By Dr. Bikkar Singh Lalli
“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation” (Paulo Coelho).
It is the parent’s job to help children discover their divinity, and their unique talent to serve humanity. And this is a story of an individual who was asked to quit his studies and stay home to manage his father’s farm. He did just that for a year. But, today, Jasbir Singh is the acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. He has demonstrated what each of us can do when given a simple opportunity of becoming educated
If you ask most parents what they want for their children. Almost always the answer would be: “happiness and success”. However, the parents from rural areas fail to realize that the key to happiness and success, in the existing competitive environment, is higher education.
It was not too difficult to persuade my brother-in-law, who had helped me in my pursuit of higher education, to send his children to school. However, he did show some reluctance in sending my niece to school in a neighbouring village. In 1962, my eldest nephew was doing his M.A (Economics) in Govt. College Ludhiana for Men, and my eldest niece was an undergraduate student in Govt. College for Women, and was later admitted to Medical College in Amritsar in 1963. In Nov. 1962, I left for Canada to join UBC, and my nephew proceeded to England
When I visited India in early seventies, my eldest niece was practicing medicine along with her husband Dr. Grewal, and the second niece was a graduate student at Kanya Mahan Vidyalaya College Jalandhar. To my great surprise Jasbir – my second nephew, was busy in tilling the land of his father. Harry Bains would tell you that Janbir was a brilliant student with him in a middle school. However, his dad wanted one of his sons to mange the family farm. It was an unacceptable situation for me because the future of a very talented young man, having amazing social skills, was at risk. With an extensive and aggressive pressure, we succeeded in convincing my brother-in- law to allow Jasbir to pursue his goals. Jasbir was immensely delighted at the wonderful turn of events. He got enrolled in Punjabi University Patiala and with his stubborn persistence, finished his Masters degree in 1976, and then joined the Law College. After finishing law he started his practice at Jalandhar in 1979. An extremely handsome young lawyer, having very persuasive communication skills, he became an instant success in his profession. From his college days he had a surrounded himself with a very loyal group of friends and with his down to earth humble manners, he expanded his social circle enormously during his Law practice at Jalandhar.
“To accomplish great things we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe” (Anatole France). That is what Jasbir Singh did. In 1982, he became the youngest elected member of the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council. Now, it was time to shift his practice to Chandigarh. Within a short span, he became one of the leading authorities in his profession. Success depends on passion, if we are not passionate about the work we are doing we cannot get the desired results. As a chairman of the Bar Council he worked with passionate diligence and earned a great reputation for handling the affairs of the council with his dedication, integrity, objectivity and impeccable honesty. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit “(Aristotle). Thus, excellence became a trade mark of Jasbir Singh’s work.
In 2000, his name was recommended for a seat for the bench in Punjab and Haryana High Court, and with the approval of the president of India, he was first appointed as an Additional Judge, then, within a few months, a permanent Judge. This month, with the appointment of Hon’ble Mr. Justice M.M. Kumar as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Jasbir Singh will become the senior most Judge, and thus, the Acting Chief Justice. From the evening of May 18, till the morning of May 21, we enjoyed his company. It was his short visit in connection with the marriage of his nephew Dr. Parmbir Dulai, with Dr. Sonya Bajwa from Squamish.
Children, of Jasbir and his nephews and nieces, are doing extremely well. One of his nephew, though an electronic engineer, has written two books, one in poetry (Parched Well), second a fiction: Shadows of the Lost Time, and twenty two articles on The Mystery of Brain. Children, brought up and nurtured in a healthy environment, can acquire the ability of achieving anything- education is the Golden Key.
We must tell our children never to quit, have dreams, have the courage of conviction and pursue their goal with tenacity. We should tell them to use the principle of creative visualization –“imagine to create a picture of something you wish to manifest. Then you continue to focus on the idea or picture regularly, giving it positive energy until it becomes objective reality–.”(Shakti Gawain). George Bernard Shaw also said that “imagination is the beginning of creation”. As John F. Kennedy once said, “We must do all that we can, to give our children the best in education and social upbringing — for while they are the youth of today, they shall be the leaders of tomorrow.”
