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pUNJAB POlls 2012 Sarbjit Dhaliwal & Ravi Dhaliwal/TNS Bhoa (Gurdaspur), January 17
Gurdev, whose father has a cycle repair shop in Sanaur, completed his graduation from Patiala. After struggling for five years -- during which he did odd jobs and even worked as a farmhand earning Rs 15 a day -- Gurdev left for Canada in 2000. Before emigrating, he joined renowned dramatist Harpal Tiwana’s academy in Patiala and holds him in great regard. There he met and befriended Punjabi singer Jasbir Jassi and has been in touch with him. But the desire to settle abroad continued and he decided to move to Canada. Once he settled in Edmonton, Gurdev took to singing Punjabi folk songs and became a hit with the diaspora. He landed in Canada penniless, but things gradually began to look up for him. He has acted in several Punjabi films, his most successful being ‘Hawaein’ in which he shared screen space with Babbu Mann. The overseas rights of ‘Hawaein’ for the US and Canada territories were sold for an astronomical $8lakh. Incidentally, the amount was much higher than the rights of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Devdas’ released at the same time! Gurdev also acted in the successful flick ‘Mitti’ and his album ‘Dil Ton Dil’ is still remembered by Punjabis in Canada. Some years ago, Gurdev met and became friends with Gagan Vidhu, a native of Bhoa, in Edmonton. At Gagan’s insistence Gurdev came to India and visited Bhoa. He was shocked by the “abysmally poor” quality of life in one of the state’s most backward areas. Gurdev decided politics would be his cup of tea and Bhoa his political base. Gurdev met Manpreet Badal in Chandigarh last year and told him he wanted to join him. When Manpreet visited Canada and the US last year, Gurdev successfully organised rallies at Edmonton, Zuba city and Toronto.The PPP chief, impressed by his organisational skills, offered him the Bhoa seat. Gurdev, whose adopted daughter is a Class X student in a Chandigarh school, neither has a house nor do any of his family members live here. He lives in a room in Gagan’s house and pays rent to his friend. Gurdev cooks for himself and carries his own food on the campaign rail. His vehicle of choice on the broken roads is an old rickety car. Modesty seems to runs in the family. Gurdev’s father Lal Singh still runs his cycle repair shop back home in Sanaur.
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Gurdev, a radio jockey in Canada till October 2011, left his lucrative $4,000 a month (approx Rs 2.5 lakh) job to join the People’s Party of Punjab, “a party with a difference”, and is the Sanjha Morcha’s Bhoa candidate. 