Lohri with leprosy patients

Abohar: The management committee of Geeta Mandir celebrated Lohri with the inmates of Malout-based Nav Jiwan Kusht Ashram here. This service project was launched about 25 years ago by a group of social activists and philanthropists, including Brahm Parkash Bhusari, Jagdish Nagpal, Ayodhya Prasad, Jagdish Rai Chuchra, Sunil Chawla and vendor-turned millionaire Milakh Raj Angi, aka ‘topi wala’. The ashram inmates visit Abohar via a passenger train to collect donation while walking through the markets. As they recently resumed their travel to Abohar, the temple management committee invited the leprosy patients of the ashram to celebrate Lohri.

Education package for needy girls

Abohar: To encourage girls to pursue higher education, the organising committee of ‘Lohri dhiyan di’ decided that despite Covid-19, the event would be organised this year. In the past, the event has benefitted as many as 3,000 girls, whose applications were picked by draw of lots. This year, the event will be organised under the joint aegis of the Baba Deep Singh Sewa Seva Samiti and the Sriganganagar Chamber of Commerce with cooperation of educational institutions.

Sidhu’s road to fame

Gurdaspur: This week, Navjot Singh Sidhu returned to his roots in Patiala after a decade. The fact that he addressed a press conference is known to everybody. What remains unknown is that he spoke to the media barely yards away from the driveway that catapulted him to fame. In 1983, after an unimpressive debut against Clive Lloyd led West Indies, where his flawed technique against the rising ball was exploited to the hilt, Sidhu converted this driveway into a makeshift pitch. His aides used to sprinkle water on the concrete surface, and later, bounced golf balls at him as fast as possible. The result was that he slowly learnt the art of playing a fast ball to perfection. After four years of practising with golf balls, he created a record by scoring five successive half-centuries in the 1987 World Cup. After that, there was no looking back for him in cricket.

Contributed by Raj Sadosh and Ravi Dhaliwal