Gurdaspur Diary: Act of compassion by Sessions Judge

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others? Only then can society become a better place to live in. This rang loud and true in the ears of the senior most member of the judiciary in Gurdaspur —- District and Sessions Judge Rajinder Aggarwal. Reason enough why he and his wife Reena Aggarwal visited the Preliminary Education Centre at Maan Kaur village for the umpteenth time. Here, children of beggars study free of cost. The centre is run by Romesh Mahajan who is a recipient of the National Award from the President of India for exemplary services in the field of alcohol prevention and substance abuse. The judge in Aggarwal knows for sure that overcoming poverty is not an act of charity. Rather, it is an act of justice. Much to the delight of the children, Aggarwal decided to give them a laptop. Mahajan has brought a projector and both these equipment will now be used to teach the kids in a better way. The Sessions Judge has also invited the children to his court so that they can have first-hand knowledge of how the wheels of justice revolve in our country. This is indeed a noble gesture. Do a little good wherever you are for it is these little bits and pieces that add up and have the power to change the world. An interesting feature of the school’s curriculum is that a very important thing about life is taught to the kids: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” How far the children accept and implement this in their lives is in the realm of speculation. There are some people who are do-gooders and continue to help the underprivileged. And then there are the arm-chair critics who do nothing except to criticise every good move. This quote by columnist William E Vaughn fits perfectly: “It would be nice if the poor were to get even half of the money that is spent on studying them.”

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Senior citizens take up tree planting
The body ages but the spirit never ages. It stays young, forever. This seems to be the motto of the ‘Senior Citizens Association’. Interestingly, the organisation, which works for the improvement of society in general and senior citizens in particular, operates from the Fish Park, a walkers’ paradise. A part of this place is also visited frequently by drug addicts. This is the reason why the Association works towards informing the youth about the ill-effects of drugs. Its president is Sukhdev Singh Sandhu and secretary is Prof JK Behl (retd). It functions in collaboration with the Gurdaspur district administration and the District Red Cross Society. Its members take an avid interest in telling people who visit the Fish Park about the benefits of tree plantation. The members themselves lead from the front by planting trees, securing them with tree guards and watering them to ensure they live a healthy life, a subtle message to society that nurture is also essential to sustain nature.

(Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)