Kamagatamaru, the name of a Japanese ship, is more popular in India, especially Punjab, than in the country to which it actually belongs. The very name has been suffixed to the name of Baba Gurdit Singh, who was a resident of Sirhali village in Amritsar district.

However, with the efforts of Prof Mehal Singh, Principal, Guru Gobind Singh (GGS) Khalsa College, a science block is coming up on the college premises in the name of Baba Gurdit Singh Kamagatamaru.

Sacrifices ignored The sacrifices of the Ghadari Babas as harbingers of the freedom movement in India have not yet been projected properly. The contributions of Baba Visakha Singh, an acknowledged revolutionary and mystic saint who was held in high esteem by Sikhs and other communities, have not been highlighted properly. Guru Gobind Singh baptised his ancestors and they fought many battles against the Muslim rulers of India. Later, they saw action during the Sikh rule in Punjab and fought along with great Sikh warrior Hari Singh Nalwa against the Afghan invaders. Babaji was born in April 1877 at Dadehar village, near Tarn Taran. The role of Baba Ram Singh and his forefathers in the battles against Mughals and later in freedom struggle has also not found proper place in the Indian history.

The controversy over the “death” of Subhash Chandra Bose has a long life. The Indian National Army’s (INA) leader, Capt Gurdial Singh Dhillon, while going down the memory lane said that he had doubts about the veracity of Subash Chandra Bose’s trusted lieutenant Col Habib-Ur-Rahman’s statement that Bose had died in a plane crash.

The Supreme Commander of INA, Bose, had reportedly died in a plane crash. The plane was flying from Vietnam to Tokyo. Capt Dhillon questioned the circumstances in which only Rahman had been able to come out unscathed from the crash, while everyone else had perished.

Recalling his INA days and his association with Netaji, this 83-year-old World War II veteran said that after putting in four years of service in the British Indian Army (BIA), he had joined the INA in Burma after being made Prisoner of War (PoW) by the Japanese army.

Capt Dhillon was born in Kasel village, about 20 km away from here. His father Ala Singh Dhillon was a subedar in the British Indian Army (BIA) and had settled down at Hakiman Wala Gate in the city when Gurdial was ten years old. Ala Singh’s five brothers were also in the army and they had fought in the World War I.

Maintaining the family tradition, Gurdial also joined the army in 1938. He was then 18 years old. In the World War II, his unit — Seventh Cavalry — was ordered to move for an undisclosed location. He was then posted at Peshawar. His unit moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) port from where they boarded a ship and headed for the Red Sea. In the face of heavy attack by Italian and German artillery, their fleet was directed to move to South Africa and on the way they were ordered to reach Singapore.

Capt Dhillon was posted at north Malaya (now Malaysia) with his unit when Japanese attacked them. The Japanese held thousands of BIA men, including him, as PoWs on February 15, 1942. Subsequently, he, along with other Indians, joined the INA. From there they were taken to Rangoon (now Yangoon). Then joint forces of the INA and Japan waged war against Britain to liberate India. He was a part of the troupe which captured Kohima in 1944.

Soon the reinforced BIA repulsed the attack and forced the joint INA-Japanese combine to retreat. He, along with several INA soldiers, surrendered to the BIA on April 3, 1945. The British Government of India kept him in imprisonment for a long time at different places, including Rangoon (now Yangoon), Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Multan.

The services of this INA Captain No 40016 from the unit first of Subash Regiment were recognised by the Indian Government on November 11, 1974, and his “dismissal” was converted into “discharge”. 

There’s a good news for physically challenged children. The Amritsar Institute for Childhood Disability, under the aegis of Shri Jagan Nath Welfare Trust, was started in the city. Dr Manzoor Alam, a Delhi-based medical expert on the treatment of children affected by cerebral palsy, inaugurated the institute.

Dr Alam said that three to four per cent of the newly-born children suffered from a medical problem.

Dr Alam said that children suffering from cerebral palsy could be treated through modern medical techniques and physiotherapy. He said that this institute would offer treatment not only to city residents but also to those living in other cities. He added that the first such institute was opened in Delhi. “There is a need to start more such treatment centres in different parts of the country,” he said.

He said that the medical researchers were also working on treatment through stem cell transplant.

The registrar of Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr R.S. Bawa, while speaking during the inauguration of the centre, said that parents had to learn the techniques of physiotherapy to help their children lead a normal life. This would require consistent and sustained efforts, he added.

A large number of philanthropists and NGOs offered to donate liberally for the success of this centre. Mr Arun Khanna, founder-member of the institute, said that the institute’s main aim was to serve the children afflicted with cerebral palsy. He said the institute would educate mothers of disabled children about the limitations of those children. He added that the mothers of those children had a vital role to play as the child was constantly under their care.

Mr Khanna said that Dr Mansoor Alam and Dr Dureja from the Institute for Childhood Disability, Delhi, would be providing services to the institute free of cost. He further said that Dr Alam would be visiting their institute twice a month. He said speech therapy would also be given to the children.

Dr Shakti Kumar, physiotherapist, said that at the institute they gave physiotherapy treatment for one hour daily to each child and also trained the mothers about helping child to do physical exercises at home for one or two hours. He further said that sometimes mothers gave massage to the child which was more damaging and hindered the recovery of the child suffering from cerebral palsy.

Ms Shallu Mahajan, mother of a child suffering from cerebral palsy, said that she was satisfied with the treatment being given at the centre. She said that earlier she had to go to Delhi for the treatment of her son.

The Department of Paediatrics, Government Medical College here, in collaboration with the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) celebrated the World Breast Feeding Week, which concluded on August 4. The week was organised under the aegis of the state branch of the Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI).

Dr Karnail Singh, Professor and Head of Paediatrics Department, informed that it was the 15th World Breast Feeding Week. He said that every year since 1992, the week had been celebrated in about 120 countries with the association of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Alliance for Breast Feeding (WABF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He said the theme of this year’s week was “Breast Feeding and Family foods: Loving and Healthy”. He said that an infant, from its birth till its attaining six months of age, should be fed exclusively on mother’s milk. He urged the mothers and pregnant women gathered at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur (SGTB) Hospital on the last day of the week not to give even water to infants during that period.

He said breastfeeding must be continued till a child reached two years of age. However, after the initial six months, other food items could be given to a child.

Addressing the gathering, he said a newborn must be breastfed immediately after birth, preferably within half an hour. “Breast milk is of high quality, nutrient-rich, easily digestible and it also provides a healthy bond between the mother and the baby,” he explained.

Dr Kanwaljit Singh, Civil Surgeon, was the chief guest. On the occasion, the Department of Community Medicine held an exhibition to promote breastfeeding. Ms Navjot got the first prize for poster and chart making. 

Many rotaries and roundabouts constructed between roads and at intersections obstruct the smooth flow of traffic. This is what experts say.

Traffic jams are frequent here. An ever-increasing number of vehicles, narrow roads, encroachments and inability of the traffic police to handle traffic — all contribute to the city’s chaotic traffic, say the experts.

What compounds the problem is that many times rotaries are constructed on narrow roads without professional advice and guidance.

Take, for instance, the road leading from Bhandari Bridge to the Golden Temple. Jallianwala Bagh is also located on this road. It is certainly one of the busiest roads of the city. It also witnesses the movement of VIPs and VVIPs. Famous markets, including Hall Bazaar, Katra Jai Mal Singh Bazaar, are located on this road.

Architecturally flawed rotaries dot the city. The rotaries at Dr Kitchlu Chowk, near Court Complex, Valmiki Chowk, near Gol Bagh, are examples of architecturally flawed rotaries.

Prof B.R. Batra, Guru Ram Das School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, says rotaries in the city convey ad hoc approach of the authorities. He feels there are several architectural and designing anomalies in these structures. He informs that traffic management is a separate subject and advice can be sought from the experts.

He says there is an association of professionals — Indian Road Congress — being financed by the Ministry of Surface Transport. It provides books and expertise on the subject.

He says the purpose of rotaries is to reduce the conflict area of different directions and channellise the traffic.

Mr Lachman Das, Superintendent Engineer, Road Buildings, Municipal Corporation, when contacted, said that they had to construct rotaries depending upon the road. He added that some of the roads were not so wide and they had to work on the limited surface available. Besides, the flow of traffic was also kept in mind before raising the structures.

He agreed that they did not take advice of experts prior to the construction of the rotaries. He claimed that the staff had enough experience regarding the matter.

The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union has decided to take head-on the Punjab Government’s move to ban the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff.

Prof H.S. Walia, state vice-president of the union, in a press statement issued here, said that the decision to ban the recruitment should be withdrawn immediately in the larger interests of the student community in particular and higher education in general.