Former professor continues charitable work with same fervour as before

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Tribune News Service

Hoshiarpur, September 12

Bahadar Singh Sunet was a student of B Pharmacy in Panjab University in 1982, when a teacher known to him met with an accident and blood was needed to save his life. He stepped up effort for the cause. It was his very first humane act.

“The warmth felt after meeting the person, who was given a new life, motivated me to continue to volunteer as a blood donor — the only aim of my life,” Singh says.

But he didn’t stop there. After his father departed in 1999, the retired professor from Pandit Jagat Ram Government Polytechnic, Hoshiarpur, donated his eyes. He received a lot of stick for this decision from his close ones. “My own family members, my aunts, my uncles all opposed my decision and I was upbraided for it,” he recalls. However, this didn’t bring him down and only motivated him to continue with such charitable work. He did the same in 2008 when his mother, Gurmeet Kaur, passed away in 2008. He donated her eyes to an eye bank in Ludhiana which helped four corneal blinds to see the world.

The number of times he has donated blood surpasses his age, he is 60. He has organised more than 100 blood donation camps motivating thousands for blood and eye donations.

“I took my true inspiration from Bhai Ghanaiya Ji’s selfless services. It motivates me for dogged working in these social activities which is the need of the hour to eradicate the prevailing evils in our society,” the former professor says.

Inspired by services of Bhai Ghanayia Ji, Red Cross and Bhagat Puran Singh (founder of Pingalwara, Amritsar), he established a social organisation named ‘Bhai Ghanayia Ji Mission’ in 1987 at Ludhiana for service of the humanity, equality and strengthening the brotherhood.

He is the founder member Of Bhai Ghanayia JI Charitable Blood Bank, Hoshiarpur, is associated with Blood Donor Council blood bank, Nawanshahr, and blood bank civil hospital, Hoshiarpur. He also helped in establishment of Sant Rangi Ram Charitable Blood Bank, Jaja (Tanda). Apart from being the president of Eye Donation Association, Hoshiarpur, in his eighteen years of work more than 1000 corneal blinds have been able to see the light.

On the occasion of Blood Donation Day 1989, he was honoured by Dist Red Cross for valuable contribution in the field at Ludhiana. He was honoured on the occasion of World Red Cross Day in 1998 at a state-level function by BKN Chibber, then Governer of Punjab for his evergreen dedication towards helping people.

On June 25 this year, his son Karmanveer Singh celebrated his birthday by donating blood and Bahadar contributed to the cause for 67th time. “In today’s busy life if you spare some time for the cause of service to humanity, it will definitely colour the life of people around you and theirs,” he feels.