Bengal-Born Realtor Builds Bridges For Sikhs To Bond

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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Bengal-born-realtor-builds-bridges-for-Sikhs-to-bond/729394/

He deals in transport and real estate. And on any week day he could be seen sitting in his office located at his house at Mall Road, Dum Dum conducting his business. But Jagmohan Singh Gill is not a mere businessman. He is rather a crusader out to bridge the gap between Sikhs living in Punjab and those living elsewhere, especiallly the Sikhs of Bihar, particularly those living in Sasaram.

He has also taken upon with himself the mission to spread the message and the lofty ideals of the Sikh Gurus, the message of love, and camaraderie among human beings.

An avid student of Sikh history and culture, Gill, who was both born and brought up in Kolkata, learnt Gurumukhi with his own efforts and studied the history of the religion and its culture. thoroughly.

His article ‘Sikhs living in other states than Punjab’ was read at a seminar held on November 24 and November 25 at the Institure of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh.

[shaheediyan]

Great work this man is doing.

Rest of the article:

Another article of this 44-year-old scholar and activist, ‘Sikhs of Sasaram’ was read at the Third Conclave for Forgotten Sikhs held at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh in October this year.

“The Sikhs of Sasaram suffer from a sense of alienation and inferiority complex. Unfortunately even in Punjab too there are a few people who look down upon Sikhs in other states. I wanted to bridge the gap and I felt they will have to be integrated with the Sikh brotherhood. I think that their sentiment that there should be a ‘roti beti di Sanjh; (deep relations) between Punjabi Sikhs and those in other states like Bihar is quite justified,” Gill, who is a graduate of Calcutta University from Jaipuria College, Shyambajaar, said.

Gills are originally from the village of Dhudike of Moga district of Punjab which was also the birth place of great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai and poet and novelist Jaswant Singh Kamal. In 1942 his father Late Sardar Kartar Singh came to Khulna, now in Bangladesh and in 1945 he came to Kolkata and settled here. He was the president of Gurudwara Sikh Sangat, Dum Dum, for many years and he died in 1994.

It was in that year that his son became the secretary of that organisation, a post he held till about two months ago. Gill is the main organiser of the Purvi Bharat Sikh Mission set up by Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), Amritsar, in 2006 with a view to teaching the ideals of the Gurus and the basic tenets of Sikhism among youngsters of this part of the country. The Mission organises classes on Saturdays and Sundays at three gurudwaras at Burrabazzar, Narkeldanga and Belur where the Gurumukhi language, and many aspects of the religion are taught.

“Today’s world is ravaged with problems like communalism, casteism and other social evils that creates a gulf between men. I always said to myself that I was not born to just grow up, work for my daily bread and butter and die at the end. So I always thought if I can do something that creates bonhomie and love among men, there will be nothing like it,” said Gill who also holds other responsibilities like Secretary, West Bengal Association of Minorities Educational Institutions and Punjabi Sahit Sabha.

The activist and scholar has also been invited by the government of Punjab on several occasions for consultations on the issue of education and culture. “Whatever expenses are incurred for my various activities I pay from my own pocket and also sometimes my friends well wishers help me . But I don’t grudge because I have the blessings of God with me,” Gill said.