E-Paper
31-yr-old who won battle against drugs inspires youngsters to fight for country
TRAINING ARMY, POLICE ASPIRANTS Gurjit Singh of Bahadurnagar village, who was a national-level athlete during his college years, has helped at least 68 youngsters in his village get into security forces
Till about two years ago, 31-year-old Gurjit Singh of Bahadurnagar village in Patti sub-division did not have much hope from life. Caught in a vicious cycle of drug addiction and police cases, it seemed he was throwing his promising life away.
But the death of his older brother due to drug overdose in 2018 served as an eye-opener. While lighting his pyre, Gurjit pledged to give up drugs.
Encouraged by his sister, he went to a drug rehabilitation centre but after coming out, he again got addicted to drugs. But the one-time athlete was not ready to give-up.
He started going to the village grounds to take up athletics again. He was soon joined by some other youths and his determination only grew stronger. Gurjit soon started training over 100 youth in athletics.
“During my school years, I used to take part in track events. In college, I started participating in national-level games and even won several medals,” Gurjit says, adding that he then started training at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana to get into the Indian Army through sports quota.
The army dreams were, however, stalled after he got entangled in criminal case. “I was booked under Section 326 (causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons) of the Indian Penal after I took part in a quarrel between two groups. After that, I started mingling with anti-social elements and started drinking alcohol. One day, at a marriage function, I inhaled heroin and got addicted to it. Soon I started taking drugs worth Rs 4000 on a daily basis,” he says.
In 2014, he was booked in a drug case and then declared a proclaimed offender. He remained in jail for about a year and a half.
171 ASPIRANTS TRAIN UNDER HIM
Having fought his addiction through sports, Gurjit now coaches at least young army and police aspirants in the village.
“My aim is to protect the youth of my village from drugs,” says the 31-year-old, who trains around 171 young men and women these days. At least 68 youngsters who trained under him have already got jobs in various security forces, which include 48 in the Indian Army.
“It’s a miracle,” says village sarpanch Jaswant Singh. “Gurjit not only won his own battle, he is helping others in their fight too. There were three of four young men in the village who had been addicted to drugs but after training under Gurjit, they too have overcome their addiction.”
One of his successful trainees, Mahanbir Singh, 19, of Dall village, says, “It is only due to the great effort of my coach Gurjit Singh that my army dream has been fulfilled.”
