A soil rich in storied lives

Rasulpur village has the pride of being associated with personalities who performed extraordinarily well in different fields. There is Subedar (retired) Sewa Singh whose date of birth is April 5. 1935. Now over 90 years of age, he is leading a healthy life. He is also the former Sarpanch of the village, which has a population of about 5,300. To rise at 4 am and go to bed at 9 pm is his routine. His wife Sawinder Kaur (85) helps him in his daily routine. He does not use a walking stick and takes food as a youth would. After his retirement from the Army, he served as the Branch Post Master (BPM) of the village. Though he has left the post office work officially, his daughter-in-law has taken up responsibility as the BPM but she still takes assistance from her father-in-law. Sewa Singh takes keen interest in politics and is an avid reader of Punjabi Tribune.

Pargat Singh (86), who retired as Subedar from the Army is the younger brother of Subedar Sewa Singh. He is active in Ex-Servicemen’s Association.

It is a matter of pride for the village that Harnam Singh Bath of the village, who was born on November 22, 1895, was awarded the rank of Lieutenant Sardar Bahadur by the British Government. He participated in the First World War from 1914 to 1918. He was a man of rare interests that included writing his personal diary daily which has been preserved, said Tajinderpal Singh, his grandson . He joined the British Indian Army in 1914 and was sent to defend France which at that time was under attack by Germany. He died in October, 1977. His diary is a historical document.

Gulwinder Singh, a teacher of Government Middle School in the village, was honoured with the national award in the year 2006. He gained much popularity for his sincere efforts in the Education Department.

In Rasulpur village, there are two real sisters — Manjit Kaur (62) and Pooran Kaur (65) — who have great interest in preserving the intangible of Punjabi cultural traditions. In the village, no occasion is considered to be complete and enjoyable till both sisters are invited. These sisters are illiterate but have learnt countless number of songs orally and sing them with great concentration in functions like marriage.

Amritsar