At much-sought after Dera,welfare takes precedence over politicking

The Dera is a city in itself. Equipped with three schools,three hospitals,two colleges,markets areas and even a cricket stadium of its own,it is almost a self-sustaining organism. While many of the students from these institutions have already represented the country and won medals at the international level,many doctors from reputed institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have chosen to make Dera their home,working in its hospitals. Crowds from far off places like Bihar and Bengal can be seen thronging the place at any given day.

When Punjab’s political temperatures were heating up in the past few days,the Dera was busy setting four new Guiness World Records – for most blood pressure readings in a day (14,910),most cardiac dopplers done in day (525),most cholesterol readings in a day and most diabetes readings in a day (6,562 each). Officials at the Dera claim it to be the largest blood donor agency worldwide and showcase the Guiness World Records the Dera has made for blood donation,tree plantation and organizing eye camps. It claims to have to made 100 million people quit liquor and various forms of addictions.

“Last year,86,000 units of blood were collected. We are the largest donors of blood to the Indian Army. As many as 52,000 people have pledged to become living kidney donors apart from six lakh others who have pledged to regularly donate blood and also their eyes and bodies after death,” says Dr Aditya Insaan,an ophthalmologist at one of three hospitals at the Dera. Insaan,who also doubles up as the Dera’s spokesperson,moved to the Dera in 1997 after completing his MBBS and MD from AIIMS in Delhi and has been living on the campus ever since. Another doctor from AIIMS,Dr MP Singh,a devout follower of Gurmeet Ram Rahim,who practiced in AIIMS for three years moved to the Dera in 1996 and is now the Chief Medical Officer of the Shah Satnamji Charity Hospitals.

The Dera has also raised an army of roughly 42,000 trained volunteers-Shah Satnamji Green S Welfare Force Wing—who have submitted valid affidavits to the Dera saying that death or disability in the line of humanitarian service is entirely their liability. These volunteers,who also guard the Dera’s main gates,have participated in various rescue and relief operations in Barmer,Leh,Andamans,Orissa,during the Bihar floods and during the Rajasthan drought in 2000-03.

“I come here to do sewa as often as I can,” says Ravinder Pal Insan,who works as Senior Officer (IT) with the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam and is posted in Dehradun. He has taken a week’s leave from work to don the uniform of the Green S Force and has been performing sentry duty at the Dera’s main gate.

With Punjab politicians having made a beeline to the Dera this time-People’s Party of Punjab Chief Manpreet Badal visited the Dera late evening today-the Dera,too,seemed to have got wiser from its 2007-experience when it was reported to have openly supported the Congress,inviting the Akalis’ wrath later on. “Whom to vote for and whom not to vote for is a matter between the devotees and the Political Affairs Committee. No announcement to vote en masse for any particular party is likely to be made,” a Dera source,requesting anonymity,said.

“We find it a little strange that our 70 ongoing humanitarian endeavours do not even attract an iota of attention compared to all the election time hype that is created. We are a socio-spiritual organisation with a purely humanitarian outlook. But,we do recognize the community’s right to organize itself and rely upon consensual decisions,” says Insaan.