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Empower
"We believe it is possible to impart quality education to the Niranjan Singh Mehta, who came to be known as Sant Teja Singh Ji later on, was born to Ram Kaur
students of rural areas. We wish to see their mind informed, and Bhai Ralla Singh on 14 May, 1877, in village Balowali ,Gujranwala, Pakistan. His father, Bhai Ralla
disciplined, strengthened --infact, trained in somewhat the Singh, was a doctor employed in Central Jail, Lahore.
Sant Teja Singh passed out with distinction in Post Graduate studies, followed it up with a degree in
same way as per the teachings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji Maharaj.”
law, and went to Harvard University for further studies.
Sant Teja Singh ji At the centre of his world was an abiding respect for his mentor, Sant Attar Singh ji and a belief that
education has to holistically blend science with spiritual upliftment, in order to make the world a
better place to live in.
Sant Teja Singh ji founded the Kalgidhar Trust in 1965 in order to spread the message of universal
brotherhood by combining spirituality with modern scientific education.
Executive Summary
Executive Summary Way to establish permanent peace
Many other programs like De-addiction Centers (on an improved pattern of Alcoholics Anonymous),
fully equipped Charity Hospital, Orphanage, Women Care Centre & Senior Citizen Centre are also run
by the TKS. Training and employment of rural youth especially focussed on Women Empowerment,
through Teachers Training, Embroidery, Stitching & Office management with computers is the latest
addition to these programs.
The mass urbanization is taking a toll on the rural masses and the scary results are already showing up
in the widening gap amongst the rich & poor. Ignorance & illiteracy in the rural folks, compounded by
the lack of health care needs, brings about helplessness in their lives. TKS having identified these root
causes, is methodically planning to take up the challenge of providing their services to the rural poor.
The strategy is simple yet effective- "Move away from urbanization", "Provide value based scientific
education & spiritual uplift" - "Reach out to the Underprivileged" with health care needs and create
an industrial base for their economic development.
Having felt the need to expand the scope of this noble cause, TKS plans to expand & branch out into far
flung rural areas by targeting 150 Schools within the next 2 years with assistance from Charitable
Institutions and worthy donors. Remarkably, session 2008-10 saw the addition of 48 new schools.
It is expected that a silent socio-economic uplift reform will result out of this sure-footed grass-root
effort. The footprints of "eradication of illiteracy &social evils" would keep on growing and positively
touch lives and fulfill needs of the rural poor & the deprived.
The Need
The situation in rural North India is alarming considering the following facts:
From being at no.1 amongst all states in India in terms of per capita
income, Punjab has dropped to being the economically slowest Way to establish permanent peace
A. EDUCATION FOR THE RURAL POOR
growing state in India.
There is a growing disparity in the education levels amongst the urban & rural masses and also the male
From being a front runner, Punjab has dropped to no. 16 in terms of & female children. Unless drastic measures are taken to arrest this trend, a social catastrophe is in the
Literacy Rate amongst all states in India. offing. The focus of The Kalgidhar Society is to reach out to deprived masses who are cocooned in far
flung rural areas, where modern education is the need of the hour. TKS intends to intervene and make
The school drop out rate is an alarming 48.10% up to High school.
available value based education in its own silent and humble way.
The per capita public spending on education by the state govt. is In the past, India was a leading country in education with International Universities like Nalanda & Texla
Rs. 525 while the per capita earning from sale of liquor alone leading the way. But despite this , India is home to the world's largest illiterates. India accounts for 20%
is Rs. 820 and the per capita spending on liquor is Rs. 2200. of the world's out-of-school children and for 20% of the gender-gap in elementary education.
Bias against women & girls is reflected in the demographic ratio of below 800 females per 1000 males
Punjab the most prosperous sate in India, has been awarded
the level of “BACKWARD” in terms of value indicating the current level due to rampant female infanticide. From childhood, girls suffer from active discrimination, resulting in
of development in Literacy parameters by the planning commission. malnutrition, lack of educational opportunity, low self esteem and cyclical ill health, which is
compounded by early marriage and excessive childbearing. Poverty, lack of awareness about health
An obvious impact is reflected in the fact that 1 out of 3 adults and 7 out of
care, combined with ignorance and superstition, result in a high infant and maternal mortality rate.
10 college going students are now taking drugs.
Rural female children are being neglected by their own parents as far as spending on education and
An all time high of 1.47 million youth are unemployed in Punjab. nutrition is concerned. The very notion that the spending on education of girl will go waste because
the girl has to go to other home after marriage and thus cannot be asset of the parent family, is strongly
The completely skewed sex ratio currently stands at 793 girls for embedded in the minds of the parents. The female child is always looked upon as a liability by the
every 1000 boys in the state.
parents and this is reflected in the last census figures of the gender ratio, in the absence of recent
Punjab has now become the no.1 transit point for opium. figures it is estimated that the situation has worsened to a disappointing figure of 700 girls to 1000 boys
in Punjab.
The Solution
Welcome to the ”the valley of divine peace.”
“Just as a tiny banyan seed grows into a huge tree, in the same A concerted effort needs to be operationalised to Educate, Enshrine and Empower rural India. The rural
youth needs to be brought back to the mainstream so that they remain valuable to the growing economy
way,this place will develop into a great center of spiritual and society at large. A bank of Good Human Material through Value-based Education would suffice to
education where high quality scientific education will also be achieve these goals silently. Urban Society needs to be sensitised to the requirements of their rural
brethren. A large network of Akal Academies would serve as a fountainhead of a Rural Education
imparted.” Revolution.
Sant Teja Singh on his vision for Baru Sahib.
Besides giving modern scientific education in its Academies (CBSE Schools), TKS lays more emphasis on value based
education of the children. The difference between value based education and literacy or so called education; when we
combine moral/spiritual values or spiritual values with literacy, it becomes value based education. Mere literacy in any
field of education gives birth to egoistic forces which creates selfishness, hatred and a complex of pseudo superiority &
intelligence, which leads to conflicts and wars thus robbing the wealth and values of the citizens and nations; walking the
path of selflessness and universal brotherhood by rendering the selfless help to the needy ones irrespective of caste,
creed and religion to get the blessings of the Almighty Lord for attaining Divine wisdom and salvation. The ultimate aim of
TKS is to produce virtuous persons who are able to reach the level of 'spiritual enlightenment' to establish permanent
peace and universal brotherhood in this world. These children having imbibed the virtues can become the leaders &
torch-bearers for others as well; thereby helping eradicate social evils amongst their contacts. Experience tells that, one
morally enlightened child can influence 30-35 members of the society.
The Impact
Way to establish permanent peace
Women Empowerment
Disaster Relief
Value based Education
Akal Academies:
Akal Academy Baru Sahib Akal Academy Baru Sahib Akal Academy Jand Sahib Akal Academy Fatehgarh Channa
Himachal Pradesh (Hindi Medium) Himachal Pradesh Panjab Panjab
70 Schools
Akal Academy Bilga
Panjab
Akal Academy Cheema
Panjab
60,000 Students Akal Academy Gomti
(Hindi Medium) Panjab
5 Colleges
Akal Academy Cheema
(Punjabi Medium) Panjab
1 University
1 Mission
Akal Academy Mander Akal Academy Kauriwara Akal Academy Bharyal Lahri
Panjab Panjab Panjab
Akal Academy Bhadaur Akal Academy Bhai Desa Akal Academy Kajri Akal Academy Delhi
Panjab Panjab Uttar Pradesh New Delhi
Akal Charitable Hospital:
Healthcare
Drug De-addiction:
Akal Charitable Hospital is a 280-bed fully functional hospital with all state-of-the- Through three De-Addiction centers being run at village Cheema,
art ultra-modern medical facilities. It is providing medical care to the poor Jharon and Baru Sahib, The Kalgidhar Society aims to tackle this social
patients of this remote, far flung rural areas of backward Himalayan region. This malaise which ails our youth, who get addicted to various kinds of
hospital caters to the medical needs of patients covering an area of a radius of 100 drugs, alcohol and narcotics from an early age. The Akal De-addiction
Km. It caters to about 300 patients daily at its OPD. Centers are helping in eradicating vices amongst the rural folk and
bringing down the crime rate, conflicts, litigations etc. amongst these
In addition to the routine medical and surgical services, emergencies of all kinds sections. The alcohol free movement being run on an improved pattern
are also attended. Akal Charitable Hospital is the only hospital in the region of the 'Alcoholics Anonymous-USA' is proving as a savior against
attending to the patients of snake-bite for which expensive Antivenin is given. marital discords and exploitation of the womenfolk.
The patients and their attendants travel to Akal Charitable Hospital by bus, horse
or on foot, undertaking quite long and arduous journey on difficult terrains to get rid of deadly diseases completely free
of cost, the treatments that would normally cost The following methodology is adopted to treat the patients in the de-
up to Rs. 1 Lakh in cities. addiction centers:
In addition to the free medical checkups and i) Seminars are conducted from time to time in different villages
treatments, dental care, surgical procedures and enlightening the youth against drug-addiction and alcoholism.
post-operative medical care, all patients and their ii) Patients are admitted in the de-addiction camps in the batches of 45
accompanying family members receive free for duration of two months and more if required.
accommodations and meals, regardless of caste, iii) The treatment is done through yoga sessions and daily meditation
creed, color, religion and social status. with emphasis on the focus towards spirituality. Apart from early
morning and evening spiritual sessions, three more additional spiritual sessions are conducted during the day
which gives them the additional will-power and determination.
Medical Camps:
iv) Through counseling, they are enlightened against the evils of drug-addiction. This de-addiction camp is being run
In addition to routine services, general medical camps and Ophthalmologic camps are organised thrice a year.
under the supervision of eminent doctors and specialists with
These camps see specialists with various medical specializations from USA, CANADA, UK, Jalandhar, adequate para-medical staff who volunteer their services for the
Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Delhi & Mumbai volunteer their services to provide much needed medical intervention camp providing round the clock services.
for the deprived. More than 2500 patients benefit from each of these camps, wherein services of super v) To treat new patients, assistance is also taken from persons already
specialists are provided virtually at the doorsteps of these poor people living in this remote Himalayan region. treated. They act as living examples to new patients inspiring others
More than 100 operations are carried out free of cost in each of these camps. Intricate Surgeries like Plastic to renounce alcohol and drugs.
Surgeries, Hernia, hysterectomy, myringoplasty, cleft lip and cleft palate, skin grafting, contractures following vi) The entire treatment is done free of charge and the patients are also
burns, all kinds of general surgeries and orthopedic surgeries are performed in these camps. Some of these provided free care, food and lodging.
operations would cost more than Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 1 Lakh if they were performed in any private hospital in a
city. Not only Patients, but their family attendants are provided freeboarding & lodging during the camps. This unique noble venture has produced remarkable results, having
achieved a success rate of 82% (1 year follow up) which is way above the
maximum success rate of about 42% reported so far in the international sphere. These spectacular results are due to
the multidimensional approach at this centre. The patients, in addition to the usual treatment with medicines and
psychotherapy, are made to participate in voluntary service at the spiritual centre. Besides this, they meditate on the
divine name. This gives them additional strength to fight the withdrawal symptoms and also confidence in their own
abilities that builds up their self esteem.
Social Welfare
Campaign to Control HIV / AIDS
Health Education Camps: The Kalgidhar Society has pitched in to help control of HIV / Aids in the states of
Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Volunteers of the Society along with state Department Officials
have organized AIDS awareness camps of high risk population at places where truck drivers stay overnight
gratifying results. At the end of the camp, all participants were thankful for the awareness created and took
an oath for not risking unsafe sex.
similarly, seminars were organized in all Akal Academies (Grade IX to XII) in which parents of students also
participated. All students and parents vowed to make efforts to fight the menace of AIDS and purge it from
the society.
A Book on AIDS: A widely acclaimed book entitled "AIDS - How, When, Why " has been printed in Hindi and
distributed free of cost among the people. This contains information in simple manner on every hidden
aspect of AIDS.
SOCIAL WELFARE
800 children benefit from the Akal Child Welfare Foundation. It looks after all their basic needs
including boarding, lodging, educational and health needs. These children are provided free
education at Baru Sahib & other branches and are given the same facilities as other
students of the Academy. They are well treated by the organisation as well as the fellow
students so that they don't develop any inferiority complex of being orphans.
21 21
Women Empowerment
The Devastating Himalayan earthquake of 2005 (recording a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale)
took a toll of thousands of human lives and rendered millions homeless. In India, nearly 1,345 were
confirmed as dead and another 2,000 were missing. More than 36,000 properties were damaged
either fully or partially.
The Kalgidhar Society decided to create and send a Disaster Relief Team to the affected areas on
18th Oct 05. This team promptly began the job of repair and reconstruction of fallen houses,
schools and places of worship and worked 70 days & nights before snow-fall stopped the work.
By the end of The Kashmir Relief Mission, The Kalgidhar Society had spent around Rs. 23 Million with
the help of Donations / contributions from its donors and also substantially from its own resources
and built/repaired 1850 houses, 1 school, 3 mosques, 1 Hindu temple and 4 Sikh temples thereby
benefitting 9,822 victims till November 30, 2005.
Govt. of India acknowledges Kalgidhar / Society's Relief and Rehabilitation Efforts
The Kalgidhar Society's relief and rehabilitation efforts in South Asia earthquake have been
acknowledged by Govt. of India's Ministry of Home Affairs in its Annual Report 2005-2006. On page
112, Clause 7.65, under the heading 'NGOs' effort in providing shelters', it mentions the efforts of
The Kalgidhar Society in Uri and Tangdhar areas of Kashmir in the earthquake which took a toll of
thousands of human lives and rendered millions homeless.
“All the creatures including human beings are children In October 2005, a major earthquake shook South Asia, affecting India in the Kashmir region in India. The
quake devastated this beautiful place, and cast a dark shadow on the lives of people of these areas. In the
of the Divine Father. The religions follow different paths to earthquake affected areas, almost 95% of the houses were completely reduced to rubble. Scores of people
were killed and thousands were rendered homeless and rootless, not knowing how they would begin their
strive for reaching the stage of Divine realisation” lives afresh. Children were the worst affected by the devastation.
The Kalgidhar Society mobilized its resources immediately, TKS volunteers rushed to the affected areas. The
Society was committed to provide all necessary help before the onset of winter. 15 villages were adopted in the
- Guru Nanak worse-hit remote areas and a budget of Rs.2.25 crores was earmarked for relief work.
This gigantic endeavor was spearheaded by TKS volunteers, and help in the form of building material,
medicines and food was given to the villagers through the camps run by The Society. The Army also helped TKS
volunteers in delivering goods to affected people. Relief to earthquake victims was provided irrespective of
any caste, creed or religion, thus following the philosophy of universal brotherhood as enunciated in the Sikh
faith. 1850 houses were rebuilt by November 30, 2005,along with several places of worship of different faiths.
The Society's relief and rehabilitation efforts in South Asia earthquake have been acknowledged by Govt. of
India's Ministry of Home Affairs in its Annual Report 2005-2006, as also by the media and NGOs.
• After earthquake in October 2005, 15 villages were adopted in the worse-hit remote areas of Kashmir.
• A budget of Rs. 2.25 crores was earmarked for relief work.
• Relief to earthquake victims was provided irrespective of any caste, creed or religion.
• 1850 houses were rebuilt by November 30, 2005
The Opportunities
Prayer:
Faith and prayer is the foundation of TKS. We cherish and desire your specific and
fervent prayer.
Financial Support:
TKS offers numerous opportunities for supporting this strategic and vital mission.
Financial partners, worthy benefactors, can support the TKS's rural programs with
contributions in cash or kind.
Service:
DIRECT BENEFICIARIES
• 60,000 Students
• 2,475 Teachers / professionals
• 2,18,000 Patients
• 6450 Orphans & other poor students
• 200 Senior citizens
• 1200 Widows & needy women
• 1,740 Addicts and their families.
• 9,822 Earthquake victims affected in Kashmir.
• 18, 00,000 Population influenced
Conclusion
turn saving their children from the onslaught of alcohol & drug abuse. Accordingly 70 Day Boarding i) Rural Northern India- 500 Schools in all rural areas of Tehsils and Blocks in all districts
(10+2) Akal Academies were established up to high-school level in rural Punjab, Haryana, Uttar benefitting around 5,00,000 students.
Pradesh. Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. In these academies more than 60,000 students are
being imparted “Real Education” from LKG to Senior Secondary level.
Punjab W E
GURDASPUR - 3 S
AMRITSAR - 1
HOSHIARPUR
KAPURTHALA
-
-
1
2
Himachal Pradesh
TARAN TAARAN - 3
JALANDHAR - 5 1
ROPAR - 1
FIROZPUR - 3
MOGA - 4
FARIDKOT - 2 2
LUDHIANA - 2
FATEHGARH SAHIB - 1
MUKTSAR - 3
BARNALA - 3
PATIALA - 4
SANGRUR - 4
MANSA - 7
BATHINDA - 3
MOHALI - 1
Haryana
Ajitsar Ratia
Uttar Pradesh Salam Khera
Rajasthan Ellenabad
31 B.B. Padampur Dara Singh Wala
Bhusla
Kamrani
MAP NOT TO SCALE Ahmedpur Darewala
Bara Gura Rori
REGD. OFFICE
The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib,
Via Rajgarh. Distt. Sirmore, Himachal Pradesh-173101, India
Tel : 91-1799 - 275031, 09816033303, Fax : 91-1799 - 275041
w w w. b a r u s a h i b . o rg i nfo @ b a r u s a h i b . o rg