HT Brunch Cover Story: Harteerath of hearts
One year ago, Harteerath Singh not only saved hundreds of lives, but instilled the concept of seva in us forever
As I sit down to write this cover story in the last week of May, I flash back to this time last year. India was in the throes of the emotionally-draining second wave of Covid and the shortage of oxygen cylinders, lack of hospital beds, and visuals of people dying in cars while awaiting medical help were making headlines.
Even millennials on social media, usually unperturbed by happenings in the real world, had taken a pause. Instagram stories were filled with reposts requesting help procuring beds, oxygen, concentrators and more.
In the midst of this chaos, there rose a face that became a beacon of hope. A young, pleasant-faced Sikh representing the Hemkunt Foundation became the video to stop scrolling at, turn up the volume for, listen to and reflect.
“What can we do to help?” his words forced us to think. “I’m sitting masked at home; how come this young guy is organising Covid camps and equipping them with oxygen cylinders? Isn’t he scared he’ll fall sick?”
Meet the inspirer of many such emotions (and more action that followed), whose relentless positivity helped many of us sail through dark times and whose hard work saved hundreds of lives.
Presenting Harkeerat… Harpreet… Har… (as his recent Instagram story read, “I’ll spend half my life correcting my name”): Harteerath Singh!
Community living
The Gurgaon born-and-bred boy is a turn-of-the-century youngster and comes from the family that started the Hemkunt Foundation in 2010, based on the Sikh tenet of seva (service to society). Harteerath is designated Community Development Officer.
“It’s been not one, but two years for us. We have been working since the Janta Curfew in 2020,” Harteerath tells us. “We’ve impacted 4,00,000 lives in over 21 states of India. I’m not sure we’ve been able to process all we’ve done. And then, of course, there’s been the toll on our mental health.”
Please note that Harteerath is not blowing his own trumpet. Anyone who has watched the foundation selflessly work through the darkest times many of us have ever seen knows that the heart of the organisation, and that of our hero, Harteerath, is firmly in place.
“I am here because of community. I have been brought up in a way where serving others is a priority,” Harteerath tells us. “Show people how to live their lives, as if you have been told how to die. And die in such a way that people remember you for your legacy. This is actually written in the verses of the Guru Granth Sahib. So, full credit for the work we do goes to our culture and the way we have been brought up. When I was a kid, I was told to maro pocha (mop the floors) in the Gurudwara, and I used to ask my dad why he was making me do this. Now I know!”
Harteerath has many stories of generosity and love to share from the trying times last year. “When we created a makeshift office inside a container near our Oxygen Centre, one of our volunteers took off an air-conditioner that was installed in his home, brought it to us and said, ‘What’s the point of sitting in the heat?’ Who does that, right?” asks Harteerath, beaming at the display and idea of human kindness.
Seeing the work of the foundation, several celebrities, NRIs and industrialists volunteered to help, but the incident Harteerath remembers best involves an auto driver.
“A rickshaw driver came into our Oxygen Centre, and we gave him oxygen like we would to any other patient. He stayed for five days, and we realised later that he did that because he had nowhere to go. He wasn’t earning, and the food and care we were providing became his support as he recovered.
“That’s not where the story ends. A few days after he was discharged, this same auto driver bhaiya, who was extremely poor and living hand-to-mouth, came with a set of friends and two auto rickshaws full of amenities for the centre. He brought bananas, mineral water bottles, coconut water and more. He made our volunteers realise that they weren’t getting time to eat a proper meal during the day, so bananas would help. ‘You’ll be able to serve more people if you take care of yourselves,’ he told us. This brought tears to my eyes. He wanted to do seva too,” says Harteerath. “We hadn’t just saved his life, we had also instilled in him the emotion of service. He is a volunteer till date. Every time we need something to be transported, we give him a call and he is the first to arrive. Whenever there is a drive in the slums of Gurgaon, he is sure to volunteer.”
Millennial Messiah
Harteerath’s cherubic countenance during troubled times and his solution-driven approach made him an instant hit amongst millennials. Cosmopolitan featured him in its Hope Issue, HT City and Forbes magazine listed him as a 30 Under 30 achiever, and recently, Grazia acknowledged his work as the Social Impact Of The Year. But, Harteerath says, he has taken pains to not let the fame go to his head.
“The other day I was in Mumbai, and at one in the morning, a person came up to me and asked me, ‘You’re Harteerath from Hemkunt Foundation, aren’t you?’ It felt good. I feel overwhelmed by the recognition, but I know that I am just another guy doing seva. What I am getting in return is so much love from India and also from NRIs, who are constantly texting me. I want all to know that seva akele nahin ki jaati (service is not done alone.) It is the entire team at Hemkunt Foundation, our donors, our volunteers etc who have worked to make a difference. I hope the recognition that has come to me will inspire more people to take up a career in philanthropy and social work as they see that the world has started recognising people who do good for society.”
Wise men wish...
We ask Harteerath what he’d recommend to young people who want to contribute. “Whenever a young person, a child or a teenager, comes to me, I tell them that seva starts at home,” says Harteerath. “You don’t have to join an NGO, or club or society. If you are making four rotis for yourself, make an extra two rotis. Then, step out of your house and you will see at least 10 people who need it: the rickshaw-wala guy who is driving people in this heat or the food delivery bhaiya… When a courier delivery partner comes to your house and you offer him a cold glass of water, that is seva. Seva does not mean you must go into disaster areas, it starts at home!”
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From HT Brunch, June 4, 2022
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