room, and he would make
himself comfortable on the long sofa,
reclining there with great dignity, and
snarling at anybody who tried to get
him off.
Timothy had clean habits, and
would scrub his face with his paws exactly like a cat. He slept at night in the
cook's quarters, and was always delighted at being let out by him in the
morning.
'One of these days,' declared grandmother in her prophetic manner, 'we
are going to find Timothy sitting on
Mahmoud's bed, and no sign of the
cook except his clothes and shoes!'
Of course, it never came to that, but
when Timothy was about six months
old a change came over him; he grew
steadily less friendly. When out for a
walk with me, he would try to steal
away to stalk a cat or someone's pet
Pekinese. Sometimes at night we
would hear frenzied cackling from the
poultry house, and in the morning there
would be feathers lying all over the verandah. Timothy had to be chained up
more often. And finally, when he began
to stalk Mahmoud about the house
with what looked like villainous intent,
Grandfather decided it was time to
transfer him to a zoo.The nearest zoo
was at Lucknow, 200 miles away. Reserving a first class compartment for
himself and Timothy- no one would
share a compartment with them-grandfather took him to Lucknow where the
zoo authorities were only too glad to
receive as a gift a well-fed and fairly
civilized tiger.
About six months later, when my
grandparents were visiting relatives in
Lucknow, grandfather took the
opportunity of calling at the zoo to see
how Timothy was getting on. I was not
April 2015
there to accompany him, but I heard all
about it when he returned to Dehra.
Arriving at the zoo, Grandfather made
straight for the particular cage in which
Timothy had been interned. The tiger
was there, crouched in a corner, fullgrown and with a magnificent striped
coat.
'Hello Timothy!' said grandfather
and, climbing the railing with ease, he
put his arm through the bars of the
cage.
The tiger approached the bars, and
allowed grandfather to put both hands
around his head. Grandfather stroked
been able to touch him myself, he is always very bad tempered.'
'Why don't you put him somewhere
else?' suggested grandfather. 'That
leopard keeps frightening him. I'll go
and see the Superintendent about it.'
Grandfather went in search of the
Superintendent of the zoo, but found
that he had gone home early; and so,
after wandering about the zoo for a little while, he returned to Timothy's cage
to say goodbye. It was beginning to get
dark.
He had been stroking and slapping
Timothy for about five minutes when
he found another keeper observing him
with some alarm. Grandfather recognized him as the keeper who had been
there when Timothy had first come to
the zoo.
'You remember me,' said Grandfather. 'Now why don't you transfer Timothy to another cage, away from this
stupid leopard?
''But—sir—' stammered the keeper,
'it is not your tiger.'
Ruskin Bond
the tiger's forehead and tickled his ear,
and, whenever he growled, smacked
him across the mouth, which was his
old way of keeping him quiet.
He licked grandfather's hands and
only sprang away when a leopard in
the next cage snarled at him. Grandfather 'shooed' the leopard away, and the
tiger returned to lick his hands; but
every now and then the leopard would
rush at the bars, and the tiger would
slink back to his corner.
A number of people had gathered
to watch the reunion when a keeper
pushed his way through the crowd and
asked grandfather what he was doing.
'I'm talking to Timothy.' said grandfather. 'Weren't you here when I gave
him to the zoo six months ago?'
'I haven't been here very long,' said
the surprised keeper. 'Please continue
your conversation. But I have never
Punjab Advance
I know, I know/ said Grandfather
testily. T realize he is no longer mine.
But you might at least take a
suggestion or two from me.
I remember your tiger very well/
said the keeper. 'He died two months
ago'
'Died!' exclaimed Grandfather.
'Yes, sir, of pneumonia.
This tiger was trapped in the hills
only last month, and he is very dangerous!'
Grandfather could think of nothing
to say. The tiger was still licking his
arm,
with
increasing
relish.
Grandfather took what seemed to him
an age to withdraw his hand from the
cage.
With his face near the tiger's he
mumbled, 'Goodnight, Timothy' and
giving the keeper a scornful look,
walked briskly out of the zoo.
43
Health
Exercising Out
Diabetes
Weight lifting
Running
Brisk Walking
Dr.Ravinder Chadha
I
n diabetes, there is an
increased level of sugar in the
body due to decreased effectiveness or
lack of insulin that is secreted in the
body. Symptoms of diabetes are excessive thirst, increased output of urine,
loss of weight, numbness in the limbs,
decrease in vision, tiredness etc.
If not treated properly, it may lead
to complications affecting heart, kidneys, nervous system etc.
Three most important tools used to
control diabetes are diet, exercise and
medication. Doctors treating Diabetes
advise increase in physical activity. In
44
certain cases, the patients are not aware
about the type of exercises and from
where to start.
Benefits of exercises for diabetic
patients:i) Energy is required by the body
during exercise, which mostly comes
from sugar in the body. Therefore,
blood sugar levels are reduced. Exercises do not promote production of
more insulin but improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.
ii) Obese patients become resistant
to insulin, if proper exercises are not
done which can lead to further weight
Punjab Advance
gain. Exercises lead to increase in calories burnt and, therefore, help in reducing body weight.
iii) Diabetic patients are more
prone to risk of heart diseases. Exercises reduce risk of heart disease by
strengthening the heart and burning fat.
Exercises also decrease the blood pressure, increase good cholesterol i.e.
HDL (High Density Lipoprotein)
which carries cholesterol out of body
instead of depositing it in the arteries.
Exercises play a major role in patients suffering from Type-2 diabetes.
Inactivity may aggravate many cases
April 2015
Health
Swimming
of Type-2 diabetes. Selection of exercises depends on the state
of general health of the patient.
* Exercise should preferably be
done on empty stomach either before
breakfast or dinner.
* Diabetics are normally advised
aerobic exercises which require deep
breathing when their heart rate increases. Aerobic exercises include
walking, jogging, cycling, swimming
etc. The best exercise recommended to
a diabetic patient is stepwise increased
plan of aerobic exercise. Brisk walking is the simplest and safest of the
exercises which can be easily
undertaken on regular basis. Intensity and duration of the exercises must be increased
slowly.
* Diabetics
who complain of
numbness
in the legs
and feet
should take
precautionary
measures to protect
their feet from
i n -
Such patients should do non-weight
bearing exercises such as exercises in
the swimming pool, cycling etc.
* Exercises promote insulin, which
decreases blood sugar level. It is of
great benefit but at the same time, one
must watch the symptoms of low blood
sugar while exercising. In the event of
blood sugar level becoming very low,
headache, dizziness, excessive sweating, rapid heart rate, blurred vision occurs, the patient should immediately
take about 15 gm of carbohydrates so
as to get quick relief.
* In order to avoid low level of
blood sugar, diabetics should do blood
sugar test before and after the exercise so as to adjust the dose
of the medicine. If blood sugar
level is lower than 100 mg. then
the patient should be advised to
take
carbohydrate
snacks before starting exercises.Exercise also helps
in reducing the
dose
of
insulin.
Cycling
jury/infection,
blisters etc.
They should use silica gel or cushion mid-soles or synthetic blend socks with proper
footwear and should keep the feet dry.
April 2015
Patients
on insulin are advised to reduce the dose from 30-50
per cent, 2-3 hours before starting the
exercise.
Resistance Training
Regular
exercises
of
Punjab Advance
intense
activity i.e. weight training etc. can significantly decrease the muscle glycogen which in turn increases the insulin
sensitivity, especially in Type 2 Adult
onset diabetic patients. The blood
sugar level in diabetic patients increases with age, partly because of inactivity and subsequently loss of
muscle due to inactivity. It has been
observed that in exercise induced muscle “fatigue” then there is intense spurt
of insulin receptors in that muscle
which helps insulin to land on the Cell.
Therefore, the exercise, which fatigues
muscles in the body, is helpful for diabetic patients. A patient who is performing three sets of 10 repetitions,
which makes his muscles very tired
creates insulin receptors than a normal
person performing ten repetitions without getting tired.
Resistance training is in the form of
weight-lifting, stretch band exercises;
sit ups, pushups, climbing stairs etc.
Here are few suggestions, which
may be considered for doing exercises.
* Set realistic goals.
* Exercise with a friend who can
help in emergency when sometimes
blood sugar level drops due to hypoglycemia. Moreover, exercising in a
company is more enjoyable, less tiring
and stress free. For those who exercise
alone, listening to music is advised. If
possible such a patient should carry his
identification card.
- Rest for a day in a week to decrease muscle soreness/stiffness. If a
patient has missed his exercise for a
day, then he should get back to the
schedule on the next day.
The author is a former Doctor/ Physiotherapist of the Indian cricket team
E-mail: [email protected]
M-9814088327
45
Children’s World
Hi kids,
T
his is the time of the year
when you will be moving
to the next grade in school. Whether it
is the first day preschool or start of the
fifth grade, there are always new challenges. But I am sure you are one of
those kids who start the year off easily,
breezing into the classroom with a
quick goodbye at the classroom door
and hello to the start of a new session.
But there must be some among you
who take time to adjust to the new environment. Carry a smile as you take
the first step into the next grade and
you will overcome all problems.
According to a child expert and a
renowned family coordinator Linda
Lendman “All kids have a lot to adjust
to when they are going to a new school
or moving up to a new grade. And their
reactions will vary. One of the big ad-
justments is separating from their parents and creating a bond with their new
teacher.”
Most teachers kick off the school
year by introducing themselves and
talking about all the stuff you'll be
doing that year. Some teachers give
students a chance to tell something
about themselves to the rest of the
class.
When teachers do the talking on
the first day, they often go over classroom rules so you'll know what's allowed and what's not. Pay close
attention so you'll know if you need to
raise your hand to ask a question.
You will have a feel of your new
environment for a month before the
summer vacations begin, so put in your
best so that you have a nice vacation.
Want to do some colouring. Below
Why does the sun
follow you ?
H
ave you ever noticed that when
you are in a car, or a bus,
travelling on a straight road, the
Sun appears to move right along
with you?
While telephone poles
and trees close
to the road,
whiz past in the
blink of an eye, the Sun is always visible throughout the
journey. No matter how fast
Daddy drives, you just cannot
leave the Sun behind.
Strangely enough, the trees
nearer the road disappear from
your range of vision more
quickly than the trees further
46
off. Why is this so?
Our eyes have a certain
‘range’ of vision. You can see
things only within that range.
For instance, you cannot see objects behind your head. This
field of vision widens out from
the point where you are. Objects
further away are visible for a
longer period, even as your car
whizzes by.
Punjab Advance
April 2015
is an image of a peacock. How would
you like to see this peacock. Colour it
just the way you want to and send it to
us as [email protected]
We carry a kids science piece on
why the sun seems to follow us. It is
because the sun is 149,597,870 km
away from the earth. At this huge distance the sun appears to be in the same
position no matter how fast you travel
in your car.
The only thing that travels fast
enough to make the Sun appear to
move in the sky is the Earth itself. If
you consider a point on the equator, the
Earth rotates on its axis at a speed
slightly more than 1,600 km per hour.
Happy reading and keep
smiling……..
-----Uncle Don
Children’s World
4000 years ago
A Diary
CHITRA PADMANABHAN
W
hen I was in the fourth
standard, I got my first real
diary as a present from a cousin. It
made me feel very important because it
was gifted to me in the year for which
it had been printed. Until then the
elders had always shoved at me, two or
three-year-old diaries in which the
listed holidays and Sundays made
no sense. Naturally!
It was a diary bound in dark
brown leather and was printed by
some company that must have been
making a lot of money. And the first
week of my life as a diary owner
went by in a haze. I would keep
looking at it, my heart swelling with
pride. And then I would inhale the
smell of fresh paper. It was
heavenly.
In the second week, I suddenly
felt nervous. I had not written a
single word in the diary. And now
each page seemed to be looking at
me in sorrow for the way it was
being ignored. So I decided to keep
an account of how I spent the day at
school.
I kept my promise to the diary.
Every day after coming back from
school, I would take out the diary, open
the page dated for that day and write
about what happened. But a strange
thing happened – each page, instead of
looking as if it came straight out of a
famous writer’s book, looked dull and
monotonous.
The entries were almost identical:
“Went to school. Had a class test. The
English teacher had not come. Lunch
was good – not mine but Atul’s. Have
got homework for tomorrow.”
The entries went on in a similar
vein for the next six months.
Imagine my surprise when I
recently read a 4000-year-old account
of a young boy’s day in school. It
sounded almost the same! This boy
was from Sumer that was part of the
Mesopotamian civilisation (now in
present-day Iraq).
The Sumerians, as they were
called, are responsible for a lot of
things. They constructed the first cities.
They invented writing and the idea that
Punjab Advance
April 2015
children must go to a place like school
for education and instruction.
What was the account of the boy’s
day in school like? Well, almost like
mine but 4000 years ago!
Unbelievable! It went like this:
“Arriving at school in the morning I
recited my tablet, ate my lunch,
prepared my new tablet, wrote it,
finished it, then they assigned me
my oral work…When school was
dismissed, I went home…”
They did not have paper books.
Their writing was impressed on wet
clay with a reed pen. The clay was
baked hard in the sun. It was called
a tablet. Their writing was called
cuneiform. It consisted of wedge
shaped symbols that made up
words.
I read this account in a book
called, The Mammoth Book of How
It Happened, by a gentleman called
Jon E Lewis. In a fascinating
manner, he has put together into one
collection, eye-witness accounts of
moments in history, both eventful
and ordinary. Imagine, eye-witness
accounts of almost 4000 years of
history, though clearly, it is events of
the western world that dominate the
accounts by people of the west.
Yet, the book told me that for
schoolchildren anywhere in the world
and probably, at any time in history,
school has always meant the same.
Perhaps, writing diaries too!
47
48
Punjab Advance
April 2015
D
uring that first roll call in the Army,
I waited in dread as the sergeant got
to my name: DiFeliciantonio. There was
bound to be trouble, and I was right, because
suddenly, he fell silent—eyebrows arched,
brain overloaded. After a long pause, he thundered, “The alphabet?!”
T
S
cene: Me using
the Siri app on
my iPhone.
Me: Siri, call my wife.
Siri: Samantha McLaughlin is not in your contacts.
Me: Samantha Gibbs is
my wife.
Siri: I’ve added Samantha
Gibbs as your wife.
Me: Call my wife.
Siri: Which wife?
he water I was heating for pasta refused to boil, and if my 12year-old son was right, I wasn’t helping by constantly checking
on it.
“It’s like that old saying,” he said. “ ‘A watched website never loads.’ ”
I
’m at the library, and for some reason, when I plug my flash drive into the computer, it doesn’t show up. I keep trying, but nothing happens. As an IT major,
I know I can figure this out. So I spend 15 minutes changing settings and inserting and
removing the flash drive. Then a girl sitting next to me taps my shoulder and says,
“You’re plugging into my computer, not yours.”
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Relations Department, Punjab, SCO 107-109, Sector 34-A, Chandigarh-160022
April 2015
Punjab Advance
49
Last Word
When Riya’s world
came crumbling down !
Ramesh K Dhiman
T
he other day, my eldest daughter, a teacher,
returned home from school, in very low
spirits. She didn’t appear to be herself. She even forgot to plant a peck on my forehead to register her arrival back home. She headed straight to the bedroom,
pretending to be unwell, curtly telling us not to disturb her. She kept tossing under the blanket, grumbling
all the while “God…how can you be so unkind to Riya
and…?”
The worried mother, who is rather over-indulgent
about her first born,
sat huddled by her
side comforting her.
She had also not eaten
her lunch that day, her
mother
discovered
later. This set at rest
our legitimate hunch
that she was not pretending to be indisposed for the heck of
it. She prepared special ginger tea for her
but she refused to take
even a sip of it.
Later she declined to have dinner, saying she had
not been able to digest the previous meal. A little cooing-wooing and she agreed to join us at the table, but
she refused to eat even a morsel.
Finally she blurted:“Dad, Riya’s sweet home has
fallen to the insatiable human greed. Her little paradise lies shattered today. And she can’t even express
her anguish over the loss of her six new-born” she
sobbed inconsolably. “How come, did they fall prey
50
to some predator or what…?” I asked. “Riya is a bubbly bitch who had made a dark and dingy store-room
of our school, cramped with discarded furniture and
other knick knack, her home, days before her delivery.
As she was expecting, she opted to stay put in a
secluded sleepy corner, away from the prying eyes of
the mischievous school boys who would pester her as
and when they strayed into the storeroom. The kindhearted caretaker had brought a worn-out discarded
rug and hay stacks to
guard her and her pride to
be against the bone-rattling chill of December.
Days rolled by, one
crisp Monday afternoon,
as we were strolling on the
lawns, six cute puppies
came towards us in a playful mood. They were
joined by their mother,
who intently watched us
play. Play session over,
they returned with their
mother for a quick milkfeed session.
Days later I went to see Riya and her new-born.
“Riya…Riya…” I called out. Neither Riya nor her
pups stirred out of their hiding. A little later, Riya
showed up and stood staring, sadness writ large in her
eyes. The silence was shattered with the store-keeper’s
remarks: “Madam, all her pups were taken away by
the municipality staff, yesterday, while Riya was
away”.
Punjab Advance
April 2015
Postal Registration No.CHD/0161/2013-2015
Actual date of posting 10 to 15 -4-15
RNI No. CHAENG/2013/53324
A Monthly Magazine MBU Chd.
If undelivered please return to Director Information & Public Relations Office Punjab, SCO 107-109, Sector 34-A, Chandigarh-160022