Gurdaspur Diary: Celebrities sighted in Batala

The rule of the thumb is that Batala is a city not known for hosting celebrities. Last week turned out to be an exception when three famous personalities descended on the city. The occasion was the inauguration of a multi-specialty hospital —- Indo-US Medicity. This is an entity where patients can even have private consultations with US-based doctors. The hospital is owned by Dr Satnam Singh Nijjar, a surgeon. The city is surely to benefit from the experience and expertise of some renowned physicians roped in by the doctor. Now back to the presence of celebrities in town. Dr Raj Bahadur, a surgeon par excellence, Dr SPS Oberoi, a renowned philanthropist and Justice MM Singh Bedi, who has delivered some path-breaking judgments during his heyday, were present for the hospital’s opening. The first thing one noticed about these people is that they are not attached to any materialistic thing. They probably must have been aware of what Gautam Buddha said: The root of all human suffering is attachment. Despite having achieved name and fame, they prefer to maintain a low profile. Perhaps one reason may be that they have seen it all, done it all and conquered it all. They have successfully ridden the crests and troughs of life. That is why they are wisened by the experiences they have acquired in life’s journey. They know that the road less travelled is less travelled for a reason. Hence, instead of taking that road, they tread their own path. For Batalvis, it was indeed a rare sight to see them sitting together, as rare as sighting the northern white rhinoceros. For the uninitiated, there are just two such rhinoceros remaining in the world —Najin and Fatu — who live under the constant protection of poachers in a Kenya wildlife park.

Entrepreneur all set to do city proud

It is rare that a small town like Gurdaspur should produce men or women who leave an indelible impression on society. A woman entrepreneur is all set to change what Gurdaspur stands for. She is Shriya Bhandari. She took over the reins of her family business —- a 50-room hotel —- in nearby Dalhousie after completing her MBA in financial management. These days, she is busy attending a Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) in Gandhinagar. This is considered to be India’s oldest, largest and best known trade festival. The country’s travel market is one of the fastest growing in the world. That is why some of India’s youngest entrepreneurs visit the place to acquire knowledge. Asked why she was so much interested in attending the event, she quipped, “If you find yourself drawn to an event against all logic, go. The universe is probably telling you something.” Now, that is mature thinking. Shriya knows that it is delusional to think you can ever attain success without first passing through the fire of failure. Yes, she is ambitious. There is nothing wrong in that provided you do not cross the line in pursuit of your passion. To top it, this young woman is willing to take risks. She knows that if a person is unwilling to take risks, calculated or otherwise, he will have to be content with the ordinary. And she hates being ordinary. For her, the word extra needs to be prefixed with the ordinary.

(Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)