Brahampur shining

New vistas: Brahampur takes pride in its many colours

It was just another neglected village. Today, Brahampur in Ludhiana district stands transformed — with regular water supply, improved sanitation, paved roads, computers in the village school and much else. Reeta Sharma reports.

From a nondescript habitat, it has been turned into a dream village. Brahampur in Ludhiana district today has become a model village in Punjab. It boasts of an efficient sewerage, paved roads and pathways and state-of-the-art re-circulating gravel filter in the waste-water plant. It is the only village in the state to have a concrete boundary wall and streets lined with walls. And to lend colour and cheer to the rural dwellings, each house sports a different hue.

If today this village is a beacon of light for other villages in the country, it is all due to the efforts of one individual - Anantpal Singh, an NRI from Canada.

Every time I visited my village, I found that nothing had changed. Every administration did little to improve the quality of life. So, when I saw the exemplary work carried out by NRI donations at Kharaudi village in Mahilpur, I was inspired.

Brahampur is an improvement on Kharaudi.  We have installed a re-circulating gravel filter in the waste-water plant here. It is the latest from the US and it ensures that there is no odour of the sewer water.

Anantpal had moved out of Brahampur 39 years ago but he remained passionately rooted to his village. And, today, he feels he has somewhat realised his dream of repaying his ancestral land. He has not only contributed Canadian $100,000 towards waste management, laying the sewer system, paving the village streets and colouring the houses but also lent time to these projects.

"Just donating money would not have satisfied me, as I wanted to see the outcome and the results. Every time I visited my village, it saddened me that nothing had changed. Every successive administration has slogans for villages and villagers but there has been no effort to provide them quality life. So when I saw the exemplary and constructive work carried out by NRIs' donations at Kharaudi village in Mahilpur, I was inspired to do similar work in my village. I approached Gurdev Singh Gill, a renowned surgeon in Canada, who along with Raghbir Singh Bassi, Vice-Chancellor of Alaska University in the US, has formed the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society of British Columbia. This organisation had revolutionised the living conditions of villagers in Kharaudi. I desperately wanted them to replicate the good work in my village. I must say that they have done an excellent job of laying the sewer pipes, connecting each house, in such a short period," says Anantpal with a beaming smile.

This Society has succeeded in organising matching grants for contributions made by NRIs for their villages in India. For instance, Anantpal gave them Canadian $ 60,000 and the organisation received a matching grant of $ 60,000 from the Canadian International Development Agency. In view of the exemplary work done in the village, the Punjab Government sanctioned Rs 40 lakh for Brahampur.

For Anantpal, the sewerage was a priority. "Proper drainage ensures that there is no stagnation of water, leading to the spread of diseases or serving as breeding ground for mosquitoes. The sewerage will certainly improve the sanitary conditions of the village but that is not enough. We have to perceive a futuristic, wholesome approach to enable villagers to live a healthy life and keep pace with the advanced urban living," remarks Anantpal.

The Indo-Canadian Friendship Society came into being in 1998 when Gill and Bassi decided to have a sewer system in their native village, Kharaudi. Bassi's younger brother, Sukhdev Singh Bassi, an engineer in Canada, was roped in to lay the sewers and set up the waste water plant. The village waste water was collected at a point where it was cleaned for recirculation. A fishpond was built and clean water made available to villagers for irrigation.

Brahampur is an improvement on Kharaudi. "For instance," says Gill, "we have installed a re-circulating gravel filter in the waste water plant here. It is the latest technology from the US, which ensures that there is no odour of the sewer water; we have also put up a pre-treatment water plant, which treats 85 per cent of the waste water. Every street in the village, whether narrow or wide, has been concretised. We have also built two concrete sheds for village gatherings. It was Anantpal's dream to see his Brahampur sparkling clean. Hence, we put our minds together. Brahampur is the first village in Punjab to have concrete walls not only on the entire periphery of the village but also inside, connecting all streets. The walls have convenient small openings for people to dispose of cow dung and other waste for bi-degradation. We are also going to retain the village ponds. They will not only provide water for the cattle but also add to the beauty of the village."

Anantpal, who has travelled widely, was fascinated by the splendour of colour in Chile, when he visited it on an official assignment. "Each house in Chile is painted in a different colour. This adds natural cheer. I wanted to reproduce the same effect in Brahampur. Since I wanted my fellow villagers to participate enthusiastically in the project, I told them that if they got their houses 'teeped', repaired and refurbished, I would paint their houses in the colours of their choice. I must say that the villagers responded warmly to my proposal and we have managed to recreate a mini Chile in Brahampur. This is an unprecedented experiment and an example for other villages to follow," says Anantpal excitedly.

The roads leading to the village are in a poor condition. A distance which should take only 15 minutes puts you through an hour's back-breaking journey. What is amazing is that these NRIs could achieve in just a year what our politicians and bureaucrats failed to implement in the last five decades. Has it cost tonnes of money? No, not really. It cost them just Rs 25 lakh to lay the sewerage.

Anantpal asserts that since he was interested in the overall progress of his village, he made villagers understand the importance of the green cover and clean environment. Gill and he ensured that not a single tree was cut while implementing their project. Bio-degradation of the waste and cow dung has been implemented in a more structured manner.

At least 250 saplings have been planted in and around the village. Ten computers have been installed in the village Government Higher Secondary School, with an inverter to make up for the erratic power supply. They also hired a teacher to impart computer-related knowledge to students. Eighty seven desks and chairs have been provided for the primary school, where students used to sit on the floor. Thirtyfive streetlights have been put up to cover the entire village and a tubewell installed to increase water supply. The villagers would have to pay a nominal charge for the additional water supply, which would be available thrice a day in summers and twice a day in winters. Incidentally, the government water supply was not operational for the last five years.

For the upkeep of the village and running of the project, the Brahampur Foundation has been established. The villagers have unanimously elected Anantpal's father, Brig Zora Singh (retd), as its chairperson.

Anantpal left India in 1965 after he was discharged from the Army because of deficient eyesight. He started his career as a clerk in Bank of India in Hong Kong. Later, he migrated to Canada. He worked as a labourer in saw mills for one and a half years. Finally, he got a job in Bank of Montreal, as a management trainee. He worked there for the next 27 years.

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