Restoring Smiles, Renewing Lives

Young Sandhya, 23 an inhabitant of a rural village in HP Dist. Bilaspur, had been a prey to a deadly skin infection since childhood. Nothing was normal for her and since she had been constantly losing control on her own self, living with perplexities – trying to settle with the trauma being alienated from her routine life even as she tried to cope up living using only one eye before she could guess her life was about to change!

Restoring Smiles, Renewing LivesHer family learnt about the Free Surgery Medical Camp at Akal Charitable Hospital, Baru Sahib run by the Kalgidhar Society; in an announcement at the village & got in touch with the paramedic staff who visited their home to meet Sandhya & assess her case for treatment at the Hospital where specialist surgeons from Operation Rainbow, Canada were seeing patients requiring plastic surgeries.

On meeting Sandhya, our team learnt that she was going through post-traumatic depression besides the physical disabilities she was living with. Specialized surgeons closely reviewed Sandhya’s case & she was advised to go in for a surgery; a person from hospital was sent to Sandhya’s house to deliver the message to herself & her family.

“It took them over 3 hours to restore Sandhya’s skin & her face but it took less than 3 seconds to restore happiness on her face as she was told that the Doctors from Canada are saying they can restore your eye & cosmetically improve your black mark for free” revealed a local volunteer who worked closely with the paramedic team & visited Sandhya’s house before the surgery.

Contribute in spreading free smiles. Do your bit Here

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 20th Sep ’13

Village Rampur Sunra, Phagwara : Little Steps taking Big Leaps for Transformation

As Lil’ Kiratjot Kaur Khalsa takes her little steps towards her school, the village watches her ‘Tall Walk’

Kiratjot Kaur KhalsaThis is not just because she is another little Rural enthusiast taking up schooling, but because she is the first Inaugural student of the newly come up Akal Academy at the village, which is first of its kind & the only one to provide Scientific as well as Gurmat value-based education to Rural students.

There is more connected to young Kiratjot Kaur Khalsa than just being the first student of the school; she alongside her mother have been playing an instrumental role since long before initialization of school services, the keen-team had beenvoluntarily going Door-to-Door reaching to each & every child-bearing family of the village, to educate, encourage & promote admission for the Rural children of the village at the school.

Her tiny steps alongside bold efforts of her mother have surely paved a concrete road that is set to put the village onto its true transformational mode through the big leaps little Kiratjot Kaur Khalsa takes every morning, walking tall towards the entrance of the Akal Academy.

We salute the courage, generosity & the philanthropy exhibited by the young mother-daughter team towards contributing & serving the society with such honest will to bring a transformation.

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 20th Sep ’13

Calling out LOUD – Come one, Come All…

A chance for the poor and downtrodden to be a part of the FREE Medical Camp being held at the Akal Charitable Hospital, Baru Sahib and they can avail medical facilities like never before! They can get operated from renowned doctors from Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Patiala and Jalandar for free of charge.  To much of a surprise, all the operations and surgeries what so ever will also be undertaken, free of cost.

Free Medical Camp at Akal Charitable Hospital

They can avail treatment/consultation from ENT Specialist, Psychiatrist, Surgeon, Physician, Dental Specialist, Gynaecologist and Ortho Specialist (bones and joints) all for FREE.

Date – 27th and 28th September, 2013

Time – 9:30 am – 1:30 pm.

Venue – ACH, Baru Sahib.

There might be some underprivileged that you know, who requires treatment. Spread awareness if you care!

More about the Akal Hospital, Baru Sahib – A 280-bed Free Charitable Hospital was established at Baru Sahib in1992. It is the only fully developed medical center in the rural setting of Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, with free of cost healthcare facilities that are being provided to the underprivileged children, youth and women of rural and hilly areas, covering an area of a radius of 100 km.

Akal Hospital caters to about 450 patients daily at its OPD. In addition to the routine medical and surgical services, emergencies of all kinds are also attended. Charitable Hospital is the only hospital in the region attending to the rural poor of snake-bite for which expensive antivenin is given. The patients and their attendants travel to Charitable Hospital by bus, horse or on foot, undertaking quite long and arduous journey in difficult terrains to get rid of deadly diseases completely free of cost, the treatments that would normally cost up to Rs.100,000.

Much is being done, A lot more needs to be done. Do your bit here – DONATE NOW

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 19th Sep ’13

India Giving Challenge – Help us WIN the fight against all odds!

Dream to transform India, free from all the rural India problems? Give your dream a take off pad with The Kalgidhar Society.

The Kalgidhar Society – Baru Sahib, is a non-profit charitable organisation focussed on providing quality education to fight against the alarming rise in drugs and alcohol abuse. With equal stress on Healthcare, Women Empowerment and Social Welfare, the organisation has been instrumental in the socio-economic upliftment of the poor in the far-flung rural areas of North India.

This is a Responsibility you can also Share!

Today the rural areas of  Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, and the backward hilly areas of  Himachal Pradesh and Punjab are dotted with 129 low cost CBSE Schools, providing modern, value-based education to around 60,000 students. The students are mostly from the deprived sections of society, admitted regardless of caste, creed, region, religion and social status. The aim is to build a total of 500 low cost schools to provide value-based education to all children at the village level.

A 280-bed Free Charitable Hospital has been established at Baru Sahib. It is the only fully developed medical center in the rural setting of Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, here free of cost healthcare facilities are provided to the underprivileged children, youth and women of rural and hilly areas, virtually at their doorsteps, covering an area of a radius of 100 km.

Thos who know Do, Those that understand, Donate

Rural Transformation Happens Here…

The Kalgidhar Society alongwith Give India Challenge together are at war against rural problems!

Help The Kalgidhar Society WIN this DONATION Competition – India Giving Challenge! It’s time to share your Daswand for a noble cause!

This challenge will help us WIN a handsome amount as a grant in turn helping our organisation to march forward towards this great cause of – Reaching out to the underprivileged.

Do your bits now – Click to Enshrine a Life

Small Steps towards a Bigger Change

Rural school kids rally against Drug-Alcohol Addiction

~At Village KilliNihal Singh Wala, Punjab.

De-addiction rally by Akal Academy Students

Sadly, Punjab state has touched a consumption of 40 crore bottles of liquor this year. And the state departments have documented that 74% youth is addicted to Drugs. But there is a small section of well-wishers that has been working silently to turn this around.
Hundreds of Akal Academy students held a rally across village streets against DRUGS and ALCOHOL abuse encouraging de-addiction to drugs and alcohol& promoting Education through their emotional appeal to the families of the village.

Lines like these coming from the little kids, surely made an impact. These kids will eventually bring a bigger change –

“Nashey Chaddo, Kaurh Vaddo”

“Jo Jeher Tambaku Peendey Ne, oh Murda Jeevan Jeendey Ne”

“Papa Ji Na Piyo Sharab, Menu Le Deyo Ik Kitaab”

 

The village folks were moved by the representation and skits carried out by the kids. Many of them pledged to abstain from alcohol and drugs.

It gladdens our heart to know that, thanks to the efforts of these students from Akal Academies all across the state; 72 villages opted to be liquor free u/s 40 of the Panchayati Raj Act during 2012.

A small win but yes for a much better future!

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 19th Sep ’13

Tour Program of Baba Iqbal Singh ji

Tour Program of Baba Iqbal Singh Ji
Click on the Picture to Zoom in

25 Sept. ’13 to 20 Oct ‘13

25-9-13: Mohali
26 to 28-9-13: New Delhi
29-9-13: Ludhiana
30-9-13: Jalandhar
1-10-13: Amritsar
2-10-13: Moga
3 to 4-10-13: Cheema Sahib
5 to 13-10-13: Baru Sahib
14-10-13: Mohali
15-10-13: Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, Haryana
16 to 17-10-13: New Delhi
18-10-13: Baru Sahib
20-10-13: Annual Day Function, Baru Sahib

For More Information please contact: 098164 00501 / 09164 00502

Akal Academy, Canada’s Sarwan Singh sets a world record of longest beard

Sarwan Singh, Akal Academy SurreySurrey resident Sarwan Singh achieved a feat, which every Sikh is going to be proud of. He set a new Guinness Book of World Record by having the longest beard. Singh’s beard was measured at 2.36 meters or 7.7 3/4 ft, at a jam packed, Akal Academy in Surrey BC. Over 200 people came out in support of the Akal Academy Music Teacher and his attempt at breaking the world record.

The previous record was held by Shamsher Singh of Punjab, India, with a beard last measured at 1.83 metres in 1977.

“This is history in the making,” said Dr. Pargat Singh Bhurji, the principal and president of Akal Academy Surrey, where Singh is a popular and respected music teacher.

“Mr. Sarwan Singh is a devout, humble, spiritual man and his beard is considered as a divine gift. He’s blessed, he’s gifted. Hair is a divine gift. So this is a divine gift from God,” said Dr. Bhurji.

Singh stood on a stool while his beard was dipped in water, brushed and then measured three times on a flat surface with a measuring tape as the judges and media and over 200 other witnesses looked on.

As he posed for pictures with his wife and two children, Singh’s beard hung from his chin to the floor.

“I have a feeling of divine happiness and I am thankful that God has chosen me for the gift of the longest beard,” said Sarwan Singh, 42. The measurement was presided over by Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Singh Bains, Surrey RCMP Sgt. Baltej Singh Dhillon and lawyer Sukhjinder Singh Grewal.

Sarwan Singh’s family told CBC News they were exceptionally proud of his achievement. “Not only to me, he’s inspiring to the Sikh community,” said his young son Bikram Singh, sporting a tuft of hair on his chin that may one day set another record.

As a devoted Sikh, Singh does not cut or trim his hair, not just his beard, as uncut hair is one of the five objects (Five K’s) or symbols of faith of the Sikhs who have taken the vows of the Khalsa, as outlined by the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh. “Whatever God gives us, it is just our job to take care of that. Don’t cut it or don’t do anything to it,” Singh’s daughter Gursimran Kaur told CBC News.

In addition to the Guinness World record, the event started with the students of Akal Academy performing Dhadhi Varan, a Sikh musical composition, explaining Sikh history taught to them by Sarwan Singh and other Akal Academy teachers. This was followed by talks on the importance and significance of hair from both a scientific and religious viewpoint as reflected in the teachings of the Sikh religion.

Little Rural Artists: Clay Modelling at Village Mander Dona Akal Academy

The cutely crafted models take us back to days of our childhood & play times, if feels great to realize that these Rural Kids too are enjoying through days of childhood, having fun, the way we all did, the way every child deserves. Kids from Classes Nursery to 2nd participated.

SADA favorite hai Akashdeep Singh’s Da “Chakala Velna”!  What’s your Favorite?

Pics from a clay modeling competition held on 6th Sept at Akal Academy in Village Mander Dona, Punjab.

Clay Modeling Competition at Akal Academy Mander Dona