FATEHABAD.FAITHWEB.COM Website
of Fatehabad district of Haryana, India
UK mayor Fatehabad's pride
(http://timesofindia.com)
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2004 03:33:10 AM ]
KURUKSHETRA: From the son of a farmer to Councillor of the County of S h a k e -speare and now Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa, a town 100 miles from London, Mota Singh's life is a tale of struggle, hard work and perseverance.
Born to a farmer in Ganganagar, Rajasthan, in 1939, Mota Singh and his family moved to Fatehabad, Haryana, where he studied till Class X. He did his graduation from Doaba College, Amritsar, before leaving for UK in 1963. Interestingly, he wanted to go to Canada for further studies but could not as he could not get foreign exchange. He only chose the UK as it was simpler to go to Commonwealth countries at that time! Mota Singh got off to a rough start in the UK. He was twice rejected by the Royal Postal Department as he wore a turban.
Not one to take things lying down, he sought the help of some Sikh organisations and members of the House of Commons and was finally appointed after a four-year struggle.
That served a turning point in his life and he became a known name in the UK, especially among NRIs. Riding high on his victory, Mota Singh was elected Councillor from the County of Shakespeare, an office he holds even 20 years later.
Here on an invitation from former Kurukshetra University V-C Dr Bhim S Dhayia, Mota Singh was felicitated at Yatri Niwas on Tuesday evening and later addressed newspersons.
Is he drawn to politics? "I observed non-resident Indians were making good money, but had no say in politics. I wanted to give them a voice," Mota Singh says.
