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| Source - " The Tribune, February 11, 2005 " " " " " |
This river was extremely polluted.
This man took it upon himself to clean
it.
Kali Bein now flows refreshed.
Minna Zutshi
Tribune News
Service
Feb 11, 2005
Miracle worker: Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal at
the river front
Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal with his followers
If
you thought that forefront in the environmental brigade were
bored,
publicity-strapped socialites or foreign-funded NGOs with a
distinct
prejudice against the third world, it's time to do a reality
check.
The historical rivulet of Kali Bein that covers 160 km, right
from
Mukerian through Dasuya to Sultanpur, is breathing a fresh whiff
of
life these days. And a multitude of hands are still toiling to get
that
sparkle of clean water back — the sparkle that had its roots in
the days of
Guru Nanak Dev, whose association with the rivulet has
been recorded in the
annals of the Sikh history.
A few years ago, the rivulet was a choked,
dirt-strewn bed of
hyacinth. People lamented about its once-glorious past.
But
shouldering the gargantuan task of cleaning it was altogether
a
different (read difficult) proposition. No one wanted to take up
the
onerous task. A rather routine meeting of intellectuals
organised
under the aegis of the NGO Dharat Suhavi had from Seechewal
village
here suggest that it was time to do away with discussion and
get
going.
The very next day, on July 16, 2000, the "cleaning project"
was
started. The same day, the road from Seechewal, about 40 km from
the
city, to Sultanpur Lodhi, through Dalla, was constructed.
The task
was not easy by any means. It involved clearing the rivulet's
bed, preparing
roads, planting trees, construction of dykes, and
removal of hyacinths and
silt-deposits. There were numerous hitches —
lack of official records,
farmers' opposition and the constant flow of
polluted water.
"When the
kar seva began at Sultanpur Lodhi, the Bein was nowhere in
sight. Instead,
there were heaps of garbage and decaying carcasses of
cattle. But the sangat
did not lose heart. They continued the cleaning
work. Their years of toil
have borne fruit. Slit-deposits have been
cleared. Beautiful ghats have been
constructed. Instead of stinking
garbage, it's a riot of colourful flowers on
both sides of the Bein,"
says Sant Balbir Singh. Old trees, with gnarled
roots, have also been
preserved.
It's the community participation that
is making this task successful,
says the sant. When the work was started,
there was initial mistrust
among people. Many felt that the task of cleaning
the rivulet was too
difficult to be undertaken at the community level.
However, Sant
Balbir Singh's unflinching commitment to the cause soon made
kar seva
at Bein popular and now it has even become the raison d'etre of many
a
kar sevak. The number of kar sevaks have swelled to thousands.
The
project started from Budho Barkat-Gallowal Bridge upward to
Mukerian Hydel
Channel to Dhanoa. Later, the downward cleaning was
initiated. Villagers from
many places, including Gallowal, Budho
Barkat, Dhanoa, Terkiana, Begpur,
Saidowal, Passi Bet, Kaire, Bhushan,
Gilzian, Miani, Pul Pukhta, Bahadur Pur
Awana villages, participated
in the kar seva.
The cleaning is still on
in full throttle. Men, women of all ages and
even children can be seen
contributing their bit to the kar seva.
There are no glitzy photo-shoots and
no armchair theorising. It's a
straight jump into the rivulet whose glorious
past may soon catch up
with it, if the sant, the sangat and the kar sevaks
have their way.
"It's not only the religious significance of the rivulet
that prompted
us to start the cleaning project. Rivers and water bodies are
precious
resources that should be preserved at all costs. And
community
participation counts a lot," says the sant, who incidentally is
also
the sarpanch of Seechewal village.
At his village, a
school-cum-college, a stadium, a computer centre
have been set up with the
help of the community participation. The
village has a well-planned sewage
system and well-laid-out roads.
Interestingly, in many developmental works,
including the building of
roads, village women have been the willing
participants. At least 11
slum dwellers, who had never been to school, are
now computer
literate, and they are basking in their new-found tryst with
alphabets
and cursor!
This river was extremely polluted.
This man took it upon himself to clean
it.
Kali Bein now flows refreshed.
Minna Zutshi
Tribune News
Service
Feb 11, 2005
Miracle worker: Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal at
the river front
Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal with his followers
If
you thought that forefront in the environmental brigade were
bored,
publicity-strapped socialites or foreign-funded NGOs with a
distinct
prejudice against the third world, it's time to do a reality
check.
The historical rivulet of Kali Bein that covers 160 km, right
from
Mukerian through Dasuya to Sultanpur, is breathing a fresh whiff
of
life these days. And a multitude of hands are still toiling to get
that
sparkle of clean water back — the sparkle that had its roots in
the days of
Guru Nanak Dev, whose association with the rivulet has
been recorded in the
annals of the Sikh history.
A few years ago, the rivulet was a choked,
dirt-strewn bed of
hyacinth. People lamented about its once-glorious past.
But
shouldering the gargantuan task of cleaning it was altogether
a
different (read difficult) proposition. No one wanted to take up
the
onerous task. A rather routine meeting of intellectuals
organised
under the aegis of the NGO Dharat Suhavi had from Seechewal
village
here suggest that it was time to do away with discussion and
get
going.
The very next day, on July 16, 2000, the "cleaning project"
was
started. The same day, the road from Seechewal, about 40 km from
the
city, to Sultanpur Lodhi, through Dalla, was constructed.
The task
was not easy by any means. It involved clearing the rivulet's
bed, preparing
roads, planting trees, construction of dykes, and
removal of hyacinths and
silt-deposits. There were numerous hitches —
lack of official records,
farmers' opposition and the constant flow of
polluted water.
"When the
kar seva began at Sultanpur Lodhi, the Bein was nowhere in
sight. Instead,
there were heaps of garbage and decaying carcasses of
cattle. But the sangat
did not lose heart. They continued the cleaning
work. Their years of toil
have borne fruit. Slit-deposits have been
cleared. Beautiful ghats have been
constructed. Instead of stinking
garbage, it's a riot of colourful flowers on
both sides of the Bein,"
says Sant Balbir Singh. Old trees, with gnarled
roots, have also been
preserved.
It's the community participation that
is making this task successful,
says the sant. When the work was started,
there was initial mistrust
among people. Many felt that the task of cleaning
the rivulet was too
difficult to be undertaken at the community level.
However, Sant
Balbir Singh's unflinching commitment to the cause soon made
kar seva
at Bein popular and now it has even become the raison d'etre of many
a
kar sevak. The number of kar sevaks have swelled to thousands.
The
project started from Budho Barkat-Gallowal Bridge upward to
Mukerian Hydel
Channel to Dhanoa. Later, the downward cleaning was
initiated. Villagers from
many places, including Gallowal, Budho
Barkat, Dhanoa, Terkiana, Begpur,
Saidowal, Passi Bet, Kaire, Bhushan,
Gilzian, Miani, Pul Pukhta, Bahadur Pur
Awana villages, participated
in the kar seva.
The cleaning is still on
in full throttle. Men, women of all ages and
even children can be seen
contributing their bit to the kar seva.
There are no glitzy photo-shoots and
no armchair theorising. It's a
straight jump into the rivulet whose glorious
past may soon catch up
with it, if the sant, the sangat and the kar sevaks
have their way.
"It's not only the religious significance of the rivulet
that prompted
us to start the cleaning project. Rivers and water bodies are
precious
resources that should be preserved at all costs. And
community
participation counts a lot," says the sant, who incidentally is
also
the sarpanch of Seechewal village.
At his village, a
school-cum-college, a stadium, a computer centre
have been set up with the
help of the community participation. The
village has a well-planned sewage
system and well-laid-out roads.
Interestingly, in many developmental works,
including the building of
roads, village women have been the willing
participants. At least 11
slum dwellers, who had never been to school, are
now computer
literate, and they are basking in their new-found tryst with
alphabets
and cursor!
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050211/jplus.htm#1 |
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