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On The ISC Front
Lt Gen Kartar Singh
The last quarter has kept us busy with our efforts to expedite the completion of the Guru Granth Sahib building on the first floor of which will be housed our permanent Headquarters. Besides that we have been visiting coaching centres to encourage students to make a strong bid to successfully tackle their chosen competitive examinations. Our team consisting of Myself, Col J S Multani and CE Jagdev Singh Sodhi has also been visiting members by turn to motivate them to take more active part in ISC activities, as well as contribute towards our Education projects.
Coaching Centres
Both the Coaching Centres at Mukandpur and Dosanj Talwandi near MOGA, are actively preparing students for achievement in the Higher Secondary and competitive examination sphere. The response from students as judged from their attendance and periodical examination results are encouraging. Teachers are motivated and holding regular classes. We are also providing them with improved coaching material each year in various subjects. While talking to Teachers and Students, it is gratifying to note that they highly appreciate what ISC members are doing for them. We pray for their success in the various competitions that they have tackled this year.
Aid to Bright Students
The ISC is always on the look out to spot bright students who, if supported in time, can be coached for competitions to enter the IAS/IPS/IIT’s etc. We have already supported two such students recently one of whom S. Prabhraj Singh is aspiring to be a Chartered Accountant and the other S. Tejinderbir Singh is already admitted in Engineering College Roorkee. Besides these two, we are already supporting other students in Nursing, Medical Colleges, B.Ed and Pre-Medical College Classes.
Aid given to a bright student named Bibi Gaganjit Kaur to complete her 4 year Nursing Course was most rewarding. She kept in touch constantly and forwarded to us all results of Semester Examinations and other events. Today she has passed out with honours and joined service. As soon as she did so, this loyal student surprised us by sending us two Demand Drafts within three months, repaying total gratuity paid to her by the ISC. We highly appreciate this gesture which will help us continue our Scholarship Scheme for more needy students. She has set an unique example.
The ISC Executive Committee has been closely following events relating to the passing of the modified Anand Marriage Act 1909 by the Parliament. While it was under consideration, we had expressed strong views to the Jathedar Sahib Akal Takht that the modified Anand marriage Act should be a complete one. We had fully supported his statement issued after the presentation of the draft Sikh Marriage Act by Principal Daljit Singh at a meeting held at Chief Khalsa Dewan, Amritsar. However SGPC had already accepted the passage of an incomplete Anand Marriage Act by Parliament, which is now a fait accompli. Our Advisory Council on Religious affairs will now study the draft presented by Principal Daljit Singh and formulate a complete Anand Marriage Act to be sent to the SGPC for further action. This will be done in co-ordination with the Institute of Sikh Studies and Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha. We do hope that the SGPC and our MPs will not rest until the complete Sikh Marriage Act is passed in both houses of parliament within a short duration.
Minority Scholarships under PMs 15 Point Programe
In a continuing effort the ISC along with Kalgidhar Trust, Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle and some Gurudwaras in Chandigarh and Ludhiana have achieved a high rate of success in taking full advantage of the above scheme in Punjab. It is indeed heartening to hear a Principal of a School/College confirming to us that they have received lakhs of Rupees under the scheme in lieu of applications submitted by students. The Punjab Welfare Department has been busy distributing the Scholarship money for the previous year 2010 – 2011. We learn that this is now nearly complete. We also learn that scholarships money for the year 2011-2012 has been received from the centre but has not yet been distributed by the Punjab Welfare Department. The ISC is making our all out effort to expedite this.
Bhai Jaitajee Foundation Trust
A word about the very laudable efforts initiated by S. Harpal Singh and his organization in the sphere of educational uplift. They have firstly arranged for five Sikhs under privileged eligible students to join the ‘SUPER 30’ group in Patna to receive top coaching for the annual IIT competitive examination. Besides this he is very alert about various future employment vacancies arising in the Banking Sector. His trust has arranged for holding screening tests to select students to be sponsored for the Super 30 as well as prepare for the Banking Sector Posts. Twenty Seven Students are now undergoing training in Chandigarh with full support from the Bhai Jaitajee Foundation for boarding and lodging. We need more and more such NGOs to uplift education in rural areas
Sikh Education Society (SES)
Most of us are aware that the SES is very successfully managing six major education Institutions in Chandigarh/Punjab. Four located in Sector 26, Chandigarh are Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, SGGS College of Pharmacy and SGGS Collegiate Public School – all in Chandigarh. In Punjab they have the Sikh National College’s at Qudian (Gurdaspur) and at Banga in Nawanshah District. We should really be proud to learn from their latest Annual report that all our Institutions are producing top results in both Academics and Sports. In fact we could easily grade the Colleges in Chandigarh as amongst the Top Colleges of Punjab University. They are all financially very sound and the campuses are outstanding in all respects.
We need to laud the efforts of the SES Management Committee which is headed by S. Gurdev Singh, IAS ( Retd) as President and Col (Retd) Jasmer Singh Bala as Secretary, with an elite band of members forming the Executive Committee. Their administration is very efficient and major functions organized are of a top order. At present the SES is celebrating their Platinum Jubilee. We wish them a very glorious Platinum Jubilee and congratulate them for their past performance. May the Sikh Education Society continue to pass out students with sterling character who help in nation building in the years to come.
Conclusion
The ISC is now busy preparing to shift into our new location in the newly constructed building. We are busy in internal work of the first Floor. We request members to render full support to help us complete the construction at the earliest. Many members have already contributed freely and we expect others too will contribute their share. Our Guru’s ordained ‘Daswand’ as an essential part of a Sikh’s journey through life. Daswand lends grace to our daily life.
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