86-year-old ex-serviceman prepares youngsters for R-Day function

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 22

An 86-year-old ex-serviceman Lt Col Manmohan Singh (retd) can be spotted standing for four to five hours at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium daily as he handles about 2,600 youth rehearsing for the forthcoming Republic Day function.

Even when it was raining heavily this morning, the tough taskmaster ensured that at least some part of rehearsal could be conducted.

“I cannot just spare even a single day of practice at this stage. So, I ensured that all 1,500 students who are a part of the parade came and practised in the sheds,” he said.

His job just did not end there. Lt Col Manmohan Singh kept calling all school and college heads asking them to send children for the practice of cultural events under sheds at stadium.

As most tried to avoid sending children giving excuse that it was raining and attendance was less than 50 per cent, he still managed to persuade some and get some cultural performances practised in covered area even today.

The level of commitment of the officer can be seen from the fact that it is for the past consecutive 26 years that he has been supervising rehearsals for R-Day and the Independence Day at the stadium. Owing to his leadership, training skills and insistence of maintaining perfection in all programmes, the administration also entrusts him with organising Armed Forces Flag Day function.

He ensures that all children coming for the parade get two bananas and a kinoo as refreshment daily before they leave.

“After I make them practice their items again and again. But with me there for 10 days, I am sure that they also learn lessons on ethics of life and discipline. The rehearsal sessions with youth rejuvenates me too for the rest of the year,” he added.

Having opted for voluntary retirement in 1986-87, he was picked by the then local administration for the post of Deputy Director Local Bodies. Here too, he worked for 26 years till 2012 wherein he had imparted training to 55,000 youth at various camps, organised for free for entry into police, defence and paramilitary forces.

“While several hundred youth, who took training under me got jobs, 31 boys got entry into NDA and 11 girls got admission at Officers’ Training Academy. I can proudly recall that the Sainik Welfare teams from 17 states came to my office in those days to see the work I was engaged in,” he said.