Flight of Fancy ~ from the paddy fields of Ratia to NASA Colorado!

Flight of Fancy ~ from the paddy fields of Ratia to 

NASA Colorado

Davinder Singh a small farmer in Ratia, Ditrict Fatehabad used to always ponder at the fact the young boy born to him was always wide-eyed and gurgling with joy whenever he used to be in the open skies at night. Young Monty used to get hyper and excited when he saw the moon and the twinkling stars. Little did this rice farmer know that his Monty was destined for unraveling the mysteries of the other world?

A shy and quiet student, Montek performed brilliantly in his school exams and was always the pet of his teachers at Akal Academy, village Ajitsar Ratia. As he reached Class XII, he not only scored spectacularly in his boards but also cracked his way through SAT-I scoring an astonishing 2120/2400. Later in SAT-II he astounded a lot while smashing 750/800 in Maths, 730/800 in Chemistry, 5/5 in Physics & 5/5 in Calculus BC. Immediately, a hawk-eyed Professor noticed this hidden talent and invited Montek Singh to study at the University of Colorado Boulder’s CASA (Centre for Astrophysics & Space Astronomy) to pursue a specialised 5 year program on Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences.

Montek’s joy knew no bounds when he learnt that UoCB was offering him a scholarship of 60% of all his costs. This program is designed to meet student needs for training in space sciences, including astronomy, astrophysics, planetary sciences, and space physics. Students pursuing this major have the option of following one of two tracks: General Astronomy, housed in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences (APS); or Astrophysics/ Physics, jointly supervised by APS and the Department of Physics.

To his father and Teachers, it seems that this will carve Montek’s path to enable him be a space scientist or an astronaut cruising space-ships, a career option that has a grown cult in India especially ever-since death of astronaut Kalpana Chawla, widely known as the first Indian American astronaut and the first Indian woman in space, who died in an accident while on a NASA space mission in 2003.

Montek’s success is being seen as contrastingly distinctive, especially for a rural student from village, belonging to an under-privileged family. It’s astonishing to notice that Montek Singh comes from a rural School where none of the students subscribe to tradition of attending tuitions beyond school hours! The Teachers themselves take up this responsibility of providing tuitions to their students within the school and school-hours.

Children at his village now know him as their super hero who is destined to fly into sky. As joy-filled tears well up, Davinder looks back to those days and realizes that there was a message for him, which he could not decipher.

You can also help a rural child achieve his dreams by sponsoring their schooling for as low as Rs 500 a month. 

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compiled by ~ Ramandeep Singh, Student. 

Edited by: Ravinder Pal Singh Kohli

New Delhi, 24th Aug 2013

The Man who burnt all his Bridges to reach the point of no return!

True story of the first Passionate Idiots!

The Man who burnt all his Bridges to reach the point of no return!

~ 1993 ~

The dingy rickety bus took a sharp turn over the precarious mountain curve and the young woman with a baby over her shoulders, leaned over for support on her man who stood out from the crowd of unruffled village folks that the HP Roadways bus roof was full of. This young man’s countenance was full of grit and a positive aura with eyes that looked very sharp and intelligent. His silhouette against the backdrop of the orange evening sky looked significant enough for most of the other travellers who peered at this couple that looked ‘out of place’ and too calm in this chaotic humdrum setting.

The young man looked at the setting sun with a curious tight smile on his face with a determination that was enduring and eyes afire with expectation. His face kept an eye on the large trunk that rested tied to the roof railing with all his life’s belongings packed in it. Soon his thoughts drifted to his last call a few hours back as a Medical Specialist at Maulana Azad Medical College. After writing the final prescription for his last patient, he had dropped his last few visiting cards into the waste-basket. One card had slipped from his hands and landed on his shoe. Silently, he picked it up and looked at it for the last time. His gaze stuck for a few moments on the name “Dr Davinder Singh, MBBS, MD”. Promptly, he looked away and muttered under his breath “I need to burn all my bridges”. He packed up and stepped out of his office chin up, never to look back.

He was jolted from his stupor by the wail of 3 yr old Amrit who decided it was time for her feed. He lovingly looked at his baby girl’s eyes as if he could see his future beckoning from within and then his gaze shifted to his wife of five years, Dr Neelam Kaur. He looked at her proudly for having stood rock-solid with him in these testing times. He felt that she had lived up to her solemn marriage vows and it felt reassuring that his pillar of strength was intact and glowing. The road was racing past him and he caught a fleeting glance of a milestone proclaiming ‘Rajgarh – 35 Kms’.

~ 1987 ~

Davinder Singh’s thoughts drifted off to the life-changing moment that was unique because of the solitary moment of meeting Baba Iqbal Singh ji of Baru Sahib at a friend’s place at Delhi in 1987. Davinder was fixated when his eyes fell on Babaji’s serene face and he gawked when he heard him speak in an unhurried baritone voice “Aao Doctor Sahib, tusi tey badi vadi degree kamaii hai” (Come Doctor Sir, you have earned a very high degree). Dr Davinder Singh stopped in his tracks, trying to unravel whether there was a hidden message in this statement. He had heard a lot about Babaji and had been trying to meet him for the past two years unsuccessfully. Davinder folded his hands in reverence, bowed his torso and greeted him softly, words eluding him. Babaji was speaking on the issue of “sacrifice for human welfare” which according to him was the real definition of ‘Kalgidhar’. The old man’s words seemed much profounder than whatever he had ever gathered about Kalgidhar. He was pleasantly surprised with the fact that something that he had associated with royalty and dressing up; was in fact much intense and significant and had something to do with a unique sacrifice that the world would remember for ever.

Caught in turmoil ever since the tragic riots of 1984, Davinder had decided to submit his life for Sewa for service to the downtrodden. He had opened a clinic in Tilak Vihar, the hot bed resettlement colony of riot victims and had been serving the unfortunate widows and children there. With his savings and influence as a Doctor, Davinder had been sending many kids to school in the local area. Today, he felt an urge to share his spontaneous thought of submission for selfless service to the under-privileged. Politely with hands folded, he reached out to Babaji and whispered “Maharaj, mainu vi sewa da mauka devo, mai is moh maaya tun door jaana chahanda haan” (Sire, please give me an opportunity to join you in service, I wish to stay away from materialistic world). The old man looked up askance and said “Achha, hmmm….!” (Okay, hmmm!). His experienced eyes were watching Davinder’s father, Brigadier Samloke who looked crestfallen and white-faced at this proposal from his son on whom he invested his sweat and blood. Babaji said again “Beta teri hajey ithey badi lodh hai. Ithon hi sewa kar” (Son, your presence is required more here). Although Davinder said “Satbachan” (Rightly said, Sir) but sleep eluded him that night.

Tossing and turning on bed, he was torn between thoughts. The relaxed and powerful face of Babaji kept haunting him. One part of him wanted to leave everything and surrender to Babaji and the other part reminded him of his father’s efforts as well the impending marriage in December 1988 with a sweet young Doctor that his family had chosen. Somehow he drifted to sleep with a conviction in his mind for earning his father’s blessings yet choosing to walk the path that he had decided upon.

His meetings with Babaji kept on happening and each time he fell deeper in love with the wise old man. He could not resist sharing his mind with Babaji and felt ever peaceful with the serene words of wisdom that he heard from him. Everytime he met Babaji, he felt him to have sensed his father’s discomfort of seeing his son walk the path less taken in this world. Five years passed by; Dr Davinder Singh and Dr Neelam Kaur were blessed with a lovely daughter, Amrit Kaur in 1990 but the young man was obsessed with his idea of joining Babaji at Baru Sahib. One fine day before Baisakhi in 1993, he had a chance meeting with Babaji in Delhi. Gathering up all his courage and wit, Davinder walked upto Babaji and said “Babaji, mainu apni sewa tey jorh lovo varna mainu kidrey hor sewa layi dhakkey khaney paingey” (Babaji, please allow me into your service or else I may have to roam around for some other place). Suddenly a thread broke somewhere and Babaji looked intensely at him with a wry smile and said “Achha? Chal tu Baru Sahib aajaa. Pandrah din reh key saara kujh dekh lai phir apaa agey di vichaar karangey” (Is it so? Okay you come to Baru Sahib for 15 days, stay there and see for yourself and we shall discuss after that).

~ 2013 ~

Those 15 days never came. The Doctor couple had started with the Akal Charitable Hospital. Gradually, they started handling the school, successfully did their B.Ed defying all advice from their teacher colleagues and Dr Davinder Singh was appointed as the Principal of Akal Academy, Baru Sahib. Later, he was also appointed the Secretary of the Trust. And today he is the Director of all Akal Academies while Dr Nelam Kaur is Principal, Akal Academy, Baru Sahib. 

What these two Passionate Idiots set-off, was a wave of young people sacrificing their careers, wealth, jobs and comforts to join the noble mission of Sant Attar Singh ji and thereafter providing an impetus to the dreams of Baba Iqbal Singh ji seeing the light of the day with a rural education revolution.