Thursday, August 29, 2013

MY FRIEND – MALKIAT SINGH



I have been writing about the dalit contemporary heroes in my blog. Today, I will write about yet another hero, my friend Malkiat Singh of villager Balan in Jalandhar.  Malkiat is also an alumnus of DAV College Jalandhar like me. I came to know Malkiat quite late through my friend Ram Lal Kainth who did his Master’s in Political Science along with Malkiat. Malkiat also happened to be the neighbor of my brother in law (husband of my sister Kamla) DC Kumar in their village Balan (famous for Dera Sachkhand Balan).  Malkiat belonged to an ordinary but enlightened family. His parents must be the real Karamjogis who made their children study and work hard, in spite of considerable socio-economic difficulties, and get settled in life in a dignified way.

Malkiat did his MA in Political Science from DAV College, Jalandhar in early 70s. His teachers, Prof. KC Mohindru and Prof. KK Ghai, who were my teachers also, later in personal conversations spoke very high of Malkiat as an intelligent student and were proud of him. With total dedication and hard work, Malkiat passed the Indian Civil Services examination and became an IPS officer in 1975-76 in the UP Cadre. During his long service as a police officer, Malkiat manned and occupied important positions in the UP police establishment. He rose to highest position in his career and worked as Additional DGP of the State under the stewardship of Chief Minister Mayawati. He earned good reputation and goodwill in his career. On retirement in around year 2010, he was selected and appointed to yet another coveted constitutional position as Chairman of UP Public Service Commission. It was an additional feather in his cap. Now on completion of his assignment at the Commission, Malkiat is back to his roots in Jalandhar to be with the society. I wish him all the very best in the years to come.

The immediate provocation for writing this piece is that Malkiat Singh invited me on the death anniversary of his father Shri Munshi Ram on August 27 at Balan. It was an honour for me. They observe the occasion as an annual ritual to honour and recognize good students of the village Balan and nearby villages under the aegis of Shri Munshi Ram Charitable Trust which the family has floated in the memory of their father. The Trust is doing a good job which is appreciated not only by the beneficiary young students but also by the community at large. I take this opportunity to congratulate Malkiat Singh, his brother Master Bhagat Ram and other Trustees of Shri Munshi Ram Charitable Trust and wish them further success in their appreciable efforts to encourage the students of the rural areas to complete their educational careers with flying colours.

अपना मुकदर आप बनाते हैं अहले दिल;

हम वोह नहीं जिने जमाना बना गया !   

Thursday, August 15, 2013

GREETINGS ON THE INDEPENDENCE DAY – AUGUST 15


 

TODAY, August 15, we are celebrating the Independence Day of India. My greetings to all my fellow citizens and friends on this happy occasion.

India has come a long way since 1947. We are a nation of 1.25 billion people. Demographically, India is one of youngest countries. India is the largest democracy of the world. It is one of the fastest growing economies. India is one of the largest reservoirs of skilled and semi-skilled manpower. But India is still poor and under developed. We are still to go a long way. The divisive forces are at work and are gaining strength. We are a divided lot on the basis of caste and religion. We are one of the top corrupt nations. The economy is in dis-array. Political parties do not have any national agenda. India is surrounded by hostile neighbours.

India Today, in one of its latest issues has termed India as “World’s only RDC” and said “There are LDCs (Less Developed Countries) and there are UDCs (Under Developed Countries) But India is an RDC, a Refusing to Develop Country, thanks to its politicians. India today has further informed that in 1982, India’s per capita income was 39% higher than China’s. By 2012, India’s per capita income had reduced to just 24% of China’s. An average Chinese is 3 times richer than an Indian; he was 28% poorer than an Indian in 1982. It is a matter of shame and concern.

Let the Independence Day be an occasion for introspection. We have definitely gone wrong on the way. Before we get derailed, we need to remind ourselves of the warning Dr. B.R. Ambedkar gave in the Constituent Assembly. He said “Independence is no doubt a matter of joy. But let us not forget this independence has thrown on us great responsibilities. By independence, we have lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves”