It has seen the eras change. It withstood the test of time. The old brick walls have seen history being
Since the
It is said that once he went to help an afflicted person leaving his body in the custody of mata Punjab Kaur his youngest wife. The room was locked with his body inside but the devotees insisted to have darshan and forced open the door where they found him dead and arrenged the pyre. Guru Ram Rai Ji then returned and found his boby in flames,his soul converged with it.
It was 8th dayof Bhadra (Shukla) Samvat 1744 (4th Sept. 1687 AD) and the tradition of service to the poor and downtrodden continues till date.
He
I had read about all the kings and the Royal courts only in my history
textbooks but this was my opportunity to witness the unreal. And one extemely commendable quality that I
have to mention here is, when you are in the company of Sajjadanashin Mahant Shri Devendra Dass ji you would not fail to note
that he does not have any airs about himself or about the mission. He talks to you as one of you. You
feel full of respect because of being in his company. Very recently he was honored with the prestigious
Vivekanand Award for his contributions towards building a better nation.
Every child has a respect for their parents' profession, and so did I. But this time, I was so very proud
that they are associated with a mission like this. They had several opportunities to move on to more
money minting professions but I think it is this unsaid bond with the mission which made them stay. And
what they have earned is unconditional love and respect for imparting knowledge to those for whom
education is a privilege.
not only took forward the mission's objective but enhanced it manifold. He brought in with him an array
of fresh ideas and expanded the horizon of the mission. His schedule amazes me no ends. And it indeed is
no child's play to be in a position where he is. I remember, as kids we all think it is so much fun to be
a king, but spending few minutes observing Mahant ji's schedule makes me rethink. I had the privilege to
meet him in person and it was extremely sweet of him to take time out of his extremely busy schedule and
chat with me. I was humbled with his simplicity and earnestness. In our conversation he talked about the
various upcoming projects and his vision of the future. It was his humility that he explained where does
he see the mission heading. Considering his stature, I would have never expected this kind of an
open-hearted discussion. While we were talking, people outside had gathered to share their grievances
with him and I was amazed at that scene. People had immense faith in him and in the Darbar Sahib. Even
today, each day there is a 'lungar' - a meal served to everyone - No invitations required, anyone who is
hungry can go and have a fulfilling meal and it is this same meal which Mahant ji himself has. I get
goosebumps thinking about this.
SGRR Education mission started in 1952 with the objective of providing the right toeduction to the
weaker sections of the society. India has several Royal courts all across but this is the only one which
has not looked for profit and has not tried to make money out of their heritage. Instead they focussed
all the attention of making this society self-sustaining through education. This humble mission is an
umbrella of different educational institutes - <more than120> Public Schools, Degree colleges, Medical Colleges,
Technology Institutes, Bio_medical centers and many such institutions. The regular convents focusses on
building schools and colleges to cater to the elite section of the society but the SGRR education mission
has focussed on small towns and villages where no govt. aid managed to reach. With all these successful
ventures, it is no wonder that they have earned such love and respect - for truly being dedicated to the
cause of social upliftment. Several teachers, who in Korea are called 'Nation Builders', work tirelessly
in developing the young impressionable minds. Over the years, the students have gone to several places
and made a mark for themselves.
This is the only Royal Heritage which ever since its inception has had a successful lineage of rulers.
And the current 'Gaddi Nashin' Mahant Shri Devendra Das ji took up this responsibility on 25 th June,2000.
With the advent of Britishers, the city name changed to 'Dehra Dun' and has remained so ever since.
Dehradun has always been a simple town, far from the madding crowd in the foothills of Himalayas. The
society comprises of people from all the parts of India and beyond. This creates a very colorful fabric
which blends several cultures into one. A truly secular city, Dehradun has peace embedded in it's roots.
Even during a peroid when the entire country was engulfed by the religious riots, the sensitivity of
Dehradun was commendable. With Diwali,Lohri, Eid, Christmas being celebrated with equal enthusiasm,
there is no differentiation between the religions. Education holds utmost importance in this city and the
schools of the city are famous all over the country. The school environment is also significantly
different from all the other cities of the country - And I say this because I have had the privilege of
growing up in this city and attending one of the most prestigious schools.
Aurangzeb was a cruel Moghul ruler who used to test Guru Ram Rai Ji. After meeting the tenth guru who was uncle of shri guru Ram Rai ji he came back to Dehradun and devoted his time in meditation and in service of the downtrodden.
camp is called 'Dera' in Punjabi(a language influenced by Hindi - India's national language), he called
the place - Dera Doon. This was the Moghul period in the history of India. As you can see, the Darbar
Sahib(The Royal Palace and Court) has Moghul Architecture - the wall paintings, carvings, and the present building was constructed on inAssu,Vadi Ashtami,on Monday,Samvat 1764 (1707 AD) it was after 20 years when Guru Ram Rai Ji departed for his heavenly abode.
made. This monument has laid the foundation of one of the most prestigious cities of India - a city whose
mention irkes a general comment "great schools in the city!". Yes, this is where it all started.
Shri Guru Ram Rai, the eldest son of the seventh Guru of Sikhs, Shri Guru Har Rai Ji, setup his base camp in this valley called Doon.
