Governor Banwarilal Purohit gave a tough time to the cops during his recent visit to villages in the border area. Without mincing words, he openly told the policemen that children living in border areas had become addicted to drugs. He added that dope was available in grocery stores. Now, with all his right intentions, many found the argument difficult to buy. The debate on the availability of drugs may go on and on but one thing is for sure. That is, dope is not available in grocery shops. As the Governor went on, there was nobody to correct him. Obviously, who would have belled the cat? Chief Secretary VK Janjua was sitting next to the Governor and so was DGP Gaurav Yadav. Some bureaucrats, too, were present. Agreed, that dope is coming from across the border through drones but to say that shopkeepers are selling it is blatantly wrong. After the Governor was done with his press conference, there were many who questioned his logic in claiming the availability of drugs from shops. “Somebody should tell His Excellency that the situation is not as grim as is being made out by him,” said an officer.
UK Outstanding Achievement Award for Qadiyan-born doctor
“I may not be perfect. However, when I look at my son, I know I have got something in my life which is absolutely perfect.” This was precisely the feeling renowned Qadian surgeon Dr Balcharanjit Singh Bhatia had when he received the news that his doctor son, Harmandeep Singh, had been conferred the India-UK Outstanding Achievement Award. The function was held at London’s West End with Barbara Wickham, Order of the British Empire (OBE), being the chief guest. The award was a part of the 75th India Independence Day celebrations and was given to students who have done their post-graduate studies in the UK. It carries a lot of prestige as is evident from the fact that ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh too, was a recipient. So was actress Parineeti Chopra and MP Raghav Chadha. Dr Harmandeep won the award in the ‘Education, Science and Innovation’ category. His father recalls that when Harmandeep first went to the UK in 2009 to study in the University of Buckingham on a student visa to pursue his post-graduation in medicine, he was confident that he would one day bring laurels to the family. And he did. “Giving your son a skill is better than giving him a thousand pieces of gold. Yesterday, he was my little boy, today he is my friend but forever he is my son,” said the senior Bhatia. Harmandeep has earned a name for himself in the field of cardiology in London. His peers say his name is taken with respect whenever any discussion on cardiology or cardiologists takes place. He works in the Ealing Hospital where his wife Ravpreet Kaur, too, is a doctor. It is located in Southall district which is part of the London borough of Ealing. He did his schooling from Amritsar and later got admission in MBBS at Guru Ram Das Medical College and Hospital in the same city. “I am not finished yet. I have miles to go before I can even think of resting. There were more than a 1,000 applicants for the award. It is nice to get the recognition and hopefully it inspires the next generation of Indian students to work hard. Dr is not just my prefix, it is my superpower. I have always maintained that a life lived for others is a life lived to the fullest. Dr Balcharanjit Singh is the proud father of a proud son. He is fond of the quote, “God cannot be present everywhere. Hence, he sent doctors with excellence and selflessness to the earth. My son is one of them. I always tell Harmandeep that a good physician treats the disease while a great physician treats the patient who has the disease. Now, the choice is his to make.”
(Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)
