Gurdaspur Diary: An enfant-terrible or a Robinhood?

Most of the time, Bhoa MLA Joginder Pal presents a picture of an angry young man. You can love him or hate him but you cannot simply ignore him. Many term him as the ‘enfant-terrible’ of the Congress. This is a phrase used for a person who’s unconventional or controversial behavior or even ideas shock, embarrass or annoy others. Joginder fits the bill to near perfection. He blows a fuse with monotonous regularity. Last month, CM Charanjit Channi was on a whirlwind tour of the Pathankot and Bhoa Assembly seats. After his visit to Pathankot was over, he received an urgent telephone call from Chandigarh. He was forced to fly back to the state capital but not before he had to face a livid Joginder. The MLA had made elaborate plans for the CM and his entourage in Bhoa. However, when the legislator got to know that the CM was forced to change his plans at the eleventh hour apparently under the pressure of some politicians inimical to him, he told the CM that he was not doing the right thing. On his part, the CM mollified him saying that he would visit Bhoa soon. The D-day came last week when Channi visited Joginder’s Assembly seat and gave him a gift by announcing the upgrade of the Narot Jaimal Singh dispensary to a 50-bedded hospital. Channi agreed to every demand put forth by the MLA. This made Joginder a happy man. He was all smiles when he went to the helipad to see off his master. The legislator’s constituents claim Joginder has a “heart of gold under a hardened exterior.” Even his adversaries admit this. He is the Robin Hood of his area. This facet of his personality was revealed during the two phases of Covid. The MLA not only toured the 180 odd villages of his seat but also went a step ahead by giving cash to the poor and needy. On one such trip, he had to face the wrath of an octogenarian woman who told him that despite Channi’s waiver on electricity bills she had received a bill which ran into thousands. The MLA dug deep into his pockets and gave her Rs 2,000 denomination notes. Moments later he was surrounded by scores of people. The MLA did not disappoint even a single person. He is a man who knows every vote counts. His pocket may have been lighter that day but he walked as if his stature had risen by a few inches. Locals say such benevolent actions by him are common. Nitin Laddi Mahajan, a Pathankot municipal councilor and his close confidant said, “The MLA knows that one kind deed is much more effective than a thousand good intentions. If you want to know a man’s true character, just observe how he treats those who do not matter.”

The world is this young painter’s canvas

Kajal (16) is a painter well known in the city. At 14, she won the top prize in the national painting competition for the disabled. She has suffered from a disability since birth and cannot move around by herself. It is her paternal uncle and driver Raj Kumar who tends to her every need. He wraps her in his arms and takes her to school almost every day. In the evenings, he makes sure that she gets some entertainment in the form of playing outdoor games. Her father, Narinder Kumar and mother Raj Kamal, treat her with kid-gloves. At 8, her parents knew that their daughter would make a name for herself in the world of painting after she won a district-level competition. Now she has been adopted by a Good Samaritan Romesh Mahajan who also runs the Red Cross De-addiction centre on the Gurdaspur-Sri Hargobindpur road. He says he will take care of all her financial needs. On her part, Kajal, is aiming for the civil services. At present she is a Class XII student of Government Senior Secondary School, Dhariwal, 8 km from Gurdaspur. “Almost every day, I dream of my painting and paint my dreams,” says Kajal. Yoga therapist Dolly Sharma, who is regularly in touch with Kajal, says the girl has tones of resilience. “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. However, when it comes to the artistic expression, truly magnificent masterpieces do not necessarily have to be pretty. Instead, the beauty of an artwork is closely linked to stimulate emotions within us. It is an artist’s potential to successfully communicate a wide range of thoughts and feelings that make art beautiful. Kajal has all these qualities and even more. She is equally good at painting and studies. I am sure this girl has it in her to become an IAS officer. At least, unlike others, she is willing to give it a try,” said Dolly. Romesh Mahajan says he will try to fulfill every need of Kajal to ensure she makes the grade in the civil services.

In Sujanpur, it is Babbu all the way

Every politician worth his salt knows for sure that three-time Sujanpur BJP MLA Dinesh Singh Babbu’s social connect with the masses is extremely strong. He wakes up early and by breakfast, he has already met sarpanches and panches of nearly a dozen villages. He has a fleet of cars at his disposal but prefers to walk to nearby villages or, at the most, asks some workers to give him a lift on a two-wheeler. Not many know that from 2012 till 2017, he was the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly. It is another matter that he never got a chance to preside over the house. Reason: During his tenure as Dy Speaker, the Speaker never remained absent. The party’s internal survey reports prove that he is strongly placed to retain his seat. Whenever there is any party function, his wife and daughter do not sit on the dais. Instead, they mingle with the workers and sit on the chairs earmarked for the commoners. Ex-Gurdaspur MP Vinod Khanna used to cite examples of Babbu’s humility and modesty to senior Delhi based leaders. Despite being an MLA for 15 successive years, his head is not in the clouds. Instead his feet are firmly planted on the ground. In Sujanpur, not even a single BJP worker is staking a claim for the ticket. Everybody knows it is reserved for only one man. In the neighbouring seats of Bhoa and Pathankot, you can see ticket contenders. But none in Sujanpur!

Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal

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