BABA SANTA SINGH
The Sutlej River was flowing slowly. The sand was spread far and wide on both its banks. In the hot afternoon of Vaishakh, the sand particles shone like silver. There was bright sunlight all around, so no person was visible far and wide. A scorching hot wind was blowing.
Just then the sound of a song was heard from somewhere far away. The sound gradually came closer. This voice was of Santa Singh. Santa Singh was singing bhajans with full concentration.
Every child in the nearby villages knew Santa Singh. He was known as Baba Santa Singh among the villagers.
Santa Singh had not become Baba Ji from the beginning; three years ago he was a famous doctor in the nearby city. It was said about Santa Singh that the patient gets cured as soon as he touches him. That is why there was a continuous stream of patients at his place. Santa Singh was very sociable and generous by nature, so half the illness of the patient was cured just by talking to him. Santa Singh had no dearth of money.
Apart from being a good doctor, he was also a true patriot. He was a staunch supporter of national unity. He had equal relations with people of all religions – Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians. He respected all religions. Doctor Santa Singh openly condemned the violent actions of terrorists. That is why he was on the hit list of terrorists. He had received threatening letters from terrorists many times but he was not perturbed by them at all.
One day Doctor Santa Singh had gone to the city to get medicine. He could not return home that night due to being stuck at work. He was stopped by one of his friends.
By the time Doctor Santa Singh returned home from the city in the morning, his world had been destroyed. Terrorists had entered his house at night. They had brutally murdered Santa Singh's wife and children by firing bullets indiscriminately.
When Santa Singh reached home, a huge crowd of people had gathered in his courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, the bodies of his two sons and wife were lying soaked in blood. Santa Singh seemed to have turned into stone after seeing them. He neither cried nor shouted, he just kept staring at the bodies like a statue for hours. Not a single tear came out of his eyes. He did not cry even when the last rites of his sons and wife were being performed.
Santa Singh remained in this condition for four-five days. He did not talk to anyone, did not eat or drink anything, he just kept lying quietly in one place. People thought that Santa Singh had gone mad in the grief of his wife and children, but nothing like that happened.
After a few days, he slowly became normal. Yes, now the direction of his life had changed. He left the city and came to the village. He built a hut on the bank of the river and started living in it.
As soon as he woke up in the morning, Santa Singh would go to the nearby villages and treat patients for free. He did not take any money from anyone. Santa Singh had no shortage of money. He kept helping the poor. Gradually, his fame as Baba Santa Singh spread in the nearby villages. The villagers loved him dearly.
In the afternoon, Santa Singh would return to his hut, eat something simple, rest for a while, and then again go to the villages in the evening. At night, he would return home quite late. Serving people and singing bhajans and pujas had become the sole purpose of Santa Singh's life. He was enjoying this new life a lot.
Like every day, today also Santa Singh was returning to his hut singing bhajans in the afternoon. Suddenly he heard someone moaning. He started looking around in surprise. No one was visible anywhere. Santa Singh thought it was a delusion of the mind. But the loud sound of groans reached his ears again.
Santa Singh looked carefully towards the direction from where the sound was coming. Suddenly his eyes fell on the spots on the sand. Those spots were of blood. Santa Singh started following the spots. Further ahead, those spots disappeared as he reached the dense bushes. Santa Singh listened carefully. The sound of someone groaning was coming from those bushes.
Now Santa Singh understood everything. Some injured man has come and hidden somewhere in the bushes, this blood is coming out from his wounds, due to which spots have formed on the sand.
Santa Singh started searching for the injured person in the bushes. Suddenly, behind a dense bush, he saw a young man lying injured. The young man was tall and broad. He had expensive clothes on his body. He had become unconscious due to being badly hurt.
Santa Singh checked his pulse, which was beating normally. While checking the pulse, his eyes fell on the injured finger. He was wearing four gold rings on the fingers of his right hand.
As soon as he saw one of the rings, Santa Singh's facial expression changed. His face became red like embers and sparks started coming out of his eyes. This was his condition for a few moments. Then he slowly became normal. He took a deep breath. Then he muttered to himself - 'Maybe this is the wish of Wahe Guru. Maybe he wants to test me.'
Just then he heard a voice in his ears - 'is there anyone, please give me some water. I am very thirsty.'
Santa Singh brought a handful of water from the river. He put a few drops of water in the mouth of the injured. His pain subsided a little.
Santa Singh was an experienced doctor. He thought that a lot of blood had come out of the injured's body. If he did not get medicines on time, his life could be in danger.
Santa Singh opened his turban. Tearing it apart and healing the wounds and tied with it.
Then he put him on his shoulder and started walking towards his hut.
After reaching the hut, Santa Singh washed his wounds and bandaged them. He injected him and gave him some medicines. While he was unconscious, he spooned milk into his mouth.
The injured man did not regain consciousness even on the second day. His condition was worsening. Santa Singh was lost in deep thought. A bullet was stuck in the injured man's body due to which the blood was not stopping. Santa Singh knew that if the bullet was not removed soon, it would be difficult to save his life. Santa Singh did not have the equipment to operate, due to which he was feeling helpless.
Santa Singh had not returned since he came from the city. He had decided that he would spend the rest of his life here serving the poor and needy and would never return to the city. In the beginning, Santa Singh faced many problems but he remained firm on his vow. But today the condition of that stranger had shaken him. For a few moments Santa Singh was in a dilemma, then he decided to go to the city to save the life of the injured.
At night after giving an injection to make the injured unconscious, Santa Singh started towards the city. The city was fourteen kilometers away from there. By morning Santa Singh had completed this journey on foot. He had brought the operation equipment and necessary medicines from his home.
Santa Singh's experienced hands did not take much time to remove the bullet. After removing the bullet, he bandaged the wound and gave an injection.
After removing the bullet, the condition of the injured started improving gradually. Signs of life started appearing on his face. On the fifth day, he opened his eyes. In these five days, Santa Singh had worked day and night to take care of the injured.
Today was the seventh day since the injured had come here. He had now started talking and walking. On seeing Santa Singh, the injured felt a pang in his heart. He often lowered his eyes while talking to him.
It was evening. After a scorching day, the Sun was preparing to set. The shadows of the trees were getting longer. A slight twilight had started spreading all around. Santa Singh had just returned from the village after seeing the patients. Just then he heard the sound of some footsteps outside his hut.
Santa Singh came out of his hut. He saw that police officer Sharma was coming towards his hut with some soldiers. The police officer came near him and greeted Santa Singh respectfully.
Santa Singh lovingly made the police officer sitting on the cot and asked- 'Have you any problem police officer sahab?'
'There is nothing special Doctor Sahab; I was just passing by so I thought of meeting you.'
'This is your love. If you can do any service for me, please tell me.'
'Doctor Sahab, a dreaded terrorist escaped into the jungle here after getting injured in a police encounter a week ago. He is a very dangerous terrorist. He is wanted in many incidents. We are searching for him day and night. But we are not getting any clue about him. Have you seen any such injured man here?' The police officer looked at Santa Singh with questioning eyes. Santa Singh became silent for a few moments. Many colours were coming and going on his face. Santa Singh's silence was troubling the injured man lying inside the hut. Ever since he came to know about the police officer's arrival, his ears were facing outside. He was listening to the conversation between Santa Singh and the police officer very carefully. He felt that now Santa Singh was going to tell the police officer about him. Thinking this, the injured man's hair stood on end due to fear. He started seeing death dancing around him. 'When we throw a stone at someone we do not feel the pain it reaches the other person but if the same stone hits us for some reason, we start screaming in pain.'
This was the condition of the injured. He had killed dozens of people. He had laughed standing on the dead bodies of people in religious processions. But today he was realizing how terrifying the feeling of death is.
Seeing death standing in front of him, the injured started thinking of ways to save himself. He was not able to get up or walk. But at this time, his lifeless body got strength from somewhere. He knew that there was a dense flower garden behind the hut. He gathered courage and started painting backward with the help of his hands.
Seeing Santa Singh lost in deep thought, the police officer said - 'What is the matter, Doctor Sahab? What are you thinking about?' The police officer was trying to read the expressions on Santa Singh's face.
Santa Singh composed his face and said - 'Nothing Sahab, when you mentioned terrorists I remembered the incident that happened with my wife and children. I am searching for a terrorist so that if I see him I can get him arrested. But the description you have given, I have not seen such a person here.'
'Oh, I am very sorry Doctor Sahab. I unintentionally scratched your wounds.'
'No problem Sahab.'
'Okay, I am leaving. Thank you for the trouble.' The police officer greeted him and left.
Santa Singh went to his hut. As soon as he reached inside, his eyes fell on the bed of the injured. He was surprised to see the bed empty. He looked around, but the injured were nowhere to be seen. His surprise increased further. Various kinds of doubts started emerging in his mind.
Suddenly his eyes fell on the back side of the hut. The thatched roof was broken and there was enough space in it for a man to lie down and go out. Santa Singh peeped in. Outside the flowerbed, there were fresh marks of someone being dragged on the dirt road leading towards the road. Now Santa Singh understood everything. While searching for the injured, he reached the flowerbed.
He looked around. He saw that the injured were trying to hide in a flowerbed. He reached near the injured.
On seeing Santa Singh, the injured started pleading badly - Doctor Sahab, please save me. Don't hand me over to the police. I don't want to die yet.' Santa Singh stood stunned. The injured was pleading badly with his head on his feet.
Santa Singh stood like this for a few moments, then he said in a composed voice - 'Don't worry Asghar Beg, I will not hand you over to the police.'
'Have you recognized me?' The injured asked in a frightened voice. His face had turned as pale as turmeric.
'Yes, I recognized you the same day when I saw you lying injured in the bush. As soon as I saw my elder son's ring in your hand, I understood that you are the same terrorist Asghar Beg, who along with his fellow terrorists killed my entire family.'
'What...' The Injured's mouth was wide open in surprise as if he had seen a miracle.
'Then why did you save a lowly murderer like me, why didn't you hand him over to the police the same day?'
Santa Singh took a deep breath. He said in a sympathetic voice- 'After seeing you, the same thought had come to my mind that I should hand you over to the police and take revenge for the murder of my wife and children from you. But I thought that then what difference will remain between me and you. I thought that at this time you need mercy and not punishment. That is why I brought you here.'
'You are a god, Doctor Sahab' The Injured said falling at his feet. 'No son, no, Wahe Guru has neither made anyone a god, nor a devil. He has made everyone a human being. Our deeds make us good and bad. Try to be a human being, son. When you cannot give life to someone then what right do you have to take someone's life? No problem can be solved with a gun or bullet, so leave that path and put you on the right path. Spread love among people, not hatred. Only then will I understand that my saving you has been successful.'
'Today you have opened my eyes, Doctor Sahab. From today you are my parents, relatives, everything. I will do only what you say. The rest is God's will. The injured man said in a firm voice.
Santa Singh's eyes started shining with happiness. Somewhere far away, a voice was coming from the gurudwara 'Wahe Guru Ka Khalsa. Wahe Guru Ki Meha'
On the other side, the injured man had not yet left Santa Singh's feet and he was wetting them with his tears.
