Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, July 29: Having survived the deadly terrorist attack way back in 1999, in which 16 of his close family members lost their lives, Joginder Singh- one of the survivors, currently studying and at the same time teaching in Pune, will spearhead a campaign to spread literacy primarily in the Chenab Valley in which his village is located and some other parts of the State later.
Noted poet-writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has agreed to support the idea.
Singh, who survived the attack carried out by terrorists on a Village Defence Committee of village Lehota, district Doda on July 19, 1999, was among four survivors. The four year old young boy was then adopted by Pune based NGO ‘Sarhad’ and has since completed double graduation and teaching at the same time to make his livelihood.
A literacy campaign named ‘Ghar Ghar school—- Har Ghar School’ will soon be launched by the NGO with Joginder Singh as its chief coordinator. “The idea behind launching this campaign is to create awareness about the significance of education in life and there could have been none better that Joginder who in the face of adversities took to education as means of establishing himself,” said Sarhad’s founder president, Sanjay Nahar. School in every household of J&K is the underlying theme of this unique literacy campaign, he added.
He further said that the scheme would initially cover Chenab Valley. “Later, we aim to cover border areas in Jammu, Kargil and Leh and other districts of the State. While Akhtar has agreed in principle we are in touch with some other prominent personalities particularly from film and literary circles to involve them in this campaign,” he added.
Joginder, 24, after two decades of struggle is raring to serve his homeland in this unique way. Notwithstanding the fact that his pleas for a Government job on compassionate grounds, after completing his education fell on deaf years, he will help others to get educated.
Though he has not received any Government facility despite losing 15 members of his family in the terrorist attack, Joginder has decided to have a positive outlook and work to ensure that no child in his home State is deprived of education.
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