Rurka Kalan

Rurka Kalan
Village
Nickname(s): Bara Rurka
Rurka Kalan
Rurka Kalan
Coordinates: 31°04′N 75°25′E / 31.07°N 75.41°E / 31.07; 75.41Coordinates: 31°04′N 75°25′E / 31.07°N 75.41°E / 31.07; 75.41
Country	India
State	Punjab
Founded by	Unknown
Gram Panchyat	Rurka Kalan
Government
• Type	Local Government
• Body	Government of India
• Sarpanch	Unknown
• MLA	Avinash Chander (2013)
Area
• Total	14 km2 (5 sq mi)
Area rank	Unknown
Elevation	567 m (1,860 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	7,071
• Rank	2000th
• Density	510/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
	[1]
Languages
• Principal	Hindi, Punjabi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	144031
Telephone code	91-182-6XX XXXX
ISO 3166 code	IN-PB
Vehicle registration	PB-37

Rurka Kalan is a village in the Tehsil Phillaur, Jalandhar, Punjab, India.

Demographics

According to the 2001 Census, Rurka Kalan has a population of 7,071 people. Rurka Kalan was incorporated as a village but due to population growth the size of the village is approaching that of a small town.

Rurka Kalan has a significant number of families with the "Sandhu" surname.

History

Early history

Rurka Kalan can trace its beginning in the 17th Century. It was brought into existence by five Sandhu brothers who came from Sarhali, Taran Taran, Punjab. The brothers were called Bula, Bhunder, Gau, Heta and Rawal. There are five Pattis, located throughout the village, named after each brother (Patti Bula is an example of one Patti). Bula was instrumental in setting up the habitable village. Now known as Baba Bula, he had two marriages; Bhai Sadhu and Sagar were sons from the first wife and 5 sons, named Hu-lia, Masta, Durga, Jagta, Haria sons from the second wife. Babu Bula's elder son, Bhai Sadhu was a saintly person with divine powers, he was a follower of Baba Shri Chand Ji (1494–1643), the Founder of Udasi Sect and eldest Son of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469–1539) (Founder of Sikhism and had joined the Udasi Sect). He set up Dera Bhai Sadhu Ji for the service of community. Dera today is working religiously for the good of people under the leadership of Mahant Sewa Dass Gaddi Nashin who is eleventh Head of Dear in succession after Bhai Sadhu.

Colonial era

Bachint Singh, also known as the King of Rurka Kalan,^[2] declared the village an independent state in 1929, in defiance of the British Raj.^[3] He formed a panchayat with the help of the village electorate and became sarpanch of the village. The regular armed forces and police were prohibited from entering the village until Bachint Singh was arrested.

Post Independence

Location

Rurka Kalan lies on the Jandiala-Goraya road, 5 km west of Goraya. It lies in northern Punjab above the reaches of the Sutlej River. It has good road links to the surrounding Teshils and nearby cities of Ludhiana, Phagwara and Jalandhar. Rurka Kalan is surrounded by villages; Pasli to the west, Rajgomal to the north, Dhesian Sang to the East and Dhinsay to the South. The village lies in a rural location on the plains that dominate the geography of Punjab. It is bordered by the mountains of Himachal Pardesh to the East, mountains of Jammu & Kashmir to the North, Pakistan to the East and the state of Haryana to the South.

The village is split into five pattis (wards); Patti Bula Ki, Bhunder Ki, Gau Ki, Heta Ki and Rawal Ki.

Transport

Road

The major North-South Grand Trunk Road is only 5 km away, at its interchange in Goraya.

Rail

The nearest station to Rurka Kalan is Goraya Railway Station, situated on the main line between Delhi and Amritsar. Numerous local stopping trains (MEMU & DMU) operate travelling to Jalandhar and Ludhiana. There are a number of regional expresses that also stop at the station occasionally. For further connections to longer distance services including to the union capital, Delhi, one can travel either to Phagwara or Ludhiana and change for longer distance services.

Bus and taxi

Regular private bus services operate between Rurka and the various surrounding villages and towns, as well as the Tempo three-wheeler service. These operate from both the Jandiala Road Bus Stop and Goraya Road Bus Stop. Services connect with some Interstate and State Bus Transport at Goraya. Other Interstate and State buses can be caught from Phagwara bus stand.

For a personal service, a minivan taxi service can be hired from the Goraya Road bus stop.

Air

The nearest airport is Sahnewal Airport, located in Ludhiana. The airport runs a limited service; other regional airports provide a regular service and a wider choice of destinations. Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar offers regional air travel as well as destinations in the Middle East, North America and Europe. Regular regional air services can also be caught from Chandigarh Airport, which is currently in the progress of upgrading to International Airport capability. Flydubai were keen to start operating an international air service between Dubai and Chandigarh^[4] but the proposal fell through due to the lack of facilities. The governments of the Union Territory, Punjab and Haryana are now pressing ahead with upgrades that will enable handling of international flights.

Sports and recreation

YFC Rurka Kalan

In the effort to provide the youth of the village with something meaningful to do and to provide a means to compete in football under the village's banner, the Youth Football Club was formed in 2001.^[5] It has risen from a local concern to a respected football team that plays at many different competing levels of youth football. Facilities include a well maintained football pitch, gym facilities, computing classroom and boarding facilities for 24 players.^[6]

Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji Youth Sports and Welfare Club

Named in honour of Baba Deep Singh, the village's local recreational and youth organisation was established to improve welfare and education in the surrounding area. They have been working to improve literacy in the local population. they have worked towards their goals to eradicate poverty, abolish child labour and uplift and instil confidence among the weaker sections of society. The Non Government Organisation focuses on assessing individual strengths and needs, setting personal goals and encouraging young talent towards sports and games by providing an conducive environment that encourages growth and development. In the guidance and leadership of Davinder Singh Khalsa the organisation has been in active existence and perusing social services since 2001. Kulbir Singh, Parmeshar Singh Bhogal, Sandeep Kumar, Harjinder Kumar, Parmjit Singh Nikka, Pawan from Holland, Pavan from New Zealand, Sarvpreet Singh and Gurwinder Singh are some prominent members of the organization.

All India Sikh Students Federation

Sh. Davinder Singh Khalsa Ji, District President of All India Sikh Students Federation Mehta Jalandhar Rural, is a resident of the village, who takes part in social and religious activities and functions. Also organising Gurmat Parchar, Sikhi Saeoop Vaspi Lehar, and Gurmat Sikhlai Camps, Gatka Sikhlai Camps in the Jalandhar District.

Education

There are a number of schools and institutions located in the village; two Government-run senior secondary schools, mixed gender and girls only; the Arya Senior Secondary School; two mixed gender Primary Schools, the Gian Prakash Academy, an institute of Computing and English studies and the Dalip Singh Memorial Public School (DSM). DSM is the oldest school in the village which was established in 1975.

Notable people

• Gary Sandhu, successful Punjabi singer was born and currently lives in the village.
• Lehmber Singh Sandhu is the Pardhan of the Gurdwara
• Gurmail Singh Sandhu, a well known and respected Kabaddi Player and local businessman. He is currently the trustee of the local football club and the financial officer of the local Gurdwara Patti Rawlki.
• Anwar Ali, Defender for Mumbai FC, was born in Rurka Kalan also attended a football academy in the village, early in his sporting career.
• Amarjit Singh Samra who is currently a MLA for Nakodar was a panchayat samiti for the village during his early political career.

References