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Mohit Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 14
While big corporate houses make huge publicity of their donations that are actually meant for tax benefits, there are some who are quietly making a difference in the life of others with their limited means.
Meet Harbhajan Kaur, a resident of Sector 46, a woman with extraordinary credentials. A retired Markfed employee, she has given away all her savings of nearly Rs 50 lakh for the welfare of poor and needy.
She has so far donated nearly Rs 22 lakh for the treatment of 37 patients in PGI. Her contribution caught the attention of PGI authorities when she gave away Rs 11 lakh for the poor patient welfare fund.
In recognition of her selfless service to society, PGI is going to honour Harbhajan Kaur on the Foundation Day of the institution on July 16.
Speaking to The Tribune, Harbhajan Kaur said, “I strongly believe in the teaching of Sikh Gurus who stressed on the joy of giving. With God’s grace my three children — two daughters and a son — are well settled. After my retirement, I decided to use my savings for the welfare of the poor. Further, I also got the support of my husband Iqbal Singh, also a retired government employee, for the cause.”
She is helping poor patients without any consideration of caste, creed and religion. “I was fortunate to have brought up in an environment where stress was being laid on serving the mankind. Fate was kind on me that I got a job in Markfed,” Harbhajan Kaur said.
Besides, helping the poor patients, for four years she ran stitching centres in villages in the periphery of Chandigarh and Mohali on the request of panchayats.
She donated sewing machines at Badri Narayan Mandir in Sohana, Mohali and set up first stitching centre at Sikh Missionary College Complex, Phase 11, Mohali.
She gave Rs 500 per month as pension to 15 widows for years in Jallowal village and her native village Munakkala in Hoshiarpur.
Harbhajan Kaur had donated physiotherapy machines worth over Rs 6 lakh at the Modern Charitable Physiotherapy Centre at Sikh Missionary College of Mohali and Industrial Centre, Channalo, near Kurali.
Substantial amount was donated by her for the construction of three-storey in sarai of gurdwara located in PGIMER.
“What moved me the most was when I helped a man, who lost both his arms in an accident, setting up a small shop. With little bit of monetary contribution the man has managed to run his household,” said Harbhajan Kaur.
She receives lot of respect from the residents of Sohara near Kharar after she helped a crises-hit family set up a shop. After Suchha Singh, a bus driver, suffered paralyses, his son Tajinder Singh had to leave his studies and become an AC mechanic. But he too got injured and the family faced acute financial crisis. A villager approached Harbhajan Kaur, who provided monitory help of Rs 1 lakh in setting up a shop in 2012. The both father and son are now earning well.
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