CHANDIGARH, December 28, 2004
IANS
The box office may not have welcomed "Swades", a film about
a non-resident Indian (NRI) returning to help his village, but the real
life story of a US-based expatriate's work in Punjab is already a hit.
Seventy-two-year-old Nanak Kohli has done well enough in the US to
be heading a $200-million group doing all kinds of things, from giving
technical manpower to investing in telecom.
But that wasn't enough. "It was my dream to do something for people
back in Punjab to perpetuate the memory of my parents," Kohli told
IANS.
Inspired by a suggestion from columnist and author Khushwant Singh to
do something for girls in rural Punjab, Kohli set up three computer
centres in Ghauran, Landran and Mahdiyan villages.
His idea was to train girls and get them outsourced work from the world
over so that they could earn enough. Now, nearly 225 girls are already
enrolled at these centres and are being trained to handle outsourcing
jobs.
Kohli set up the Sunder Amar Sheel Trust in memory of his father Sunder
Singh and two mothers - Amar Kaur and Sheela Kohli - for this purpose.
"My biological mother Amar Kaur died when I was just eight. My
real mother was Sheela Kohli," he explained, saying he was helping
his community in Punjab as he did not want it to experience the hardships
he and his father faced after India's partition in 1947.
"I want these computer centres to become business centres that
guarantee jobs and money to the girls," Kohli said.
Each computer centre is being given Rs.500,000 ($10,000) for investment
and 10 computers each. Air-conditioners and generator sets are being
provided at every centre.
"My idea is to have 100 such centres all over Punjab. I have got
very good support from my family and well placed volunteers who offered
to work free of cost for these projects. I just can't believe that all
this is happening," he said.
Kohli, known as the "Rolls Royce NRI from Washington", set
apart Rs.10 million for the project. "I will give this amount every
year. The investment should touch Rs.50 million as we push ahead,"
he said.
Kohli had initially planned to invest the money for bright students
from IITs and IIMs, but Khushwant Singh asked him to reach out to the
"poorest of the poor".
The computer centres were not the only thing Kohli had in mind.
"I learnt in Ghauran village that only one boy - S.S. Dhanoa,
who retired as Punjab chief secretary a few years ago - had made it
to the elite Indian administrative Services (IAS). I want girls from
this village to do the same," Kohli said.
Kohli's efforts have changed the lives of girls in rural Punjab. His
trust has selected two bright girls doing their graduation and is now
training them to appear for the civil services exam.
"We will get them the best coaching to achieve this goal,"
Kohli asserted.
"We took 100 girls in specially arranged buses to New Delhi's
Imperial Hotel for a function. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife
Gursharan Kaur was to come for the function, but she was down with viral
flu," Kohli said.
"Khushwant was in tears as the girls and small children sang and
danced their hearts out. The girls had come out of their villages for
the first time," he said.
Kohli said his wife Pammy was his inspiration in the project, while
younger brother U.B. Singh - an ex-Indian Army officer and course mate
of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh - was the anchor.
"We have had valuable support to implement the project from Satinder
Singh, our project director," Kohli added