Jalandhar, December 18
It’s a home away from home for 46 boys who lost their fathers in their childhood. Residing at Gen Kalwant Singh Boys’ Hostel run by the 13 Dogra Unit in Jalandhar cantonment, these sons of war widows of Dogra regiment are being nurtured to fulfil their dreams.

The contribution made by serving and retired personnel of all 19 units falling under the Dogra regiment are used for providing free lodging, meals, schooling, uniforms, track suits, private tutoring and other facilities to these children.

All the hostellers, mostly from remote and rural areas of Himachal Pradesh are brought up in a complete regiment style. They are woken up at 5 am and get ready by 7 am, perform aarti and are at the breakfast table before 7:30 am. They leave for schools at 8:30 am and take lunch, followed by rest till 4 pm. After some refreshment in evening, they start their self-study or go to tuitions. At 7 pm, they watch TV for sometime and then reach the mess. Again they are back to their study room and finally off to beds before 10 pm.

But boys tell that the routine has become a part of their life. “On weekends and holidays, we have a lot of recreations. We play indoor and outdoor games, watch movie in our TV room, listen to music on the CD player and even visit the computer room, besides reading novels and story books available in library. Recently, we even had even gone for excursions to Wonderland, Haveli and other places around the city”, says Vivek Sharma, Rajesh Thakur, Deepak Negi and Sandeep, all students of plus two.

Even as the boys get a fixed menu for their school tiffins, breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner, the food on Sundays is of their demand. “We love sambhar with rice at times or even khichdi for a change. The jawans working as cooks ask for our choice and prepare meals accordingly on Sunday,” said Krishan of Kangra

The best part about the hostel is that the boys, who have otherwise seen a major tragedy at their homes, do not reflect any signs of insecurity or inferiority complex in their attitudes. Probably their ability to listen and co-relate themselves each other makes them realise that they are still better than others.

Reena, hostel warden, tells that there are four children who do not even have their mothers and look towards her for mother’s affection. “Three of these four boys have some relatives who come to meet them and take them home during holidays. However, there is one who is not visited by anyone. I make sure that I get gifts for him and sometimes take him to my place, especially when other boys have left”, she tells showing some greeting cards and letters that the boys write to her addressing her as ‘Mom’.

Like any mother, the warden ensures that every child gets nicely-packed tiffins with paper napkins for their schools. She even makes sure that every child at the gate leaves in their buses for Army Public School or Kendriya Vidyalayas where they are studying. Back home, she checks their copies and diaries and keeps on coaxing them to study harder to get better marks.

Working for the last one-and-a-half-years, Reena has never even asked for any honorarium. Equally caring is Harleen Lamba, wife of Col P B S Lamba, CO of the unit, who visits these children regularly, keeps a tab on hygiene and makes sure that they get whatever they require.

Coming to achievements, a hostel student Naresh Thakur had secured 85 per cent marks in plus two examinations last year and is presently studying in a government college at Chandigarh. He has received a scholarship worth Rs 6000 from Lieut Gen (retired) Surjit Singh Sangra, who also had been instrumental in setting up the hostel in 1999 in the name of the first General from the Dogra regiment.

Phagwara, December 18
Rawalpindi police station, presently a unit of the Sadar police station, has not only been adjudged the best police station in the state but has also been included in the top five police stations of the country. These police stations will now take part at an international level competition scheduled to be held on December 22 in Malaysia. The 35 police stations of the state which took part at a state-level competition had scored a total of 75.5 close to the Indian average of 75.75.

SSP Kapurthala, Rakesh Aggarwal, said police station falling under the sadar police station Phagwara got a total score of 98.17. The SSP said as many as 116 police stations across the country took part at the national-level competitions. The SSP and Rawalpindi police station in charge, Inderjit Singh, will be taking part at the international competition where 21 countries will take part in the competition to be held in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the SSP and Phagwara DSP HPS Khakh said the Rawalpindi police station will be upgraded to a full-fledged police station from January 1. As many as 40 villages of the sub division, including the present 32 villages under it would be attached with this police station, he added. Dhadhe, Chack Prema, Bariana, Gulabgarh, Akalgarh, Khatti, Khurampur and Barna will be attached with this police station, he informed.

Three computers will soon be installed in the police station making it the first computerised rural police station in the state. Giving details of the competition, the SSP said community orientation, physical conditions, equal treatment, transparency and accountability, detention condition were included in the categories for the competition.

The SSP said all police stations of the district Kapurthala would also be computerised and linked with the district head quarter by January 1 to increase efficiency of the police.

SSP Aggarwal told that the police station was set up as a chowki in 1992, but was extended to a police station in 2002 when villagers donated land to construct a new building of the police station and former DGP Sarabjit Singh inaugurated new building in 2002. The SSP said functioning of the police will be made transparent and accountable in the district soon.

Jalandhar, December 18
Forty-year-old Mohan Singh can be a source of inspiration for many like him. Even as he has his both legs amputated up to the hip portion, he drives his scooter, works in his fields, looks after his farm animals and is independent in every respect. Hailing from Lasoori village in Shahkot subdivision, he came to the district administrative complex today for his work driving his scooter more than 50 km. Mohan Singh has got a special seat fitted on his Bajaj Chetak scooter, which is broader and has high edges on three sides so that he sits comfortably. He has also got brakes fitted on the right hand side of the handle rather than the right foot. In addition, the scooter has two support wheels on either side for balancing.

Mohan Singh moves about sitting on a tube and using two wooden planks in either of his hands for taking a step ahead. He gets down from the scooter with the support of his hands. “I cannot sit directly on the scooter on my own. I need to first pull up a chair or a bed near the scooter for climbing on it. I take the help of my sons at home for kick starting the scooter. I take the help of passersby when I am outside”, he shared his problem.

Recalling the fateful day of his life, he explained, “I was a truck driver in a private company. Almost a decade back, I was driving through Orissa when I met with an accident. A front tyre of my truck burst and the vehicle hit a roadside tree due to which my legs got stuck up. The doctors had to amputate my legs to save my life.

“I had to spend nearly Rs 2 lakh on my treatment. For years, I was in bed waiting for the wounds to heal. My wife was my major support then. Together we decided that we would raise a farm to make our both ends meet. We started with a buffalo and now we have a healthy herd of milch cattle. We have also been cultivating crops in our fields.”

Determined to be always financially independent, Mohan Singh said the feeling helped him go stronger each day. “Now, I can even look upon my two sons and a daughter for my future. My elder son has completed matriculation and does welding work. The younger one is in class X and my daughter is studying in class eighth. At the time when I had met with the accident, my elder son was barely six years old and my responsibilities were far too high as I did not want financial problems to come in way of their studies,” he recalled.

Mohan Singh was at the administrative complex to meet some senior police officials in connection with his complaint related to a fraud committed by a Shahkot-based travel agent who duped him of Rs 7 lakh on the pretext of sending his elder son abroad.

Phagwara, December 18
New Mexico State Senate of USA will have its first Hindu prayer, containing Sanskrit mantras on January 28.

Rajan Zed, Phagwara born prominent Hindu chaplain, will read the historic opening prayer from ancient Hindu scriptures at the New Mexico Senate in Santa Fe on this day. After first delivering the prayer in Sanskrit, he will then read its English translation.

According to claims, no Hindu has delivered the opening prayer in the senate since its formation. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and the root language of all Indo-European languages.

Zed will recite from the Rig Veda (the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BC). Lines from the Upanisads and Bhagavad-Gita (song of the Lord) shall also be recited.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanisad, Rajan Zed plans to say "Asato ma sad gamaya, tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, mrtyor ma mrtam gamaya", which roughly translates as "Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light and from death to immortality."

Hinduism was introduced in North America in 1830s with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau studying Hindu scriptures like the Upanisads and the Bhagavad-Gita. Vivekananda made a strong impression at World's Parliament of Religion in Chicago in 1893 and he then founded the Vedanta Society. Protap Chunder Mozoomdar of Brahmo Samaj delivered his first American address on September 02, 1883 in Concord, Massachusetts.

Jalandhar, December 18
Army coaches may start training different police teams in the country. In a chat with mediapersons, the director of intelligence bureau PC Haldar, also chief of the police control board, said if state DGPs forwarded him a proposal for engaging army coaches training different police teams it would be discussed positively.

Talking on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of 56th All India Police Hockey at Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium here, Haldar praised the Punjab police by saying that as many as 70 of its players were recipients of the prestigious Arjun award. Punjab DGP NPS Aulakh welcomed the chief guest and other dignitaries.

As many as 22 teams from all over the country, consisting of 500 participants of national and international repute including Gaganajit Singh, Jugraj Singh, Tejbir Singh, Kanwalpreet Singh and Daljit Singh Dhillon, participated in the championship held from December eight to 16. The championship was organised under the guidance and patronage of DGP with ADGP armed battallions, Rajan Gupta, as chairman of organising committee, IG Traffic HS Dhillon as organising secretary and DIG administration PS SiIdhu as additional organising secretary.

Mass bhangra was performed by the PAP jawans on the closing ceremony. Punjab police amused the gathering with harmonious tunes. A souvenir was also released by Haldar on this occasion.

Jalandhar, December 18
Roca, the Spanish world leader in sanitary ware, lunched its first showroom, Lovely Sanitations, on Nakodar road, here on Monday.

K E Ranganathan, MD, Parryware Roca, said a vast customer care network, spread across the country, backs our contemporary products. Our products include hydro-sauna cabins, spa baths and suites, bathroom fixtures and various accessories.

The 90-year-old company, with sales of 1.63 billion euros, is the parent company of firms dedicated to design, production and sale of bathroom products, he added.