






Dr.Gurdeep Kaur
Associate Professor
SGND Khalsa College
Department of Political Science
&
National Service Scheme Programme Officer
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Inspired by Olympian Ajmer Singh, whose body was donated to PGI in January, these people have also pledged to donate their bodies to PGI for medical research.
Now they are planning to run a body organ donation campaign.
“A few years back, a pro- fessor from Amritsar Medical College told me that there was an acute shortage of bodies for research in medical colleges. The education of medicos was facing a setback due to this shortage,” said Amrik Singh Gill, who is one of the initiators of this cam- paign. He is an organic agriculture consultant staying in SAS Nagar, Phase II.
He says that around two years back, he along with wife Raj Gill pledged to donate their bodies to PGI.
“At that time, PGI’s Head of the Department of Anatomy told us that being a research institute, PGI requires around 25 bodies a month but they were getting just two. Then I realised how even dead bodies were important for living human beings,” says Singh.
He then shared the idea with his neighbour Brigadier H.S. Cheema (retired) and his wife Raj Cheema. “Both of them immediately agreed,” says Singh. Soon, it began tak- ing the shape of a campaign.
More people joined in and it almost became a community.
Today, sitting among the donors, H.S. Cheema proudly says, “I am the most eligible candidate among all these, because each day, I am growing older for the greater common good.”
with thanks : sikhsangat
SikhsIndia
www.sohnijodi.com www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com www.RWABhagidari.blogspot.com
But welcomes move by Pakistan government to start Guru Nanak Dev International University
The Pakistan government is all set to lay the foundation stone of Guru Nanak Dev International University (GNDIU) at Nankana Sahib on April 17. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) here has welcomed the move, but it is surprised, and irked, at not being invited for the event.
Claiming to be the paramount representative body of Sikhs, the SGPC feels ignored as it has not been taken into confidence while finalising the date for the significant event, to be attended by world Sikh leaders. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar says he things their criticism of Pakistan on various issues, including the recent beheading of a Sikh by the Taliban near Peshawar, may not have gone down well with the government of the neighbouring country. “We often criticise them. We are not like those who stoop low and turn sycophants ignoring the critical issues confronting the Panth,” says an agitated Makkar, confirming that no invitation has been received by them.
Even as there is practically no presence of Tamilians in the state, Haryana had declared Tamil as its second language in 1969 when Bansi Lal was the chief minister.
Officially Tamil had never enjoyed the status of a second language in this predominantly Hindi-speaking state, but the arrangement somehow carried on willy-nilly for more than 40 years.
Old-timers say the Tamil was declared as the second language just to give a rebuff to Punjab. “Since it was the Punjabi suba agitation that had led to formation of Haryana, Bansi Lal thought, ‘Let any language other than Punjabi be the second language of the state’. Hence, Tamil became the second language even though there might not have be even a single Tamil native family in the state at that point of time”, said a former bureaucrat.
Subsequently, though the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) announced the replacement of Tamil with Punjabi, nothing changed on the ground.
Hooda said here last month that a notification had been issued to accord Punjabi a second language status. Incidentally, the Congress menifesto had promised to take the step. The move might finally result in Tamil language being obliterated from the Haryana government records.
Hooda, keeping an eye on the Sikh vote bank, said his government would endeavour to popularise the language. Earlier, Hooda had announced to carve out a separate Sikh gurdwara management committee for the Sikhs in Haryana.
The Sikh population in Haryana is close to one crore, though the number of Punjabi-speaking population could be much higher.
with thanks : Source : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_punjabi-edges-out-tamil-in-haryana_1356124
SikhsIndia
By Ravinder Singh Robin
New Delhi, March 6: Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani will lay the foundation stone of the Baba Guru Nanak International University (BGNIU) next month at Nankana Sahib, Pakistan.
The ceremony is likely to be attended by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gurusharan Kaur and Punjab’s chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Talking to Asian News International over phone from Lahore about the ceremony of Baba Guru Nanak International University, Azhar Ehsan, an Advocate and the Executive Director of BGNIU’s governing body, said: “The function would be held on April 17 and Mrs. Gursharn Kaur, the wife of Dr. Manmohan Singh and Parkash Singh Badal, chief Minster of Punjab have shown interest to attend the ceremony.”
The university would be constructed in 2,500 acres of land in Nankana Sahib.
More than 15,000 Sikh pilgrims are likely to visit in the month of April to attend the Baisakhi festival’s celebrations in Pakistan.
Dr. Pritpal Singh from United States said that the proposed university would have the best architecture, curricula and research center on Sikh and other religion and culture. He said that AGPC would bear all the expenses on establishing the course related to Gurmat Sangeet facility.
“We will invite scholars from all over the world to join the university. It will be planned University that to be modeled similar to standards set by the great universities of Oxford and Cambridge and students from all over the world will be offered admission to the University.”
It is pertinent to mention that none of the members was taken from India in the governing body of the University, neither from the Shri Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the premier body of the Sikhs or from Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
However, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Parmjit Singh Sarna said: “I am happy that the Pak Prime Minister would be laying the foundation stone ceremony to build the University. It makes no difference to me whether they have not given any representation in the committee to us.”
– ANI
with thanks Source : http://www.morningcity.com/mc/world/south-asia/10077030.htm