A brief interaction with the then RSS Sarsanghachalak Prof Rajendra Singh in 1998 changed the life mission of international shooter Dr Rajpal Singh, who till then coached shooting to VVIPs including Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Jayant Chaudhary, Navin Jindal, etc. Rajju Bhaiya, as Prof Rajendra Singh was popularly known, asked Dr Singh as to “what he has done for the people of his own village”. The answer was naturally negative. But these words exhorted him too much that the same day he pledged to impart coaching only to villagers.
Next day, he created a temporary shooting range in his village Johri, about 70 km from Delhi, under Baghpat District and started hunt for rural talent with the help of the pistols that he collected from his erstwhile VIP shooters. His 17 years sadhana has now given 41 international (including eight girls, which is a record), over 300 national and about 1,000 other shooters to the nation. Not only this, about 300 youth of the villages, both boys and girls, have secured respectable jobs in Air India, Indian Railways, ONGC, Indian Army, Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, etc due to shooting. The official coaches of about a dozen universities in the country are from Johri’s this makeshift shooting range. About 70 per cent of the shooters in the country today have been produced by this shooting range. It is a successful experiment of connecting sports with career. Impressed with the extraordinary results, the then BJP Rajya Sabha MP Shri Bhartendu Pratap Singhal visited the village in 2001 and offered Rs 25 lakh from his MP development fund to build an indoor shooting range so that the shooters can practice in perfect atmosphere. In order to recognise his contribution, the newly built shooting range has now been dedicated to him. This BP Singhal Indoor Shooting Range was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Governor Shri Ram Naik on June 13.
Referring to the motivation granted by Rajju Bhaiya, Shri Naik described the RSS as “a powerhouse, which provides energy to the entire society”. He said the shooting range has earned glory for the nation at global level. He applauded the devotion and commitment of Dr Singh for discovering and shaping rural talent. Governor Shri Ram Naik, VHP patron Shri Ashok Singhal who is also elder brother of the late BP Singhal, MP from Baghpat Dr Satyapal Singh, Uttar Pradesh Rifle Association president Shyam Singh Yadav and former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt General (retd) Raj Kadiyan jointly felicitated Dr Rajpal Singh for his outstanding contribution to shooting.
Shri Ashok Singhal exhorted the youth to draw maximum benefit from the shooting range. Smt Shakuntala Singhal, wife of the late BP Singhal, was also present. Dr Satyapal Singh, who has been associated with the range since its inception, announced Rs ten lakh from his MP development fund for the Range. Head of the Prabhat Ashram Swami Vivekananda Saraswati was also present.
Dr Rajpal Singh expressed thanks to all those who extended help in this endeavour. He is dedicated to this mission so deeply that he donated 2000 sq yard land for the range and also the entire money that he received as Real Heroes Award, Shri Guruji Award and also the money that his son Vivek Singh received as Arjun Award.
After the inaugural ceremony, Smt Vimla Mehra, Special Commissioner (Administration) Delhi Police, addressed the village girls. That motivation encouraged the those girls so much that 125 girls studying in Johri government school enrolled for shooting the same day and started receiving training from June 14 itself. Sushri Gauri Singhal, daughter the late BP Singhal, also visited Johri on June 18 to motivate these girls. She declared to instal a statue of her father in the permises of the range. —Pramod Kumar
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