Sukhbir Kaur: A woman who dons many hats

Be the kind of woman that makes other women want to be like you. This, in essence, sums up the ideals and morals of government school teacher-cum-TV anchor-cum-stage anchor-cum-state awardee-cum-motivational speaker Sukhbir Kaur. Indeed, she is a woman who dons many hats. Gurdaspur should be proud of having such a versatile character among its residents. She was recently the topic of discussion when she anchored ‘Rubroo’, a show on Jalandhar Doordarshan. She firmly believes that a teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires, and ensure that they are well-grounded. She has a knack of remaining in the headlines for one reason or the other. Despite gender inequality across industries, women are consistently shattering glass ceilings. Sukhbir has delivered scores of motivational lectures to young students, particularly those who belong to the lower strata of society. She recently bagged a state award, conferred upon her by the Punjab Education Department, for creating a smart school out of virtually nothing at Hardobhatwala village of the district. That is the same primary school where she has been teaching for several years. She is known to convince poor parents to let their children come to school “so that they can become better citizens”. Initially, parents are a bit apprehensive. However, they eventually come around, placing their trust in Sukhbir. At Jalandhar Doordarshan, Sukhbir has anchored programmes like ‘Focus’ — a programme on current affairs, shows dedicated to Punjabi culture, and ‘Yaadan Di Khushboo’, a programme focusing on old Punjab songs. She has interviewed doyens of Punjabi singing such as Kanwar Grewal, Harbhajan Maan, Gurdas Maan and the Waris brothers. She also dabbles in anchoring live stage shows, frequented by such singers. In the drug-ravaged border city of Gurdaspur, where Pakistani drones carrying loads of heroin have created mayhem among the younger lot, Sukhbir has collaborated with the Red Cross to deliver motivational lectures to ex-addicts. Her peers admit that she is a picture of confidence in whatever she does.

How good Samaritans are keeping Judo alive

The Shaheed Bhagat Singh Judo Centre, over the last several years, has produced numerous international judokas. “This is a game which is often played by kids belonging to the lower and middle strata of society,” says coach Amarjit Shastri. The rich go into cricket while the poor often have to do with combat sports like judo, wrestling, karate, boxing and taekwondo. The centre is sustained by contributions made by judo-aficionados from time to time. These include Dubai-based philanthropist Dr Surinder Pal Singh Oberoi, Batala-based surgeon Dr Satnam Singh Nijjar and some judo players presently serving in the Punjab Police. The latest in the line is Gurdaspur academician Rajan Kumar, an official representative of US State Universities for South-East Asia. He has donated Rs 1 lakh to help the cause of judokas Abhishek Kumar and Mahesh Inder Saini. These two Gurdaspur boys have been selected for the Indian team, which will take part in the Senior Asian Judo Championship, slated to be held in Kazakhstan from October 8 to 12.

(contributed By Ravi Dhaliwal)