Sant Balbir Singh
Seechewal
Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal is a world renowned Sikh Environmentalist, who was born on 2nd February
1962 in village Seechewal, Tehsil Shahkot, District Jalandhar, Punjab, India in the house of S. Channan Singh
and Sdn. Channan Kaur. He had his early education in the village and passed his matriculation examination
from Govt. School Nihaluwal, District Jalandhar. He studied at DAV College, Nakodar (District Jalandhar),
but, when he came into contact with a spiritual teacher Sant Avtar Singh, he left his study midway and joined
Sant Ji at his teaching place, Nirmal Kutia. After the death of Sant Ji, he is now the Head of that spiritual
seat. However, he came to be known among the people when he started his environmental projects from his
own village, Seechewal. He made the village beautiful by covering the drainage and saving the water in such
a way that the village looked clean without any problem of scarcity of water. Underground sewage system
was started and polluted water was purified and directed to the fields through water motors. People started
following him and the ‘Seechewal Model’ of environmental conservation was adopted by nearly 100 villages
of Punjab. Then he started anti-river pollution campaign. By combining his assiduously cultivated self-help
philosophy with the environmental essence of the Gurbani. Baba Ji has resurrected the 110-miles long Kali
Bein rivulet. This river associated with Guru Nanak Dev Ji had become a dried up drain reduced to a garbage
dump. When Seechewal started the water cleaning project in this river in 2007 by telling its historical and
religious significance, a large number of people joined in cleaning the rivulet.
He became so famous that he
was exclaimed as ‘The Hero of Environment’ (by world famous Time magazine).The President of India Dr.
APJ Abdul Kalam hailed him and his mission. He had made a mission to clean all other rivers of Punjab as
well as certain rivulets including Buddha Nala of Ludhiana. The whole world has now recognized him as one
of the leading environmentalists of the world. He has been honoured by various organizations, clubs, group
of newspapers and prominent educational institutions (as Thapar Institute of Engineering, Patiala). His list
of honors and appreciations is so long that it requires many pages to mention. Further, he has delivered
lectures on environment at a large number of places and platforms and even that list runs into pages. He
has given Seechewal Model based upon Gurbani verse (Pavan Guru Pani Pita Mata Dharat Mahat) and this
Gurmat concept has become well known and acceptable all over. Government of India has also adopted
it as a model of renovation of the Ganga River. He is the member of Punjab Pollution Control Board and
Patron of an Environmental Tri-lingual magazine named ‘Nirmal Noor’. He is also a social reformer and in
that respect he holds various positions such as Chairman of Ek Onkar Charitable Trust which is engaged in
charitable activities for the benefit of needy people. He is also promoter of sports in Punjab and is the patron
of Tug-of-war Association Punjab and Pattern of Body building Amateur Association, Kapurthala. He is
definitely a role-model for all his services, particularly in the field of environment. We all feel proud of him
as he has made the Gurmat concept of saving the environment popular throughout the world