Advocate Harjeet Singh Grewal :
A life where service speaks louder than titles
Harjeet Singh Grewal’s public journey is a long, steady march built on credibility, culture and commitment. A distinguished officer of the Punjab Government, he retired in October 2025 as Additional Director from the Information and Public Relations Department at Chandigarh, concluding 24 years of notable government service. His career placed him at the crossroads of administration, media and public accountability, a space where words matter and trust is earned slowly.
In recognition of his exceptional contribution to public life, the Government of Punjab honoured him with the State Award on Independence Day 2010 for his social services, particularly for the promotion of Gatka and the Punjabi language. In addition to this, he was honoured by the Rupnagar District Administration in 2009 for his resilience and public service. Besides this, several NGOs and social organisations in India and abroad have honoured him for his sustained contribution to the promotion of Gatka.
Long before government service, Grewal’s grounding came from journalism. He worked as Sub-Editor with Daily Chardhikala, Patiala from April 1992 to October 1993 and later with Daily Ajit, Jalandhar from November 1993 to January 2001. He also underwent internship training with The Punjabi Tribune in 1992. During this period, he published numerous investigative and developmental reports on social, cultural and governance-related issues. His media engagement extended beyond print through programmes and appearances on All India Radio, Doordarshan Kendra Jalandhar and interviews on various television, radio and web-based platforms in India and abroad.
Grewal also carries legal credentials that strengthened his understanding of institutions and public systems. After getting LL.B degree, he practised as an Advocate at the District Court, Sangrur from February 1, 2001 to September 20, 2001, a brief but formative phase that added a legal lens to his administrative and public life. He is a Member of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, the Bar Association of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and the District Bar Association, SAS Nagar and practising at High Court.
A distinguished officer of the Punjab Government, he retired in October 2025 as Additional Director from the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab Government at Chandigarh, bringing to a close an illustrious 24-year career marked by responsibility, honesty, trust, hard work and visible impact.
Over more than two decades in government service, Grewal occupied some of the most sensitive and high-profile communication roles in the state since 2001 as Public Relations Officer (PRO), Deputy Director, Joint Director and Additional Director, the top post in the cadre. He served as PRO with more than dozen Punjab Ministers, Deputy Chief Minister, five Director Generals of Police and more than 22 years with Vigilance Bureau Punjab handling communication at the very nerve centre of governance.
In these roles, he managed communication during high-pressure situations, promoted transparency in policing and vigilance, and helped bridge the gap between authority and citizens.
Parallel to his government career, Harjeet Singh Grewal has been a tireless torchbearer of Sikh cultural and sporting heritage. This Sikh officer is nationally and internationally known for his leadership in the promotion of Gatka, the traditional Sikh martial art. He currently serves as President of World Gatka Federation, General Secretary of Asian Gatka Federation, President of National Gatka Association of India, Chairman of the International Sikh Martial Art Council, Chairman of International Sikh Martial Art Academy, President of Global Sikh Sports Federation and Secretary of Global Sikh Council.
Under his stewardship, Gatka has seen institutional strengthening, national expansion, international recognition and a modern competitive framework without compromising its cultural soul. He drafted the first-ever Gatka Rules Book in 2009 for playing Gatka as a modern competitive sport at the international level and later amended and updated its editions in January 2017, 2021, 2025 and 2026. He has conducted numerous competitions across India and organised several Gatka refresher courses, training camps and workshops for technical officials, nurturing both talent and technical expertise. He also served as Gatka Competition Manager at the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 held at Panchkula, Haryana.
Gatka promoter Grewal’s engagement with Gatka is not merely administrative. He has presented research papers on traditional martial art Gatka at academic and cultural seminars, including during the Singh Sabha Lehar foundation day seminar at Sangrur and at a seminar held in Government Girls College, Ludhiana in 2023.
Grewal’s work has also carried Gatka far beyond India’s borders. He has travelled to twelve major countries of the world as a cultural and sports ambassador, promoting Gatka on international platforms and playing a key role in establishing national Gatka federations across different regions. His global contribution has been recognised with the ‘Sewa Award’ in Dubai in 2021 and the ‘Sikh Achievers Award’ in Mumbai in 2024, honours that reflect the international respect he commands for blending service, culture and organisation into a single, enduring effort. Moreover, several national, international and regional organisations have also honoured him for his contributions in social work and promoting Gatka globally.
As President of the Punjabi Cultural Council and Chairman of the Centre for Research and Development Studies Punjab, he has consistently worked for the promotion of Punjabi language, cultural research and institutional documentation. He endeavours a lifelong effort to ensure mother tongue Punjabi occupi its rightful status in governance, education and public life in the neighbouring states having significant Punjabi population. He believes culture survives when it is organised, recorded, preserved and respected within public systems.
Despite being fifty percent physically handicapped, his social commitment runs deep and practical. He is the Managing Director of the Global Organ Donation Foundation and has been actively creating awareness for cadaver organ and tissue donation in India. As President of the Blood Donors Council Ludhiana, he has personally donated blood twelve times as a voluntary donor, leading by example rather than appeal. Being a consistent supporter of community initiatives, he embodies a quiet ethic of giving back to the society.
Professionally, he also heads the Public Relations Society of India, Chandigarh Chapter, where he has worked to strengthen ethical communication practices and professional capacity through seminars, workshops and training programmes.
Measured in tone, disciplined in action and expansive in vision, Advocate Harjeet Singh Grewal represents a generation that believed public life was about building institutions, not personal brands. His story is not one of sudden ascent but of steady contribution, where governance, culture, sport and service move together, leaving behind structures stronger than when he found them.