barublogAs January 29 marks the Fourth Anniversary of Remembrance of Padma Shri Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji, it invites reflection on a life that quietly but decisively reshaped the very understanding and nature of Education, service, and nation-building.
Some create institutions, and some create ideas. Baba Iqbal Singh Ji did both, in so seamlessly a way that the that the idea itself became the institution.
He did not merely construct schools or universities. He redefined education as Seva (Langar), placing it alongside the highest forms of spiritual and social service.
“Education Gandhi” is certainly an apt phrase, as coined by Ravinder Pal Singh’s in his reflective tribute, that very clearly captures the moral force and transformative vision behind Baba Iqbal Singh Ji’s life work. >> Read his LinkedIn Article here
Education as Sacred Responsibility
Within the Sikh tradition, Seva has always found its most visible expression in the Gurdwara, through Langar, through community service, through collective devotion. Baba Iqbal Singh Ji expanded that sacred imagination. He placed education in the same moral category.
His conviction was simple, yet radical in practice:
If Langar nourishes the body, education nourishes the mind.
And lifting a child out of ignorance is as profound an act of worship as any other. And also, with a special emphasis on the Girl Child, because that is where the most neglected part of rural society would lay the foundation for generations to com
This belief changed priorities.
Resources that might once have gone only into physical structures were redirected into classrooms, libraries, teacher training, and values-based learning.
Education was no longer charity. It became the essence of a religion in practice..
Raising the Bar for Quality Education in Rural India
Baba Iqbal Singh Ji was deeply clear on one point – that rural children were never lacking in potential. What failed them was access.
Rather than lowering expectations for village schools, as was earlier the norm, he raised them.
By establishing Akal Academies across rural Punjab and beyond, he demonstrated that children from the most remote villages deserved, and could thrive with, the same quality of education available anywhere else in the country. English, science, technology, moral education, discipline, and confidence were no longer urban privileges.
Today, that vision stands embodied in a network of over 130 schools and two universities, serving tens of thousands of students.
The scale itself is extraordinary, but what matters more is the consistency of values across that scale.
Baru Sahib – The Epicentre of an Idea
Baru Sahib was not envisioned merely as a campus in the hills. It was conceived as an epicentre of a philosophy, a place where spiritual grounding, academic excellence, and social responsibility could coexist without contradiction.
From this quiet Himalayan setting emerged
- a replicable model of holistic education
- Modern Academic knowledge balanced with ethical and cultural roots.
- Institutions designed to sustain themselves, and not depend indefinitely on donations
This balance is what allowed the movement to grow without losing its soul.
Solving the Teacher Gap with Vision
Perhaps one of Baba Iqbal Singh Ji’s most practical and profound contributions was how he addressed the chronic shortage of teachers in rural areas.
Instead of waiting for educators to arrive, he created a pipeline. Through initiatives like the AIRWE program, young girls were supported after Class 10, guided through further education and professional training, and empowered to return as educators themselves. In one stroke, he addressed education, employment, dignity, and gender empowerment.
Necessity became opportunity. And opportunity, the continuity.
Institutions That Outlive the Individual
Many leaders inspire individuals. But Baba Iqbal Singh Ji’s visionary work was on creating systems.
His life’s work was never about visibility or personal legacy. It was about creating structures strong enough to endure, evolve, and serve long after him.
The Akal Academy Group of Schools, Eternal University, and Akal University are not just monuments. they are living ecosystems.
As India speaks today of Viksit Bharat 2047, his work offers more than inspiration; it offers a tested template.
Rural inclusiveness, quality education, teacher empowerment, and values-based learning are not future goals.
These are present realities that are already outperforming traditonal maeningless educational systems that are expensive, only exams based, and cannot even solve employment.
Carrying the Vision Forward
On this Fourth Anniversary of Remembrance, the most meaningful tribute is not remembrance alone, but responsibility.
The responsibility to build upon what was envisioned and painstakingly created for future generations
Baba Iqbal Singh Ji showed what becomes possible when education is treated not as a policy problem, but as a moral mission.
It is for us to honour his legacy by ensuring that the systems he built continue to grow, evolve;
and to reach every child for whom education remains the most powerful path to dignity, opportunity, and to create value for the nation
Add comment