Celebrities come forward to aid in flood relief work

“Nanak Naam Chardi Kala, Tere Bhaane Sarbat da Bhala.” This simple Sikh prayer forms the central belief of Sikhism. It seeks in the name of God, with high spirit, a positive mindset and his blessings, prosperity for all.

At a time when Punjab has been wrecked by devastating floods and its people displaced and in despair, Punjab’s on-screen heroes have turned real-life heroes by actively offering practical support on ground. In Chardikala, the big names of Punjabi entertainment industry, including Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla, Jasbir Jassi, Satinder Sartaj, Sunanda Sharma, Gippy Grewal and others, have come forward to offer their ‘sewa’ for ‘Sarbat da Bhala’Joining the relief efforts across flood affected areas in Fazilka, Gurdaspur and Amritsar, several celebrated names of the Punjabi entertainment industry are working as volunteers and offering support in relief and rescue operations and pledging long-term rehabilitation support for villages.

One of the first ones to come forward with food and relief material for displaced families was Satinder Sartaj, through his Sartaj Foundation, which has already distributed relief material to more than 500 families and is currently working on ground operations in Ajnala and Fazilka. Diljit Dosanjh’s Saanjh Foundation is working to provide relief and reaching out to evaluate the damage due to floods in remote villages of Ajnala.

As Diljit begins his Aura tour across Australia and New Zealand, Sonali Singh along with her team, landed in Amritsar three days back and is working closely with volunteers of Global Sikh Foundation to distribute solar lights, tents, medicines and other essential items. Diljit Dosanjh’s Saanjh Foundation has pledged to adopt 10 of the most severely impacted villages in Amritsar and Gurdaspur, coordinating with NGOs and local authorities to ensure long-term rehabilitation of flood victims. Ammy Virk and his team have announced to adopt 200 homes, offering shelter and stability to families who’ve lost their dwelling, aiming to restore hope and dignity. Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal has pledged support to Global Sikh Foundation, to run free ambulance and medical vans.

Singer-actor and now producer Gippy Grewal had been sending truckloads of silage for cattle and cattle feed for affected areas, knowing how cattle health is at risk in this hour. Grewal’s local teams at Ajnala and Fazilka are working together with villagers and the local authorities to reach out to people stuck in remote areas. Karan Aujla, Bunty Bains and Gurbaaz Singh have donated rescue boats while Sunanda Sharma and Raj Kundra visited the relief camps at Ajnala to interact with rescued families, offering emotional as well as inspirational support.

Punjabi mainstream singers have long been facing criticism, for glorifying guns, alcohol and misogyny, with individual singers, including Diljit, Aujla, AP Dhillon and Guru Randhawa being the target of online trolling. Now, these very singers have stepped forward to offer humanitarian aid, with accountability and commitment towards their people, their land.

Singer Guru Randhawa has set up two relief camps at Dera Baba Nanak and village Dharowali. Parminder Singh, a local villager from Dharowali, who is leading relief operations of Guru Randhawa’s team, said, “We received a call from Randhawa as he was interested in sending us financial help for relief work. Our camps provided dry ration, medicines, drinking water and cattle feed initially to 40-50 houses in two villages of Dera Baba Nanak. Currently, we are in Kharar Khurd village in Ajnala, where no help had reached and we are working to reach people stuck here,” he said. Parminder is a farmer and lost 15 acres of fertile land to floods. “We are all in this together. We need to hold and lift each other now,” he said.

Singer Jasbir Jassi has been actively working in Ajnala and using social platforms to solicit donations. After actor Sanjay Dutt tweeted in support of Punjab flood relief work, several Bollywood A-listers have followed, urging their fans and organisations to contribute.

Other Punjabi singers have been working with “Initiators of Change”, a volunteer-based organisation that was among the first to come out with help after the floods hit. Global Sikh Organisation is working with Diljit Dosanjh’s team, reaching out to those still cut off from aid. Singer-actor Jass Bajwa is working as a volunteer with Khalsa Aid.