Tarn Taran Diary: Hereditary farmhouse of Tur family wears deserted look

There is a farmhouse with 16 acres of agricultural land situated on the outskirts of Tur village. It is well known in political circles but wears a deserted look these days. The administration deserves three cheers as it has connected the farmhouse with a pucca road to the link road leading to other villages and the main Tur village. The farmhouse has the grace of being the birthplace of three MPs which brought the family much respect. The three personalities who are the products of this farmhouse are Jathedar Mohan Singh Tur and his two sons, Lehna Singh Tur and Tarlochan Singh Tur. These three represented the area in the Lok Sabha for five terms. It is a matter of pride for the family that the family’s landholding which was 16 acres at the time of Jathedar Jagat Singh, father of Jathedar Mohan Singh Tur, is still of the same size and has not increased by even a single acre. Jathedar Mohan Singh Tur was a great personality and was elected president of the Shiromani Akali Dal after the death of Sant Fateh Singh in 1972. He brought honour to SAD when he broke the control of the Congress party from Tarn Taran parliamentary seat in the election of 1977 held after Emergency. After his victory, the Tarn Taran Lok Sabha seat was known as a Panthic seat (Sikh dominated seat). After the death of Jathedar Mohan Singh Tur, his son Lehna Singh Tur was elected an MP from Tarn Taran in 1980 followed by his younger brother Tarlochan Singh Tur who won the seat in 1985, 1998 and then in 1999. Jathedar Mohan Singh Tur had five sons. All of them have passed away and no one from the family resides in Tur village. Harbhajan Singh, son of Tarlochan Singh Tur, who lives in Amritsar, said the family land is controlled jointly. It is a matter of concern that no one from the Tur family is nowadays visible in politics. The farmhouse remains locked. It is still the same old structure and retains its style with the bench stationed under the (Bohar) tree on which visitors used to wait for their turn to see their leaders to redress their grievances. Surjit Singh, a neighbour of the family, said members of the Tur family visit the ancestral house on and off. Harbhajan Singh prefers not to say anything when asked why the family has stayed away from active politics. The family has nothing to do with the coming Lok Sabha elections of 2024. 

Kar Sewa sect Sarhali Sahib in service of humanity

Baba Sukha Singh, head of Kar Sewa sect, Sarhali Sahib, who did a remarkable job in saving the flood-hit farmers from ruin, is still active and trying to compensate the affected farmers. Baba Sukha Singh worked hard to fill the breaches that occurred along the river Beas and Sutlej along with thousands of his followers. During the floods, the Kar Sewa sect remained active to provide food, fodder and shelter. When the situation normalised, Baba Sukha Singh started helping the farmers in sowing wheat crop which is still on. Seeds and fertilisers have been provided to the needy farmers with the help of social workers. The followers of the sect contacted the needy farmers in the villages and farmers with less than three acres of land were listed for compensation in the form of wheat seeds and other material. The affected farmers said that the state government has not given them even a penny by way of relief. It is also a fact that hundred of farmers have failed to sow wheat as their fields are filled with sand and silt which has not been removed yet. In some villages, the residents have honoured Baba Sukha Singh for extending help to the farmers during floods. — Gurbaxpuri