Forum ‘Misplaced Perception’
Apropos the post in WIC Forum dt August 19, I know nothing about the surfer S Chatterjee. Assuming him to be an ex-officer or a teacher, he lacks the ability of independent assessment. His views on decisions of the ruling political dispensation especially " Demonetization " are laced with political bias. Out-of-sync with ground reality and general public perception. I suppose, he must have been the most obedient civil servant ; Yours faithfully type!
A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)
A versatile genius, who transformed a college.
Principal S.Gurbux singh shergill is no more.
In July 2003, I was holding meeting with the officers of drainage department ,when my PA brought a slip of a visitor and placed it in front of me. Since it was unusual for my PA to have brought the slip in the meeting, I gave it a casual glance and a frowning face to him. But the name mentioned on the slip had electrifying effect on me. I told the officers to wait for a minute, got up and moved towards my exit door. Outside my room was standing a very healthy and graceful man of about seventy years .I respectfully looked at him and uttered his name to confirm as some other persons were around. He nodded gently. I immediately touched his feet and ushered him in my room. All the officers were looking at him. I introduced him to the officers and told them about the big achievements of the man. The gentleman did not know me except for my present status and was looking surprisingly as how come I knew so much about him. In fifteen minutes the meeting was over. Then , I looked attentively at him to know the reason of his coming. He started slowly and told that he was running a NGO, which was meant to maintain the site where Maharaja Ranjit Singh had put the flag of his sovereignty on the hill facing Ropar city, when he met Lord William Bentinck at Ropar, to make a historical treaty. He told that when he visited the site for the first time, he came to know that the original flag pole and the flag which was made of eight precious metals had been pilfered ,nobody knowing when. He had met deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police of Ropar and Hoshiarpur districts ,but no action was taken to trace it. Now the area was in Nawanshahr distt, so he wanted to apprise me. He had got a grant from the MPLAD and had fixed a ordinary flag to keep the identification of the place. He added that he had met the chief minister Amarinder Singh, who would see the site for maintaining it befittingly. He had come just to tell in advance for adequate arrangements. He also told me that presently he was on the governing council of the Amardeep memorial college Mukandpur near Banga. As deputy Commissioner, I had already heard that the college was running very well. In his presence I was wondering as to how one man can bring about so much transformation in Khalsa college Amritsar.
I was student of DAV college Amritsar, but my evenings in the years 1971 to 73 were mostly spent in the playgrounds of the Khalsa college. Since its inception it had been producing world class personalities and hardly any year passed since the start of the Asian games, when it did not win a gold medal. But the late 1960s and early 1970s ,though produced eminent personalities, yet the hooliganism, groupism of students, serious fights amongst them, even a murder in the premises, large scale copying in the exams, reduction in merits in pre-medical and pre-engineering, not good results in post-graduate classes and slow down in extra-curricular activities, were being perceived as detrimental to the growth of the institution by one and all. It was being felt that this position would not be changed and the glory of the college may not be restored. However, in the year 1975, the management brought a new Principal of the college. This fearless visionary would work 20 hours a day and within a year the change was being noticed. He would walk into the groups of students known for their notorious and roguish ways and desperate to show their bravado ,sit for a while with them, admonish them and go back. He would stand in between the warring groups at the risk of his own life and prevent fierce fights. He would meet the parents of the toppers and convince them to admit their wards in the college. He started bright sections to be provided special and additional coaching. The goonda elements were tamed. However ,one such goonda ,who had emerged as a fresh gangster, wanted to gain quick recognition by intimidating the Principal. During one big function in the college, he confronted the Principal and started insulting him at gun point. In front of thousands of people, he would signal him to sit and then again to stand repeatedly. The police was informed, which came and the gang dispersed. The Principal, though was publicly insulted by that kirpala mental at gun point, yet he did not lose his wits for a second. He behaved as if nothing had happened. Another time ,at gun point that gangster wanted him to do a wrong work. He refused and also grappled with him and overpowered him. Within 2 years of his taking over, the number of merits of Khalsa college Amritsar were more than the traditional merit churners DAV Colleges Amritsar and Jalandhar. This position was maintained with minor variations till the year 1989,the year in which he retired. I still consider myself lucky to have seen a person, who completely transformed an Institution and was still going strong at this age. He was Gurbux Singh Shergill.
Surinderjit Singh Sandhu, Amritsar
