in 2002 while posted at Faridkot as District Transport Officer, I met locals who were members of Rotary Club Faridkot and they alongside other NGOs helped us in educating road users in many ways.

So I joined their club and also got A PAUL HARRIS FELLOW title from Rotary International in America.

subsequently I became President of RC FARIDKOT during 2004.

In 2005 I attended RI Centennial Convention in Chicago

thereafter where ever I was posted in Sangrur, Nawanshahar and Jalandhar, I used to work with RC for many social works.

After retirement in 2010 , I shifted to my home in Chandigarh, but didn’t participate in any Rotary works.

Recently in September 2023 I rejoined RC CHANDIGARH UPTOWN and attend their meetings.

on November 18, 2023 on my suggestions the RC CHANDIGARH UPTOWN alongside Zone 6 RYLA conducted a Road Safety Paper Reading Contest by 13 school nominated kids at Bhawan Vidhyalaya Sector 27 B CHANDIGARH, where 25 school kids read their papers on various topics offered to them.

it was a very well organized project by the RC CHANDIGARH UPTOWN

I am the youngest of three sons our parents ( S Gurbachan Singh Luthra & Kulwant Kaur ) had. Born in the Winters at Shimla on Wednesday 16th January, 1952, a Premature Boy, who rose to 5 feet 10 inches , with 100 kg weight.

Had a very lively childhood . Being the youngest, I was the naughtiest and loved. Ask for a thing , I got it. Taken along by parents where ever they went.

Used to have braded hair and massaged by mother, aunts, cousins every Sunday, a routine, wherever I was, Nanke or Dadke, ( grandparents home ).

in class 9th I used to wear a turban, which was tied by the eldest brother Devinder , for two years, thereafter I learnt how to tie.

During schooling we used to go on cycles, in college first we used to ride buses, without paying any fare.

During final year of B.A., I got a scooter to ride , although at home I learnt to drive when in 7th or 8th class, but in the limit of our Sector 21.

When dad baught a Car, Landmaster , in 1968, I uses to learn by seeing how my father drives and learnt it in a year.

I got my driving license made from Bhatinda , later enhanced from Patiala for Heavy Transport Vehicle, renewed on time till date from area Authorities.

After Bachelors of Art in English, Psychology and Sociology in 1972 from prestigious College for Boys Sector 11, I joined Masters in Sociology at Panjab University, Chandigarh.

In our class there were 6 or 7 boys and rest 20 plus girls . We all were collective and helpful and enjoyed two years with happiness. The Teaching Staff were very obliging and good , who took pains to teach and guide us very kindly and sincerely

Maternal Ancestors means NANKE , and I am going to write about our Mothers Sardarni Kulwant Kaur urf KANTA , family from her Grandfather downwards.

Sardar SAWAN SINGH, VILLAGE GONDKI, DISTRICT SIALKOT, now in Pakistan. He was a SAHUKAR , means financiers, and had Three 3 sons, namely, A) Khushhal Singh , B) Lal Singh, C) Iqbal Singh . Their caste is MASAUN or now they call MASSON.

A) Khushhal Singh had five 5 kids,

1. Harbans Singh, now at Nainitaal, Uttrakhand

2. Balwant Singh

3. Amrik Singh

4. Jaswant Kaur

5. Jasbir Kaur, whose daughter NEETU SINGH is famous Actress ,MARRIED to Rishi Kapur of Bombay

B) Lal Singh , lived in Jalandhar, Basti Shiekh, he had 6 Six kids

1. Jagjit Singh

2. Beant Singh, who died very early working with Panjab Roadways, very lively man, his Son Raghbir Singh now lives in their house , at Jalandhar

3. Parbhatee Devi

4. Sheela

5. Vidya

6. Deepa

C) Iqbal Singh , our Naana, Grandfather, worked in Defence Accounts and retired as Account Officer, during British Times too, he had 5 Five kids

1. Kulwant Kaur, Kanta ( married Gurbachan Singh Luthra of Lahore , shifted to Simla, and later Chandigarh) has 3 Three sons , Devinder ( Cuckoo ), Abnash ( Tiny ), and Manmohan ( Babli )

2. Swaran Kaur, Dayya( married Ajit Singh from Paharganj , now in Lajpat Nagar ,New Delhi) has 3 Three kids Jasbir Kaur ( Pinki ) , Dalbir Singh ( Patty, now in USA ) , Harbir Singh ( Romi now in USA )

3. Surinder Singh( married Kulwant Kaur from Moga ) has 2 Two kids, Ruby ( Irwinder ) and Jatinder Singh Masson

4. Surinder Kaur ( married to Iqbal Singh of Ludhiana) has 4 Four Kids, Sonu, Bhappi, and Jodh Singh

our father was the eldest of four siblings, namely, Harpal, Harwant,Harjeet . Their father was S Harcharan Singh Luthra, who lived in Lahore before partitions and being working with Panjab University, shifted to city of Solan, now in Himachal Pradesh . There houses were near Railway Tunnel 40 and 40. In Solan our middle brother Abnash was born, eldest Devinder born prior to 1947 at Lahore in 1946

Sardar Gurbachan Singh Luthra, our father was a sports player, hockey, and very hard working. After partitions they shifted to Simla , now in HP, where I was born in 1952 January 16th. They lived in Marborough House alloted to four Government Employees.

on shifting of Punjab Capital to Chandigarh, my father and family shifted too, in 1953. Than only two Sectors were developed initially, Sector 22 and 23 for residential and shopping .

Our father was very enterprises, he opened a Coal Depot at Kharar , 8 miles from Chandigarh. Later he got an ACC CEMENT dealership ( there were only 5 such dealers in city ) in Chandigarh, which business started from Bajwara Market ( now Kisan Bhawan, Sector 35 ) to SCO 12, Sector 21 C to C 60 Industriel Area , Mohali , enlarging it from dealership to Whole Sale Dump , the first in the State of Punjab .

Our father used to go to his office in Taxi ,rather than special buses for employees, till 1968, when he baught his first Car, LANDMASTER . Earlier he had a Lambretta Scooter to move around too. These were luxury in 1960s onwards.

Our father made his own house in 1955 and it was the first house in Sector 21 A, house no 10 near than newly made first Hotel of Chandigarh, Hotel Aroma . the house has three storied, nine big rooms .

Our father never said no to his kids, and I being the youngest was most spoilt and got everything I put my hand on .

it was a routine to dine once a fortnight in some restaurants and also to go for picnic to nearby Mughal Gardens at Pinjore or to Sukhna Lake Chandigarh with family . Food, water etc were carried for picnics and enjoyed together . good old memories.

As our father moved in car , even for short distance, he became diabetic and it took his life at young age in 1990. leaving one house and one industry plot for us remaining family

Our father used to take us to Simla for vacations during summers. He was a teetoteller, never drink alcohol or beer . a good honest man , very hardworking and made us three brother so. Hats off to him and his ways of doing things.

The five pillars of the Strategy – road safety management, safer vehicles, safer road users, post-crash response, and safer driving environments — has proven to achieve a comprehensive view of road safety in the UN while providing a conceptual framework to our road safety work

At present lots of persons get injured and die due to one reason or another in road crashes, in India alone about two lac persons get killed and three times get injured in one single year. These figures are of those accidents which are reported with authorities and those which never get reported being happening in remote or rural areas of the country , maybe 20 or 40 % more. Very alarming figures which require a consolidate action to reduce is. India comes under the top ten dangerous country which requires remedies all around as per World Health Organization.

We need to think.

although meetings are being held at all levels including UN, but action on the ground is negligible.

lots of funds are spent or misused for this purpose but results don’t show any improvements.

World Bank, IMF , ADB , WHO , GRSP and big philanthropy organizations are funding schemes everywhere but funds are misutilized.

The Government has to take a decision to bring changes in laws, its enforcement strictly , road hazards like black spots, post trauma care facilities and education of masses from a child to an old driver or pedestrians. usually those killed or injured are either kids or pedestrians or cyclists. we have to think of them too as they are road users but not drivers .

mere decisions of reducing accidents by 50% or 30 % or ZERO are ineffective written lines in files. We need to effectively think ways collectively to actually reduce accidents, injuries and fatalities.

Road Safety Committee are formed from National to State to District level in India , but nothing is happening. Even the Courts are also intervene in some states, but their orders are followed for few days and get cooled down to same situation.

…… next blog …..

my father , his father and grandfather were residents of Lahore, Punjab, now in Pakistan.

My father’s family was living in Lahore before partitions. His name is GURBACHAN SINGH. He died in Chandigarh in 1990. My Grandfather and his Four brothers were living together in Mohalla MOHINI, NEAR ANARKALI BAZAAR.
Their House was 3 story, corner, 3 sides open . it was near GUJRAN MOHALLA.
After partitions my Grand Father shifted to Solan, as he was working in Panjab University at Lahore, which shifted to Solan.
My father was in Civil Secretariat and shifted to Shimla and than in 1953 to Chandigarh.
our family chart is like this. At the Top is Sardar BASANT Singh ( wife Puran Devi ) He had 7 SEVEN offspring, namely, A) Harcharan Singh ( wife Harnam Kaur from Village KHALRA,Tarn Taran ), B) Kartar Singh ( wife Iqbal Kaur ), C) Baldev Singh ( wife Narinder Kaur from Faridkot), D) Gyani Partap Singh ( wife Amrit Kaur ) , E) Surjan Singh ( wife Dalbir Kaur ), F ) Lal Dei ( husband Kishan Singh ), G) Gurbachan Kaur ( husband Hakim Singh , from Ferozepur )

The details of each family is as under

A) 1. Gurbachan Singh ( wife Kulwant Kaur from Sialkot) , have 3 Three sons , namely

Devinder Singh ( wife Inderjit Kaur from Jalandhar ), have 2 Two kids Puneet ,son, and Penny , now live in Canada- Toronto/ London

Abnash Singh ( wife Jagjit Kaur from Faridabad ) have 2 Two daughters, Preet Kiran ( Anu ) married to Sukhpreet in Faridabad , have two sons, and Ravleen ( Manu ) married to Harjeet , from Mohali, have one son .

Manmohan Luthra ( wife Dr Nirupma Luthra) have one daughter ANEESA , married to Yogeshwar Brar of Abul Khurana, Malout, have 2 Two kids , ZUHAYR son, and Alayah daughter.

A) 2. Harpal Singh ( wife Surinder Kaur from Lal Kurtee, Jalandhar ), have 2 sons and one daughter. Pinchoo Luther, Tweeny Randall and Happy Luther, all live in Chicago, USA

A) 3. Harwant Kaur ( husband Kirpal Singh from Rawalpindi ) have 4 Four kids, Kitty, Raman, Nitty, Bittu

A) 4. Harjeet Kaur ( husband Amarjeet Singh, Advocate from Patiala, have five kids, Honey, Mattu, Spunky, Ramana and Simma. They all live in USA now

B) 1. Rajendra Pal Singh @ Viroo ( Wife Paramjit Kaur ) have Two sons, Vippy and Izio.

B) 2. Asha Kaur ( husband Joginder Singh from Ludhiana) has 3 Three kids, Zora, Tenta and Joga Singh

C) 1. Harbaksh Kaur

C) 2. Jasbir Singh ( wife Prem ) in USA

C) 3. Mohinder Singh ( wife Meena ) ,one son Gurmeet , in USA

C) 4. Kuldip Singh , ( wife Gagan ) Two daughters Jasmine and Tanaya , live in USA.

D) 1. Akash Kaur ( husband Randhir Singh) , have Three kids Baboo, Happy and Mintoo.

D) 2. Guddi Kaur

E) 1. Premjit

E ) 2. Kuku

F) 1. Sampuran Singh

F) 2. Wazir Singh

F ) 3. Gurdyal Singh

F)4. Gurdip Singh

F) 5. Bikram Singh

F) 6. Guddi Kaur

I am the youngest son out of three of Sardar Gurbachan Singh Luthra and Sardarni Kulwant Kaur ( both from Lahore and Sialkot respectively), born on 16th January 1952, early morning at 03.07 am in cold hills of Shimla, now in Himachal Pradesh, than the capitol of Punjab State.

Had my schooling, education from Junior Model School Sector 22 A, Senior Model School, Sector 16 D, Government College for Men ( now Boys ) Sector 11, and Department of Sociology, Panjab University

Thereafter from October 16th 1974 till 31st March 2010 I worked with Department of Transport, Punjab and retired as District Transport Officer with postings at Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Nawanshahar, Jalandhar, Sangrur and Moga

Post Retirement I worked as COORDINATOR ROAD SAFETY with Government of Punjab for 5 years from 2013 till 2018

Have a passion for Road Safety Education