By Shruti Prakash Joshi

Just as Shaheed Baba Deep Singh laid down his life trying to restore Harminder Sahib from the clutches of the Mughal rulers, his descendant Col Gurbirinder S Sandhu is trying to bring about a revolution in restoring the prestige of the poor and down trodden in villages of Punjab.  

Col. Sandhu, the founder of a Non Government Organization (NGO) called Aapna Punjab and responsible for spearheading a movement against Nihang Ajit Singh Poohla, is currently visiting Canada to motivate ex-patriots to contribute towards the social projects in Punjab.  

He comes across as an extremely suave and dignified person. He spoke to The Asian Star about the work he is doing in backward areas of Punjab and his campaign to get Ajit Singh Poohla arrested. Born in Pahuwind, the village of his ancestor Shaheed Baba Deep Singh, Sandhu joined the Indian army after being educated in prestigious institutes such as Aitcheson College or Chiefs College, Lahore and Lawrence school, Sanawar.  

His Army career came to an end in 1981 when he decided to take retirement and lead a peaceful, retired life. “I was leading a quite life playing golf and taking it easy until my father passed away in 2003 and I had to go to the village to take care of the property there,” said Col Sandhu.  

As a person having enjoyed a comfortable life in the city, what he witnessed in the village started a chain of events, which ultimately led to the formation of Majha Ex-serviceman Human Rights Front and Aapna Punjab.  

“A group of people approached me and told me about the illegal and nefarious activities of Ajit Singh Poohla, a criminal who had unleashed terror in the villages by torturing people. I was told about abductions and rapes and merciless killings by Poohla, who being a police informer in the days of the militancy was virtually not touched by the police or the state government,” said Col Sandhu. Poohla had captured seven gurdwaras and even SGPC was not ready to take a stand. In the midst of such a scenario, Col Sandhu decided to take up cudgel and fight for the rights of the villagers. The media and press helped in highlighting the atrocities and finally with the help of the police, Sandhu managed to get Poohla arrested. “He has been charged with three murders and the case is currently going on in the courts,” said Col Sandhu.  

But Col Sandhu did not stop with this. He had witnessed first hand the deplorable conditions in the villages and slowly started motivating people to take their destiny in their own hands. “Our aim is to make a difference and our motto is God helps those who help themselves. I constantly tell people to leave their political ideology behind and move ahead with making a difference in their own lives,’ said Col Sandhu.

Aapna Punjab’s aim is to bring about socio-economic development in Punjab and they are doing this by opening English medium schools and empowering women. “There is an urgent need for qualified teachers in rural areas. The children need to be taught English. They are losing out on al the jobs because of their lack of proficiency in the language,’ said Col Sandhu.  

Sandhu has also formed the Mai Bhago Fauj to fight a war against rampant drug trade in the state. “This is a group of volunteers who surround drug selling places and pressure them into shutting the business. “We have had some success in this area,” said Col Sandhu.  

Col Sandhu is also creating awareness among people about AIDS and encouraging them to get blood test done and then trying to rehabilitate those who have been diagnosed with the disease. “Empowerment of women is also something we are actively working on. We are teaching women in villages the art of Phulkari and stitching and will send some samples abroad to see if there is a market for the product. The idea is to set a cottage industry in motion so that women can be financially independent,” said Col Sandhu.  

Funds for these projects come from concerned people all over the world but mainly from the villagers themselves. “I want the villagers to contribute to change their own destiny,” said Col Sandhu firmly believing that each drop contributes towards making an ocean. “People have been kind enough to donate ambulances, computers and even their time to make the lives of people better in these backward areas,” said Sandhu.  

And as for himself he said it is providence that from leading a quite life playing golf, he has been inspired to do something for the villagers of the area where his famous ancestor Baba Deep Singh came from.  

For additional information, you can log on to www.aapnapunjab.org or call him in India at (+91) 9876169922. His e-mail is chairman@aapnapunjab.org.