Whilst celebrating the pious occasion Guru Ram Das Ji Prakash Utsav at village Dhanal Kalan Akal Academy Campus with great fervor & spirits – students of class 8^th & 9^th from the school alongside teachers, with intent of following the god’s message of serving humanity, distributed fruits to girls at the Unique Home – Jalandhar.

The event was executed with support of ‘Interact Club’ Jalandhar Central, under the guidance of Club’s Head in charge S. Manjeet Singh, President Sahibpreet Singh and Secretary Arshpreet Kaur.

On the occasion, Unique Home’s leader S. Prakash Kaur appreciated the devoted deed of students of serving the girls with such graced affection and prayed for the well-being of these rural students, seeking blessings and serving-strength to them, so they can serve the society.

Prakash Kaur happens to be an acclaimed activist, she was selected Real Hero 2011 in the Children’s Education category by CNN-IBN and the audience were moved when she articulated the reality of girl child in Punjab.

Principal Harpreet Kaur of the Akal Academy village Dhanal Kalan, motivated the students to relentlessly keep moving towards their goals in life & encouraged them to keep following the path professed by Guru Sahibs – which will keep bringing them success.

“We feel graced about being blessed with this opportunity of serving, especially on such a pious occasion of Prakash Utsav. Such participations, such endeavors of compassion, certainly come as a mark of success & achievement for us & our organization’s mission & vision – which seeks to bring grace to human race through developing good global peace-making citizens. Serving humanity & instilling the passion for it into each of our students alongside developing competence & capabilities – always was & shall always remain our ultimate goal ”, expressed the Principal.

~ Deeksha Singh
~ 21st Oct ’13, New Delhi

Young Students, together with staff and teachers of Akal Academy, located 18 Kms from Taran Taran, in a small village Dhotian, carried out rallies against Drug Addiction and promoting Tree Plantation.

The concerned authorities conceptualized these rallies in an effort to help free the society from the evils of drug & alcohol abuse which are gripping the land Punjab, which, from being a land of the pious, is ironically having its youth crippled at the hands of drug menace, alcohol addiction and losing its ground over true Sikhi rampantly.

The Rally, started off by the Principal of the Academy, Ms. Kuljeet Kaur; ancillary to the motive of curbing drug addiction also created awareness about Free Drug De-addiction centers that are run by the charitable organization “The Kalgidhar Trust” & also propagated the message of love towards saving the environment through plantation of trees.

The young crowd whilst motivating the youth & families on their way through the streets of the village were also seen distributing free saplings to shop-keepers – so they can plant trees at the vacant areas in their vicinity to do their bit in making the atmosphere clean & green.

“We are looking forward to organize such rally drives twice or thrice every year where these children will help create awareness about Drug-Alcohol De-addiction and will also promote Green Environment by planting and motivating others to take up such habit”, expressed Mrs Kuljeet Kaur.

The rallies, starting from Dhotian to Sairon and Rohi situated in Taran Taran Sahib, drove through Borhi Wala Chowk while crossing through several market places on its way; saw its conclusion upon reaching Darbar Sahib (Gurdwara) at Taran Taran.

Appreciate these little kids by showing your support here – (http://barusahib.org/donate/)

~Ramandeep Singh
~New Delhi, 18 Oct ’13

The Nagar-Kirtan celebrations, held on 2^nd Oct 2013 observed participation of special little guests from Dhudial, who had come all the way from Bishan Nagar, Patiala to join the procession of celebration with a great zeal & fervor.

The students marched while singing Shabads following the Bahadurgarh-to-Moti Bagh Gurdwara Route of the Nagar-Kirtan. Several teachers also accompanied this young crowd of enthusiasts that stood distinct amongst all participating students from different city schools.

“A chance to let our students participate in the city events like these provides a great opportunity and platform for us to showcase the academic & spiritual grooming that these kids are brought up with”, expressed the Headmistress, Mrs. Gurjeet Kaur of Akal Academy, Dhudial under the aegis of  The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib.

A teacher accompanying the students also added, “Such events give us an opportunity to bring the city audiences face to face with our rural students- to let them witness the exclusivity and uniqueness in the characteristics of our rural students which make them unique and let them stand out distinct amongst all other city students. It’s a great platform to present what our institutes embed into these rural children and at the same time showing them the radiance of these children.”

We salute the efforts, courage and spirits of both teachers and the students for coming from a distance to grace the celebrations of the city on an occasion of such great spirits.

~Deeksha Singh
~New Delhi, 17th Oct ’13

Akal Academy located in Dhudial, Patiala recently organized an event to celebrate the joy of having daughters. This was an exclusive event organized to create awareness & uplift the morale of girl children & parents across rural explicating importance of daughters on Daughter’s Day.

During the celebrations,students presented a drama where they played different roles to depict different characters of the society; it beautifully highlighted the prevalent evils of the society like female feticide, dowry system and other such issues, upon which the Zonal Director Mr. H.S Anand, who also expressed his views on the subject.

Dr. Khushwant Singh, Registrar Akal University also graced the occasion with his speech on ‘Importance of Daughtersin today’s critical times’, explaining how the rural transformation is connected to empowering the women of the country.

The audience felt even more connectedwith an exclusive all girls play that depicted characters of a Mother, a Daughter, a Sister, a Wife & as Doctors, as an Engineer, a teacher, a pilot and a judge conveying the message of girls being equally pivotal, competent and an all-rounder. Students also recitedbeautifully compiled poems to inspire the audience on the occasion.

The Principal of the academy, Mrs. Gurjeet Kaur appreciated the little young daughters & their caliber through an exclusively prepared speech for them & along with the Zonal Director – Mr. H.S Anand, distributed prizes & souvenirs among the little talented kids in appreciation.

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 12th Oct ’13

It’s a proud moment for the Akal Academy & the people at Harmanpreet Kaur’s village Ratia including her family, as she happens to be one among the 25 students that SCERT (State Council Educational Research & Training) has identified from district Ratia to participate in the prestigious SCERT model exhibition of Delhi. The best of brilliant students from renowned schools across the country are selected and invited to present their science model-projects to compete for winning the ‘Best Project’ title at state level.

Harmanpreet Kaur, an aspiring student of class 10^th at the Akal Academy in Ajitsar Ratia, is the daughter of an Army – widow who is also an Anganwadi worker, barely managing to make ends meet for her family. She single handedly managed to raise Harman & her schooling – against all odds & notions of the village folks, who believe that educating a girl child is irrelevant.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s selection in Ratia was based on a district level competition where over 350 projects-models were exhibited by several students from various schools across & only 25 were selected for the state level event. She proved her mettle at her district, but this time at Delhi, she was required to face fierce head- on competition against supremos of the states.

We got a chance to interview her recently when she visited Delhi & was in middle of her final preparations for the exhibition; she expects her model to win & wishes to compete at National Level next.

Her mentor, the Physics teacher at Akal Academy Mr. Harbans Singh, told us that when the Academy received a letter for participation from SCERT Gurgaon, he was sure that Academy’s science students could do great in this event. Thus he recommended Harmanpreet Kaur’s name to the Principal, to which she readily agreed & gave him ago ahead. This was when he and Harmanpreet brainstormed the idea of this project i.e. SOLAR SWITCH & she there upon started researching & preparing for the same.

The project is sponsored under Inspire-a-Word Scheme by the Central government, wherein Harmanpreet had received Rs 5000 out of which 2500 were for preparing the Model & rest for further development of it. So, Harman, after giving a fair amount of thought to all the available project options finalized to go ahead “THE SOLAR SWITCH” project option upon closely analyzing its feasibility & competence & scope of finding a place into exhibition.

THE SOLAR SWITCH is a switch that has a photo sensor, one of it’s main application can be in inverters; it not only serves as a traditional auto cut-off-on switch, but being based on a photo sensor it works on technology that that judges when to on/off based on light intensity. Similarly, the photo-sensor can be replaced with thermo or sound sensor – which mean if you enter a room, the sensor can sense your body heat  & temperature, the lights will turn on, using a sound sensor can mean you can set pre-set sounds to automatically turn on/off your electrical devices like fans/lights!

On being asked about her future plans, Harman said, “Other students who are creative & wish to add-on their ideas to this model can merge their ideas on this project & utilize it better; the concept can grow big if we do modifications & further research.”

Harmanpreet’s mentor, physics teacher Mr. Harbans wishes to share this model with Ratia Akal Academy Alumni Sharanjeet Singh & Sahil who have made it to the IIT Delhi recently; they can certainly put into that out-of-the-box brilliant element to this project, expresses Mr. Harbans.

Towards the end we asked Harmanpreet Kaur to tell us about how did she get motivated towards science & eventually taking up a project like this, she revealed that being a single child, whose father died while serving the army when she was young – around 13 years ago, it has been her mother who raised her along & also remained a constant support to her all through these years, & also, her school that has motivated her alongwith teachers; she feels she couldn’t have been raised in any better school than Akal Academy run by The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, which beautifully binds us with religion & at the same time teaches you how to be more social alongside modern education while also making us learn to be spiritual at the same time.

~ Deeksha Singh
~ New Delhi, 11th Sep ’13

In a National Security Services Camp (NSS), organized recently by Akal Academy Kajri, class 10th students of the rural School, taking tips & guidance from professionals, voluntarily took up the task of leveling pits on Assam National Highway (N.H).

The camp activity was conceptualized based on the shocking reports on severe accidents, especially involving bikers & other 2-wheeler riders amongst other motorists, who passed by the patchy highway stretch from Akal Academy Kajri up till the forest near Khuttar village. The road had developed a variety of pits & potholes that often caused serious accidents & even death in a number of cases of lately.

After learning about the matter through discussions with the concerned committee at the village, the staff members of the Akal Academy felt it’s not really worth taking the risk any longer by waiting for the officials to take up the action, that of course would involve several complex procedures which would certainly mean allowing more time that could potentially put lives of several commuters at risk until action.

Perhaps the students alongside staff volunteers decided to take up the task of labor involved in fixing the road. The daily commuters & the locals appreciated the pro-active work & efforts put in by the students, so much so that a nearby resident & social activist, S.Kuldeep Singh, arranged for kids’ refreshment & conveyed a wish that administration should also be equally concerned about such issues.

The camp was organized under the expert direction of NSS Incharge Mr. Vijaypal Singh, who, in the occasion said, that such activities would help develop feelings & sense of social responsibilities amongst students involved & other civilians who observed its execution.

The Principal of the school, Ms. Simran Kaur Thind congratulated the teachers & blessed the students for undertaking such difficult yet noble job, she further added “Akal Academy always encourages students for such activities, as they stand in line with the vision of our parent organization The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib, which seeks promoting world peace & serving humanity.
“Watching the kids doing what the authorities had to do made; not only me, but the whole Akal Academy proud. These kids are an inspiration for everybody. I am glad to have such talent. Kids here are super talented and spiritually inclined as well, what else do you need to be a complete human being?” said the Principal.

Amongst other vital contributors, were also the school Librarian & Discipline In-charge Mr.Philip Xavier alongside teaching staff & other members who helped making this camp successful.

~ Ramandeep Singh
~ New Delhi, 7th Oct ’13

ਚੀਮਾਂ ਮੰਡੀ, 4 ਅਕਤੂਬਰ (ਜਸਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਸ਼ੇਰੋਂ) – ਕਲਗੀਧਰ ਟਰੱਸਟ ਬੜੂ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੇ ਸੰਚਾਲਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੱਲ ਰਹੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਅਕੈਡਮੀ ਚੀਮਾਂ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਮਾਧਿਅਮ ਵਿਖੇ ਸਰਬੱਤ ਦੇ ਭਲੇ ਅਤੇ ਸੁੱਖ ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ ਲਈ ਚੱਲ ਰਹੇ 371 ਸ੍ਰੀ ਸਹਿਜ ਪਾਠ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੇ ਭੋਗ ਅੱਜ ਅਰਦਾਸ ਬੇਨਤੀ ਕਰਨ ਉਪਰੰਤ ਪਾਏ ਗਏ।ਭੋਗਾਂ ਦੀ ਅਰਦਾਸ ਬਾਬਾ ਇਕਬਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਕਲਗੀਧਰ ਟਰੱਸਟ ਬੜੂ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੇ ਕੀਤੀ ਉਪਰੰਤ ਸੰਗਤਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸੰਬੋਧਨ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਬਾਣੀ ਪੜ•ਨ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਨੂੰ ਕਾਮ, ਕ੍ਰੋਧ, ਲੋਭ, ਮੋਹ ਅਤੇ ਅਹੰਕਾਰ ਤੋਂ ਮੁਕਤ ਹੋ ਕਿ ਆਤਮਿਕ ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ ਮਿਲਦੀ ਹੈ। ਅਕਾਲ ਅਕੈਡਮੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਤਨ, ਮਨ ਨਾਲ ਇਨ•ਾਂ ਸਾਰੇ ਪਾਠਾਂ ਦੀ ਨਿਸ਼ਕਾਮ ਸੇਵਾ ਕੀਤੀ। ਭੋਗ ਮੌਕੇ ਅਕਾਲ ਅਕੈਡਮੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਰਸ-ਭਿੰਨਾ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਕੀਰਤਨ ਕਰਕੇ ਸੰਗਤਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਨਾਲ ਜੋੜਿਆ। ਇਸ ਮੌਕੇ ਅਕਾਲ ਅਕੈਡਮੀ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਿੰਸੀਪਲ ਸਰਦਾਰਨੀ ਬੇਅੰਤ ਕੌਰ, ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਸਮੂਹ ਸਟਾਫ਼ ਨੂੰ ਬਾਬਾ ਇਕਬਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਸਿਰੋਪਾ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਸਨਮਾਨਿਤ ਕੀਤਾ।