IMMIGRATION, BHINDRANWALE AND CONVERSION

THE AUTHOR SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE DURING HIS RECENT VISIT TO PUNJAB UNDER THE AMBIT OF BHAI KANHAIYA SVASTHYA SEVA YATRA ORGANISED BY THE NORTH ZONE TEAM OF NATIONAL MEDICOS ORGANISATION. HE EXPLORES THE BORDER STATE THREADBARE, UNLIKE A TOURIST, TO GAIN A FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE INTO THE REALITIES OF HEALTHCARE AT THE GROUND LEVEL 

- DR DEV DESAI

Bhindranwale's supporters at a gathering

When the prospect of joining a medical camp in the districts of Punjab adjoining the India-Pakistan border, under the ambit of the inaugural Bhai Kanhaiya Svasthya Seva Yatra (BKSSY) organised by the North Zone team of National Medicos Organisation (NMO) came up, I took up the offer as an opportunity to explore the state threadbare in a different way than as a mere tourist on the one hand and to gain a first-hand peek into the realities of healthcare at the ground level outside the ivory tower of a tertiary care institution on the other. After considering the various means of reaching Amritsar, I gathered the courage to drive down the 250-odd kilometres from Chandigarh, a distance longer than any I had driven across.

I am glad that I took up the challenge to drive by myself as not only were the broad and smooth roads a delight to drive on, they also gave a major confidence boost to the driver in me. The FasTag system has virtually eliminated the congestion at the Toll Plazas, and apart from a few spots where flyover bridge construction was ongoing, the roads were pretty much in good shape.

They say, 'advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them.' If this is true, one would not be wrong to say that the number one issue which rules the minds and hearts of Punjab today is immigration, immigration and immigration. Most billboards along the way from Chandigarh to Amritsar advertised either IELTS trainers or visa consultants who claimed to get visas to countries as far apart as Canada in the north-west to Australia in the south-east.

Sikhs at Church