Change of a man

He was caught red-handed while taking bribe as a head constable in Punjab police for about half-century ago. Left for abroad. Worked hard and earned lot of money. And after about 50 years, he was noticed while donating an institution worth rupees crores to the public.

It is the story of Ninety-year-old Lajpat Rai Munger who left Punjab police in 1954 and went to USA. There worked as a laborer in farms for about 5 years. And today he has his own well-established business in CA and is the largest grower of pistachios in the world.

Yesterday, he donated engineering college built on 11 acres of land to Punjab University (after he failed to get sanction for various courses for his college and other clearances from government officials who demanded bribes – in his own words).

Here is the news –

From a corrupt Punjab cop to philanthropist
More than 50 years ago, he was caught taking a bribe of Rs 500 as a Punjab police head constable. On Monday, he caught attention by donating property worth Rs 20 crore.

Ninety-year-old Lajpat Rai Munger has come a long way. He left Punjab police in 1954, and went to the USA in 1966, where he worked as a labourer on farms for five years.

Today he owns 8,000 acres of land in California. He and his sons are the largest growers of pistachios in the world, and number one growers of blueberries in California.

The philanthropist in Munger has taken birth after undergoing reformation. For this, he gives credit to Swami Sarvanand Giri, who helped him remove his pangs of guilt.

He has paid a befitting tribute to his reformer by donating his property spread in 11 acres of land for an engineering college in Hoshiarpur. Called Swami Sarvanand Giri Regional Centre, Panjab University, Bajwara, it is a dream come true for him.

Punjab governor Gen (retd) SF Rodrigues inaugurated the centre on Monday and lauded Munger’s generosity. PU V-C Prof K N Pathak, too, could not stop thanking him.

But the philanthropist was modesty personified. “This is not something very big I have given to my motherland,” he said.

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