To facilitate job-seekers, a new job portal, www.jobsagar.com, was launched in Jalandhar on Tuesday.

“This is not only a job portal but a private employment exchange in itself, which is established with an aim to provide employment opportunities at all level, from peon to CEO,” portal’s chief executive officer Sandeep Soni said.

Apart from English, the portal would soon launch its services in Hindi, Punjab, Gujarati, Tamil and other Indian languages to further provide job opportunities to semi-urban and rural talent, Soni said.

There are many parents in Punjab who have aged faster because their sons just disappeared. Some of them have been waiting for the past 25 years for their only hope to return. They would have been grandparents had their sons not been taken away by the police. These children would have completed their studies and got jobs in India or abroad.

There are also parents in the state whose children met a watery grave, while going as stowaways for petty jobs. Those who learnt about the day of mishap assemble every year in Jalandhar to light candles in their memories.

Then there are parents who have sent their children abroad for degrees, also available here. Some return, but many stay back for jobs.

Among these parents are Gurdit’s parents who have aged before time waiting for him. His mother Kripal Kaur has worn a red scarf over her thinning white hair. She wanders along the Sutlej which is in spate due to untimely rain.She stoops to watch grass blades to come out of craggy patches.

It was this time of the year when Gurdit didn’t return from school. Hardly 15 then, he was unusually attached to his mother .Not that he didn’t love his father Shamsher Singh, but he was scared of him.

Three years after Gurdit’s disappearance two cops from village police post came to Shamsher’s house. He was cutting fodder on the machine. He stopped the wheel and began replying their questions about Gurdit’s friends and his activities .Exasperated by their unending questions, Shamsher gave them a thousand to get lost. Pocketing the hard-earned money of an ex-serviceman, they went away.

They returned after a week to take Shamsher to identify a body and a motor cycle.Gurdit had left for school on the motor cycle the day he disappeared. This fact had been mentioned in the FIR.

Stocky cops informed Shamsher that two motor-bike –borne youth had tried to jump naka yesterday night .On being chased one them was nabbed and the other shot dead. The latter had been identified as Gurdit Singh. Shamsher was taken to the chowki. A burly ASI who engaged in some settlement with a truck driver took his own time to turn to him. After a probing session, he directed the cop to take him to the police station.

He had to wait for an hour till munshi finished his food and drink. The munshi informed the cop that the motor-cycle had been sent to Sadar Thana.

Shamsher got nervy about Kripal.Further wait at the police station meant Kripal would begin to wander in village lanes, screaming “Son. Son...” Then the cop took Shamsher to identify the body and the motor cycle. His heart began to sink as the cop removed the cloth from the face of the body.Wahe Guru was merciful; the body was not of his son .Hope he was alive rose.

It is perhaps this hope which is keeping this and many such couples alive.

Shamsher was inside the compound of his house. There was neither light nor fire in the hearth. Fearing the worst he set out to search for Kirpal.At last he saw her curved frame near the school gate. Shamsher called out to her .She turned back and asked him to be quiet “Don’t you know today is our son’s board paper”. Sensing her abnormal state of mind Shamsher played along” He will be coming home…You have to cook saag for him”. Yes Saag for my son …for my son”. She wobbled homeward.

She slept for an hour or so. She woke up drenched in sweat; screaming “Son …son”. She picked up a fight with Shamsher for scolding him for not doing well in the exam and turning him away.

Shamsher didn’t try to convince her that their son had not returned yet. 

With youthful spark in his eyes, he looks like a quintessential messiah. But there’s more to his messianic essence than mere looks. Meet Prof Anil Sharma, a man with a mission: to impart quality education.

Prof Sharma, 60, known for his sharp, critical observations and command over his subject—history, has taught his students many great things.

Accordingly he sought other institutions to follow a path which gives focus on the skills, training and character building.

Prof Sharma (gold medalist), who was recently nominated as Education Officer of GDR Convent School and GDR Day Boarding Public School in Phagwara, is associated with the field of education for the past 35 years.

“My journey as a teaching faculty started in 1971 from SPN College, Mukerian, where I worked as professor of history, dean of cultural activities and also officiated as principal of the college and since then there was no looking back for me,” said Prof Sharma.

“I inherited my teaching skills from my father late Prof Tek Chand Sharma who was also a lecturer with Doaba College, Jalandhar,” he said.

He has also imbibed in his family members, including his wife, sister, son and daughter-in-law, all holding key posts in different educational institutions, the spirit to impart quality education to the student community, especially in rural areas.

“I remained professor of history and head of history department in Ramgarhia College in Phagwara from 1973 to February 2007. Apart from that I was the member of disciplinary committee and editor of the history section of the college magazine,” he said.

At present, he is a member of board of Post Graduate Studies in History and member, faculty of arts and social sciences of GND University, Amritsar.

Beaming with pride, he said that the chairman, president and the general secretary of the Ramgarhia College, Phagwara, were his students.

“Apart from them, other students are holding important positions in government and private sector.”

“I was offered the post of principal of the college but I voluntarily declined and decided to continue as a professor,” he said.

These days this legendary teacher is associated with GDR Educational Society and accomplishing his spiritual duties to Shri Om Darbar, Nandachaur Dham. He said he would do his best to get GDR Convent School an affiliation of senior secondary level.