Sad: 'Langar Baba' of PGI Chandigarh is no more, property worth crores were used to feed the hungry

Padmashree Jagdish Ahuja, who had anchored outside PGI Chandigarh, passed away on Monday. He was cremated at Chandigarh's Sector 25 crematorium at 3 pm. Ahuja, popularly known as Langar Baba, filled the stomach of the people by anchoring in front of PGI as well as GMSH-16 and GMCH-32. Langar Baba was serving for 40 years. That's why he was awarded the Padma Shri award last year.

Langar Baba, who donated property worth crores of rupees to feed the people, lived in Sector 23. Jagdish Ahuja, who had seen the age of 85, was affectionately called by the name of 'Langar Baba'. In Patiala, he started his living by selling jaggery and fruits. Came to Chandigarh in 1956 at the age of 21. At that time Chandigarh was being made the first planned city of the country. Coming here, he started selling bananas by renting a fruit stall.

Reached Chandigarh with four rupees 15 paise

While coming to Chandigarh, Langar Baba had four rupees 15 paise in his hand. After coming here, he came to know that no vendor in the market knows how to cook bananas. Due to selling fruits in Patiala, he had become an expert in this work. Just then he started working and started earning good money.

Had to go to bed hungry many times during partition

Langar Baba migrated from his homeland Peshawar as a child in 1947 and came to Mansa city of Punjab. At that time he was about 12 years old. His life struggle had started at such a young age. His family had passed away during the displacement. In such a situation, to survive, he had to sell salty pulses at the railway station so that food could be eaten and lived with that money. Many times, if there was no sale, one had to sleep on a hungry stomach.

Inspiration to anchor from grandmother

When the situation improved in Chandigarh, in the year 1981, he started anchoring in Chandigarh and surrounding areas. Ahuja got the inspiration to feed people from his grandmother Mai Gulabi, who used to set up langar for the poor in her hometown of Peshawar (now in Pakistan). At present, his wife Nirmal was also fully cooperating in this work. Langar Baba used to give sattvik food to the people. Apart from pudding and fruits, pulses, rice, vegetables, and roti were also distributed in the langar.