The man who fed millions for 35 years is now himself practically living on the street, surviving on the dole of some kindly locals
Yavatmal (Maharashtra): A ‘langar’ (free kitchen) which fed over two million hungry migrants during the first wave of the Carona lockdown along the Yavatmal National Highway, has been demolished owing to certain disputes among the landlords, an IANS report in The Tribune, Chandigarh says.
The 84-year-old Sikh ‘sevak’ Karnail Singh Khaira, who managed the ‘langar’ to serve the masses for the past 35 years on the Yavatmal NH-7, has been rudely evicted and is practically living on the street.
The ‘langar’ — which was like a god-sent boon for lakhs of poor villagers, tribals and migrants on the move during the lockdown period starting March 24, 2020 — was famed as the ‘Dera Kar Seva Gurdwara Langar Sahib’, or simply ‘Guru Ka Langar’ near Karanji village.
It was run by Khaira, revered as ‘Khaira Baba’ in the region. Immediately after the first nationwide lockdown was clamped, he fed droves and hordes of hungry people arriving there, 24×7, free of cost.
“Owing to some disputes among the land owners, a few days ago, the authorities came and demolished the entire 3,000 sq ft ‘langar’ which I had started from scratch, nurtured and built over the course of 35 years,” the dejected Khaira Baba told IANS.
Shiv Sena (UBT) farmers’ leader Kishore Tiwari rushed there for a spot assessment and blamed the state administration for bringing down the ‘langar’ linked to the historic Gurudwara Bhagod Sahib in Wai, some 11 km away in a forested area.
“There was some bickering among the owners, but this ‘langar’ has been working undisturbed for over 35 years… It rendered yeoman services to millions of hungry people before, during and after the lockdown. The present state government came just seven months ago and ordered its demolition,” fumed Tiwari.
The Sena (UBT) leader assured Khaira Baba that he would demand a proper rehabilitation in the same vicinity, a suitable compensation for all his losses and ensure that the ‘langar’ will once again be able to serve the poor.
On his part, Khaira Baba claimed that it is surprising that although the matter among the owners was pending in the court, the government ordered the demolition and ousted him from there.
“This is a very sensitive issue that has been rashly handled by the state administration. We shall take up the matter seriously with the concerned departments and ministers,” said Tiwari.
It may be recalled that after IANS first highlighted Khaira Baba’s humanitarian services, he and his small team attained global fame for the selfless ‘seva’ provided non-stop to the snaky queues of starving people for months, with nothing available for around 450 km along that desolate highway stretch.
The ‘langar’ was linked to the historic Gurdwara Bhagod Sahib, where the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, had stayed in 1705, while enroute Nanded, around 250 km away, where he was assassinated on October 7, 1708.
Nearly 125 years after his martyrdom, the world-famous ‘Gurdwara Takht Hazuri Sahib Sachkhand’ (Nanded) came up and is one of the five Takhts of Sikhism, visited by lakhs of devout Sikhs from all over the world every year.
“As the main Gurdwara Bhagod Sahib is in the jungle, in 1988 this ‘langar’ came up here on the highway and I was assigned to manage it, with the guidance of the Nanded Gurdwara Sahib’s Baba Narinder Singhji and Baba Balwinder Singhji,” recalled Khaira Baba.
After receiving the eviction order late in January, Khaira Baba, sought the help of FDA Minister Sanjay Rathod in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Cabinet, besides other officials.
“The minister and the officials promised that they would save the ‘langar’, but in the past fortnight, a demolition team with police forces bulldozed the entire place to rubble,” said Khaira Baba, who has nowhere to go now.
Senior police inspector of Pandharkawada, Jagdish Mandalwar, confirmed the development but said “we were merely following orders”.
When asked what inspired him to serve millions at the ‘langar’ for 35 years, the Meerut-born Khaira Baba looked at the sky and said: “It’s the Wahe Guru’s ‘marzi’ (will)… I am only his instrument to serve humanity. I lived and slept at the ‘langar’, ate the same food given to all the people, and my sole belongings on earth are three sets of clothes. Everything came in selfless donations”.
***************************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com