In 2020, Jagdish Lal Ahuja was awarded Padma Bhushan for his contribution in the field of social work.
Social Work
He was popularly known as “langar baba” in Chandigarh, has spent 19 years serving free food to poor patients and attendants outside Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).
Having started organising langar (community meals) across the city in 1981.
There was not even a single day when langar was not organised outside PGIMER in the last 19 years. Apart from this, food was served to cancer patients as well as to children.
He sold off his properties worth crores to ensure patients didn’t sleep on an empty stomach. He also provides patients with other support, from financial assistance to blankets and clothes.
